- Brand new elite competition to feature world’s top track cyclists
- Champions League to be held over six rounds at select velodromes across Europe
- Final round to take place on 11 December at Sylvan Adams National Velodrome in Tel Aviv
May 19th (Tel Aviv, Israel) – At an event unveiling the brand new UCI Track Champions League, it was announced yesterday that the six-round track cycling competition will culminate in a final round at the Sylvan Adams National Velodrome in Tel Aviv, where the male and female winners of the competition will be crowned.
Details of the innovative new series were announced via a live digital event, streamed from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, near Paris, and Bath, UK. President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling’s world governing body, David Lappartient, Eurosport & Discovery Global Sports Rights & Sports Marketing Solutions President, Andrew Georgiou and Fran֧֦cois Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events revealed all aspects of the competition. They were joined by ambassadors, track cycling legends Kristina Vogel and Sir Chris Hoy MBE, plus key figures including businessman and philanthropist Sylvan Adams.
The elite competition featuring the world’s highest profile riders, is designed to build the global profile of track cycling beyond the four-year Olympic cycle. It will debut on 6 November with the first of six events. The competition, which will be broadcast worldwide, will include gender-equal participation and prize fund.
At the launch, the six-round race schedule was announced. The competition will begin in Spain on 6 November, continuing with rounds in France, Lithuania, two rounds in London and culminating in the competition finale on 11 December at the Sylvan Adams National Velodrome in Tel Aviv. The velodrome is most advanced cycling facility in the Middle East, funded by Sylvan Adams as part of his vision to nurture homegrown cycling champions in Israel. The venue will also host the 2022 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships.
Sylvan Adams is the co-owner of the Israel Start-Up Nation cycling team, which competes on the World Tour, the highest level of professional road cycling. He was also the driving force behind bringing the Big Start of the prestigious Giro d'Italia to in Israel in 2018.
Sylvan Adams said, “I’m just thrilled that the Sylvan Adams Velodrome in Tel Aviv will host the finale of the UCI Track Champions League that will see the winner crowned in Israel. Our velodrome, the first such facility in the Middle East, is just over a year old, and we already have developed some real track talents, both men and women, who will get the opportunity to race against the world’s best on their home track. In a way, this will be our coming out party to the rest of the track cycling world, who will get to see our world class facility, as the event is beamed into living room TVs around the globe by Eurosport. Looking forward to welcoming everyone to the great, exciting city of Tel Aviv.”
The UCI Track Champions League is a league format where every round will feature the same race program. Riders score points across the six rounds in either the Sprint or Endurance category. Each category has two different types of races in which competitors can accumulate points. 18 riders will compete in each category, totaling 72 riders — equal numbers male and female.
Rankings within the UCI Track Champions League will be determined by points allocated to riders from their performance in each race. Points will accrue in a league table and the overall winner in each of the categories will be the rider with the most points at the end of the series.
The launch comes as part of a new eight-year partnership between the UCI and Discovery alongside its dedicated event promotion business Eurosport Events, with the objective to develop a year-round narrative for track cycling and further grow engagement around the sport.
David Lappartient, UCI President said, “The launch of the UCI Track Champions League marks an important milestone in the history of track cycling, one of cycling's historic disciplines and one that has been part of the Olympic Games since the first modern Games in 1896. Thanks to our strategic partnership with Discovery, a dynamic, fast-paced, television-friendly circuit will reach a new audience of track cycling fans.
“I am very much looking forward to seeing this inaugural edition of the UCI Track Champions League take place in these iconic venues revealed today, and to seeing the first four men's and women's winners of the 2021 UCI Track Champions League, celebrated in December in Tel Aviv, Israel.”
Caption: From left to right: François Riberio (Head of Eurosport Events), David Lappartient (UCI President), Kristina Vogel (Ambassador), Sylvan Adams (Event Promoter, Israel), Andreu Serra (Sport & Tourism Councillor, Consell de Mallorca) and Laurent Mazaury (Vice-president of sports of St-Quentin-en-Yvelines Region).
Editor’s Notes
2021 Calendar
A condensed, six-round race schedule designed to give track cycling a clear space in the wider cycling calendar, visibility beyond the World Championships and maximum fan engagement:
Round 1 - November 6 - Palma, Mallorca
Velòdrom Illes Balears
The 5200-capacity multisport venue opened in 2007 and hosted the 2007 UCI Track Cycling 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 has hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2015 and UEC European Track Cycling Championships in 2016. The velodrome will host the track cycling events at the 2024 Paris 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-capacity stadium hosted the 2012 UEC European Track Cycling Championships.
Round 4 & 5 - December 3-4 - London, U.K.
Lee Valley VeloPark
The award-winning Lee Valley VeloPark was constructed for the 2012 London Olympic Games and is renowned for its iconic curved roof design. As well as the Olympics, the venue hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2016 and the successful UCI Hour Record attempt by Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2015.
Round 6 - December 11 - Tel Aviv, Israel
Sylvan Adams National Velodrome
The brand new venue is the most advanced cycling facility in the Middle East, funded by Sylvan Adams as part of his vision to nurture homegrown cycling champions in Israel. The venue will host the 2022 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships.
Equal Prize Money For Male & Female Athletes
The 36 male and 36 female riders competing for victory in the League’s Sprint and Endurance categories will be motivated by a prize pot totaling more than €500,000. Furthermore, the allocation of prize money will be equal for both male and female riders as part of the League’s commitment to gender equality in the sport, and in line with the UCI’s equal prize money policy across all its events.
Prize money will be awarded for places 1-10 in every race throughout the series, with race winners receiving €1,000. The overall winner of each category will also receive €25,000, with prize money allocated for each place in the overall standings.
