Viviani, Keisse, Doull, Storey star in opening round of Revolution Champions League

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Olympic champions Elia Viviani and Owain Doull, Six Day veteran Iljo Keisse, and multiple Paralympic champion Sarah Storey will be among the names lining up at the inaugural Revolution Champions League in Manchester. The series was meant to get underway last week but planning issues forced the organisers to cancel the opening round in Paris.

Omnium champion Viviani and Keisse recently rode together at the Gent Six Day, finishing third overall behind the pairings of Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins, and Kenny de Ketele and Moreno de Pauw. The duo will be racing against each other in Manchester this weekend with Viviani riding alongside Team Sky teammate Peter Kennaugh, and Keisse linking up with Andy Tennant in the colours of Team PedalSure.

Doull will return to the boards for the first time since winning gold in the team pursuit in Rio, having spent the intervening months on the road and making his debut for Team Sky. The Revolution will be one of his last appearances in Team WIGGINS colours as he moves to Team Sky full-time next season. Doull will be partnered by trade and national teammate Jon Dibben who is also moving to Sky.

Storey (Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa) headlines the women's line-up, which also features Elinor Barker (Matrix Fitness), road race world champion Amalie Dideriksen (Voxwomen) and rising star Manon Lloyd (Great Britain).

There will also be a sprint competition, which features France's Quentin Lefargue and Lewis Oliva (Team USN). The sprinters will compete in what has been dubbed a 'sprint omnium' with riders battling it out in a straight two-rider sprint, a six-lap dash, a Keirin and a handicap.

As with other Revolution events, there is a future stars competition with young riders getting the opportunity to race in a packed out velodrome.

The first round of the Revolution Champions League will begin on Saturday, November 25 and finishes on Sunday.

Elite men's Champions League