World’s top riders to compete in Glasgow after Olympic Games
Several of the medallists from the upcoming London Olympics will likely line out in the Chris Hoy velodrome in Glasgow after it was confirmed today that the UCI had decided to host a round of the 2012/2013 World Cup in the venue.
The new stadium, which as been constructed as part of the buildup to the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is due to open this year. The World Cup will be the biggest event to be staged there this year, and will see the world’s top riders take part.
The meet will take place from November 16th to 18th, and follows on from the London World Cup held earlier this year in the Olympic Velodrome.
Hoy will presumably take part in the races, given that the venue is named after him. He won three gold medals in the last Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 and is aiming to take at least one this time round. The Scot is one of Britain’s greatest ever cyclists and sportsmen.
“The UCI is enthusiastic to be hosting an event in the UK once more, especially in the brand new velodrome in Glasgow as the first international event organised in this magnificent facility,” said a spokesman from the world governing body.
The velodrome will be the third international facility in Britain, after Manchester and London, and Glasgow will become the third city to host a round of the UCI World Cup there.
British Cycling president Brian Cookson has said that after a successful hosting of the World Cup in London earlier this year, the decision to award a round to the new velodrome is a thumbs up for the organisation.
“The awarding of this event is a great endorsement by the world governing body for the high standards our team at British Cycling have set in the delivery of major international events,” he said. “We hope this World Cup will be a fantastic pre-cursor to the city hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014.”