British Cycling launches campaign to promote track cycling in Glasgow

British Cycling has launched a campaign to promote track cycling in Glasgow ahead of the city staging a round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics series in November. The event will be the first international competition staged at the city’s new Sir Chris Hoy velodrome, built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The On Track to Glasgow initiative isn’t so much aimed at promoting the event itself – tickets sold out in an hour when they went on sale recently – as in encouraging people to try out track cycling for themselves.

Track stars will visit schools throughout the city to talk about their sport, while a quarter of the seats for the Friday session will go to local schoolchildren, with schools getting a personal invitation from the man the city’s new velodrome is named after – six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy.

Meanwhile, ‘pop up track bikes’ will appear in locations around the city centre so that locals can have a go at riding one.

“A Track World Cup sell out in Glasgow is fantastic for the sport and its legacy,” said Hoy.

“Following the GB team’s outstanding success at London 2012, and building on this legacy to Glasgow and through other British Cycling events taking place in the UK, I hope we can continue to inspire the next generation of track cyclists. 

“Although I won’t be competing at the event in November, I’m looking forward to supporting the Glasgow schools legacy programme and I’ll be in the velodrome to cheer on the GB team,” he added.

Jonny Clay, Cycle Sport and Membership Director at British Cycling, commented: "With the profile of British Cycling at an all-time high after the Olympics in London, we’re delighted that interest has remained high in the sport and the Track World Cup is a sell-out event.

“We are now focusing on engaging people in Glasgow in Track Cycling and preparing to deliver a fantastic event for those attending or watching it on the BBC.

“It’s an exciting time for British Cycling with major events across the UK taking place including the 2013 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Manchester and we’re also bidding for the 2016 Track World Cup Championships in London. 

“We’re confident we can continue this interest in cycling and we’re looking forward to developing further legacy programmes around these events to engage more people in the sport.”

The UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics will be held in Glasgow from 16-18 November and will be broadcast by the BBC. Full dteails of the event including articles looking back at memorable moments from the past for Great Britain's track cyclists can be found on the event's website.