Top cycling teams to race on Wembley Way

The UK’s top domestic cycling teams will race on Wembley Way in May as part of the country-wide Tour Series, which will visit west London for the first time in 2017, it was announced on Thursday.

Round three of the series, on Tuesday 16 May, will see men and women riders racing on the concourse around the outside of the world-famous stadium in multiple laps of a 1.5km circuit before the finish in front of the nearby shopping centre.

The “criterium” format features laps of a tight track, which increases the energy and excitement and also makes for a more spectator-friendly format that for most road racing.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, said: “We are very excited about this – it’s great for Brent, great for London and just goes to show that this is the place to be for world-class sporting events.”

The Wembley race is one of 10 rounds of the competition, now in its ninth year, which features men’s teams such as 2016 series winners JLT Condor and the ONE Pro Cycling outfit of former national champion Kristian House, from the Continental level – the third tier of world professional cycling.

Wembley also hosts one of eight rounds in the women’s Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series, with 11 teams including Team WNT Pro Cycling, which features Katie Archibald, and Olympic track champion.

“We are delighted to be bringing The Tour Series to Wembley Park. We are privileged to have the opportunity to race in this spectacular location,” said race director Mick Bennett.

“There are more women’s teams than ever before, reflecting the growth of the women’s sport, while the line-up of men’s teams is incredibly strong, with no clear favourite among them for the Tour Series title.”