Six Day Racing Returns to London in 2015

Six Day London, a new elite sporting property was launched today, marking a return of this exciting track cycling format to both the UK and London. The event is set for 18th-23th October and will take place at the Lee Valley VeloPark.

Attending the announcement were Mark Cavendish MBE who was unveiled as a partner of Madison Sports Group (MSG), the organisation behind the new event, and Sir Chris Hoy MBE who will be acting as an ambassador for Six Day London.

Huge popularity and reach

With cycling continuing to experience a boom in popularity in the UK and particularly in the capital, Six Day London will tap into this large and highly engaged market, illustrated by Bradley Wiggins’ recent hour record event that sold out in six minutes.

Six Day London will reach up to 34,000 spectators over the six nights and 3,600 via hospitality. Supporting this is a soon to be announced international broadcast platform, which will allow Six Day London and its partners to achieve further scale.

A rich heritage; a modern approach

Having been missing from the UK cycling scene for 35 years, Six Day London sees a reboot of the traditional Six Day format. Crowd favourites such as the Madison and Derny races will be combined with women’s, junior and talent events, to create a unique blend of racing action.

Six Day races remain very popular in mainland Europe, with historic events such as Ghent and Berlin being favourites, but it was in Islington, London that Six Day Racing was first invented, back in 1878. As such, Six Day London marks a return home and is the perfect place to refresh the sport.

Unique experience for fans

As well as dramatic racing on the world’s fastest indoor track, the six nights will also provide fans with electric entertainment, with music from DJ’s and light shows creating an unprecedented atmosphere in the Velodrome on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Mark Darbon, CEO of Madison Sports Group: "We intend for Six Day London to become a must see event on the UK sporting calendar and we’ve been working with Mark and Chris to ensure we deliver incredible sporting action with world class riders and teams.

"To support that, we will develop partnerships that help complement the sport and the fans. The fan experience is very important to us, for those in the arena and watching on TV. As such, we’re investing heavily in in-venue sports presentation and entertainment to ensure the atmosphere for ticket holders and hospitality guests is electric. And, we’re working with broadcasters to offer a new perspective for fans, looking to events such as the America’s Cup for inspiration in using technology to ensure the sport is as exciting and as accessible as possible."

Mark Cavendish MBE on Six Day London: "I am excited about Six Day London and the sport of Six Day racing returning to the UK. While working with Madison Sports Group I have been incredibly impressed with their vision for the sport and their approach to create the best cycling events in the World. I have no doubt that they will deliver groundbreaking spectacles for athletes and fans alike, helping to take the sport to the next level."

Sir Chris Hoy MBE, Six Day London Ambassador: "Track cycling is one of the most exciting spectator sports in the world and the innovative ideas that Madison Sports Group have around the promotion and development of Six Day Racing are extremely exciting. I'm looking forward to being a part of that and to being closely involved with a new generation of London Six Day races."

There will be a 72-hour ticket pre sale for British Cycling members. Tickets and hospitality packages go on sale to the general public at 11am Saturday 4th July. Visit www.sixday.com for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Head of Communications: David Harmon, Madison Sports Group

david.harmon@sixday.com /

+44 (0) 7725 731 348

PR Agency: Charlie Almond or Charlie Powell, Dentsu Aegis Network Sport & Entertainment:

Charlie.Almond@dentsuaegis.com /+44 20 3640 5111

or Charlie.Powell@dentsuaegis.com / +44 20 7430 6419

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