The world’s best track cyclists compete in the Olympic Games every four years, captivating television audiences around the world with high-octane gladiatorial racing.
Outside of powerhouse nations like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, road cycling rules and velodrome specialists live a niche existence.
The UCI, cycling’s governing body, is hoping to change that this weekend when the inaugural Track Champions League kicks off at the Velodrom Illes Balears in Mallorca.
The fast-paced made-for-TV series, which features 72 of the world’s best riders competing in five weekly rounds, is intended to take the sport to new heights.
The UCI hopes to hook a new audience and provide riders with the stage to raise their profiles and more importantly, make a decent living, with broadcast partner Discovery Sports Events promising an innovative approach with live rider data and fan engagement.
Chris Hoy, a six-time Olympic track and field champion from the United Kingdom who helped develop the new league’s format, believes it has the potential to be a game changer.
While the complexities of track cycling fascinate aficionados, they can be perplexing to casual fans, and even experienced cycling journalists can be left scratching their heads during a Madison race.
As a result, the Track Champions League has adopted a simplified format, with 18 male and female sprinters competing in sprint and keirin races for points, and the same number of endurance riders competing in scratch and elimination races.
Each round of the Champions League will last approximately three hours, with riders scoring points in each race and the results tallied to determine male and female champions in the sprint and endurance leagues after the final round on December 11 in Tel Aviv.
While some absences, such as Britain’s golden couple Jason and Laura Kenny, are notable, the cast in Mallorca on Saturday will boast 29 Olympic medals and 63 world titles.
Olympic sprint champions Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands and Kelsey Mitchell of Canada, Olympic keirin champion Shanne Braspennincx of the Netherlands, and multiple Olympic champions Katie Archibald and Ed Clancy of the United Kingdom are among the riders.
The new format, according to world and Olympic champion Lavreysen, will keep track cycling in the spotlight.
Following the round in Mallorca, the action shifts to Lithuania, followed by two rounds in London, and the grand finale in Tel Aviv.
The Paris round was cancelled as the velodrome was being used as a COVID-19 vaccination centre.
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