(Beijing, December 9) - Track cyclings marquee event will be contested Sunday at round No. 2 of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics in Beijiing.

Sixty-five riders from 31 countries are on the preliminary start list. The daylong men's sprint tournament commences at 9:30 with qualifying heats. The best-of-three finals start at 17:15.

Riders to watch include World Cup round No.1 winner Mickael Bourgain of the Cofidis professional cycling team. Following a 2-1 win over fellow Frenchman Gregory Bauge in the semifinals, Bourgain swept teammate and countryman Kevin Sireau in the finals at the Sydney World Cup.

Great Britain's Chris Hoy stopped the French medals sweep, defeating Bauge 2-0 in the bronze medal round.

Reigning Olympic champion Ryan Bayley of Australia did not qualify for the medal round in Sydney, finishing fifth.

Reigning world champion Theo Bos of the Netherlands did not race the sprint in Sydney, but is on the startlist in Beijing. On Friday Bos was part of the three-man team that defeated France to win the team sprint gold medal.

The sprint event is run over 1000 meters. After timed qualifying determines seeding, riders compete in head-to-head matches called heats that determine who advances to the ensuing round. The final four riders battle for the medals.

The men's sprint is one of l0 Olympic track events being contested at the Beijing World Cup. New qualification criteria stipulate that the winner here is automatically qualified for next summer's Olympic Games.

There are 376 cyclists from 44 countries competing at the Beijing World Cup, making it the second largest track event in history, behind only the last.