Six teams of seven riders will compete in the VELO Sports Center over two days in March
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The World Cycling League will announce team rosters at the end of January(Image credit: World Cycling League)
Logo for the WCL's Pennsylvania Lightning(Image credit: World Cycling League)
Logo for the WCL's Connecticut Nor'Easters(Image credit: World Cycling League)
Logo for the WCL's California Wave(Image credit: World Cycling League)
Logo for the WCL's Mexico Heat(Image credit: World Cycling League)
Logo for the WCL's Dublin Thunder(Image credit: World Cycling League)
Logo for the WCL's Colorado Cyclones(Image credit: World Cycling League)
The World Cycling League today announced rosters for the six teams that will compete in the new league’s debut event March 18 and 19 on the 250-meter velodrome at the VELO Sports Center in Carson, California.
Each team features seven riders that will compete in three sessions over two days. The 42-person race roster includes 24 men and 18 women from 11 nations.
“All these athletes competing love the excitement of close-quarter racing and have the scars and moxie to prove it,” said WCL CEO David Chauner, who formerly promoted the Phildelphia International Cycling Classic.
Former world and national champions will compete alongside Olympic long-team hopefuls in three “Trak” sessions, which include 12 races, seven for men and five for women with points awarded in each race toward a cumulative team score.
Races will be as short as two laps for sprinters and up to 40 laps for endurance riders. Each of the six teams will field from one to four riders in each "TeamTrak" race, with up to 24 riders on the track at once.
The new league hopes to change the nature of velodrome racing by adding a circus-like atmosphere with light shows and music to enhance the high-speed racing. California Wave rider Zac Kovalcik, a veteran of multiple Europen six-days events, said the World Cycling League events will provide an opportunity to showcase the riders’ power and speed in a new format.
“I can’t wait for the world premier event because I’m sure it will introduce a new era of cycling in America, and, even the world,” he said.
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Chauner said riders for the debut event were chosen for their showmanship as much as their competitive prowess.
“Bottom line, is we‘ve selected the first group of WCL cyclists from over 100 well-qualified international applicants to ensure we have a good mix of sprint and endurance talent,” said Chauner. “We’ve picked riders with both experience and promise who love to perform for the crowd and want to be part of a new chapter for American cycling.”
Nate Koch, the California Wave’s flamboyant sprinter, said he was drawn to track cycling from a promising collegiate career in track-and-field because his “flair for showmanship” was better appreciated on the velodromes of London and Berlin.
“The energy of racing the track is unlike any other,” Koch said. “Fans are screaming for you every inch of the way and the loud music and crazy lighting makes it feel like you are racing in a night club. It's like dancing and partying on your bike at 50mph with thousands of fans cheering you on.”
Colorado Cyclones: Giddeon Massie, Sprinter Dana Feiss, Sprinter Justin Williams, Endurance Kate Wilson, Endurance Patrick Jones, Endurance Christina Birch, Endurance Dean Hass, Endurance
Connecticut Nor’Easters: Matthew Rotherham, Sprinter Anissa Cobb, Sprinter Patrick Kos, Endurance Tela Crane, Endurance Matt Gittings, Endurance Sera Ferrara, Endurance Luke Momper, Endurance
