The UCI Track Champions League returns for its fourth season with the world’s best track cyclists set to compete in five rounds across three exciting venues.
The competition kicks off at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in France on Saturday 23 November. While it marks the venue's third consecutive appearance on the calendar, this year holds special significance, coming just a few months after the Paris 2024 Olympic Champions for track are crowned at the same velodrome.
2022 UCI Track Champions League Women’s Sprint Champion, Mathilde Gros (France) said:"Last year, I made the difficult decision to skip the UCI Track Champions League in order to focus on my Olympic preparations. I am delighted to see that my home velodrome will be hosting this year’s opening round and I hope my performances this season will pave the way for my return to a competition I love.”
UCI President, David Lappartient and 2022 UCI Track Champions League Women’s Sprint Champion, Mathilde Gros-large.JPG)
Double UCI Track Champions League Men’s Sprint Champion, Harrie LavreysenThe following weekend, Apeldoorn in the Netherlands will make its UCI Track Champions League debut, as the riders battle it out in a double-header on 29 and 30 November. While the Omnisport Apeldoorn is a newcomer to this competition, it is a regular host of top international competition, not least the UCI Track World Championships in 2011 and 2018, and the 2024 UEC European Track Championships earlier this year. It is also most notably the home of one of the UCI Track Champions League’s most decorated riders, Harrie Lavreysen, who has two Olympic titles, 13 UCI World Championship titles and two UCI Track Champions League overall titles to his name (2021, 2023).
Double UCI Track Champions League Men’s Sprint Champion, Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) said:“Competing in the UCI Track Champions League in front of my home crowd has been a dream of mine since it began four years ago and I'm thrilled that this dream is becoming a reality. This announcement is giving me an extra boost of motivation for the rest of the season with the hope of inspiring more young people in the Netherlands to take up track cycling.”
Continuing the tradition of the past three seasons, Lee Valley VeloPark in London, Great Britain, will once again host the concluding rounds (Round 4 and the Grand Finale) on 6 and 7 December.Each year, this iconic venue has attracted sell-out crowds to witness the deciders of the coveted blue jerseys.
Double UCI Track Champions League Women's Endurance Champion, Katie Archibald (Great Britain) said: "London has always been an incredibly special venue for me, with some of the best crowds I have experienced in my career. I’m looking forward to coming back here for a fourth year and creating more unforgettable memories.”
Double UCI Track Champions League Women's Endurance Champion, Katie ArchibaldCIC AND BETCITY NAMED EVENT PRESENTING PARTNERS
French bank and financial services group Crédit Industriel et Commercial (CIC) will be the event presenting partner for the opening round of the 2024 UCI Track Champions League season in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, following its role as sponsor of the French round in 2023. Founded in 1859, CIC is a major player in the French banking sector and has an international network made up of 36 countries and four foreign branches. BetCity, the Dutch online betting platform for sports fans, and a partner of WBD Sports since early 2023, will sponsor the Apeldoorn rounds.
BUILDING ON THE EXCITEMENT OF LAST SEASON
Tickets for all five rounds of the 2024 UCI Track Champions League, along with details on how to purchase, will be available soon. Fans can pre-register at www.ucitrackchampionsleague.com to receive a notification when the tickets become available. Last year, they were treated to several historic performances, setting the stage for another action-packed season in 2024.
New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews won the Women’s Sprint title in her debut season with a record-setting haul of 173 points whilst Great Britain’s Katie Archibald reclaimed her Endurance blue jersey from 2021 after a close battle with Norway’s Anita Stenberg. The Men’s Sprint competition saw another contest between Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) and Matthew Richardson (Australia) with the Dutchman finishing on top with an unprecedented points tally of 191 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.
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Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “We are so excited for the start of a new season of the UCI Track Champions League. With a brand-new venue in Apeldoorn and a tweaked format featuring two double headers, this season promises even more intensity and action.
It is also an exceptionally special year because of the Paris 2024 Olympics Games, which we know are a career milestone for most of our UCI Track Champions League athletes, hosted at the same track as our opening round.”
UCI President David Lappartient said: “In its three years of existence, the UCI Track Champions League has become a not-to-be-missed fixture on the UCI Track International Calendar. This year sees an added dimension with the addition of the prestigious Apeldoorn venue as the host of two rounds, and of course athletes returning to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines just three months after their Olympic battles at the same velodrome. Finally, we know from experience that the Grand Finale at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark will produce high-tension competition as the riders give their all for overall glory. We have all the ingredients for another incredible edition of the UCI Track Champions League!”
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 Tissot UCI Track World Championships, Tissot 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 (WBD) 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.
For its fourth season, WBD Sports is working very closely with the UCI to revise the qualification system, with the aim of expanding opportunities for cyclists to qualify for the UCI Track Champions League through other key track cycling competitions on the international calendar, in addition to the Tissot UCI World Championships. More details to be announced soon.
