This weekend (3-6 March) Britain’s best track riders will do battle for the coveted red, white and blue national champions’ jerseys, as the British National Track Championships heads to the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales for the first time.
The event will see Olympic and Paralympic heroes go head-to-head against the stars of tomorrow, and as we gear up for a packed weekend of racing, here’s everything you need to know.
Who’s riding?
Tokyo heroes Lora Fachie (individual pursuit gold), Jack Carlin (team sprint silver, sprint bronze), Sophie Unwin (road race silver, individual pursuit bronze), Fin Graham (individual pursuit silver, road race silver) and Neah Evans (team pursuit silver) will look to pick up where they left off last summer, while new British Hour Record holder Dan Bigham has his sights on a sixth national title.
A strong Welsh contingent will be spearheaded by 2021 world championships medallists Rhys Britton, while Aberaeron’s rising star Josh Tarling will be hoping to add to his two junior European titles from last year. Britton and Tarling will ride together as part of the Team Wales team pursuit quartet on Sunday.
Elsewhere look out for the up-and-coming group of Maddie Leech, Eluned King, Rhian Edmunds, Ali Fielding and Oscar Nilsson Julien. You can find the full rider list here.
Where can I get tickets?
Tickets for the event are on sale here, with seated tickets ranging from £10 - £15 per session. Standing tickets are also available priced at £5 - £10, and concession prices are available for those aged under 16 or over 65.
Within the venue we’ll have a range of catering options available for spectators, so bring the family for a fantastic day of racing and an opportunity to watch some of Britain’s biggest names do their thing! Tickets can be purchased at the venue, but please note that both sessions on Saturday and the final session on Sunday evening are now nearing capacity.
Can I watch from home?
Yes! We’re delighted to once again be able to bring you live coverage from the event through GCN+, Eurosport Player and the British Cycling YouTube channel.
Our commentators Brian Smith and Rebecca Charlton will be taking you through more than 17 hours of live coverage across the weekend, including all medal races and reaction from our newly-crowned national champions.
British Cycling members can also get 25% off an annual subscription when they sign up to GCN+, taking the cost to just £29.99 for a full year of live race coverage.
Read the full details here.
What’s the schedule?
Want to make sure you don’t miss your favourite event? Here’s the full schedule for the weekend:
- Thursday: Closed qualifying session.
- Friday session 1: Men’s individual pursuit, men’s team sprint, women’s sprint, women’s individual pursuit, para-cycling sprint.
- Friday session 2: Men’s individual pursuit final, men’s team sprint final, women’s sprint final, women’s individual pursuit final, para-cycling scratch race.
- Saturday session 1: Men’s sprint, men’s kilo final, men’s points race, women’s team pursuit final, women’s scratch, para-cycling pursuit.
- Saturday session 2: Men’s sprint final, men’s points race final, women’s keirin final, women’s scratch race final.
- Sunday session 1: Men’s scratch race, women’s team sprint, men’s team pursuit, women’s points race, para-cycling time-trial.
- Sunday session 2: Men’s keirin final, men’s scratch race final, women’s team sprint.
The venue
Renamed in 2018 following Geraint Thomas’s Tour de France victory, this will be the first time that the venue has hosted a senior national championships. The 250m track and its 42 degree banking is however well-known to many of Britain’s Olympians and Paralympians, after playing host to Team GB and Paralympics GB holding camps.
We’re expecting a raucous welcome from the fans in the stands, with the sessions on Saturday and Sunday afternoon now nearing capacity and a strong contingent of local riders!
Get involved!
Whether you’re in the stands in Newport or cheering on the riders from home, we want to hear from you! Send us your predictions, pictures and highlights using the hashtag #TrackChamps. You can find us on Facebook at /britishcycling and on Twitter and Instagram @BritishCycling.
Live timing from the event can be found here.