Taking place on Saturday 27th February, the current Revolution Series will close in spectacular style with the addition of a thrilling afternoon race programme. Thanks to Revolution’s continued popularity and the wealth of cycling talent eager to race the final, a special afternoon event has been created around the National Madison Championships which will also include the elite sprint qualifying for the evening’s Revolution.
Owing to the long list of stars, such as Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, who have signed up for the Series finale, the organisers were faced with the difficulty of cramming all that talent into a three-hour evening programme. With the National Madison Championships scheduled for the same day, the idea arose to create a breakaway afternoon event, allowing extra time in the day to accommodate the star-studded line-up.
“It’s the kind of headache that race organisers love to have,” joked Face Partnership’s James Pope. “With so many names coming forward to ride, we simply couldn’t fit everything into an already-packed Revolution programme. By incorporating extra sprint racing around the National Madison Championships, an exciting prospect in itself, we can make the most of the talent coming to Manchester that weekend. Even better, as Revolution that evening has already sold out, it gives everyone who missed out on tickets another opportunity to see their heroes in action.”
The Madison Championships will see the cream of British talent doing battle over 50km to claim the national title. Last year’s competition was won by Peter Kennaugh and Mark Christian who snatched a surprise victory from Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe. This year’s Championship should prove equally dramatic, with top British names lining up to compete. A separate Madison race will take place for the DHL Future Stars to showcase the next generation of cycling talent.
The afternoon programme will also feature some of the world’s best sprinters, with Team GB stars taking on their German counterparts. Stefan Nimke, Robert Forstermann, Tobias Wachter and Carsten Bergeman will all be hoping to unsettle their British rivals in their last meeting before the World Championships four weeks later. In the women’s competition, Willy Kanis and Christine Muche should present strong competition for home favourite Victoria Pendleton during the afternoon’s sprint qualifiers.
The daytime racing takes place between 12pm and 3.30pm. With the evening’s Revolution already sold out, the afternoon event provides a fantastic alternative for cycling fans who missed out on Revolution tickets.
Ticket prices are £6 for adults, £3 for concessions and £15 for families of four. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling Manchester Velodrome on 0161 223 2244.
PLEASE NOTE: These tickets are seperate to tickets for Revolution 28 later that evening. You must purchase both tickets to attend both events.