CANYON'S TRACK RACING SEASON RE-CAP AND GUIDE TO THE ELITE RACING PROGRAMME AHEAD

Your guide to Canyon's 2024 season so far, plus the races to look forward to this winter.

Since the Speedmax CFR Track bike made its debut last year, the folk over at Canyon have had another racing discipline to obsess about - a discipline frequently decided by fractions of a second and the latest aerodynamic advantages.

For those who haven’t experienced the wonders of a packed indoor velodrome on a crisp winter evening, it’s one of the most unique and enjoyable outings the sport can offer and should be on every cycling fan’s bucket list. Frantic racing at breakneck speeds, insane levels of bike skills, and party-like atmospheres - it’s unadulterated fun on two wheels.

Here's Canyon's guide to the 2024 season so far, along with the races to look forward to this winter:

During the summer we saw track racing take centre stage for several days at the Paris Olympic Games and the Paris Paralympics 2024, with several momentous performances from Canyon riders. 

After winning a bronze medal in the women’s elite time trial in Paris on her Canyon Speedmax CFR TT, Chloé Dygert took to the boards and spearheaded the women’s team pursuit squad for Team USA. Aboard their Speedmax CFR Track bikes, Dygert, Jennifer Valente, Lily Williams, and Kristen Faulkner collected America’s first-ever win in the event, while Denmark’s men - also riding the Speedmax CFR Track - narrowly missed out to Italy in the bronze medal ride off.

The Danish men’s team did, however, take gold in the men’s team pursuit at the World Championships at the Ballerup Super Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark in October, through the quartet of Tobias Aagaard Hansen, Niklas Larsen, Frederik Rodenberg Madsen and Carl-Frederik Bevort.

The Speedmax CFR Track bike, which was unveiled to the world at the World Championships in 2023, was also used by Amalie Dideriksen and Julie Leth with the pair taking the win in the Women’s Madison at this year’s Worlds. More gold titles followed, with Tobias Aagaard Hansen becoming the Men's Elimination Race world champion and Leth taking the Women's Points Race. Dygert would go on to pick up a silver in the Individual Pursuit and break her own 2020 world record during the heats.

After a huge summer of action track racing has burst back onto the scene this winter with the iconic Six Day format and the relatively new UCI Track Champions League. 

Heading into its fourth successive season, the UCI Track Champions League comprises five events throughout November and December with Paris, the Netherlands and London on the schedule. It is unquestionably the new kid on the block in terms of track racing but the format and style of racing is welcoming to both beginners and hardened track experts alike. 

Unlike in the Olympics, where riders ultimately compete for medals, the aim of the game at the UCI Track Champions League is to compete for points within each event and round of the series. 

Riders compete in either the Sprint or Endurance categories, with events for men and women. The Sprint category is built around two events, the Sprint and Keirin, while Endurance athletes take part in the Elimination and Scratch races. 

Points are gained for each race depending on where riders finish with wins generating 20 points, and one point awarded to the 15th rider. Points are then tallied for each of the five events before the four champions are crowned in London on December 7, after the final event. The format is still new but has provided some incredible racing moments over the last three years. 

Sprint: At the Track Champions League, the riders will line up in six heats of three riders. The winners of each round go through to two semi-finals, which again involve three riders. The two winners of each semis then take each other on in the final. This is one of the most exciting events on the track programme as riders use skill and nerve, along with raw power, to outperform their competitors. The race takes in three laps of the track, with the first two laps typically a cagey affair before an all-out sprint to the line on the final circuit. 

Keirin: Keirin racing heralds from the tracks of Japan and is an event steeped in history and glory. Riders start together on the track and are paced by what’s known as a ‘derny’ but is basically a low-powered motorbike. The derny increases the pace and the riders at the Track Champions League will race for five laps. There will be three heats of six riders with the first two riders across the line qualifying for the final. The race will burst into life once the derny peels off, and tactical nous, timing and sprint power are essential. 

Elimination: The Elimination hasn’t been around as long as the Kieren but it has nonetheless established itself as one of the most popular track races. All 18 riders will start the race at the same time and the end of each race lap, the last rider over the line is eliminated. The battle comes down to the final two riders, who sprint it out for the win. It’s an exhilarating race event with a finish line effectively at the end of each lap. Stamina, speed but also energy expenditure are key.

Scratch Race: The Scratch race at the UCI Track Championships League is an easy event to understand and follow. All the riders line up at the start, either hugging the top or the bottom of the banking as they form two lines. After a warm-up lap the riders embark on a 20-lap race with a sprint at the end. Expect attacks from the gun as riders try and take any advantage they can before the final dash to the line.

• November 23: Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines 

• November 29: Apeldoorn

• November 30: Apeldoorn

• December 6: Lee Valley Velopark

• December 7: Lee Valley Velopark

Six Day Racing has been a staple of the track scene since the 1870s. The event and style of the racing have changed dramatically over the years but the iconic format has become enshrined within the sport of cycling. 

The format at each event can vary, along with the rider line-up but riders compete in pairs for the duration of the six days with the Madison, derny and elimination race typically part of the schedule. Riders essentially compete for points with the winners crowned at the end of the final event. 

Each winter, velodromes across Europe become hubs for Six Day racing, with Copenhagen (Nov 7-9), Gent (Nov 12-17), Rotterdam (Dec 10-15), Bremen (Jan 10-13) and Berlin (Jan 31 to Feb 1) the most traditional events on the calendar. New rules for 2025 mean that Six Day race events no longer have to last six days. Hence some of the shorter programme dates listed above.

Fabio Van den Bossche, a recent winner at the Gent Six aboard a Canyon is a standout rider to watch for the remaining events but several other riders are likely to make appearances over the coming weeks. 

Van den Bossche will be present at the Rotterdam Six Day, along with several other Canyon athleltes, including Michael Morkov, Robbe Ghys and Tobias Hansen, who'll all be riding the Speedmax CF Track bike, pictured below. Hansen and Morkov won the men’s Madison at the Copenhagen event earlier in November but the full line-up for several events have yet to be confirmed.