Star-studded Endurance roster unveiled for 2024 UCI Track Champions League
Key points:
Reigning UCI Track Champions League champions Katie Archibald (Great Britain) and Dylan Bibic (Canada) lead a 36-strong roster of elite Endurance athletes as the competition returns for five thrilling rounds of track action.
Bibic will fight to defend his title in the Men’s competition, but 2023 UCI World champion and Bibic’s runner-up in the 2023 UCI Track Champions League, Will Tidball (Great Britain), 2022 UCI Track Champions League overall winner Claudio Imhof (Switzerland), and Asian Continental champion Eiya Hashimoto (Japan) lead a stacked line-up of challengers for the crown.
Stars of the recent Tissot UCI Track World Championships, including UCI World Champion in the elimination race, Tobias Aagaard Hansen (Denmark), will also hope to capitalise on their sparkling form, while the roster is completed by a host of wildcards, including exciting young talents Tim Wafler (Austria) and Alex Vogel (Switzerland).
In the Women’s competition, Katie Archibald (Great Britain) will be a strong favourite to secure another coveted blue jersey after winning a rainbow one in the team pursuit earlier this year, while her fellow Olympic Madison silver medallist Neah Evans will also be in action. Anna Morris, fresh off the back of her stunning ride to gold in both the team and individual pursuit at the Tissot UCI Track World Championships earlier this month, and Jessica Roberts round out a formidable Great Britain squad.
2023 UCI Track Champions League Women Endurance overall winner, Katie Archibald (Great Britain)
2023 UCI Track Champions League Men Endurance overall winner, Dylan Bibic (Canada)Yareli Acevedo (Mexico) will make her first appearance in the UCI Track Champions League, following an excellent series of performances in the Tissot UCI Nations Cup, alongside another returning Tissot UCI Nations Cup star in Lara Gillespie (Ireland). Reigning European omnium champion Anita Stenberg (Norway) will be another talent to watch, in addition to five wildcard spots going to up-and-coming young talent such as Ireland’s Lucy Bénézet Minns.
Now in its fourth season, the competition continues to expand, welcoming even more global talent. This year, Egypt makes its debut in the UCI Track Champions League with African champion Ebtissam Zayed, bringing the total to three current Continental champions competing. Additionally, five 2024 UCI World Champions and three Paris Olympic medallists will be in the hunt for the trophy.
A total of 36 riders from 19 different countries form the UCI Track Champions League Endurance roster, with 19 of them (11 women and 8 men) making their debut. Great Britain tops the list with six riders, the most from any single country (Katie Archibald, Neah Evans, Jessica Roberts, Anna Morris, Will Perrett, Will Tidball).
This year, the pathway into the UCI Track Champions League has expanded, offering riders multiple routes into this prestigious competition, and ensuring the field of competitors is of the very highest quality. Formerly based only on results from the Tissot UCI Track World Championships, now outstanding results from the rest of the UCI International Track Calendar – including the Tissot UCI Nations Cup, Olympic Games, and Continental championships – also offer ways for riders to qualify. Remaining places in the 36-strong roster for each competition are filled using a roll-down system and wildcard allocations for bright young talent and riders of exceptional quality from all over the world, in order to recognise their achievements and offer them the chance to compete on the biggest stages.
You can find more details about the new qualification system for the UCI Track Champions League here.
The full 36-rider Endurance roster for the UCI Track Champions League 2024 is as follows:
Double UCI Track Champions League overall winner and reigning champion in the Women’s Endurance, Katie Archibald (Great Britain) said: “I can’t wait to get back on the track and try to defend my title from last year. This season has had some ups and downs for me, but this is an opportunity to end it on a high. I want to race well and make the most of the form I've got - especially in front of a home crowd at the Lee Valley velodrome”.
Reigning UCI Track Champions League Men’s Endurance champion Dylan Bibic (Canada) said: “I’m super stoked to be back in the UCI Track Champions League, I’m feeling in great shape, and I can’t wait to get out there and give it my all. The standard of competition is so high, and we always push each other to put in the absolute best we can, plus the fans always create an amazing atmosphere.”
Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Last year’s UCI Track Champions League was the competition’s best yet, with the final two rounds in London sold-out and record crowds packing the stands. This year promises to be even better: with world-class venues and so many incredible athletes taking part, it’s going to be a phenomenal show.”
RACE CALENDAR:
The action kicks off on 23 November in the Vélodrome National of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, just outside Paris (France), which saw UCI World and Olympic records toppled and some incredible battles for Olympic glory this summer. Round 1, sponsored by CIC, will be followed by a double-header as the riders head to the Netherlands for Rounds 2 & 3, in Apeldoorn, sponsored by BetCity, before returning to the iconic Lee Valley VeloPark in London for Round 4 and sold-out Grand Finale.
Since its launch in 2021, the UCI Track Champions League has grown from strength to strength, now taking one of the top spots in the track cycling international calendar alongside such elite company as the Tissot UCI Track World Championships, Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup, and the Olympic Games.
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, bringing the sport to new audiences and allowing the world’s best riders another chance to compete for glory in front of millions of viewers.
Alongside giving fans across Europe the chance to watch incredible feats of athleticism up close inside the velodrome, WBD broadcast network (including Max, discovery+, Eurosport and a host of international broadcast partners) will once again bring the drama into the comfort of viewers’ homes. Last season a record 19,600 spectators watched the action in person, while there were over 25 million video views across both the UCI Track Champions League and Eurosport social media platforms.
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Never miss a moment of the new UCI Track Champions League competition with the Official App and get a unique and immersive experience. The app will take you right to the heart of the action in real-time and provide unique insights into the world’s best track cyclists.
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