UEC European Track Championships

The European Track Cycling Championships are a set of elite level competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling, exclusively for European cyclists, and regulated by the European Cycling Union (UEC). They were first held in their current format in 2010, when elite level cyclists competed for the first time following an overhaul of European track cycling.

European Champion Jersey
European Champion jersey until 2015

In line with cycling tradition, winners of an event at the championships are presented with, in addition to the gold medal, a special, identifiable jersey. This UEC European Champion jersey is a white and blue jersey with gold stars. Gold stars on a blue background have been an identifiably European symbol since the adoption of the Flag of Europe by the Council of Europe.

Founding of the modern Elite Championships

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In 2010 the UEC instigated a significant overhaul of how cyclists qualify for the Olympic Games. As a result, the European Championships was also introduced for elite level European cyclists. The first elite championships thereafter took place at the beginning of November 2010. It followed the same ten event schedule for the 2012 Olympics but also included the Madison "due to popular demand".[1] Over the following decade the event grew to include a full programme of World Championship disciplines.

Prior to 2010, championship events were run under the same name, but solely for junior and under-23 cyclists, and the 2010 event is therefore recognised as the first elite level senior championships. The first European Track Championships of any description were held in Berlin in 1886 and featured only 5 km and 10 km men's scratch races.[2] Since 2010, separate annual European championships for under-23 and junior riders have continued, but described explicitly as such.

The most successful nation since the inauguration of the elite event is Great Britain, the event's genesis coinciding with Britain's rise to dominance in world track cycling. The most successful individual rider in the history of the Elite event is Katie Archibald of Great Britain, who has won, as of the 2023 UEC European Track Championships, 20 European titles. Among nations in the championships, aside from Great Britain itself, only Russia, Germany, Netherlands and France have won more gold medals than Archibald.

Other European track cycling competitions

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The UEC agreed with the governing bodies of six other major European sports from 2018 to integrate its four Olympic-class events, including track cycling, into the new European Championships event on a quadrennial basis. Beginning with 2018, every fourth edition of the competition will form part of the multi-sport event.

While track cycling also forms part of the 2019 European Games in Minsk, these events are not regarded as European Championships but as the Cycling programme of the European Games, and the UEC event will also be held later in the same year. Conversely, the events held in Glasgow in 2018, and Munich in 2022 as part of the multi-sport European Championships are treated as official UEA championships

Elite Competitions (2010-present)

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Editions

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Number Year Date Country City Velodrome Events
1 2010 5–7 November   Poland Pruszków BGŻ Arena 11
2 2011 21–23 October   Netherlands Apeldoorn Omnisport Apeldoorn 13
3 2012 19–21 October   Lithuania Panevėžys Cido Arena[3] 13
4 2013 18–20 October   Netherlands Apeldoorn Omnisport Apeldoorn[4] 13
5 2014 16–19 October   France Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe Vélodrome Amédée Détraux 19
6 2015 14–18 October   Switzerland Grenchen Velodrome Suisse 21
7 2016 19–23 October   France Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines 22
8 2017 18–22 October   Germany Berlin Velodrom 23
9 2018[a] 2–7 August   Great Britain Glasgow Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome 22
10 2019 16–20 October   Netherlands Apeldoorn Omnisport Apeldoorn 22
11 2020 11–15 November   Bulgaria Plovdiv Kolodruma 22
12 2021 5–9 October   Switzerland Grenchen Tissot Velodrome 22
13 2022[b] 11–16 August   Germany Munich Neue Messe München 22
14 2023 8–12 February   Switzerland Grenchen Tissot Velodrome 22
15 2024 10–14 January   Netherlands Apeldoorn Omnisport Apeldoorn 22

Venues

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2010
 
2011, 2013, 2019, 2024
 
2012
 
2016
 
2015, 2021, 2023
 
2017
 
2022
 
2018
 
2020
 
 
2014

Medals (2010–2024)

