With only a few days to go, the countdown is on for the European Elite Track Championships that will be held in Berlin (Germany) from 18 to 22 October.
This continental competition, which is undoubtedly one of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme’s major events will host 338 riders (120 women and 218 men) who will represent 28 countries for five days of competition to try and win the 23 titles on offer (as well as the 11 specialities on the programme in the two categories, the Demi-fond title will be awarded to the men).
This is a very high level championships in terms of the calibre of the riders taking part. Among those registered are seven Olympic gold medallists from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games: the German, Kristina Vogel (Sprint), the Dutch rider Elis Ligtlee (Keirin) and the Brits, Steven Burke (Team Pursuit), Philip Hindes and Kallum Skinner (Team Sprint), Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald (Team Pursuit) as well as eleven current world champions.
We will be able to watch the best riders on the international scene battling it out in the Sprint races. In the women’s events, Miriam Welte (Germany), Anastasya Voinova and Daria Shmeleva (Russia) and in the men’s, Denis Dmitriev (Russia), Quentin Lafargue (France), Robert Forstemann and Maximilian Levy (Germany), Tomas Babek (Czech Republic) and Herrie Lavreysen (Netherlands).
Among the most eagerly awaited riders there will also be the best athletes on the international scene such as the French Madison World Champions, Benjamin Thomas and Morgan Kneiski, the Spaniards, Albert Torres and Sebastian Mora, the Pole, Adrian Teklinski, the German, Lucas Liss, and the Belgian, Lotte Kopecky, the Italian, Rachele Barbieri and the young riders, Letizia Paternoster and Mathilde Gros. In July, the Italian and French riders undeniably dominated the Juniors and Under 23 European Championships in Anadia-Sangalhos (Portugal): the first won five gold medals, one in each race that she took part in (Individual Pursuit, Team Pursuit, Madison, Elimination and Omnium) and the second triumphed in the Sprint, 500 Metres and Keirin with second place in the Under 23s Team Sprint.
The Berlin European Championships will also have the French company EGIDE, which manufactures helmets as its "UEC event partner" (www.egide-paris.com)
Rocco Cattaneo, Union Européenne de Cyclisme President: «The Elite European Track Championships are one of the most important events on our calendar and will be watched very closely thanks to the extensive live TV coverage all over Europe and Asia. For five days, we will see the best Track specialists from our continent as well as the young talent on course for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The venue will be unique since the German velodrome is one of the biggest Track cycling venues. In its 20 year history, it has hosted a World Championships, a European Championships, twenty series of the historic Six Days and is preparing to host other prestigious events in particular the 2020 Track World Championships, whose importance goes beyond their pure sporting value as they will be held in Berlin, one of the symbolic cities of modern-day Europe. I would like to thank the Secretary of State, Christian Gaebler, the President of the German Cycling Federation, Rudolf Sharping, the President of the Organising Committee, Burckhard Bremer and all the volunteers who work passionately to ensure the good organisation of this event, which will undoubtedly be a great success.»
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