London Cycling World Cup
Martyn Irvine’s aim of securing Ireland a place in the track events at the London Olympics looks increasingly likely with a superb fifth place overall finish in the Omnium at the Beijing World Cup in last month.
He is sixth in the overall World Cup standings. Olympic qualification is determined on the separate nations rankings, with the top eight countries from Europe set to gain places in London 2012.
Next up is the World Cup event in London on the February 16-19. This doubles up as the “London Prepares” test event which allows LOCOG to test various aspects of the operations prior to the Games.
The Olympic Council of Ireland’s Stephen Martin and Martin Burke will join Cycling Ireland’s performance team to support and gain valuable knowledge for Games time.
The OCI and Cycling Ireland already hooked up last summer with Cycling Ireland to test out the Lensbury pre Games training base with the road cycle team when they took part in the “London Prepares” road race.
The final round of the 2011–12 UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung will bring the best track riders from around the world to the brand new Velodrome, purpose built for the 2012 Games on the Olympic Park.
This will be the first sporting event ever to be staged in the Velodrome on the Olympic Park and will be the first opportunity for many top athletes to race on the new track.
340 riders from 48 nations and 18 trade teams will compete in the four-day competition.
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup presented by Samsung is made up of four events, which take place in cities around the world.
The 2011-2012 season runs over four months and takes place in Astana, Cali, Beijing and London, and is immediately followed by the Track Cycling World Championships.
The World Cups and World Championships of the 2010-11 and 2011-2012 help competing nations move closer towards Olympic qualification by determining each country’s individual ranking.
The final round of this season’s UCI Track Cycling World Cup is part of the London Prepares series, which will allow the London 2012 Organising Committee to test crucial aspects of its operations in preparation for the Games. It will also give the world’s elite track riders the penultimate chance to gain valuable ranking points for their nation to help them qualify for the 2012 Games.
Located in the north of the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, the new Velodrome is the most sustainable venue in the Park. From the sourcing of certified wood to be used on the track and external cladding, to the installation of a 100% naturally ventilated system; sustainable choices have been made wherever possible.
The Velodrome will host both the men’s and women’s Olympic and Paralympic competitions in the London 2012 Games, with a total of 10 medals up for grabs at the Olympics and 18 at the Paralympics.
