The Six Day Series returns to London for a fifth consecutive year between 22-17 October, and the line up is starting to fill with stars as Olympic gold medallists Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker have been confirmed to attend, bolstering an impressive line-up that already includes two of the world’s top sprinters in Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani, whose girlfriend Elena Cecchini will also race for Italy at Six Day London 2019.
Archibald also holds the Six Day Manchester 2019 crown, having beaten Laura Kenny to the title, and boasts an impressive record at Six Day events – she has never finished lower than second place across the six events in which she has competed.
Archibald said: “Six Day events are like nothing else on the calendar and I can’t wait to get back to London’s iconic Lee Valley VeloPark. I’ve got some amazing memories of winning at Six Day London from 2016 and 2017, as well as in Manchester earlier this year, so I’ll be looking to perform well again in October in front of the London crowd.”
Archibald will be joined in London by her 2016 Rio Olympics teammate, Elinor Barker. A four-time World and five-time European gold medallist, Barker is no stranger to Six Day events, having won in Amsterdam in 2017 and Mallorca in 2017. This will be Barker’s second appearance at Six Day London, and her fourth Six Day event.
Barker added: “I’m very excited to be returning for Six Day this October, and really looking forward to racing with Katie. We’ve obviously shared the highest moment of our careers to date when we won together in Rio 2016, so it will be nicely competitive between us when we meet in London.”
In 2018/19 the global series hosted some of the world’s finest cycling elite at events in London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Manchester and Brisbane, engaging more than 100,000 fans.
Invented in London in 1878, Six Day racing is the ultimate in track cycling meets entertainment: a fast-moving evening of endurance and sprint racing against the backdrop of music, entertainment and a fantastic atmosphere.
In 2019/20 the Six Day Series will visit six race locations, including London, and the finale will be hosted in Brisbane for a second year in a row between 3-5 April 2020. Six Day Brisbane forms part of the Brisbane Cycling Festival, 12 March – 5 April 2020, and is set to showcase Australia’s Olympic hopefuls on their 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games campaign.
James Durbin, CEO of Madison Sports Group, promoter of Six Day Series, said: “Katie and Elinor are two of the most exciting female racers in the sport right now and we’re thrilled that they’ll be returning to Six Day London. They’ve both achieved a huge amount in their career already, so you’d be brave to bet against them leading the field in October.”
Six Day London has regularly attracted the very best in elite women’s cycling. Several British Olympians including Neah Evans and Laura Kenny have competed, in addition to leading female cyclists from around the globe like Amy Pauwels, Georgia Baker and Kirsten Wild.
In addition to the female stars, two of the biggest sprinters in the world of men’s cycling have also recently been confirmed to line up in London, namely Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani.
Cavendish said: “I am incredibly excited to announce that I’ll be back competing at Phynova Six Day London in October at the iconic velodrome. Six Day London is one of the UK’s leading track cycling events, and from previous experience I know how competitive the field will be. It’s a great event for elite cyclists and it allows another opportunity to prepare for 2020 in the most competitive arena, against some of the best riders in the world. It’s also a fantastic event for the crowd and the atmosphere is always amazing in the velodrome.”
Cavendish added: “I am pleased to see Elia Viviani named as a fellow rider at Phynova Six Day London, he is a quality athlete and we have always enjoyed a healthy rivalry so I’m sure we will give the fans something exciting to watch.”
