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The best riders of the track cycling scene are back in the fast-paced format of the UCI Track Champions League.
Split between endurance (scratch race and elimination) and sprint events (keirin and sprint), the top men's and women's cyclists in the world will battle it out to be crowned the best in the world.
Dutch sprinting legend Harrie Lavreysen and Australia’s Matthew Richardson are among a list of seven star male riders that have confirmed their attendance for the 2023 UCI Track Champions League.
Lavreysen and Richardson lit up the UCI Track Champions League last season, winning no less than five Men’s Sprint events each in a monumental two-way battle which ultimately saw Richardson claim the overall title by a two-point winning margin, secured in the final sprint over Lavreysen.
The duo also impressed at the recent UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, with Lavreysen adding two more rainbow jerseys to his collection in the Sprint and Team Sprint.
His tally of UCI Track World Championship titles now stands at 13. Meanwhile, Richardson earned silver medals in both the Team Sprint and Keirin.
“I’m really looking forward to racing my bike again at the UCI Track Champions League, having fun and trying to learn as much as I can," said Richardson.
"Obviously, I’d love to defend my Men’s Sprint title, and that’s my goal, but it’s such a competitive field that I’d be happy with a podium. The series is such important preparation for the Olympics, especially with the back-to-back racing and three-rider heats, you can’t replicate that anywhere else against the best riders in the world. I can’t wait to get going.”
Riders’ performances at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are the main qualifying pathway to the UCI Track Champions League. Great Britain’s William Tidball and Colombian Kevin Quintero both became UCI World Champions for the very first time in Glasgow, and they will be joining Lavreysen and Richardson for the 2023 series along with fellow medallists Dylan Bibic (Canada – silver in Elimination), Mark Stewart (Great Britain – silver in Madison) and Tuur Dens (Belgium – bronze in Scratch).
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.
This year, the five rounds of competition will take place over five round and four consecutive weekends, with the final two rounds a double-header over the weekend in London.
How to watch the 2023 season of the UCI Track Champions League LIVE via SBS On Demand
Saturday, November 11
UCI Track Champions League - Round 4, London
06:00-09:30 AEDT
Sunday, November 12
UCI Track Champions League - Round 5, Grand Finale, London
04:30-08:00 AEDT