Preview: Revolution Champions League
This Friday, Britain’s biggest track competition will return for its fourteenth season, and with a newly upgraded format.
The event’s organisers have replaced the five-round Revolution Elite Series with a two-tier competition, in order to raise the profile of the event. There have already been three rounds in Manchester and Glasgow to decide the UK Championship — won by Team JLT Condor — and the top teams from that competition will now line up against the best in the world for the new Revolution Champions League.
The Champions League will be taking place over two rounds, in Manchester this weekend and London a week later. Event orgsanisers will potentially be expanding it to three rounds next year, opening at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Paris.
World Tour teams competing include Team Sky, who are coming to the end of yet another successful season with another Tour de France win. They will be bringing strong riders in Pete Kennaugh and the Olympic Omnium Champion Elia Viviani, and will surely be one of the favourites for the title.
Last year’s winners Team Wiggins will also be returning with Jon Dibben and Owain Doull, whose partnership proved so successful in winning season 13. They may not be a world tour team, but they are far more experienced in the event than many of the international riders attending Revolution, so they will hope that will help them in their attempt to retain the title.
Also, as is the case every year, there will be elite women and sprint events taking place. The fourteen-time Paralympic gold medallist Dame Sarah Storey will be the major draw at the velodrome, and local fans’ favourite Matt Rotherham will also make his return in the sprints.
The event will also be televised live for its second year, on Eurosport as part of its extensive cycling coverage.
Champions League Teams
Team Sky
Cannondale
Trek Segafredo
Team Giant-Alpecin
Lampre-Merida
Orica-BikeExchange
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
JLT Condor
Team PedalSure
Team Wiggins