Harrie Lavreysen and Emma Hinze back to defend sprint titles at 2022 UCI Track Champions League
Defending champions Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) and Emma Hinze (Germany) will be back to defend their UCI Track Champions League titles after being selected among a star-studded list of sprinters pre-qualified for the 2022 season. Lavreysen, two-time Olympic gold medallist and nine-time UCI Track World Champion, heads a stellar list of male talent which also includes reigning UCI Track Nations Cup keirin champion Kevin Quintero (Colombia), Commonwealth Games gold medallists Matthew Richardson (Australia) and Nicholas Paul (Trinidad and Tobago), two-time UCI Track World Champion Stefan Botticher (Germany) and UCI Track World Championships bronze medallist Mikhail Yakovlev (Israel).
Ad UCI Track Champions LeagueThe 'frenemy' rivalries at UCI TCL09/12/2021 AT 16:25 Meanwhile, five-time UCI track world champion Hinze forms part of an equally impressive female roster which features fellow five-time rainbow jersey winner Lea Friedrich (Germany), reigning Olympic gold medallists Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) and Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands), two-time European Champion Mathilde Gros (France) and Tissot UCI Track World Championships silver medallist Martha Bayona (Colombia). Twenty-four riders (12 Sprint and 12 Endurance, split equally between male and female athletes) have achieved pre-qualified status on account of their favourable performances in the 2021 Tissot UCI Track World Championships, 2021 UCI Track Champions League and their results over the early part of the 2022 season.
Having those initial 24 riders confirmed means the UCI Track Champions League can guarantee a truly world-class field. The list of Endurance riders who will be joining the pre-qualified sprinters is set to be announced soon.
