Revolution Series' new Champions League is exciting, says Owain Doull
By Matt Westby
Last Updated: 12/09/16 2:52pm
Olympic champion Owain Doull has described the Revolution Series’ new Champions League format as a “game-changer” and “really exciting”.
The track cycling series has been held exclusively in the UK for its previous 13 seasons but will expand on to the international stage in 2016.
After 12 domestic teams of two riders have contested the three rounds of the UK Championship on September 17, October 8 and October 22, the best five will go on to face seven UCI WorldTour teams - including Team Sky, Orica-BikeExchange and Trek-Segafredo - in the Champions League.
The Champions League will take place over three rounds: Paris on November 18-19, Manchester on November 25-26 and London on December 2-3.
Doull, who will ride the first and second rounds of the UK Championship for WIGGINS, told Sky Sports: "The new format is a game-changer. It's nice that the normal UK rounds are still there, but then with the new twist of the Champions League, and to have so many WorldTour teams signed up, I think it's going to be pretty special.
"Not even at the Six Days any more do you get that calibre of road guys competing on the track. To have so many big riders from big teams going head to head on the track is really exciting."
Each round of the series will be made up of five races: the flying lap, the elimination race, the points race, the Madison time trial and the scratch race.
Doull added: "It's a different mixture of events to the Olympics. You have the points race, a scratch race, Madison, plus a bunch of other things. It's a more fun side of track racing.
"There is not as much on the line as the Olympic Games, but it's a good evening of racing and it's a simple way for people to get into track cycling."
Doull's Olympic team pursuit team-mate Ed Clancy will ride all three rounds of the UK Championship for JLT-Condor.
He missed last year's Revolution Series due to injury and is excited about returning.
Clancy said: "I missed them. They are good races, they are competitive, there is always a good crowd, the races are short, they are sweet, and the crowd keep coming back for more, because it's a good place to show off your Olympians and your world champions.
"There isn't an Olympic gold medal at stake, but we take it seriously and when there are people like me and Owain on the line, there is no way we're not going to have a good race."
This year's Revolution Series will also include an Elite Women's Championship for the first time.
Olympic team pursuit champions Laura Trott, Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald have already been confirmed to take part.
Sky Tickets is the exclusive seller of tickets for the Revolution Series. Buy yours here and get more information at www.cyclingrevolution.com
Revolution Series 2016 schedule
UK Championship
- Round One: September 17, National Cycling Centre, Manchester.
- Round Two: October 8, Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow.
- Round Three: October 22: National Cycling Centre, Manchester.
Champions League
- Round One: November 18-19, Velodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Paris.
- Round Two: November 25-26, National Cycling Centre, Manchester.
- Round Three: December 2-3, Lee Valley VeloPark, London.
