British track cycling’s biggest names are back in action on home soil this weekend for the opening UCI Track World Cup event of the season, live on BBC TV.
The three-day event pits together the leading riders in the sport as they step up their preparations for February’s UCI World Championships in Colombia.
It is the first of three World Cups inthe 2013/14 season and British Cycling have named a full-strength squad containing seven Olympic gold medallists.
The UCI Track Cycling World Cups are a huge step on the ladder towards World Championships and Olympic qualification and a strong British team will line up for the three day meet at the Manchester Velodrome.
It is Manchester’s hottest sporting ticket this weekend with the event becoming the fastest selling global track cycling event to date.
Tickets for the weekend’s major sessions sold out in less than a week as demand to see Great Britain’s elite cyclists in action is still very strong more than a year after the spectacular Olympic track cycling programme.
All three World Cup events held in the 2013/14 season determine each country’s international ranking and provide a showcase for the best international track racing on the planet.
Manchester is the first round of the 2013-14 UCI Track Cycling World Cup series and sees the return of the much loved track at the National Cycling Centre to the schedule after Glasgow’s new Emirates Arena, a 2014 Commonwealth Games venue, hosted the British leg last season.
This time around, Great Britain will be represented by the same squad of riders who recently competed at the European Track Championships in Apeldoorn, with the exception of Katie Archibald who will compete for her trade team in Manchester.
The Great Britain team won eight medals in Apeldoorn, and also set the new world record in the women’s team pursuit, posting a time of 4:26.556 in the new four-women over four kilometres format.
The squad for the world cup in Manchester includes Olympic champions Jason Kenny, Phil Hindes, Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Dani King, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott, as well as current two-time world champion Becky James.
Trott won team pursuit and omnium gold at the London 2012 Olympics and took both European titles earlier this month.
She will be one of many star names at the event competing alongside a number of new upcoming faces from the world of track cycling as the road to Rio 2016 draws ever closer.
The programme of racing in each round mirrors the events in an Olympic Games every four years, so the UCI Track Cycling World Cup is a great place to get into the sport of track cycling and experience the thrill of witnessing the world’s top cyclists in action.
BBC Sport will be bringing viewers all the key action from the opening round of the series in Manchester over the weekend of November 1-3.
Fans can watch live action from both evening sessions on Friday and Saturday on TV via BBC Red Button or online via the BBC Sport website.
Then on Sunday, Jonathan Edwards and Victoria Pendleton introduce coverage of the concluding session at 2.20pm, featuring highlights from the first two days of action, plus live coverage of the remaining finals on Sunday afternoon.
Commentary from the Manchester Velodrome comes from Simon Brotherton, Rob Hayles and Jamie Staff, while Jill Douglas conducts interviews with the key riders.
Friday 1st November
DAY 1 – Evening Session
LIVE: 7.00pm-10.00pm BBC Red Button
Saturday 2nd November
DAY 2 – Evening Session
LIVE: 6.00pm-10.00pm BBC Red Button
Sunday 3rd November
DAY 3 – Afternoon Session
LIVE: 2.20pm-5.30pm BBC Two
