UCI Track World Championships 2022: Race schedule, contenders and how to watch

UCI Tissot Track World Championships 2022
Location: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Paris)
Dates: 12 October - 16 October

As the road racing calendar grinds steadily to a halt, track cycling is setting the stage for its largest annual event. 

First held in Chicago, USA in 1893, the Track World Championships award rainbow jerseys across a range of disciplines. Currently, these include: team pursuit, individual pursuit, keirin, time trial, points race, scratch race, elimination race, sprint, team sprint, omnium and Madison. 

This year’s event is scheduled to take place at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, located 12 miles south west of Paris, France. This will be the 15th time that France has hosted the Track Worlds, and the second in as many years, following on from last year’s event in Roubaix.

The 2022 Tissot UCI Track World Championships will begin with an opening ceremony at 17:00 BST (18:00 CET) on Wednesday 12 October. The racing will begin shortly thereafter and will continue every evening, finishing on the afternoon of Sunday 16 October. 

Below is the five-day programme, complete with the medal finals scheduled to take place on each day. 

List of medal finals (BST)

Wednesday 12th Oct - 17:30 to 20:45
Women’s Scratch - 10km
Women’s Team Sprint
Men’s Team Sprint 

Thursday 13th Oct - 17:30 to 21:00
Men’s Team Pursuit
Women’s Elimination
Men’s Keirin
Men’s Scratch - 15km
Women’s Team Pursuit

Friday 14th Oct - 17:30 to 21:15
Men’s Points Race - 40km
Men’s Kilometre Time Trial (Kilo)
Men’s Individual Pursuit
Women’s Sprint
Women’s Omnium

Saturday 15th Oct - 16:30 to 19:50
Women’s 500m Time Trial
Women’s Madison - 30km
Women’s Individual Pursuit
Men’s Omnium

Sunday 16th Oct - 12:30 to 16:00
Women’s Points Race - 25km
Men’s Sprint
Men’s Madison - 50km
Women’s Keirin
Men’s Elimination

Who are the contenders? 

Most British cycling fans will know Ethan Hayter for his success on the road with Ineos Grenadiers. His journey on two wheels, however, started when he was 13 at his local velodrome in Herne Hill. Since then, the Londoner has won rainbow jerseys on the track in the team pursuit and omnium, as well as a silver medal in the Madison at last year’s Olympics.

Hayter joins Ethan Vernon, Ollie Wood, Dan Bigham, Rhys Britton and Will Perrett in Great Britain's men’s endurance squad. The group's main goal is likely to be the team pursuit, but they’ll have to fend off Olympic champions Italy if they are to take the rainbow bands. 

When it comes to sprinting, 25-year-old Harrie Lavreysen is arguably the best in the world. The Dutchman is a nine-time world champion, six-time European champion and the owner of two Olympic gold medals. In any race Lavreysen starts, you wouldn’t want to bet against his fierce kick. 

Likewise, German speedster Emma Hinze comes to this year’s Worlds in prodigious form. Back in August, she stormed to European titles in the sprint, team sprint and 500m time trial events. It will take something special to stop either Hinze or her compatriot Lea Sophie Friedrich prevailing in Paris. 

In the women’s endurance events, Clara Copponi will be hoping to replicate her memorable road season, in which she sprinted to her first professional victories. The FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope rider claimed the gold medal in the omnium at this year’s European Championships, making her a clear favourite at the Worlds. 

Five years ago, Neah Evans was juggling being an athlete with her career as a veterinary surgeon. Now, she’s an Olympic silver medallist. The 32-year-old was one of the standout performers at this year’s British Track Championships, where she picked up three new titles across the endurance disciplines. Evans is likely to be a core part of Great Britain’s team pursuit bid, where she’ll race alongside Olympic gold medallists Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald. 

How to watch?

All evening sessions will be broadcast live in the UK on the BBC Red Button. 

The events will also be shown live on Eurosport and GCN+.