Want to experience the high-octane thrills of indoor track racing and see some of the world’s leading Olympic and world champions compete across three days of exciting racing? Then you better come along to the inaugural London 3 Day at the Lee Valley VeloPark in October.
Featuring a host of current and former TeamGB track stars such as Ethan Vernon, Charlie Tanfield, Katie Archibald and Leah Evans competing in events like the madison, elimination and derny races, it promises to be a weekend of sporting excellence and entertainment.
For the uninitiated, the London 3 Day is a cycling event like no other. Combining the best bits of track racing with a party atmosphere that puts the emphasis on fun and entertainment, it’s a celebration of racing that’s as much about the fans as the riders themselves.
The event traces its heritage back to the six-day racing events that became popular on the Continent in the mid-20th century. And no wonder – it gave fans a chance to see some of the biggest names in cycling competing on the track inside a velodrome over six consecutive nights, while enjoying an atmosphere that felt more like a concert or festival than a sporting event.
Events such as the Six Days of Ghent continue that heritage to this day, packing thousands of fans into the arena each year for a unique spectacle of sight, sound and entertainment that no other sporting event can match. And that’s exactly the kind of atmosphere you can expect at the London 3 Day in October – full-throttle, high-speed racing and a fun atmosphere.
London 3 Day: The races
At its heart, the London 3 Day is a serious sporting event, and you can be sure there will be plenty of thrilling on-track action to enjoy over the three days. First up is the madison, a relay race where riders compete in pairs, with the aim of completing the most number of laps in a set time. Only one rider is active at a time, with the switchover involving a hand sling at speed on the track, a feat of co-ordination that always makes for exciting action.
Then there’s the elimination race, a steady ramping up of the stakes that sees the last-placed rider eliminated from the race every couple of laps until just two riders remain to battle it out.
The points race switches the focus back to the front of the field, with the objective being to accumulate points in regular sprints as the race progresses, with the winner being the rider with the highest total at the end.
In the derny race, riders are paced in the slipstream of a rider on a special motorbike, with the pair working together in finely tuned co-ordination to build up speed, before the derny peels off to leave the riders to fight it out for victory over a frantic final few laps.
At the end of it all, an inaugural London 3 Day Champion will be crowned based on points built up across each sprint and each race in a fitting finale to three thrilling days of racing.
Even the fans get a chance to compete for glory at the London 3 Day. In a unique one-off challenge, one lucky member of the public will get to take on ‘The Lightning’ over a two-lap race with half a lap head start. If they get to the finish line first, they’ll win a cool £5,000. Click here to find out more about how the challenge works.
London 3 Day: The riders
As befitting an event taking place at a symbol of cycling excellence such as the Lee Valley VeloPark, the field for the London 3 Day is a real who’s who of UK and international cycling talent. Charlie Tanfield and Ethan Vernon will arrive fresh from representing Team GB at the Paris Olympics this summer, and will be joined by former Olympians Katie Archibald, Owain Doull and Neah Evans.
Also in the field will be Giro d’Italia stage winner and former Hour record holder Alex Dowsett and world junior madison champion Ben Wiggins, the 19-year-old son of Sir Bradley Wiggins.
The international contingent includes the likes of Dutch world madison champions Jan-Willem Van Schip and Yoeri Havik and New Zealand’s Aaron Gate, a three-time Olympian and 2023 points race world champion.
With a field that brings together Olympic and world champions under the roof of an iconic venue that’s woven into the fabric of the country’s sporting history, the London 3 Day promises to be a festival of high-speed thrills and entertainment across three exhilarating days.
The London 3 Day takes place from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th October, and if you act fast you can save 20% on all tickets excluding for the track centre bar and VIP areas. Use the code CYCLIST20 when booking to secure your discount. To find out more and book your tickets for this unmissable cycling extravaganza, click here.
