Star-studded lineup announced for UCI Track Champions League: Buchli, Tidball, and Archibald among top competitors

Posted : 11 October 2023

Matthijs Buchli and William Tidball have been announced as part of the notable riders set to compete in the men's endurance category of the UCI Track Champions League. In total, Great Britain will be represented by eight riders across both the men's and women's divisions, with Katie Archibald, Neah Evans, and Sophie Lewis among the participants. The action is scheduled to kick off in Mallorca on Saturday, October 21.

In the men's endurance league, riders like reigning UCI world champion William Tidball, along with former rainbow jersey holders Theo Reinhardt (Germany), Quentin Lafarge (France), and Sebastian Mora (Spain), will be competing in the 18-man event. This diverse lineup adds to the British presence, where Mark Stewart is also set to join the ranks.

On the women's side, the likes of UCI world champion Katie Archibald, Sophie Lewis, and Neah Evans have already been confirmed as part of the 18 participants in their division.

Defending UCI Track Champions League men's endurance titleholder, Claudio Imhof of Switzerland, is eager to return to the competition, where he will face competition from 2021 winner Gavin Hoover (United States).

Four-time UCI world champion Matthijs Buchli expressed his anticipation for the event, stating, "I am looking forward to competing in my second UCI Track Champions League as the endurance events are short, explosive, and fast, which suits my racing style. I feel like I’m stronger this time around as well, and I hope to be in good form as the roster is very impressive. It will be nice to race against the best riders in the world over the five rounds, and I hope I can win some races."

Reigning champion Claudio Imhof added, "I can’t wait to be back racing the UCI Track Champions League, with its incredible music, lightshow, and great supporters. It’s going to be difficult returning as defending champion, and I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. Winning last year was one of the highlights of my career so far, and the series is definitely taking track cycling to the next level."

Notably, 16 riders - six men and 10 women - are making their debuts at the event, including prominent athletes like two-time European U23 Champion Lara Gillespie (Ireland), two-time European Junior champion Helene Hesters (Belgium), and three-time Asian Games gold medallist Eyia Hashimoto (Japan).

The competition will feature representation from 19 countries across both men's and women's categories, with riders from Austria, the Czech Republic, and Denmark, including Maximilian Schmidbauer, Petra Sevcíkova, and Amalie Winther Olsen, taking part for the first time.

Great Britain leads the way as the most represented nation, with a strong contingent of eight riders: Katie Archibald, Neah Evans, Danni Khan, Sophie Lewis, William Perrett, Kate Richardson, Mark Stewart, and William Tidball.

Sophie Lewis, one of the British riders, expressed her enthusiasm for the UCI Track Champions League, stating, "I’m a huge fan of the UCI Track Champions League. I competed in it for the first time last season and found it a lot of fun, racing against a high calibre of athletes, and the racing is certainly unpredictable. I love to travel and race my bike, which the series allows me to do, and as well, obviously wanting to win, the back-to-back rounds will allow me to learn a lot. Gaining that experience makes you a better rider and enables you to perform better at other major events such as the UCI World Championships and the Olympic Games."

Star-studded lineup announced for UCI Track Champions League: Buchli, Tidball, and Archibald among top competitors

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