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Stellar Sprint roster packed with talent completes 2024 UCI Track Champions League line-up
Key points:
The full list of riders competing in the men’s and women’s Sprint competitions at the 2024 UCI Track Champions League has now been unveiled, with six Olympic, five UCI World Champions and six Continental champions among a star-studded line-up.
Reigning UCI Sprint World Champion Emma Finucane (Great Britain) leads an 18-strong roster packed full of talent in the women’s line-up, alongside 2024 double Olympic Champion Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand), who is also the reigning Sprint champion of the UCI Track Champions League.
The two sprint stars are joined by Olympic and UCI Track World Championships silver medallist Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands), Continental champions (Pan-American Track Championships gold medallists) Martha Bayona (Colombia) and Daniela Gaxiola (Mexico), and former European Track champion Alessa-Catriona Pröpster (Germany).
As well as long-established names, fans will also get to see up-and-coming talents make their mark, like Stefany Cuadrado Florez (Colombia), both UCI Junior World Champion and Pan-American Junior champion, who has earned a wildcard this year for her brilliant results.
Reigning UCI Track Champions League winner in the Women’s Sprint category and double Olympic Champion in Paris 2024 (Sprint and Keirin), Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand)
Reigning UCI Sprint World Champion Emma Finucane with sprint-winning teamate, Sophie Capewell (both from Great Britain) On the men’s side, defending champion Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) will be highly fancied among the 18 competitors to add another trophy to his dazzling collection, going for a clean sweep of Olympic and UCI World Champion titles across the team and individual sprint disciplines this year.
Standing in his way will be 2022 UCI Track Champions League overall Sprint winner and Olympic silver medallist Matthew Richardson, competing in his first competition since an eye-catching switch from representing Australia to Great Britain, as well as six-time UCI World Champion in team sprint, Jeffrey Hoogland (Netherlands), and double Pan-American champion Nicholas Paul (Trinidad & Tobago).
Former UCI World Champion Kevin Quintero (Colombia), keirin silver medallist at the 2024 Tissot UCI Track World Championships, Mikhail Yakovlev (Israel), and former European champion Mateusz Rudyk (Poland) are among the other big names to take to the track.
The fresh faces are just as exciting. Debutant Tayte Ryan (Australia) is hotly tipped to make his mark on the biggest stage after some stellar junior results. Now a three-time UCI Junior World Champion, he defended his kilo time trial title at the 2024 UCI Junior Track World Championships in Luoyang (China), also picking up another rainbow jersey in the sprint. His kilo title defence was even more impressive as he smashed the world record, set by compatriot Thomas Cornish in 2018, so he’s in red-hot form.
Defending champion Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) VS 2022 UCI Track Champions League overall Sprint winner Matthew Richardson (Great-Britain)In total, 18 women and 18 men will compete for the two prestigious blue jerseys across five rounds in the UCI Track Champions League, with 18 nationalities represented and several wildcards issued to celebrate the huge array of exceptional talent and diversity within elite track cycling.
Great Britain is the best represented nation in the Sprint competitions, with three riders – the Olympic and UCI World Championships team sprint-winning squad of Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell, and Katy Marchant – competing in the Women’s event, and two riders in the Men’s ranks (Matthew Richardson and Harry Ledingham-Horn). The 18 riders in the Men’s competition hail from 13 different countries, with 12 nations making up the Women’s roster.
A total of 10 riders—five women and five men—are making their debut in the Sprint competition this year, contributing to the 29 newcomers across both the Sprint and Endurance leagues in the UCI Track Champions League. Among the women are Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton (both from New Zealand), Alina Lysenko (AIN), Stefany Cuadrado Florez (Colombia), and Kristina Clonan (Australia). On the men's side, Tayte Ryan and Leigh Hoffman (both from Australia), Luca Spiegel (Germany), Cristian Ortega (Colombia), and Shah Sahrom (Malaysia) are also competing for the first time.
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 UCI Track Cycling 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 18-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.
You can find more details about the new qualification system for the UCI Track Champions League here.
The full 36-rider Sprint roster for the UCI Track Champions League 2024 is as follows:
Reigning UCI Track Champions League winner in the Women’s Sprint category and double Olympic Champion in Paris 2024 (Sprint and Keirin), Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) said: “Last year’s UCI Track Champions League was a dream come true for me. The whole atmosphere was incredible, and it was amazing to wear the blue winner’s jersey. It gave me a huge confidence boost heading into the Olympic year and lots of awesome racing experience that we sometimes miss being down in New Zealand. I’m super excited to get back out there and fight for the blue jersey again, but there are so many talented riders on the start list, and it’s going to be tough!”
Reigning UCI Track Champions League winner in the Men’s Sprint category and triple Olympic Champion in Paris 2024 (Sprint, Team Sprint, and Keirin), Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) said: “To come away with another overall win at the UCI Track Champions League would be amazing, I’ve had a great year in competition so far with Olympic and UCI World Champion titles and this would just top it off perfectly. The fast pace of the racing really suits me, and I think it’s going to be another fantastic season.”
Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “With such an exciting roster featuring the world’s best sprinters and some hugely talented names to watch in the future, the 2024 UCI Track Champions League Sprint competition couldn’t be more gripping. This event is now firmly on the map as one of the premier track racing events in the world, and fans are guaranteed five thrilling rounds of action-packed racing across back-to-back weeks.”
The 2024 UCI Track Champions League entry list is now finalised, including the confirmed Endurance riders. A total 72 riders from 28 countries will be represented, with Great Britain leading as the most-represented nation, featuring 11 riders.
RACE CALENDAR:
The action kicks off on 23 November in the Vélodrome National of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, just outside Paris, 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 the 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.
Available on iOS and Android
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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