EVENT PREVIEW: WORLD’S TOP RIDERS SET TO LIGHT UP LITHUANIA AS UCI TRACK CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RETURNS FOR ROUND TWO

24 November 2021 – Paris, France: Fresh from its electrifying debut three weeks ago, the most innovative new series in cycling returns this weekend as round two of the UCI Track Champions League heads to Panevėžys, Lithuania.

After an action-packed first round in Mallorca, multiple Olympic medalists and UCI Track Cycling World Champions Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) and Emma Hinze (Germany) lead the men’s and women’s Sprint League respectively. Alongside them, fellow decorated superstars Corbin Strong (New Zealand) and Katie Archibald (Great Britain), hold first place in the men’s and women’s Endurance League. The four leaders will each wear the coveted leader’s jersey this Saturday.

Round two will witness fierce battles for the lead in each category as rivalries continue to develop. In the Women’s Sprint, Emma Hinze will look to maintain or build on her slender advantage of two points over Canadian powerhouse Kelsey Mitchell. Harrie Lavreysen leads the Men’s Sprint by four points over rival Stefan Bötticher (Germany) meanwhile.

Katie Archibald (Great Britain) and Maggie Coles-Lyster (Canada) will no doubt continue a close fight for supremacy in the Women’s Endurance while Israel-Start Up Nation rider Corbin Strong will hope to maintain his perfect start and further his impressive lead of ten points from second placed Iúri Leitão (Portugal).

A trio of Lithuanian riders, meanwhile, will all be cheered on by a crowd expected to number several thousand: Simona Krupeckaitė (Two-time UCI World Champion, 11th in the Women’s Sprint), Vasilijus Lendel (UCI World Cup gold medalist, 8th in the Men’s Sprint) and Olivija Baleisyte (currently 3rd place in the Women’s Endurance league).

Reflecting on the success of round one and looking ahead to round two, Simona Krupeckaité said: “It was an exciting experience to compete in Mallorca. This new and innovative competition brings together real high-action drama and the world’s top riders. Actually, the view and the atmosphere were so good in Mallorca that I wish I could see everything from the fans’ perspective. The week before the second round we competed in the Lithuanian National Championships and it was a great test of form before the second round. I feel prepared, excited and can’t wait for Saturday night. It’s a rare chance to see the best riders in the world and we are lucky to have such an event in Panevezys and the opportunity to compete in front of our fans”.

Her compatriot Vasilijus Lendel added: “It‘s a tough, huge challenge for the top class riders and an amazing experience for the fans. The first round in Mallorca lived up to my expectations. My goals haven’t changed and I want to show much better results in upcoming rounds. It's hard to believe that so many Olympic and UCI World Champions will gather at the Cido Arena in such a great action-packed competition”.

Olivija Baleisyte said: "Everything was great in the first round I am very much looking forward to the second round in Panevezys. I’m happy with my results but in front of our fans I want to improve my performance and I’ll try to do my best. It's been a dream since my teenage years to compete in such a big event at the Cido arena and it will come true very soon. I hope our fans will give us the best support and create an amazing atmosphere”. 

Cycling fans will be able to access real-time rider data, via live broadcasting during the race. Power, heart rate, cadence and other key metrics will all be on show, giving viewers unique insights into the athletes’ performances.

RACE PROGRAMME
Event 1    WOMEN'S SPRINT - First Round (6 heats of 3 riders)
Event 2    MEN'S KEIRIN - First Round (3 heats of 6 riders)
Event 3    MEN'S SCRATCH (20 laps)
Event 4    WOMEN'S SPRINT - Semi-Finals (2 heats of 3 riders)
Event 5    MEN'S KEIRIN - Final (Final of 6 riders)
Event 6    WOMEN'S SCRATCH (20 laps)
Event 7    WOMEN'S SPRINT - Final (Final of 2 riders)
Event 8    MEN'S SPRINT - First Round (6 heats of 3 riders)
Event 9    MEN'S ELIMINATION (Elimination every 2 laps)
Event 10   WOMEN'S KEIRIN - First Round (3 heats of 6 riders)
Event 11   MEN'S SPRINT - Semi-Finals (2 heats of 3 riders)
Event 12   WOMEN'S ELIMINATION (Elimination every 2 laps)
Event 13   WOMEN'S KEIRIN - Final (Final of 6 riders)
Event 14   MEN'S SPRINT - Final (Final of 2 riders)

ABOUT THE CIDO ARENA
Located in the city of Panevėžys, Lithuania, the Cido Arena is a multipurpose sports venue, first opened to the public in 2008. Designed by Ralph Schuermann, architect of the 2008  Beijing Olympics track, the venue is the only indoor velodrome situated in the Baltic states.

The venue hosted its first major international cycling event in 2012, welcoming the European Track Championships. Its regulation 250m track benefits from a seated capacity of 4230. Outside of the track season, the venue is also home to Lithuanian basketball club BC Lietkabelis and hosted the 2011 European Basketball Championships. Saturday will see the arena lit up by the electrifying UCI Track Champions League, another major track cycling event for the world-class venue.

THE SPORTING FORMAT
The UCI Track Champions League is a league format where every round features the same race programme. Riders score points across the five rounds in either the Sprint or Endurance category. Each category has two different types of races in which competitors can accumulate points: Sprinters race in both Sprint and Keirin while Endurance riders race both Elimination and Scratch. 18 riders take part in each category, totaling 72 riders — equal numbers male and female — racing in the inaugural UCI Track Champions League.

The Sprint Category races:
Sprint: The Sprint sees the first rider to cross the finish line after three laps of the track win. The first round comprises six heats of three riders going head-to-head, with the six winners progressing on to the semifinals. Two heats of three riders then determine the final two competitors to go for the win.

Keirin: The Keirin race is a massed start sprint over five laps. The first two laps of the track are behind a Derny motorcycle to set the pace, leaving riders to sprint to the finish over the remaining three. Six riders take part in three heats, with the top two riders qualifying for the final. In the final, six riders compete for victory.

The Endurance category races:
Elimination: In the Elimination race the last rider across the finish line in every other lap is eliminated from the race. The first lap is a neutral lap and all 18 riders take part from the off. 

Scratch: The classic Scratch race is contested over a relatively short distance of 5 km to see the high-speed action start from the gun. All 18 vie for a podium position over 20 laps of the 250m track.

POINTS AND RIDERS RANKINGS
Rankings within the UCI Track Champions League are determined by points allocated to riders from their performance in each race (see below for example). Points accrue in a ranking table and the overall winner in each of the categories will be the rider with the most points at the end of the series. At the end of each round the current leader is awarded the UCI Track Champions League leader’s jersey to wear at the next round.

WHERE TO WATCH ROUND TWO
discovery+ (selected markets), Eurosport and GCN+ will broadcast round two of the UCI Track Champions League begins at 18:00 CET on Saturday.

Fans can also follow the best of the action from Lithuania via Eurosport.com