Spoiler alert: It was damn good.
I got a bit excited last night. Way more than I expected to.
Saturday saw the grand finale of the second ever UCI Track Champions League, bringing to a close two nights of intense racing at the Lee Valley velodrome in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. And the organisers couldn’t have asked for a better finish to the series, which has been bigger, closer and more action-packed than their debut season last winter. The big prize at the end of round 5 was the trophy (and jersey) of league champion for each of the four categories, something which gives the series an arc from beginning to end, providing a unique narrative that, like the general or points classification on the road, lends additional drama to each event.
I’ll admit I was sceptical about this particular feature of the new format when it was announced last year . With a less evenly matched and competitive field, the general classification element of the series might have ended up a bit of a sideshow, with world champions showing off the light blue/turquoise skin suit for the duration as they amass an unassailable lead in points. But thankfully, that has very much not been the case, especially this year which has been much closer and more hotly contested, with new names jostling to the fore and thrilling rivalries born.
Just as there have been multiple winners of each event, there have been several different league leaders across the five rounds – […]
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