In 2021 the Track Cycling Champions League was born, an "additional" circuit of international competitions beyond the canonical World, Olympic, etc. competitions. At the end of the year, generally in 5 stages in some of the most important velodromes, the spotlights turn towards these races organized in collaboration between UCI and Discovery/Eurosport. In the Champions League, which provides a progressive general classification in Men's Endurance, Men's Sprint, Women's Endurance and Women's Sprint specialties, Italy was represented by several athletes: the only Italian flag-bearer present in all four editions so far is the sprinter (from Martinengo, near Crema, in Lombardy) Miriam Vece, who is in ninth position in the Women's Sprint category and, in the two-day final between today and tomorrow at the Lee Valley Europark in London, has the opportunity to improve her best historical placement in the Champions League.

We reached her by phone yesterday morning while she was completing half a week of training in Montichiari, before flying to the English capital, where she is now and is about to discover Sprint and Keirin pairings and heats, the two events that make up the speed competition. Today's races (Italian time) will start at 20:00 and tomorrow's at 18:30, while live broadcasts on Eurosport and Discovery Plus will start at 21:00 and 19:30 respectively. 40 points are at stake for each of the 4 classifications, 20 tonight and 20 tomorrow: currently leading are Dylan Bibic (men's endurance), Harrie Lavreysen (men's sprint), Katie Archibald (women's endurance), and Alina Lysenko (women's sprint).

"She surprised us all: she's literally dominating, making Olympic gold medals like Ellesse Andrews and Emma Finucane look 'normal'! She had already had the opportunity to compete in March at the Nations Cup in Hong Kong, but wasn't as strong as she is now: she probably made the best of her preparation period in the second half of the year while most of us were busy between the Olympics and Worlds."

"It will definitely be the most spectacular (double) stage because in London it's 'sold-out' and the audience has contagious enthusiasm. For the rest, I'm not saying this for tactical reasons or anything else, but every stage can really make its own history: one time you might not do anything, and the next you knock out the world champion."

"Magnificent satisfaction, I didn't think I would make it but she didn't expect me to start so sharply in front of her. As the champion she is, she immediately congratulated me. Now, however, it's time to focus and work to always be there."

"I'm very happy to have started doing well in the keirin thanks to the work with Ivan Quaranta: after a bad fall as a junior, I didn't want to do it anymore, but for the past three years I've learned not to be afraid of the scrum and contacts. However, I continue to prefer Sprint."

"You know, it's another way to race in a competitive context and earn class 2 points without too much pressure, in an environment different from the usual races, more informal I'd say. Plus, there's an interesting economic aspect that doesn't hurt."

"They create the body and design, and each athlete can have 3 personal sponsors, two in front and one on the leg. My body by Alè is blue in the trunk and recalls the colors of the Italian flag on the sleeves. My sponsors are Logiman (an industrial real estate company in Crema), Vittoria Guazzini with her VG logo, and Fiamme Oro, which is the military sports group I'm currently running for."

"With Vittoria, but also with Chiara Consonni and Martina Alzini for example, there's a splendid relationship: last month we were on vacation together in Sharm El Sheikh. Another very strong friendship I carry from a life spent in Valcar, even though she has taken other cycling paths, is the one with Silvia Persico."

"Yes, I was the first athlete registered by the cycling school Verso l'Iride, directed by Davide Arzeni with the decisive support of Elisa Balsamo and her husband Davide Plebani: it's based in the Varese province and among the advisors is also Valentino. With them I feel at home, I entered Valcar as an Esordiente (U14) and became a cyclist there."

"I can only be satisfied: in fact, I've written the history of my specialty with a bronze medal at the 2020 Worlds, which earned me the first contract with the Army sports team, and one at the 2022 Europeans, both in Germany (respectively, Berlin and Munich) in the 500 meters time trial, after winning gold in both 500m and sprint as an U23 in 2018. Then numerous Italian championships, World Cup finals... and today I see girls like Beatrice Bertolini, Matilde Cenci, Siria Trevisan, and other talented track cyclists for whom I am a point of reference. Yes, I'm satisfied, and I always tell young women to take advantage of the 'luck' they have compared to athletes of my generation: they are already in a well-structured context, where they can do specific training and military corps are interested in them when they are still young. If they decide to continue, the women's team sprint has a rosy future."

"After my last road race in 2018, I moved to the center in Aigle, Switzerland. It was supposed to be 5 months, it became 4 years: there I trained as a track sprinter, started working in the gym properly, learned English, and shared a beautiful experience with colleagues who became great friends, like Surinamese Jair Tjon En Fa or Nicholas Paul from Trinidad and Tobago, both present here at the Champions League. After the reopening of the Montichiari velodrome and especially Ivan Quaranta's arrival at the helm of the speed sector, I returned from my 'Swiss exile' and embraced home air and affections."

"Actually I still have a class 1 race in Grenchen to stay in shape, then Christmas with family and off to prepare for the Europeans that will take place in Zolder in February."

"I know my brother wanted to give me the Lego themed Home Alone, it would be a fantastic gift to accompany me on rainy and foggy days and evenings."

"More serenity at a personal and cycling level. In this quadrennial, I lost my grandfather and one of my best friends, while on the track, despite performing fairly well, I'm missing podiums and victories. So from the cycle about to begin, I ask for some medals, with consequent additional certainties and conviction, and to reduce the gap with the best to arrive at Los Angeles 2028 to play something more than just a bronze-medal final..."

Our wish is that "Miriam Vece's turning point" already begins with today and tomorrow's grand finale of the Track Champions League.