Track Champions League wows London cycling fans and riders

Track Champions League at Lee Valley Velodrome (Photo: SWPix.com)

It had been billed as a top engagement on the cycling calendar, and had been talked about since when it was announced in the Spring of this year, so finally when the Track Champions League came to London's Lee Valley Velodrome everyone was pretty excited.

The fast and furious adrenaline-filled nature of track cycling tends to be a crowd puller, as you see at the Olympics for instance. Velodrome tickets always sell out first before other cycling disciplines. But this Track Champions League brought things to another level. 

The races were done as a league based on six races, each to be contested every week for six weeks. between November and December and in velodromes across different parts of Europe, including the Lee Valley (Olympic) Velodrome in London and the National Velodrome on the outskirts of Paris.

The short format races saw the World's top-ranked racers contest sprint, keirin, elimination and points races in rapid succession - which in itself was a challenge for the competitors who normally have long breaks in between races during a track meet.

Added to that were flashing lights, pumping sound system and animated commentators. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend, due to illness. But from what I saw on the TV it looked pretty impressive. It seemed reminiscent of the old "Revolutions" series that used to take place in the autumn in velodromes around the UK, but on steroids!

What I noticed were the rather zany looking skinsuits that the athletes were wearing, which were designed by Santini, the Italian-based family sports clothing company. In fact, I wrote an article for the Santini website about the very tight process the company had in place in order to design the kit and have them ready for every one of the 72 riders.

The organisers of the event, Discovery Sports Events talked through what they wanted to achieve with this event. The idea, being to engage a wider audience to track cycling by making the format of the races easy to understand, and displaying athletes' performance data like what you see when watching Formula 1 on TV. Interestingly, the Head of Discovery Events, François Ribeiro, comes from a background of motorsport and bring some of those effects from Formula 1 to cycle racing. Funnily enough he also added that the effects that are being used in cycling, which are deemed revolutionary, were being used in motorsport twenty years ago. So, another reason for cycling critics to call it an old fashioned sport then!

The events went well, and wowed the sell-out crowds. Unfortunately, as has been the case with most sports events Covid-19 caused significant changes to the programme, with Paris, Berlin and Tel Aviv being removed from the rota as their velodromes were used as Covid-19 vaccination centres. Londoners were treated to two days of racing at Lee Valley.

Katie Archibald (SWPix.com)

In the sprinters' competition Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) won the men's race and Emma Hinze (Germany) won the women's race. For the endurance competition Britain's Katie Archibald was the winning woman while Gavin Hoover (USA) pipped the fancied Spain's Sebastian Mora to the post.  

When the race came to London I managed to get an interview with a couple of competitors, notably Ed Clancy, who was doing his last ever race as a professional, and Nicholas Paul, racing for Trinidad.

Ed Clancy:

"I honestly think track cycling has been crying out for something of this nature for a long time – I’m probably biased but, track cycling is a great thing. The racing is short, action packed and I feel like the Revolution races gave it a really good go, to try and bring a bit of entertainment to something I’ve been very passionate about. This is the same sort of thing, but with the backing of Eurosport and some big sponsors. I think it’s mint. The crowd are loving it. Everyone I’ve spoken to that’s seen it back home on TV have loved the format. I hope for the next generation, it’s going to be around for decades to come.

Ed Clancy (Photo: SWPix.com)

"When you’re an athlete for the Great Britain Cycling Team and you have that potential to win Olympic Gold medals that would have been your first and foremost priority. Wouldn’t it have been great to do something like this in what is now their off-season. I think it’s a great way for the riders not just to have fun and publicise themselves, but to make a decent living doing it as well. There’s decent prize money at the sharp end. I feel like it’s a scenario where everyone is winning. Hopefully the sponsor Eurosport are getting everything they want out of it; I know the spectators are and I believe the riders are having a good time as well."

Nicholas Paul:

"This is almost the end of my 2021 season, so I’m going into a break after until maybe January, just like road days something like that, and then I will be starting my preparation again back in Switzerland for the Nations Cup coming up, in the prospect of qualifying for the World Championships at the end of the year, and also they have the Commonwealth Games. 

"The Track Champions League is a big big change for track cycling. We are not accustomed to getting all this coverage, so I think it’s a step in the right direction for track cycling to let people know that it’s on the rise and it’s an exciting sport. I think that’s a step in the right direction, and the Track Champions League is doing a great job of raising the profile of track cycling.

