The headline event at the Revolution track meet at the UK’s Manchester Velodrome on November 20 will be a three-man Madison, race organizers have said.
In the traditional Madison (which is named after Madison Square Gardens, the early home of six-day racing in the States), riders compete in teams of two compete, with one rider taking part while the other circles high up the track, waiting to be made active by his partner slingshotting him into race. It’s a chaotic, tactical, action-packed spectacle in which even the commentators often can barely keep a hold on what’s going on.
The organizers claim that this will be the first time a three-man Madison has ever been attempted.
After Revolution 29 last month, which was more of an outing for the sprinters, Revolution 30 will focus more on endurance events. Olympic Team Pursuit champion Geraint Thomas will captain Team Sky’s track squad on the night. “I’m looking forward to getting on the track and racing as Team Sky at Revolution,” he commented. “It’s great that the event has evolved and I think the team idea is good. It will change the way we approach the racing so we’ll all be focused on keeping Sky at the top of the table.”
Saxo Bank roadies (and respected six-dayers) Alex Rasmussen and Michael Morkov are also confirmed to line up, and they’ll be joined by six-day stars Franco Marvulli, Leif Lampater, Christian Grassmann and Sebastian Donadio in one of the strongest endurance line ups in Revolution’s history.