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Source:[5][6]

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Great Britain553528118
2  Germany454335123
3  Netherlands36233392
4  France313635102
5  Russia31303293
6  Italy24262575
7  Belgium10161036
8  Denmark1011728
9  Spain98724
10  Poland8172247
11  Portugal68519
12  Lithuania63817
13  Czech Republic52714
14  Ukraine491427
15  Switzerland37515
16  Norway3104
17  Belarus27615
18  Austria1113
19  Greece0336
20  Ireland0246
21  Hungary0101
22  Israel0011
  Romania0011
Totals (23 entries)289289289867

Most successful riders

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Below is a table of the most successful male and female riders at the European Track Cycling Championships from 2010 onwards. The most successful rider of either sex is Katie Archibald, with 20 European titles and 26 medals; in the history of the Championships, only Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy and Russia, in addition to her own nation, have won more gold medals than Archibald. The most successful male athlete is Dutch sprinter Jeffrey Hoogland on 14 gold medals and 18 medals total, the same numbers as Archibald's Madison and team pursuit partner Laura Kenny. Kenny was the first rider to reach ten championship jerseys, a feat only equalled by Archibald, their fellow Brit Elinor Barker, Hoogland, and Russian sprint pair Anastasia Voynova and Daria Shmeleva.

up to date after 2023 UEC European Track Championships.

Male

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No Athlete Nation       Total Years Events
1 Jeffrey Hoogland   Netherlands 15 2 2 19 2015-2024 Team sprint, sprint, Kilo and keirin
2 Harrie Lavreysen   Netherlands 12 1 2 15 2017-2024 Team sprint, sprint and keirin
3 Ben Thomas   France 9 2 4 15 2014-2023 Team pursuit, Points race, Scratch race and omnium
4 Elia Viviani   Italy 8 1 3 12 2012-2022 Team pursuit, Points Race, Eliminator, omnium and Madison
5 Maximilian Levy   Germany 6 2 1 9 2010-2020 Team sprint, sprint and keirin
Sebastián Mora   Spain 6 0 1 7 2015-2022 Scratch race, Points race, Madison and omnium.
Andy Tennant   Great Britain 6 0 0 6 2010-2016 Team pursuit, individual pursuit.

Female

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No Athlete Nation       Total Years Events
1 Katie Archibald   Great Britain 20 5 1 26 2013-2023 Team pursuit, individual pursuit, Scratch race, points race,

Eliminator, omnium and Madison.

2 Laura Kenny   Great Britain 14 3 1 18 2010-2020 Team pursuit, Scratch race, Eliminator, omnium and Madison.
3 Anastasia Voynova   Russia 13 6 2 21 2012-2021 Team sprint, sprint and 500 m time trial
4 Daria Shmeleva   Russia 12 3 6 21 2012-2021 Team sprint, sprint, keirin and 500 m time trial
5 Elinor Barker   Great Britain 10 2 1 13 2013-2023 Team pursuit, Eliminator, Madison and Scratch race.

Golden 'hat-tricks'.

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No rider has won four gold medals at a single championships. The following riders have won a 'hat-trick' of three gold medals at a single championships on at least one occasion, the first being the Russian sprinter Anastasia Voynova in 2014: Katie Archibald of Great Britain has achieved the feat on three separate occasions, a record, with three different combinations of events, and is the only rider to achieve such a 'hat-trick' without winning gold in either the team pursuit or team sprint. The most hat-tricks claimed in one championships was in the 2023 championships when Archibald and sprinters Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands, and Lea Friedrich of Germany won three golds apiece. Uniquely, all three won their respective 'Olympic' trebles by winning all three available golds in their Olympic events - Team pursuit, Omnium and Madison for Archibald, Team sprint, sprint and keirin for Lavreysen and Friedrich, a feat achieved by no rider prior to 2023. Lavreysen repeated his hat-trick in 2024, the first rider to do an 'Olympic' hat-trick twice.

