A new professional road cycling series was launched today. The Hammer Series which begins this year will see the World’s best cycling teams compete in a range of disciplines to determine which team is best.
The series which is run in partnership by Infront Sports & Media and Velon will see five riders from each team of seven selected to tackle each day’s discipline with the ultimate goal to cross the finish line first after three punishing days. Each day will feature multiple laps of between 8-10km ensuring wherever fans are on the course they will get the ultimate view of the action.
In the team vs team format, the riders will face the Hammer Sprint on Day 1. On Day 2, the riders face the punishing Hammer Climb. The final day is the race decider – the Hammer Chase – where the leading team after the first two days starts first, the other teams are chasing and the ultimate winner of the race is determined by the first team over the line. Time gaps between teams will be based on fixed time gaps per position and bonus time gained during Days 1 and 2.
In true team pursuit style, the team whose fourth rider’s front wheel crosses the line first in the Hammer Chase is the race winner, earning points towards the overall Hammer Series. The overall winner at the end of the Hammer Series earns the ultimate bragging rights as the best team in the world.
According to the organisers, “the Hammer Series race schedule will be developed to fit carefully within the UCI race calendar” and starts with the showcase race in early June in the Netherlands, the Hammer Sportzone Limburg. The next Hammer Series races – and their associated franchised partners – are to be announced over the coming months.
In line with the ambitions of Velon to grow the fanbase of cycling and bring all fans closer to the action, Velon Interactive live rider data will be available to fans through the Velon website (www.velon.cc), app and social channels, along with updates on race points and positions in a live league table – so all fans can keep abreast of their teams’ performances.
The data includes power, cadence, heart rate and speed so viewers can see how hard the riders are working on each of the Hammer Series race challenges. On-bike GoPro cameras will feature throughout the series.
