28 September 2023 - London, United Kingdom: Six female riders who recently won medals at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland have been confirmed for the 2023 UCI Track Champions League.

British star Neah Evans, who struck gold in the Madison at the UCI Cycling World Championships last August, and New Zealander Ellesse Andrews, who claimed her first rainbow jersey in the Keirin and took silver in the Sprint, will be taking part in the series for the very first time.

The duo will be joined by returning stars and fellow UCI World Champions Emma Finucane (Great Britain - gold in Sprint and silver in Team Sprint) and Katie Archibald (Great Britain - gold in Team Pursuit). Archibald’s place in the UCI Track Champions League history has already been assured after she sealed the first-ever Women’s Endurance title in 2021, and with her five race victories that resulted in a second place overall during the 2022 series. 

Sophie Capewell (Great Britain - silver in Team Sprint) is also making a welcome return to the UCI Track Champions League alongside Martha Bayona (Colombia – silver in Keirin), who won two races during the 2022 series.

The first batch of male UCI World Championships medallists will be unveiled soon, with more big names set to be announced before the full rosters for the Men’s and Women’s Sprint, and Men’s and Women’s Endurance line-ups are finalised.

QUALIFICATION CRITERIA
Riders’ performances at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are  the main qualifying pathway to the UCI Track Champions League. Male and female athletes must achieve at least one of the following criteria for direct qualification:

Sprint:
●    Top six finish in the Sprint
●    Top six finish in the Keirin
●    The highest-ranked UCI Sprint riders on 1st August
●    The highest-ranked UCI Keirin riders on 1st August
●    Four wildcards invited at the discretion of the UCI

Endurance:
●    Podium finish in the Elimination
●    Podium finish in the Omnium
●    Podium finish in the Scratch
●    Podium finish in the Points Race
●    The highest-ranked UCI Elimination riders on 1st August
●    The highest-ranked UCI Scratch riders on 1st August
●    Four wildcards invited at the discretion of the UCI

Katie Archibald said: “I’m really looking forward to the back-to-back racing which the UCI Track Champions League provides, and just like everybody else, I want to win. The best riders in the world will be taking part and every one of them has a realistic chance of becoming the champion, and I want to be in the mix. The series is vital for my Olympics preparations as well, as it’s an amazing opportunity for me to experiment with my tactics, take risks, and I always aim to be at my best for it.”

Emma Finucane said: “I’m super excited to be back at the UCI Track Champions League. Last year it really helped me step up by racing regularly against Olympic and UCI World Champions, and I’m especially looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd again in London on the 10th and 11th November.”

Martha Bayona said: "The UCI Track Champions League is an event I love to compete in. It is highly demanding and brings together the world’s best athletes and the back-to-back rounds means we all get to know each other really well.”

Florian Pavia, Series Director of the UCI Track Champions League, said: “Announcing riders for the UCI Track Champions League is one of the best parts of our job, and we’re delighted to unveil this initial list of world-class talent, with more big names set to be confirmed in the weeks to come.

“We see the 2023 UCI Track Champions League as a key stepping stone between the UCI Cycling World Championships and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the world’s best riders can test themselves against their rivals whilst also competing for one of the biggest prizes in the sport.”

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RACE CALENDAR:
Round 1: Saturday 21 October, Mallorca / Velòdrom Illes Balears, Spain
Round 2: Saturday 28 October, Berlin / Berlin Velodrom, Germany
Round 3: Saturday 4 November, St-Quentin-en-Yvelines / Velodrome National de St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
Round 4: Friday 10 November, London / Lee Valley VeloPark, UK
Round 5 / Grand Finale: Saturday 11 November, London / Lee Valley VeloPark, UK

Since its launch in 2021, the UCI Track Champions League has consolidated its place as one of the ‘Monuments’ of track cycling, sitting alongside the UCI Track World Championships, UCI Track Nations Cup and Olympic Games at the very pinnacle of the global racing calendar.

The series – organised in partnership between the events division of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – makes track cycling more accessible and exciting than ever before, elevating the sport to new levels and reaching new audiences in the process.

As well as captivating thousands of fans inside the velodromes, the exploits of the world’s best riders will once again be beamed across the globe, with discovery+, Eurosport, GCN+ and a host of international broadcast partners bringing the sport to countless screens.

Last season over 18,000 fans watched the action in person, with 11.4 million TV viewers tuning in from 81 countries around the globe and millions more fans following the action on the official UCI Track Champions League app and social media channels.