Riders are listed in order of their first 'hat-trick':

Rider Nation Hat-tricks Years Events
Anastasia Voynova   Russia 2 2014 Sprint, Team sprint, 500m TT
2019 Sprint, Team sprint, 500m TT
Jeffrey Hoogland   Netherlands 2 2015 Sprint, Team sprint, Kilo
2021 Team sprint, Keirin, Kilo
Katie Archibald   Great Britain 3 2016 Team pursuit, Pursuit, Elimination race
2021 Omnium, Madison, Scratch race
2023 Team pursuit, Omnium, Madison
Harrie Lavreysen   Netherlands 2 2023 Sprint, Team sprint, Keirin
2024 Sprint, Team sprint, Keirin
Laura Kenny   Great Britain 1 2016 Team pursuit, Omnium, Scratch race
Daria Shmeleva   Russia 1 2018 Sprint, Team sprint, 500m TT
Emma Hinze   Germany 1 2022 Sprint, Team sprint, 500m TT
Lea Friedrich   Germany 1 2023 Sprint, Team sprint, Keirin

Most successful in each event

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22 Events are held as part of the European championships. The table below summarises the most successful athlete and nation in each of the 22 separate events. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of golds, silvers and bronze respectively won by the athlete or nation in that specific event. Athletes and nations are differentiated in the standard way, first by number of golds, then silvers, then bronze medals. Although both the Omnium and Madison had stand alone championships prior to 2010, only those contested at the European Track Cycling Championships from that year forward are included.

The most dominant rider in a single event is Laura Kenny who has won the women's team pursuit on eight occasions. This is also the event where a single nation is most dominant; Great Britain have won nine of the editions of the team pursuit, and medalled on a further two occasions. Kenny is also the most dominant rider in any event for individual riders, with four gold and two silver medals across various editions of the omnium. The records for medals in a single event is the 13 medals won by Russia in the 500 metre time trial.

Katie Archibald holds the unique distinction of having been a European Champion across seven different events; team pursuit (7), individual pursuit (4), Scratch race (1), points race (1), Eliminator (1), omnium (4) and madison (2).

This table does not include freestanding senior European Championships held prior to the 2010 UEC European Track Championships. Up to date after 2023 UEC European Track Championships.

Event Men Women
Best Male Athlete Best Nation (male) Best Female Athlete Best Nation (female)
Team Sprint (men/women)   Jeffrey Hoogland (NED) (7/0/1)   Netherlands (7/0/1)   Anastasiia Voinova (RUS) (7/1/1)

  Daria Shmeleva (RUS)

  Russia (8/1/1)
Sprint (men/women)   Jeffrey Hoogland (NED) (3/2/0)   Netherlands (6/4/1)   Anastasiia Voinova (RUS) (3/4/0)   Russia (4/5/2)
Keirin (men/women)   Maximillian Levy (GER) (3/0/0)

  Harrie Lavreysen (NED)

  Germany (6/2/1)   Lea Friedrich (GER) (4/1/0)   Germany (6/2/1)
Kilo/500m (men/women)   Jeffrey Hoogland (NED) (4/0/0)   Netherlands (5/2/1)   Daria Shmeleva (RUS) (4/1/2)   Russia (7/2/4)
Team pursuit (men/women)   Andy Tennant (GBR) (5/0/0)   Great Britain (6/2/5)   Laura Kenny (GBR) (8/0/0)   Great Britain (9/2/1)
Individual pursuit (men/women)   Jonathan Milan (ITA) (2/1/0)   Italy (3/3/1)   Katie Archibald (GBR) (4/1/1)   Great Britain (6/2/4)
Points Race (men/women)   Benjamin Thomas (FRA) (3/1/0)   France (4/2/2)   Kirsten Wild (NED) (2/0/0)
  Lotte Kopecky (BEL)
  Maria Giulia Confalonieri (ITA)
  Belgium (2/4/0)
Scratch race (men/women)   Sebastian Mora (ESP) (2/0/0)   Portugal (3/0/0)   Kirsten Wild (NED) (1/1/1)   Great Britain (3/3/0)
Omnium (men/women)   Elia Viviani (ITA) (2/1/1)   Great Britain (3/1/3)   Laura Kenny (GBR) (4/2/0)   Great Britain (8/3/0)
Madison (men/women)   Albert Torres (ESP) (3/1/0)   Spain (3/1/0)   Amalie Dideriksen (DEN) (2/1/1)
  Julie Leth (DEN)
  Great Britain (3/1/2)
Elimination (men/women)   Elia Viviani (ITA) (2/0/0)
  Matthew Walls (GBR)
  Italy (2/1/0)   Kirsten Wild (NED) (3/0/0)   Great Britain (3/3/1)

