The list of riders taking part in the Men’s and Women’s Sprint competitions has been revealed, completing the line-up for the 2023 UCI Track Champions League.
Reigning Olympic Champion Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) is among the 18 riders named on the Women’s Sprint list, joining fellow Olympic medallists Lauriane Genest (France) and Katy Marchant (Great Britain) and current European Champion Alessa-Catriona Pröpster (Germany).
The quartet is joining recently crowned UCI World Champions Emma Finucane (Great Britain) and Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) who were announced last month.
The 18-rider strong Men’s Sprint list features 2023 European Champion Tijmen van Loon (Netherlands) and former European gold medallists Mateus Rudyk (Poland) and Melvin Landerneau (France), with two-time Olympic and 13-time UCI World Champion Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands), fellow rainbow jersey holder Kevin Quintero (Colombia) and defending UCI Track Champions League Men’s Sprint Champion Matthew Richardson (Australia) previously confirmed.
19 Sprint riders (9 men and 10 women) are set to make their UCI Track Champions League debuts, which makes 35 riders (15 men and 20 women) in total.
Athletes from 20 countries will be taking part in the Sprint competitions, with athletes from China (Wang Lijuan) and Taiwan (Hsieh Nien Hsing) making their debuts. Great Britain, meanwhile, is the most represented nation, with six riders competing in the Sprint events (Sophie Capewell, Emma Finucane, Katy Marchant, Ellie Stone, Lowri Thomas and Joseph Truman).
28 nations will be represented across the UCI Track Champions League as a whole, with Great Britain the most represented nation with 14 riders.
The full 36 rider Sprint roster for the UCI Track Champions League is as follows:
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CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ENDURANCE LINE-UP
Florian Pavia, Series Director of the UCI Track Champions League, said: “It’s very exciting for us to confirm the full list of riders who will be competing at the 2023 UCI Track Champions League. This Sprint line-up definitely complements the world-class roster of Endurance athletes that will also be in action.
“Securing such a global field of male and female talent is amazing to see and I’m sure it’s going to guarantee five rounds of exciting, dramatic and hotly contested racing.”
David Lappartient, UCI President, said: “We are very much looking forward to the third season of the UCI Track Champions League, which promises to be more action-packed than ever. The UCI Cycling World Championships held earlier this summer was an incredible event, and now we have the medallists from Glasgow joining an impressive start list with the top track riders in the world, guaranteed to bring a spectacular show to spectators and fans.
“The format of five rounds over four consecutive weekends mean we will see non-stop world-class racing before we reach the Grand Finale in London, and I wish all competitors the best of luck as they take on this unique and exhilarating series in track cycling.”
Kelsey Mitchell said: “I’m delighted to be on the roster for the third season of the UCI Track Champions League and the excitement around it is just incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing where I’m at with my form because it’s been a rollercoaster year so far. For me, the best training is racing, and the calibre of rider I’ll be up against this year is very high. I want to do my best and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Katy Marchant said: “I’m super excited to be racing the UCI Track Champions League for the first time this season. It’s an opportunity for me to race a little bit differently to how I do normally, against some world-class opposition. I really hope we can put on a good show and push each other all the way, and I’m especially looking forward to ending the series in front of a home crowd in London. That will be amazing.”
Nicky Degrendele said: “The UCI Track Champions League will be great preparation heading into an Olympics year and I’ve only heard good things about it. As well as the back-to-back competition, the series is a great bonding experience for us as riders, because we only get to see each other a few times a year, and as well as being competitors, many of us are also friends.”
Tijmen van Loon said: “I’m really excited for the 2023 season, competing in the UCI Track Champions League for the very first time and experiencing its unique race format. The series is one of the last chances we’ll have to race repeatedly, in such a short period of time, before the Olympics, and it’s all about gaining that experience. My goal is to be as consistent as possible, as that seems to be key in doing well over the entire series.”
Melvin Landerneau said: “I’m really happy to be taking part this season as the UCI Track Champions League is the best thing to have happened to track cycling in years. My goal is to have fun and enjoy riding my bike. I am especially looking forward to racing in front of a home crowd in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, and I want to do all I can to be ready for when the Olympic Games visit there next year, as it’s a once-in-a-career opportunity.”
RACE CALENDAR:
Round 1: Saturday 21 October, Mallorca / Velòdrom Illes Balears, Spain - Buy tickets
Round 2: Saturday 28 October, Berlin / Berlin Velodrom, Germany - Buy tickets
Round 3: Saturday 4 November, St-Quentin-en-Yvelines / Velodrome National de St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France - Buy tickets
Round 4: Friday 10 November, London / Lee Valley VeloPark, UK - Buy tickets
Round 5 / Grand Finale: Saturday 11 November, London / Lee Valley VeloPark, UK - SOLD OUT
