photo credits @ UCI
Presentation of the rounds
Glasgow
The Scottish city of Glasgow (GBR) will host the opening round of the 2016-2017 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup this weekend (November 4-6). This will be the second time that Glasgow hosts the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, after a successful introduction in the 2012-2013 season. Glasgow has also hosted the Commonwealth Games (2014), UCI Junior Track World Championships (2013) and, over a century ago, in 1897, the Track Cycling World Championships. Racing will be held at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, named in honour of Scotland’s most decorated track cyclist. Glasgow will also be the site of the first ever Women’s Madison at World Cup competition.
Apeldoorn
One week after the opening round in Glasgow, the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup resumes in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands (November 11-13). This will be the first time Apeldoorn hosts a round of the UCI World Cup. The new Omnisport Apeldoorn facility replaces the track that was used for the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, and is a complex comprising a unique cycling and athletics hall, a professional sports hall, business lounge, restaurant and sports café. Omnisport is already the home base for top Dutch sports teams and is the only Dutch venue to meet international standards for European and UCI World Championships in track cycling and athletics.
Cali
After a three-month hiatus, the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup resumes in Cali, Colombia, on February 17-19, 2017. Cali has a long history of hosting international competition: it is the 14th time the UCI World Cup comes to the Alcides Nieto Patino velodrome. The Colombian city also hosted the UCI World Championships for the discipline in 2014. Cali will be the only World Cup round of the season to offer both the women’s and men’s Omnium at the same event, as competition builds towards the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
Los Angeles
The 2016-2017 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup concludes in Los Angeles, USA, with the fourth and final round on February 25-26, 2017. This is the fifth time that Los Angeles will host the World Cup at the Velo Sports Center, in the StubHub Center sports complex. Los Angeles has also hosted UCI World Championships for track on two occasions – for Juniors in 2004 and Elite athletes in 2005. This will also be the final major competition before the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, to be held in Hong Kong on April 12-16.
A look at the track specialities
The number of Tissot UCI World Cup titles up for grabs doubles this year from five to ten for both men and women. New to the programme: Scratch race, points race, 1km/500m time trial, individual pursuit and Madison, although not all specialities will be raced at every World Cup round. The introduction of the Women’s Madison is particularly interesting at this level, and is just one of the regulation changes made to track cycling this season to render it even more exciting and spectator-friendly.
Sprint events
Individual sprint Qualification 200m time trials are followed by knockout heats of 3 laps that select the best two riders to line up against each other in the final. Riders sometimes come to a standstill to make their opponent take the lead – the least advantageous position before the final sprint to the finish line.
Team sprint This is raced by teams of three over three laps of the track (for women, two riders over two laps). Two teams start on opposite sides of the track, with each rider leading for a lap before peeling off. The final remaining rider for each team sprints for the finish to establish the team’s time.
Kilometer (500m for women) Two athletes ride simultaneously during qualifications with the 8 fastest going through to the finals. The finals are raced as an individual time trial from a standing start. The competitor with the fastest time is the winner.
Keirin Riders follow in the slipstream of a pacing motorbike for 750m before undertaking a three-lap sprint to the end. The motorbike gradually increases the speed from 30 to 50 km/h before pulling off the track to allow the sprint to begin.
Endurance events
Individual pursuit Two riders start on opposite sides of the track and compete over 4km (3km for women). The winner is the rider who manages to catch his/her opponent or who records the fastest time.
Team pursuit Two teams of four riders start on opposite sides of the track and compete over 4km. The winning team is the one that manages to catch its opponents or that records the fastest time.
Points race This is a bunch-start race of around 25km for women and 40km for men. Riders can gain points during sprints (one every 10 laps on a 250m track) and by lapping the rest of the field (+20 points). The final result is calculated according to the number of points won. Points awarded in the last sprint after the full distance are doubled (10 points, 6 points, 4 points, 2 points).
Madison Teams of two riders take part in this relay race contested by means of intermediary sprints (every 10 laps). While one team member races, the other slows down to take a rest before being thrown back into the action with a hand sling from his/her team mate. The classification is calculated according to the number of points won. As with the points race, any team that gains a lap on the main bunch is awarded 20 points, while any team that is lapped by the bunch has 20 points deducted. Points awarded in the last sprint after the full distance are doubled (10 points, 6 points, 4 points, 2 points).
Scratch race This is a mass-start race for individual riders over 15km for men and 10km for women. The first lap is neutralised.
Combined event
Omnium Formerly made up of 6 events disputed over 2 consecutive days, this year the Omnium will comprise four endurance events raced on the same day: Scratch race, tempo race, elimination and points race. Riders must show consistency throughout the day to have a chance of topping the final classification.
The tempo race is new to the Omnium, and its rules are similar to those of the points race. After the first five laps, intermediate sprints occur every lap with one point awarded to the first rider. Riders also gain points for lapping the main bunch, while riders caught by the main peloton must leave the track and lose all their points.
Learn more about the disciplines (videos).
Riders to follow
Below are some of this year’s main contenders, and the highlights of their 2015-2016 track season.
Women
Omnium
Laura Kenny (GBR) Olympic Champion UCI World Champion 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong
Team Pursuit
Great Britain Olympic Champion World Record Holder 2nd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong 3rd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cali
Canada Overall UCI Track Cycling World Cup winner 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cali 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong 2nd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge (NZL)
Team Sprint
China Olympic Champion 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cali 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge Overall UCI Track Cycling World Cup winner
Sprint
Kristina Vogel (GER) Olympic Champion 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge Tianshi Zhong (CHN) UCI World Champion 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cali
Keirin
Elis Ligtlee (NED) Olympic Champion European Champion
Men
Elia Viviani (ITA) Olympic Champion 3rd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong 4th – UCI World Championships
Thomas Boudat (FRA) European Champion 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong 5th – Olympic Games
Great Britain Olympic Champion World Record Holder 3rd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong
Australia Overall UCI Track Cycling World Cup winner 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong 3rd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cali
Great Britain Olympic Champion 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong
New Zealand UCI World Champion 2nd – Olympic Games 2nd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge
Jason Kenny (GBR) Olympic Champion UCI World Champion 3rd – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Hong Kong
Matthew Glaetzer (AUS) 2nd – UCI World Championships 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge 4th – Olympic Games
Joachim Eilers (GER) UCI World Champion 1st – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge 4th – Olympic Games
Jason Kenny (GBR) Olympic Champion 5th – UCI Track Cycling World Cup, Cambridge 6th – UCI World Championships
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