News Released: 15 Aug 2012
With the Olympic feel-good factor sweeping the country, British Cycling has lined up three major cycling cycling events for 2012 - 2013, to tap into the ever-growing audience for the sport in the UK.
The British Cycling National Track Championships will be held at the Manchester Velodrome from 26th-30th September 2012. The championships are the traditional competitive curtain raiser to the winter season and offer new fans a great way to get acquainted with the sport as well as showcasing current and future stars of the domestic scene.
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics is up next, running from 16th-18th November 2012. It will be the first major event to be staged at the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, which forms part of the £113million Commonwealth Arena. Tickets will go on sale to British Cycling members at 2pm on 16th August before going on general sale at 11am on 22nd August, when they will be available via www.ticketmaster.co.uk. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup returns the focus to Manchester from 19th-20th April 2013.This will be the third major international BMX event to take place in the UK in the space of 12 months, following May 2012's World Championships and the Olympic Games. The event will take place at Manchester’s National BMX Centre, which itself was built as part of the London Olympic Games legacy and has provided Team GB’s BMX athletes with a world class training and competition facility since it opened a year ago.
Reaction
Jonny Clay, Cycle Sport and Membership Director at British Cycling, commented:
“Hosting events of this calibre demonstrates how committed we are to development of the sport and shows how well we’re able to combine infrastructure and events to drive growth in the sport at all levels.
“The Track World Cup in Glasgow is the first opportunity for people to see the GB cycling team in international action after the Olympic Games and the event promises to be a great spectacle for cycling fans as our GB athletes prepare for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and set off on the road to Rio 2016.”
“We’re delighted to also be bringing the first round of the 2013 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup to Manchester and welcome the best international BMX racing back to the UK for the third time in 12 months, continuing the legacy left by this year’s UCI BMX World Championships in Birmingham and the London Olympic Games.”
Simon Morton, Director of Major Events at UK Sport, said:
“We are delighted the UK has been given the opportunity to host these exciting sports thanks to National Lottery funding. It has been clearly demonstrated with events such as the Track Cycling World Cup, which UK Sport has supported since 2004, how events like this can support both growth and performance ambitions.”
"The Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow will be one of the world's best venues for Track Cycling, and our fans are in for a real treat as they see the British team begin their journey towards Rio 2016. This will be the first of many events that UK Sport's National Lottery funded programme will help to stage in the UK after London 2012."
“We are fully committed to building a strong and sustainable legacy from hosting London 2012 and have increased our investment to £4.5million a year to bring world class sport like the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics and UCI BMX Supercross World Cup to this country.
“Our programme has already secured 10 World and European Championships for the UK in the last 18 months and we will continue to work hard to bring world class sport here”
Chair of Glasgow Life and the Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games, Councillor Archie Graham, said:
“The London 2012 Olympic Games captured the imagination of the nation, with the sensational performances of the Team GB cycling team among the real highlights. The atmosphere at the Olympic velodrome was incredible and we can’t wait to get a feel for that when the Track Work Cup comes to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in November.”
“Glasgow is one of the world’s leading sporting cities in part thanks to our world-class events programme, which is growing all the time as we continue to invest in the very best facilities. And as we look ahead to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Track World Cup will give people the chance to see just what they can expect when the world’s top cyclists go for gold in our new velodrome.”
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said:
“Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and with the opening of the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome we can proudly add the sport of track cycling to our extensive portfolio of major international events. Following the success of Sir Chris and his fellow Team GB athletes at the Olympics, the excitement and enthusiasm for the World Cup event in Glasgow is going to be huge.”
Councillor Rosa Battle, Manchester City Council executive member for culture and leisure, said:
“The UCI BMX Supercross World Cup is sure to be spectacular and it will be phenomenal to see The National BMX Centre host its first global event.”
“Since opening, the BMX centre has proved incredibly popular with both local residents and elite competitors. Two athletes based at the centre, Shanaze Reade and Liam Phillips, have recently represented the country in the Olympics and I’m sure their example along with the BMX Supercross World Cup will inspire even more people to give the sport a go.”
“The UCI BMX Supercross World Cup shows once again that Manchester is a world-class sporting destination and it’s a very welcome addition to the exciting programme of events we have lined up for 2013.”
