For the first time in the history of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, some riders’ bikes will be equipped with cameras, thanks to a partnership with Infront/HBS. This will make it possible to experience the action live from a completely different perspective during the competition at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.
This ground-breaking initiative will apply to several events during the five days of racing. In order to ensure fairness between riders, all participants of these events will have cameras on their bikes. They will be fixed under the bike seats and will film the action taking place behind.
In the last few weeks, tests have been carried out in real conditions at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland. The images captured by the cameras during the UCI Track Cycling World Championships will be broadcast live on the big screen at the National Velodrome and by the event’s up to 30 broadcasters.
After this first experience, the UCI aims to use onboard cameras at other events on the UCI International Track Cycling Calendar.
Welcoming this innovation, UCI President Brian Cookson declared: “The UCI wishes to increase cycling’s appeal among the fans. We already introduced cameras and geo-localisation at the UCI Road World Championships in Ponferrada, and have also carried out camera tests at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. Now we will offer the public at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and television and Internet viewers throughout the world the chance to experience track racing live from the inside for the first time. This is important and exciting progress for the track and also for cycling as a whole, which will benefit from these technological innovations.”
Follow the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships live on tv.uci.ch
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