New For UCI Track Cycling World Cup: Kick-Off In Astana And Conclusion In London

The UCI Track Cycling World Cup gets underway this week with the first of four rounds which, for the best specialists in the world, will be the second to last step in the qualification system for the London Olympic Games, the high point of the year.

The season will be rich in important new features: two new destinations – Astana and London – will make their debut on the 2011-2012 calendar. In addition, each round will see a significant increase in the total number of non-Olympic events and will benefit from a renewed visual identity with the support of an internationally renowned sponsor.

UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung will now be the official title of the series, whose development potential will be increased thanks to this collaboration agreement between the UCI and the large Korean company.

On the organisational side, the choice of Astana for the opening event reflects the desire of the heads of Kazakh’s cycling to see a large-scale project become reality after investing in the construction of a magnificent velodrome in the country’s capital. The UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung will then move to Colombia in December for the traditional event in Cali before returning to Asia in January, to Beijing (China), for the third round. For the fourth and final round, we could not dream of a more prestigious theatre than that of the beautiful velodrome constructed in the heart of London’s Olympic Park.

While awaiting the magic evenings in August next year, the splendid building which was built to offer the best Olympic facilities for one of the most popular disciplines in Great Britain will host the final round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung.

On the sporting side of the series, it is of note that the programme has been slightly modified for this season. As well as the 10 Olympic specialties, five events that feature in the UCI World Championships (with the exception of London where there will be only four) will be raced in each round: in Astana these will be the 500 metres and the points race for women, and the individual pursuit, scratch and Madison for men.

This pre-Olympic season promises to be an exciting one for track cycling, one of our sport’s most spectacular disciplines!

For more information, contact: presse@uci.ch

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