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2014-15 Track Update

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Progress At Last!
Date 22-Aug-2014
The UCI have finally been able to announce that the 2015 Worlds will be at the new Paris velodrome and the three World Cup rounds will be at Guadalajara (Mexico), London and Cali (Colombia) respectively. [They have also redesigned their web site]

However finding out more about the European championships in Guadeloupe is still a struggle - with the UCI pointing enquiries to the UEC and the UEC only referring on the French Federation; who have scant details. So it looks like France could take many medals this year ... by fielding the only team?

UCI and Euro Track Plans Revisited
Date 15-Aug-2014
Six months on and the venue for 2015 World Elite Championships remains unconfirmed - as apparently do the three remaining World Cup venues that were blank when the UCI website was checked today. This coupled with organiser Bristow Events cancelling the European Masters that were due in three weeks time makes the international programme look a complete disaster.

3-7 Sep-2014

Championnats d'Europe Masters
5-Aug-2014 - cancelled by organiser.

Alkmaar

4-11 Oct-2014

World Masters Track Championships

Manchester

16-19 Oct-2014

Championnats d'Europe Elite

Guadeloupe

7-9 Nov 2014

World Cup Round 1

-

5-7 Dec 2014

World Cup Round 2

-

16-18 Jan 2015

World Cup Round 3

-

18-22 Feb 2015

World Track Championships

-

This sad state of affairs is not something restricted to moans here on ICS - it has become a serious issue for all the nations with track programmes. And today, as this article was being prepared, frustrations boiled over with the publication of an open letter to the UCI by John Beasley airing the track teams’ concerns. A key part of the letter states -

Mr. Cookson, we think that the UCI has been treating the track cycling unprofessionally compared to the road. Could you imagine that the UCI having announced the dates for the next year Tour de France but unable to announce what the course details or start venue will be. We that is the track are faced with the upcoming track cycling World Cup competition set down for early November (less than 2 months time) yet the UCI have got some dates locked in though still we are faced with no venue so how do we plan to purchase flights as we do not know where we are going.  We as the track coaches need to make plans ahead and propose to the respective national cycling federation or sports council to race in each international competitions and all of us are facing financial tight budgets.

The letter goes on to make various recommendations; including -

- World Cups to be announced 6 months prior to the commencement of the 1st World Cup so that each nation can prepare the planning and budgets in advance.
- 12 months notice of where the next World Track Championships to be held.
- Major Games are following the same format as the Olympics, this will bring about the demise of the track endurance program due to lack of variety in endurance events therefore we face the real prospect of losing our track endurance riders to road because there is not enough to keep them in the sport of track cycling.
- We need a process of appeal that is fair and equal to all the competitors and not solely on the commissaries’ adjudication. At this point, I will add that the 2013/14 World Cup and World Championships decisions were inconsistent.

It’s too early to gauge the reaction of this in the cycling media - and more importantly by the UCI - but clearly the track side of the sport has been getting a poor deal for some time. Something had to be said by someone with authority. Good on you, John.

ps The European Games planned for Baku (Azerbaijan) are being held 12-28 June 2015 - but still do not include any track cycling despite the image on their event website.

World Juniors Track Championships
Date 15-Aug-2014
Earlier this week the Junior Worlds came to their conclusion in South Korea. Not much was reported in the UK press - or even on dedicated cycling news websites. Yet the Junior Worlds are important because Team GB needs to develop some world-class track talent to fill the gaps left by Hoy, Wiggins, Pendleton, Cavendish, Manning, Romero, Thomas, Houvenaghel, etc. It may already be too late for Rio in 2016 - but Britain needs a new talent stream to remain competitive against improving standards elsewhere.

And the Worlds must be a suitable venue for GB juniors to gain practical experience against international opposition. Yet according to the official reports the only British representative in Korea was a UCI commissaire. Sending a team to Korea would, of course, have been expensive. But look at the nations that did think it was worthwhile - Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Italy, Germany, France, USA, Canada, South Africa, etc. All countries with ambitions to take medals in events on GB’s shopping list at Rio.

So having already moaned about the lack of Brits in world ranked road races - especially women’s races - I am now doing the same for world-level track racing. But as before that’s just because I want to see British cycling maintain the success and support it has had over the past decade. And once the results start to dry up the media attention will turn elsewhere - rapidly. Then funding will be cut and a golden era will fade ...