Nicholas Paul (Photo: SWPix.com)

"For me, it’s always a pleasure to represent the red white and black to put my country out there. It’s a little island, so I think for me to be able to put it on the map and let people know that Trinidad & Tobago has great athletes and great talent, I think that’s always a great thing for me." 

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Memorable rides in Scotland

The inaugural Women's Tour of Scotland cycle race took place over the weekend. It was a professional road race with stages that went to various parts of southern Scotland, except stage 1 was cut short 30km before the end, in Dunfermline, due to heavy rain and standing water. The race featured local rider Katie Archibald (Team Scotland), pre-race favourite Cecile Uttrup Ludwig, and eventual winner Leah Thomas (both from Bigla).

Women's peloton at the Tour of Scotland (credit: Women's Tour of Scotland)

The route showcased some of the finest parts of Scotland - well at least when there wasn't pouring rain and brisk winds.

I wasn't able to go up and watch the race, but I have been to some of the areas the riders passed. In fact here are the parts of stage three that I have been to with my bike, and highly recommend.


Edinburgh Suburbs - Holyrood, Arthur's Seat and Craigmillar Castle

While on a visit to the Edinburgh Festival, some years ago I had my bike with me, and did a ride out across the Meadows, through Morningside, and then up the hill at Braid and Blackford Nature Reserve. My return journey then took me past the 14th Century Craigmillar Castle and back into Edinburgh via Arthur's Seat and through Holyrood Park.

Even though Edinburgh city centre is barely three miles away, it still feels as though you are in the countryside. The riding can be a little challenging as there are a few hills to get over.

Of course the biggest hill around there is Arthur's Seat, which the riders contested as part of the Queen of the Mountains competition during the finish line loop.

Near Craigmillar Castle, with Pentland Hills behind

Getting to the top of Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags beneath it wasn't possible with a road bike, so I parked up my bike, put on some trainers and walked from there. The views over Edinburgh are well worth it.



Pentland Hills

Another area that the riders passed was the Pentland Hills Regional Park.

I was not able to ride there, due to being on the road bike, but from Craigmillar Castle I had a very good view of the hills.

I did have the opportunity to ride on the Pentland Hills some years later when I did the Rachel Atherton Red Bull Fox Hunt.
It was a women's downhill mountain bike race in which the World DH Mountain Bike Champion gave us a head start to race down from the summit and she would fly down the hill and try to overtake as many of us as possible.

The women (AKA the hounds) race down Pentland Hills

So there I was, a 45-year-old who had never done downhill in her life, quaking in her SPDs, lined up with about 150 other women on Caerketton Hill.

We threw ourselves down the rocky, tussocky, heather-covered descent as fast as we could, hopefully without breaking any bones, while Rachel came after us in hot pursuit.

She caught me in no time at all, but surprisingly she wasn't able to get past everyone. Congestion on the trail meant that Rachel finished in a comparatively modest 35th place, while the winner was an amateur downhiller, Bex Baraona.

It had been a really good weekend. We'd had the chance to get an up-lift by Jeep so we were able to do a few practice runs, and seeding runs before the main event. It was just as well really, as I was extremely nervous when I first arrived at the venue, and wondered if I had done a stupid thing signing up for it.

Feeling good after my race with Rachel Atherton

In fact on my first run I crashed because I was gripping the brakes so tightly that the bike lost momentum on the descent and tipped sideways. Eventually, I got the hang of things and after the run I felt sooo exhilarated.

I thoroughly recommend this sort of thing. But then again, I can afford to say that now because I came away with no injuries - unlike a few unlucky girls!


I am eternally grateful to Alpine Bikes who let me use a lovely Trek Remedy bike for the occasion.


Glentress Forest

Given that I was in the area on the weekend of the Red Bull Fox Hunt, and I had loaned a bike from Alpine Bikes in Glentress Forest, I decided to do a spin at the mountain bike trail centre. This was another area that the Women's Tour of Scotland visited - well not the mountain bike centre itself, but the route went through nearby Peebles, and the riders would have gone through full gas to contest the sprint bonus at Innerleithen.

Trek Remedy at Glentress

They moved significantly faster than the pace that I travelled at on the Green family route, and a bit of the Red route at Glentress! I was probably still feeling a little tired after my weekend capers with Rachel Atherton. But what I did appreciate was the beauty of the forest, and the lovely views over the Tweed Valley.

