Watch all the action from the final round of the UCI Track Champions League on SBS On Demand, with the racing action coming your way on Sunday 5 December from 0600-0900 AEDT on SBS On Demand.
In the race to be crowned the ultimate winners of the inaugural Track Champions League, the 72 world-class riders went into battle on the iconic boards of Lee Valley VeloPark for another evening of high-speed action - the first round of a double-header grand finale in London.
In the Men’s Sprint League, Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) now leads by 14 points ahead of second-placed Steffan Bötticher (Germany) and 46 ahead of Vasilijus Lendel (Lithuania). The German made up ground on the world champion in the keirin, which he won while Lavreysen placed fourth.
The powerful Dutch sprinter did manage to best his main rival for the overall earlier in the night however, as he took out a two-up battle between the pair in the final of the sprint.
In the Women’s Sprint League, Emma Hinze (Germany) leads by just two points ahead of compatriot Lea Friedrich (Germany), with Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) in third - 27 points adrift. Hinze came in as the unbackable favourite, but after crashing in the opening round of the keirin, when scored just one point, and with Friedrich picking up the maximum in the final, the lead in the standings changed hands for the first time in the competition.
The sprint final was a showdown between the top German pair, with a powerful display by Hinze, only a hour removed from picking herself up off the track from the crash, seeing her win the sprint and reclaim the top of the rankings.
The Men's Endurance League is led by Sebastian Mora (Spain) on 89 points, ahead of Gavin Hoover (USA) and Corbin Strong (New Zealand), second and third respectively on 84 points and 68 points. Mora rode a pair of smart pair of races to make sure he finished ahead of his New Zealand rivals in Strong and Aaron Gate.
It was a runaway winner in Claudio Imhof that won the scratch race, while Hoover had the most endurance as the attrition of the elimination race took its toll.
Local superstar Katie Archibald (Great Britain) extends her lead in the Women's Endurance standings with 108 points, ahead of Australian Annette Edmondson (Australia) and Kirsten Wild (Netherlands) on 73 and 72 points respectively.
Archibald wasn't able to answer the superb power of Wild in the scratch race, the retiring Dutchwoman showcasing why she's been one of the best in the world for decades as she won with a long sprint from the front. Wild looked like repeating again in the elimination with a similar powerful display from the front, but Archibald timed a late attack perfectly, and managed another victory to extend her lead at the top.
Each of the four leaders atop the standings will wear the coveted UCI Track Champions League Leader’s Jersey in the grand finale tomorrow, broadcast on SBS On Demand from 0600-0900 AEDT.
