Revolution (cycling Series)

Revolution is a series of track cycling events primarily held at the Manchester Velodrome in the north west of England. It was solely held in Manchester between 2003 and 2012. From Season 10 (2012–2013) meetings have been held additionally at the new UK velodromes; in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow, the Olympic Velodrome, London from Season 11 (2013–2014) and the Derby Arena from 2015 to 2016.

The series comprises four or five meetings each year, held between October and February, on Saturday evenings. The series showcases various top cyclists, both British and international, and is well attended by spectators. The recent success of the British team, including Chris Hoy's triple gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics and double gold-winning performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics has meant that the events now regularly sell out in advance.

Concept

The series was founded in 2003, with the main aim of providing regular track cycling events for fans to attend in Manchester. Previously, track cycling fans were generally only able to attend one international event in Manchester each year, usually a round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics series, or as in 2000, the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. The only other events held regularly at the velodrome were events such as the British National Track Championships, which have a lower profile and therefore attracted smaller crowds.

An organisation management company, Face Partnership, was brought in to attempt to create a series providing regular top level events at the velodrome. The aim was to provide racing for existing fans and attract new fans to the sport, raising its profile as a sport in United Kingdom. It was also intended to give British riders the opportunity to take part in high quality racing during the winter. It was decided that the series would consist of four events throughout the season. Admission costs were fixed at an affordable level, originally £8 for an adult ticket, in order to enable families to attend. Family tickets were available for around £20, making the Revolution a considerably more affordable event to attend in comparison to other sports, such as football.

The first event was held in October 2003 and was attended by a good sized crowd. The event featured big British names like Bradley Wiggins, Rob Hayles, Chris Newton, John Scripps and David Millar. The series also rapidly attracted the attention of track sprinters from continental Europe, who took advantage of the opportunity to sharpen their skills against top-class fields without the levels of pressure experienced in World Cup events. The event continued to grow in stature and profile from this solid start, exceeding expected attendance targets along the way. Revolution 7 in early 2005 saw the series achieve its first near capacity crowd, the start of the event had to be delayed to allow the crowds into the venue. Revolution 14 was the series' first complete sell out, with some ticketless fans turned away. From early 2008 onwards the events began to sell out in advance.

The Revolution is also expanding into a global series, CotterPin has licensed the concept in Australia. The first Revolution Australia event was held in the Darebin International Sports Centre, Melbourne on 24 November 2007. There were over 3,000 spectators present at Australia's Revolution 1.

In July 2008, the Aftermarket company signed a deal with Face Partnership to create an expo area in the track centre at each event. This takes advantage of the captive audience and precise target consumers present at each Revolution.

Each Revolution meeting consists of a fast-paced, packed programme of races. The evening lasts for between 3 hours and 3 hours 45 minutes and typically involves around twenty events. Each event has three categories of racing including sprint and endurance, and the "Future Stars" series. Live PA duties at the events are carried out by the BBC
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