I have good memories of these rides in bonnie Scotland, and would recommend doing them if you have time. And I would encourage you to take your time. There's no need to ride as fast as Katie Archibald or Cecile Uttrup Ludwig in order to enjoy it!


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Cycling words from 2015

A few memorable quotes I picked up during interviews I did with cycling folks in 2015:


"Just completing the event teaches you a huge amount about yourself. The process of getting to the start line is the most valuable thing I think any cyclist can do. If you’re a number crunching training animal then it’s right up your street. We’ve taken marginal gains to the nth degree, and we can apply them to what I’m going to be doing between now and the games in Rio."
Sarah Storey speaking following her hour record attempt at Lee Valley velodrome


"We do thrash ourselves a fair bit over our careers and you only really realise it when you stop. The amount of damage we do to our bodys, I am quite shocked to know I do this to myself."
David Millar speaking following his retirement from professional cycle racing 


"It’s really fantastic. It’s really cool to see all those schoolkids around and coming out of their schools, supporting, cheering for the riders and cheering for the tour. You really feel that cycling is really popular in Britain." 
Marianne Vos speaking at the Women's Tour



"We are changing focus for 2016 and trying to make sure we can step up. Elinor [Barker] is an unsung hero, and it is really difficult to transition from the track to the road. It was nice that she took the pressure off Laura [Trott] and we had her in some good positions coming into finishes."
Stefan Wyman (Matrix Fitness) speaking at the Women's Tour





"The roads are wider over there. So in terms of positioning you kind of get a little bit lazy because you know that in two seconds you can be at the front, whereas here it can take you an hour to get to the front, and less than a minute to slip to the back!"
Hannah Barnes comparing road racing in the US with road racing in the UK at the Women's Tour



"Last year I did this and when coming up to the finish I crashed on the corner, so it was nice to stay upright this time! Changing the course to anticlockwise this year was great for me. I’m a track rider so I love going left!"
Katie Archibald speaking following her victory at the London Nocturne




"I love it because it’s different, it’s quirky, and the crowds are absolutely mental. It’s almost like the atmosphere in the Olympics. There’s a great party atmosphere. It helps that everyone is a bit half cut! In this race everyone was going for it and was gung ho, going bang bang bang. It just feels good to finally crack it and get the win."
Ed Clancy speaking following his victory at the London Nocturne




"When you are in a race you have to put out of your mind who they are and what they have done. You just see it as just another bike race and they are just another bike rider. No one is unbeatable. It’s just a question of getting on and doing it."
Nicola Juniper after gaining the title at the National Criterium Championships




"I think the whole vibe with Foxhunt is that it’s a race but it’s pretty relaxed and it’s not your average race. I think the mass start – everyone starting together, I think that helps the nerves and the confidence of girls who aren’t so sure about racing – having people around them, and it’s female only. It’s been an awesome weekend and everyone’s had a good time."
Rachel Atherton speaking following the Red Bull Foxhunt

 

"There's a lack of girls in downhill mountain biking, so I am keen to help get other women into cycling. I hope to organise a couple of women's events. I have already taken my mum out on a few trails!"
Manon Carpenter speaking at the launch of the Strongher women's cycling group



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One day on photo - 10

Friday 19th September

I managed to get sucked into the all-night marathon show that covered the results of the referendum on Scottish independence. The programme wasn't all that gripping. This wasn't helped by the dour BBC coverage, but the monotony was mainly due to the stream of councils declaring the "No" vote had won.

I shouldn't really have had difficulty falling asleep through all of this, but on a few occasions when the magic moment came my slumber was interrupted by a gigantic cheer. This happened when Dundee, Glasgow and a couple of other councils came out and said yes to being a separate country. So, my all-nighter wasn't completely wasted! I wasn't on the side of the "yes" vote. I had just wanted to see the really tight contest being played out as the opinion polls had been forecasting. Although the "yes" vote got a creditable 45%, this was not really mano-a-mano stuff.

I must say I am glad that Scotland is still part of the United Kingdom and we will be able to see the likes of proud Scot, Katie Archibald representing Team GB on the world stage in the cycle races. It is possible to be proud of your nationality and be part of the UK or be British. I can understand the reasons why people would vote "yes" to independence and I respect that, but I still believe that we are stronger together. I finally got some kip just before 5 am, and caught up on the rest of my sleep during my journey to Ireland later in the day.