UCI Track Champions League: Highlights as Harrie Lavreysen and Katie Archibald reclaim titles

There were no changes at the top of the overall standings after a thrilling final night of the Track Champions League in London as Katie Archibald (Great Britain) and Dylan Bibic (Canada) clinched the Endurance titles, while Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) and Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) held on to top the Sprint standings.

All four riders entered the final night in London at the top of their respective standings but none of them were guaranteed the title, leaving the potential for some final-night jeopardy. That’s not how it played out as the quartet produced confident performances to safely navigate the night and claim the crowns.

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Katie Archibald and Dylan Bibic cruise to Endurance titles on stress-free final night

With four rounds down, the Track Champions League touched down in London for the second consecutive night to decide who would win the overall titles.

The event’s now-familiar format splits the racing into two disciplines - Sprint and Endurance - each of which features two different races - Individual Sprint and Keirin for the former, and Scratch Race and Elimination Race for the latter. As well as individual wins, points are up for grabs in every race with an overall winner crowned at the end of the series.

There was plenty of potential for stress on the final night for Katie Archibald (Great Britain) in the women’s Endurance category, with her lead hovering at 12 points ahead of the final night. Any nerves were short lived as the British rider all-but secured the title after extending that lead to 17 points in the scratch race, which was won by compatriot Neah Evans. She then confirmed the victory by finishing third in the Elimination race behind Lara Gillespie (Ireland) in 1st and Anita Stenberg (Norway) in 2nd, reclaiming the title she lost to Jennifer Valente (USA) in 2022.

“It feels a bit sticky, I think I’m going to be smelling of champagne for a week, but it was worth it,” the British rider joked after being awarded her trophy.

• Read more: Katie Archibald reflects on previous Paris disappointments ahead of 2024 Olympics

In the men’s Endurance category, Dylan Bibic cruised to the overall title on a comfortable final night. The Canadian extended his already healthy buffer in the opening Scratch race, which was won by Great Britain’s Mark Stewart, before safely claiming the crown in the Elimination race, despite being eliminated early. The final Elimination race sprung a surprise as Tuur Dens (Belgium) soared to his first Track Champions League win of the season.

“Right off the bat, I didn’t focus on the overall,” Bibic reflected after the final round. “I just wanted to get as many wins as possible. I just need to learn to win. Coming into the final weekend, I had a 26-point lead. I just turned it into defence mode, that last weekend in London, and just did what I could to defend the jersey.”

Ellesse Andrews holds on while Harrie Lavreysen dominates in Sprint categories

Having seen her overall lead cut to only five points on the penultimate night, New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews entered the final round in the most precarious position at the top of the women’s Sprint category. If she had any nerves, the 23-year-old didn’t show it as she strung together a flawless final night, winning both the Sprint and Keirin races to secure the title ahead of Alessa-Catriona Pröpster (Germany) in second and Martha Bayona (Colombia) in third.

“Today was a massive day, me and Alessa were very close on points. So, my mindset going into each race was on each individual race,” Andrews said of her strategy.

“I was trying not to think about the overall. It is really hard not to, but I just wanted to really go out there and do my best race in each event.”

• Read more: Sprinters record huge power numbers at UCI Track Champions League

Barring disaster, Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) was virtually assured victory in the men’s Sprint category and that was confirmed in the opening Sprint race, despite being edged into 2nd by Australia’s Matthew Richardson. Lavreysen got his revenge in the Keirin, beating the Australian as he finished the series with seven victories from 10 races to reclaim the title from Richardson.

“Sometimes I keep surprising myself,” Lavreysen said after the awards ceremony. “I didn’t know how I was coming into this Champions League. I was good at the Worlds and I took a long break. I didn’t expect a lot from this, but I knew I’m in good shape and I can show them some stuff. But I'm really happy with how I can keep performing.”

When can I watch the Track Champions League on GCN+?

All five rounds of the UCI Track Champions League will be broadcast worldwide, live and ad-free on GCN+, with live shows providing additional analysis and interviews from inside the velodrome. The schedule for the 2023 series is as follows:

• October 21 | Round 1 - Mallorca (Velòdrom Illes Balears)
• October 28 | Round 2 - Berlin (Berlin Velodrom)
• November 4 | Round 3 - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Velodrome National de St-Quentin-En-Yvelines)
• November 10 | Round 4 - London (Lee Valley VeloPark)
• November 11 | Round 5 - London (Lee Valley VeloPark)

Head over to GCN+ now to check the broadcast times in your region so you don't miss a minute of the TCL action. Plus, catch up with all the behind-the-scenes action from the 2022 series with our Back on Track documentary series