Juniors and U23's and Open Omnium

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Exclude Men's Open Madison events from 2001 to 2009 and include Open Omnium events from 2001 to 2009.

Number Year Country City Events
as European Track Championships
1 2001   Czech Republic
  Italy
Brno (Under 23)
Fiorenzuola d'Arda (Junior)
25
2 2002   Germany Buttgen 27
3 2003   Russia Moscow 32
4 2004   Spain Valencia 32
5 2005   Italy Fiorenzuola d'Arda 32
6 2006   Greece Athens 32
7 2007   Germany Cottbus 33
8 2008   Poland Pruszków 37
9 2009   Belarus Minsk 37
as UEC European Track Championships (under-23 & junior)
10 2010   Russia Saint Petersburg 38
11 2011   Portugal Anadia 38
12 2012   Portugal Anadia 38
13 2013   Portugal Anadia 38
14 2014   Portugal Anadia 38
15 2015   Greece Athens 38
16 2016   Italy Montichiari 38
17 2017   Portugal Sangalhos 44
18 2018   Switzerland Aigle 44
19 2019   Belgium Ghent 44
20 2020   Italy Fiorenzuola d'Arda 44
21 2021   Netherlands Apeldoorn 44
22 2022   Portugal Anadia 44

2023 UEC European Track Championships (under-23 & junior)

Championnats d'Europe de cyclisme sur piste juniors et espoirs 2024

Medals (2001–2024)

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Exclude Men's Open Madison events from 2001 to 2009 and include Open Omnium events from 2001 to 2009.

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Russia162135123420
2  Italy1347079283
3  Great Britain11910695320
4  Germany112118103333
5  France9011296298
6  Netherlands546172187
7  Poland417684201
8  Belgium415448143
9  Ukraine39252387
10  Czech Republic313146108
11  Switzerland16222260
12  Denmark15131139
13  Spain12132954
14  Belarus891835
15  Lithuania6151839
16  Portugal517830
17  Ireland510621
18  Greece47819
19  Austria46414
20  Latvia2125
21  Armenia2002
22  Moldova1214
23  Slovenia1113
  Turkey1113
25  Slovakia1102
26  Norway0022
27  Israel0011
Totals (27 entries)9069069012,713
  • 2002 Doping Case:   Germany replaced by   Belgium. (GER -1 Bronze / BEL +1 Bronze)

Disciplines

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The historic results in each discipline can be found at the relevant link below:-

Current disciplines - Men
Current disciplines - Women
Former disciplines
Age-group events

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "European Track Championships". Track Cycling News. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  2. ^ Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill (2011). Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Scarecrow Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-8108-7175-5.
  3. ^ "2012 m. Europos dviračių treko čempionatas vyks Panevėžyje". delfi.lt.
  4. ^ "2013 Calendar". uec-federation.eu. Archived from the original on 29 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Cycling Sports". sport-record.de. Sports Statistics.
  6. ^ "Cycling Sports - UEC European Track Championships Elite". sport-record.de. Sports Statistics.
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