This coming weekend (November 4-6) sees the opening round of the 2011-12 UCI Track World Cup Championships with the newly-unveiled Astana, Kazakhstan, velodrome welcoming the cream of the crop to commence battle in the various Sprint, Scratch, Pursuit, Time Trial, Madison, Keirin and Omnium events. With 2012 being an Olympic year, riders will not only be competing for specific Championship positions but also fighting it out for remaining Games qualifications – although, of course, only the Sprint, Team Sprint, Team Pursuit, Keirin and Omnium are Olympic events.
When the dust has settled in Kazakhstan the action is set to move next to Cali, Colombia (December 1-3), then to the site of the 2008 Olympics with riders competing once more at the Beijing velodrome (January 13-15) before the final round in London between 17 and 19 February. The London stage will mark the first time that the new Olympic velodrome has been used for top level competition.
This weekend’s kick-off also marks the beginning of something of a re-brand with the series now being known as the rather clumsy “UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung” following the announcement of the major sponsorship deal with the Korean electronics manufacturer.
