March 18, 2005 – With just a week remaining before the start of the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships March 24-27, at the ADT Event Center just outside of Los Angeles in Carson, California, cycling and sports fans alike prepare for this unique spectacle in sport. For only the third time in the sport’s more than 100 year history will the elite world championships be held on U.S. soil. The most recent track cycling world championship contested in the U.S. was nearly 20 years ago in Colorado Springs, Co. “The excitement and speed of the world’s top track cycling competitors will likely draw spectators of all kinds to the ADT Event Center velodrome. Action like this only comes to the U.S. once every twenty years,” said Gerard Bisceglia, USA Cycling chief executive officer. Track cycling is the only cycling discipline that uses a special bicycle with no brakes and one gear ratio.

This makes them more responsive and quick compared to their road cycling brethren. Track cycling events are held within a special venue known as a velodrome. The 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships will be held on the ADT Event Center velodrome, a Siberian pine 250-meter track with steep 45 degree banking in the corners. In many ways track cycling is cycling’s version of NASCAR with close competition, an oval track, and common contact between participants. Races to be contested at the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships include both men and women’s endurance and sprint style events. On the men’s side the sprint, keirin, and 1km TT make up the sprint events while the 4km pursuit, 15km scratch race, and 40km points race comprise the endurance events. Team events on the men’s side include the tag-team style 50 km madison with two riders per team, the precision of the 4km team pursuit with four riders per team, and the all out speed of the team sprint with three riders per team. Women are to compete in the sprint, keirin, and 500m TT on the sprint side and 3km pursuit, 10km scratch race, and 25km points race on the endurance side.

The talented field of riders will consist of representatives from each of the 36 qualified nations. Countries include Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldavia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Paraguay, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Slovakia, Ukraine, United States, and Venezuela. For more information on the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships March 24-27, visit the USA Cycling website at www.usacycling.org.