After 39 rounds in Manchester, the Revolution series finally sets off on its long heralded expansion around the UK this weekend with Glasgow – home of the brand-new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, built for the 2104 Commonwealth Games hosting the thrilling Revolution Series finale on Saturday night.
The new velodrome has already hosted Thunderdrome, an invitational sprint event featuring the man after whom the building is names and a round of the UCI World Cup Series.
A strong line-up of Scottish sprinting talent –Craig MacLean, Callum Skinner and John Paul – will compete on Saturday alongside the 12 teams that have contested the first three rounds of the Elite Championship. The Scottish sprinters will take on a Rest of the World squad made up of Kevin Mansker and Matthew Baranoski of the US and Dutchman Teun Mulder.
MacLean told the Revolution website “I’m really excited to compete in front of a home crowd – I’m really looking forward to it. A venue like this in Glasgow is something I never thought I’d see in my career. It’s a fantastic asset for Scottish cycling.”
Rapha Condor JLT lead the series and reigning Olympic and World team pursuit champion Ed Clancy will ride with team-mate Glasgow-born James McCallum who has ridden at three Commonwealth Games for Scotland, and is now targeting Glasgow 2014.
Rudy Project RT from Germany sit second in the table – with Christian Grasmann fresh from the Berlin Six Days and young team-mate Nico Hesslich aiming to catch Rapha while keeping an eye out for Team Rouleur, who have team pursuit world champions Andy Tennant and Steven Burke.
And Glasgow shouldn’t be track racing’s last road trip – talks are being held to take the Revolution to the Olympic velodrome in London following an agreement signed last February to take the series. Lord Sebastian Coe said at the announcement that “The signing of this agreement is a fantastic step forward for cycling in the UK. The velodrome in the Olympic Park will leave a legacy in east London, and with this agreement in place it is a great step forward to extend this legacy nationwide.”
