MADRID, 17 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The fourth edition of the ‘UCI Track Champions League’ will start in Paris on November 23 and will end in London on December 6 and 7, after a tour of five events in three venues that were officially announced this Monday.
On November 23, Paris will host the first test at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome, where the Olympic Games will be held, and which will host the championship for the third consecutive year. The Dutch city of Apeldoorn will be the second stop, while London will close the season on December 6 and 7, as has been tradition.
French cyclist Mathilde Gros, sprint champion in the 2022 competition, regretted that last year she had to make the “difficult decision not to participate in the ‘UCI Track Champions League’ to focus on her Olympic preparation. “I am delighted to see that my home velodrome will host this year’s opening round and I hope that my performances this season will pave the way for my return to a competition that I love,” he declared.
For its part, Apeldoorn will make its premiere in this edition on the weekend of November 29 and 30. Omnisport Apeldoorn is a newcomer to this competition, but has already hosted high-level international competitions in the past such as the UCI Track World Championships in 2011 and 2018, or the UEC European Track Championships in 2024 at the beginning of this year.
It is also home to one of the UCI Track Champions League’s most decorated riders, Harrie Lavreysen, who has two Olympic titles, 13 UCI World Champion titles and two UCI Track Champions overall titles. League’ in 2021 and 2023.
Lavreysen stated that “competing in the UCI Track Champions League” in front of his audience has been his “dream since he started four years ago” in this competition. “I am delighted that this dream is coming true. This announcement gives me an extra boost of motivation for the rest of the season, hoping to inspire more young people in the Netherlands to take up track cycling,” said.
Continuing with the tradition of the last three seasons, the Lee Valley VeloPark in London (Great Britain) will once again host the final rounds (the fourth and the Grand Final) on December 6 and 7. Each year, this iconic venue has attracted a sold-out crowd to witness the fight for the coveted blue jerseys.
Katie Archibald (Great Britain), double UCI Track Champions League endurance champion, confessed that “London has always been an incredibly special place” for her, with “some of the best attendances” she has experienced in her career. “I’m looking forward to coming back here for the fourth year and creating more unforgettable memories,” she stressed.
Tickets for all five rounds of the 2024 ‘UCI Track Champions League’, along with details on how to purchase them, will be available shortly. Fans can pre-register at www.ucitrackchampionsleague.com to be notified when tickets become available.
Last year, New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews won the sprint title in her debut season with a record 173 points, while Great Britain’s Katie Archibald regained her 2021 blue endurance jersey after a close battle with Norway’s Anita Stenberg.
In the men’s competition there was another duel between Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) and Matthew Richardson (Australia), in which the Dutchman emerged the winner with an unprecedented record of 191 points out of a possible 200. Dylan Bibic also became the youngest and first Canadian winner of the UCI Track Champions League after winning four races in the men’s endurance competition.
The Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros, Discovery Sports Europe (WBD Sports), a collaborator of the event, Chris Ball, showed his excitement “for the beginning of a new season of the UCI Track Champions League”, which “with a new headquarters in Apeldoorn and a modified format with two double races, this season promises even more intensity and action.”
For his part, the president of the UCI, David Lappartient, stated that the ‘UCI Track Champions League’, in its three years of existence “has become an unavoidable event on the UCI’s international track calendar.”
“This year has an added dimension with the addition of the prestigious Apeldoorn venue as host to two rounds and, of course, the return of the athletes to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines just three months after their Olympic battles in the same velodrome,” said the leader.
“We know from experience that the Grand Final at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark will produce a high-tension competition with riders giving everything for overall glory. We have all the ingredients for another incredible edition of the Track Champions League. the UCI,” he said.
Since its launch in 2021, the UCI Track Champions League has cemented its place as one of the ‘Monuments’ of track cycling, alongside the Tissot UCI Track World Championships, Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup and the Olympic Games. .
For its fourth season, WBD Sports is “working very closely with the UCI to review the qualification system, with the aim of expanding the opportunities for cyclists to qualify for the ‘UCI Track Champions League’ through other key competitions of track cycling on the international calendar, in addition to the Tissot UCI World Championships,” the organization explained.