SCOTLAND'S purpose-built Commonwealth Games velodrome is gearing up for a ticket gold rush to watch Team GB's cycling Olympians in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics in November.
Sir Chris Hoy, Britain's most-decorated Olympic competitor, who won two golds in London, is among four gold medallists from the recent Games expected to compete under the British Cycling banner in Glasgow.
Fellow winners Jason Kenny, Laura Trott and Dani King are due at the prestigious competition, the venue's debut on the international cycling stage.
With track cycling one of the huge success stories of London 2012, fans face a race for tickets, with less than 2500 available for each of the three days of the event, which runs from November 16-18. Tickets will go on sale to British Cycling members at 2pm today before going on general sale at 12noon on August 22, via Ticketmaster.
British Cycling said yesterday: "Spectators are encouraged to book their tickets early to avoid disappointment as high demand is expected."
The event is the second round of the Track Cycling World Cup, with Sir Chris, Jason Kenny, Victoria Pendleton, Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas and Laura Trott amongst the British cyclists taking part in the first stage.
British Cycling still has to formalise who will be involved in Glasgow but it is thought six-times gold medal-winning Sir Chris will be involved in some way for the inaugural event at the venue named in his honour.
He has said it is his ambition to compete at the venue in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Jonny Clay, membership director at British Cycling, said: "The Track World Cup in Glasgow is the first opportunity for people to see the GB cycling team in international action after the Olympic Games. The event promises to be a great spectacle for cycling fans as our GB athletes prepare for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and set off on the road to Rio 2016."
Chairman of Glasgow Life and the Glasgow City Council's head of Commonwealth Games, Councillor Archie Graham, said: "The London Olympic Games captured the imagination of the nation, with the sensational performances of the Team GB cycling team among the real highlights. The atmosphere at the Olympic velodrome was incredible and we can't wait to get a feel for that when the Track World Cup comes to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in November.
"As we look ahead to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Track World Cup will give people the chance to see just what they can expect when the world's top cyclists go for gold in our new velodrome."
The Sir Chris Hoy velodrome forms part of the £113 million Commonwealth Arena and will be one of the biggest indoor sports facilities of its type in Europe when it opens in early October.
Located on a 10.5 hectare site in the East End of Glasgow, close to Celtic Park and the Commonwealth Games Athletes' Village, the complex will be the principal new dedicated sports facility for the Glasgow 2014 Games.
The indoor arena, which will host the Badminton competition at the Games, will have 5000 seats, while the velodrome will have a permanent capacity for 2000 seated and 500 standing spectators for the 250-metre cycle track, which will rise to 4000 seats at the Games.
A programme of prestigious sporting events will mark its opening over a four-month period.
Paul Bush, chief operating officer for EventScotland, said: "Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and with the opening of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome we can proudly add track cycling to our extensive portfolio of major international events."
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