British Cycling, in partnership with UK Sport and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, are delighted to confirm that, in a global first, para-cycling events will feature at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup at Lee Valley VeloPark later this year.
The world’s premier track cycling series returns to the capital between 14 and 16 December, and the action-packed, three-day schedule will see Olympic and Paralympic champions take to the boards to represent their countries.
The world’s best para-cyclists are set to go wheel-to-wheel on Friday 14, with medals in the men’s and women’s tandem sprint, C1-C5 team sprint, women’s C1-5 500m TT and men’s C1-5 1km TT up for grabs in a gripping day on the track.
Great Britain Cycling Team’s seven-time Paralympic gold medallist, Jody Cundy, said:
“It’s fantastic to see para-cycling events being included in the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup schedule in London – it’s a great step forward for the sport and I’m delighted that Great Britain is leading the way.
“The Paralympic Games in 2012 – in cycling and every other sport on the schedule – was a seminal moment for global para-sport, and it’ll be brilliant to go back to the Velodrome at Lee Valley VeloPark this December and see further progress being made.”
In a global first, para-cycling events will feature at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup at Lee Valley VeloPark in December
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) August 23, 2018
https://t.co/A9hLFxhCLk#TissotUCITrackWC @LeeValleyVP @TrackWorldCup pic.twitter.com/WGi4foI3iO
Great Britain won eight gold medals on the track at the London 2012 Paralympics, while British riders have dominated subsequent UCI World Championships and topped the track cycling medal table at the Rio Paralympics.
Great Britain Cycling Team's Head of Para-cycling, Jon Pett, says that the decision to include para-cycling events at the London round of the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup is reflective of British Cycling’s determination to ensure that para-sport role models are visible within cycling.
He said:
“We’re thrilled that we’ve been able to incorporate para-cycling events into the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup schedule. We have a number of world leading para-cyclists, and we are delighted that they’ll be able to perform on this stage.
“We are passionate about disability sport, but this doesn’t just mean winning medals at elite level. Our para-cyclists are role models to so many, and for as wide an audience as possible to view their performances is crucial to inspiring people around the country and the world.”
Esther Britten, Head of Major Events at UK Sport, added: “This integration of Paralympic and Olympic disciplines is great for both athletes who will benefit from extra competition experience as they prepare for Tokyo 2020, and the fans who will be able to support our cycling heroes from different parts of the sport. We welcome and support this innovation to the UK leg of the World Cup series.”
Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which owns Lee Valley VeloPark, said: “Week in, week out, Lee Valley VeloPark runs sessions for people with a variety of disabilities, so we’re absolutely delighted that para-cycling stars will be battling for gold at this event.
“Giving people with disabilities opportunities to lead a more active life is a central part of our role and was planned into Lee Valley VeloPark’s programme before the venue was even built.”
Members of the Great Britain Cycling Team have recently returned from the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Maniago, where Britain’s most successful Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey claimed the sixth road race and time trial double of her career.
The announcement follows the inclusion of para-cycling events at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast.
The event at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark is the fourth round of the 2018/19 TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup series, with other events taking place in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France), Milton (Canada), Berlin (Germany), Cambridge (New Zealand) and Hong Kong.
See the stars of British cycling get #BackToTheTrack at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark from 14 – 16 December. For tickets and more information, visit www.trackworldcup.co.uk
For more information about how to get into cycling visit www.britishcycling.org.uk/getinvolved
