Launch of the UCI Track Champions League

A new chapter in track cycling history, designed to elevate the sport to a new level of prestige, was unveiled today with the launch of the UCI Track Champions League. Details of the innovative new series were announced via a live digital event, broadcast simultaneously from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, near Paris, and Bath, UK.

Source: Press Release – Photos: Germain Hazard/DPPI

UCI President David Lappartient, Eurosport & Discovery Global Sports Rights & Sports Marketing Solutions President Andrew Georgiou, and Eurosport Events Head François Ribeiro unveiled all aspects of the short-format racing series optimized for the general public and viewers. Featuring the world’s most prestigious riders in the discipline, the series is built around a condensed international race calendar, equal participation and prizes between genders, and a global broadcast program.

This competition will begin on November 6 with the first of six international events. It will bring a new approach to the track cycling format. This launch is part of a new eight-year partnership between cycling’s world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Discovery, alongside its event promotion company Eurosport Events, with the aim of developing engagement around the sport.

The 2021 Calendar

A condensed six-round race program designed to give track cycling a clear place in the cycling calendar, visibility beyond the World Championships, and maximum spectator engagement:

Round 1 – November 6 – Palma, Mallorca
Velòdrom Illes Balears
The 5200-seat multisport venue opened in 2007 and hosted the 2007 UCI Track World Championships.

Round 2 – November 20 – St Quentin en Yvelines, France
Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
The French National Velodrome opened in 2014 and hosted the UCI Track World Championships in 2015 and the UEC Track European Championships in 2016. The velodrome will host the track cycling events of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Round 3 – November 27 – Panevėžys, Lithuania
Cido Arena
The multisport Cido Arena opened in 2008 and is the only Olympic-standard velodrome in the Baltic States. The 4230-seat stadium hosted the 2012 UEC Track Cycling European Championships.

Rounds 4 & 5 – December 3-4 – London, United Kingdom
Lee Valley VeloPark
The Lee Valley VeloPark was built for the London 2012 Olympic Games and is renowned for its iconic curved roof design. In addition to the Olympic Games, the venue hosted the UCI Track World Championships in 2016 and Sir Bradley Wiggins’ successful UCI Hour Record attempt in 2015.

Round 6 – December 11 – Tel Aviv, Israel
Sylvan Adams National Velodrome
The brand new venue is the most advanced cycling center in the Middle East, funded by Sylvan Adams as part of his drive to develop local cycling champions in Israel. The venue will host the 2022 UCI Junior Track World Championships.

A Unique Sporting Format

The UCI Track Champions League is a championship format where each round will feature the same race program. Riders score points over the six rounds in either the Sprint or Endurance category. Each category has two different race types in which competitors can accumulate points: sprinters will race both the sprint and the keirin while endurance riders will race both the elimination and the scratch. 18 riders will compete in each category, for a total of 72 riders – men and women in equal numbers – to participate in the first UCI Track Champions League.

The standings within the UCI Track Champions League will be determined by points awarded to riders based on their performance in each race. Points will accumulate in a leaderboard and the overall winner in each category will be the rider with the most points at the end of the series. At the end of each round, the four current leaders in each category (two men, two women) will receive the leader’s jersey to wear at the next event.

Identical Prizes for Male and Female Athletes

The 36 male and 36 female riders competing for victory in the Sprint and Endurance categories of the League will be motivated by over €500,000 in prize money. Furthermore, prize money allocation will be equal for male and female riders as part of the League’s commitment to gender equality in sport and in accordance with the UCI’s equal prize money policy across all its events.

Prize money will be awarded for places 1 to 10 in each race throughout the series, with winners receiving €1000. The overall winner of each category will also receive €25,000, with prizes awarded for each overall ranking position.

Founding Riders

Three men and three women, each at different stages of their professional track cycling careers, have been chosen as “founding riders” of the first UCI Track Champions League: Ed Clancy (Great Britain), Emma Hinze (Germany), Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands), Mathilde Gros (France), Sebastián Mora (Spain), Simona Krupeckaitė (Lithuania).

The Founders will bring to life the human story behind the event in the lead-up to and during the UCI Track Champions League. Fans will be able to follow each athlete’s journey on the UCI Track Champions League channels and its broadcasters Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network (GCN), as well as on the riders’ social media accounts.

As the League will take place in different velodromes across Europe, riders have been chosen to represent these countries. They have qualified as “wild cards” at the discretion of the UCI Track Champions League, while other riders will be invited to participate based on their UCI world ranking and their performances at the UCI World Championships.

Global Broadcast

The UCI Track Champions League will benefit from an extensive global broadcast strategy with the aim of reaching and engaging as many cycling fans as possible. All six rounds of the race will be widely broadcast on Discovery-owned channels, including Eurosport, linear television and streaming, as well as GCN+ and the GCN Racing digital channels.

As part of the League’s ambition to reach a wider audience for the sport and attract new fans, distribution partnerships with leading broadcasters have also been agreed upon. Further details on broadcast partners will be announced in the coming weeks.