British Cycling, in partnership with UK Sport and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, has announced that London’s Lee Valley VeloPark will host the UCI Track Cycling World Cup later this year.
The second round of the 2014/15 World Cup series will take place at the velodrome at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 5-7 December and will see the Great Britain Cycling Team return to compete at the venue where they won nine medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The World Cup forms part of UK Sport’s £27million National Lottery funded Gold Event Series to bring up to 70 world class events to home soil to build a strong sporting legacy from London 2012 and help with qualification for Rio 2016.
Simon Morton, UK Sport's director of major events, said: "UK Sport welcomes the news that Lee Valley VeloPark, home to many inspirational memories from London 2012, will host the 2014 UCI Track Cycling World Cup this December.
“The World Cup will be an important part of UK Sport’s Gold Event Series and – along with the upcoming World Championships that the UK is hosting in 2016 - will help the next generation of British Cyclists to prepare for Rio 2016.”
Jonny Clay, British Cycling’s cycle sport and membership director, said of the announcement: “We are delighted that the UCI has awarded an event in its World Cup series to the UK once again, recognising our continued commitment to the sport and world-renowned standard of event delivery.
“We look forward to seeing Great Britain’s athletes return to London and a venue that will hold special memories for many of our cyclists after the phenomenal success they achieved at the 2012 Olympic Games. For our emerging athletes, we hope that their first World Cup at the Lee Valley VeloPark will prove to be the start of a successful journey towards the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”
Shaun Dawson, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s chief executive, said: “It’s an honour to be hosting this prestigious international event at Lee Valley VeloPark’s velodrome.
“The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the breath-taking action on the velodrome track has inspired a new generation of cyclists and we look forward to welcoming back the world’s top cycling champions to our venue where we will hopefully witness more record breaking action and further success for our British cyclists.
“This high profile World Cup event is an important stepping stone for our athletes on the road to Rio 2016 and also an ideal rehearsal for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships which will be hosted by Lee Valley VeloPark in 2016.”
Tickets for the UCI Track Cycling World Cup London will go on general sale on Tuesday 9 September with British Cycling members having access to an exclusive pre-sale period from Thursday 4 September. The latest news is available on the official event website.