The first two rounds of the UCI Track Champions League have set the tone for an intense series leading into the final two weekends of action, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and London.
Three years into the UCI Track Champions League, stars and fans have grown accustomed to this new format of racing, the intensity of the action, the sparks generated by the fastest and most resilient champions, with a modern approach to dive into the high-end performances and breathe fresh air into the velodromes.
The 2023 edition kicked off in great fashion in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, already home to the first rounds in both 2021 and 2022. Last weekend, Berlin, Germany, hosted further intense battles in the Sprint and Endurance Leagues.
Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen (Men’s Sprint) has been the most dominant so far with a perfect score of 80 points across the first two nights of action. New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews (Women’s Sprint), British rider Katie Archibald (Women’s Endurance) and Japan’s Eiya Hashimoto (Men’s Endurance) lead the other standings. But everything is still to play for in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France, 4 November) and London (United Kingdom, 10 and 11 November).
Men’s Sprint: Lavreysen asserts authority
Four events, four victories, and countless marks of pure power and class. Harrie Lavreysen won the individual sprint and the keirin both in Palma de Mallorca and Berlin to achieve the best start ever witnessed in the different leagues of the UCI Track Champions League.
Already the winner of the Men’s Sprint League in the opening edition of the series, the Dutch powerhouse was narrowly edged by Matthew Richardson last year. The Australian scored 26 points in Mallorca, and then 32 in Berlin, a sign of his shape being on the rise.
In third position, France’s Tom Derache has been impressing with his breakthrough performances. He’ll be determined to show his strength again in his home round in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, a few months ahead of the Olympic Games, when the track events will be held in the same velodrome.
Women’s Sprint: Andrews overtakes Pröpster
On the other hand, Andrews was extremely consistent through the night of competition in Berlin, with maximum heart rates of 199bpm (which she achieved in the 1st round of the Women's Sprint), 199bpm (Sprint semi-final), 200bpm (Sprint final), 200bpm (Keirin 1st round) and 198bpm (Keirin final) on her way to claiming 40 points out of 40 in Berlin.
With three victories and a total of 70 points, the 23-year-old New Zealander moves past the early leader Alessa-Catriona Pröpster (65 points), who had stormed to victory in Palma de Mallorca in the individual sprint, against the UCI World Champion Emma Finucane (GBR).
Men’s Endurance: Hashimoto shows his grit
Hailing from Japan, Eiya Hashimoto knows how furious things can get in a keirin, a discipline he’s used to practising in his home country. But it’s endurance where the 29-year-old shines best, as illustrated in the first two rounds of the UCI Track Champions League 2023.
In Palma de Mallorca, he surged to victory in the scratch. He then saw Canada’s Dylan Bibic power to the win in the elimination race of the first round, and again in the scratch last weekend in Berlin. But Hashimoto reacted strongly in the elimination race to take 2nd behind Belgium’s Jules Hesters. As he puts it, “racing aggressively is my strength”.
Women’s Endurance: Williams challenges Archibald
Although she was narrowly beaten by American Jennifer Valente last year, Katie Archibald, winner of the Women’s Endurance League in 2021, has shone night in and night out in the UCI Track Champions League, accumulating 12 victories (8 in elimination races, 4 in scratch races). She has won both elimination races so far this year and leads the overall standings with 67 points… But rivals are mounting a coup against the British star.
The USA’s Lily Williams (61 points) has won both scratch races to be the first rider alongside Archibald with multiple victories in the Women’s Endurance League. Meanwhile, Norway’s Anita Yvonne Stenberg (60 points) and Canada’s Maggie Coles-Lyster (56 points) rack up points with their consistency. They have three more rounds to take the final steps towards victory.