UK Indoor Track Update - New Dates
Date 5-Jun-2014
Today the confirmed dates for the next Revolution Series were released and have changed significantly against the ones published last February. The new dates and venues are -

24-25.10.2014 Revolution 46 London
22.11.2014 Revolution 47 Manchester
03.01.2015 Revolution 48 Manchester
31.01.2015 Revolution 49 Glasgow
27-28.02.2015 Revolution 50 London
14.03.2015 Revolution 51 Manchester

But despite all the changes and new brooms at the UCI the 2015 World Track Championships are still awaiting a venue announcement - as do all three planned rounds of the UCI Track World Cup.

However the venue for the next European Track Championships is now decided - and has been allocated to the Vélodrome Amédée Detraux at Baie-Mahault. Now this track, and town, is listed as being in France. But that’s purely in the minds of French politicians. In fact it is an outdoor track on the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. So allow at least £850 and 12 hours of flights to get there from London via Paris.

UCI and Euro Track Plans - Part 2
Date 3-Apr-2014
Despite various press reports to the contrary the UCI are sticking to their position that the 2015 World Track Championships have yet to be awarded. So until the official word is given their location (and the locations of the 2014-15 UCI World Cup rounds) stays as pending. Similarly the UEC have yet to make any announcements about the European Championships. But yesterday they did announce that they had moved in with the UCI at Aigle, Switzerland. Hopefully working more closely will make for financial savings and improved communication.

However one definite change to note is that London’s traditional Good Friday Track Meeting as moved from Herne Hill to indoors at Lea Valley Velopark. And almost all those warm and dry seats have already been snapped up by fans despite the £20+ price tag.

Back at Herne Hill it is confirmed that the Rollapaluza Keirin meeting will be held on 2 August this year. And for the first time the organisers will also be holding an earlier Keirin meeting at Manchester Velodrome on 28 June.

Hopefully the growing number of available indoor tracks will encourage more organisers and sponsors to come on board - especially considering how quickly the tickets are being sold.

UK Indoor Track Update
Date 17-Feb-2014
Even though the final round of the current Revolution Series has yet to be held details of the 2014-15 season are emerging. The initial plans for the next series of the UK’s premier track meetings have been published as follows -

11.10.2014 Revolution 46 London
25.10.2014 Revolution 47 Manchester
22.11.2014 Revolution 48 Glasgow
03.01.2015 Revolution 49 Manchester
31.01.2015 Revolution 50 Manchester
28.02.2015 Revolution 51 London

Additionally the UCI Track Cycling Masters World Championships will be held in Manchester from 5 to 11-Oct-2014. And, of course, Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games from 23-Jul-2014 to 3-Aug-2014 - even though I have yet to check the exact dates for the track programme.

UCI and Euro Track Plans
Date 17-Feb-2014
Sadly it looks like the UCI World Cup will stay at just three rounds again this season - and according to the UCI website today no venues have been confirmed. However an even bigger problem is that the venue for 2015 World Elite Championships remains unconfirmed following the UCI meeting at the end of January - despite the fact that London is already confirmed for 2016. Perhaps London will be asked to take up the task a year earlier?

22-27 Jul 2014

Championnats d'Europe U23 / Jnr

Anadia, Portugal

8-12 Aug-2014

World Junior Track Championships

Seoul, South Korea

?? Sep-2014

Championnats d'Europe Masters

-

?? Oct-2014

Championnats d'Europe Elite

-

7-9 Nov 2014

World Cup Round 1

-

5-7 Dec 2014

World Cup Round 2

-

16-18 Jan 2015

World Cup Round 3

-

18-22 Feb 2015

World Track Championships

-

This year will also see the first European Games held from 12 to 28-Jun-2014 in Baku, Azerbaijan. But here the cycling programme is limited to BMX, Mountain Bike and Road events - so marking another backwards step for track cycling in Europe.

Meanwhile the UEC are again unable to find a candidate for their Elite championships - a qualifying event for the 2016 Olympics. In 2013 Apeldoorn took on the role at short notice but may not be happy to be asked again. The new track in Paris seems to have no international bookings as yet but is there anyone at Derby’s new velodrome interested in being the host?

2015-16 Track Update 2014-15 Track Update 2013-14 Track Update 2012-13 Track Update Track Update 2011 Track Update 2010 2008 World Titles 2007-8 Track Boom

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2015-16 Track Update
2014-15 Track Update
2013-14 Track Update
2012-13 Track Update
Track Update 2011
Track Update 2010
2008 World Titles
2007-8 Track Boom

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