This week the UCI Track Cycling World Championships are held in Paris. The modern annual instalment is the season highlight and we've got five facts from the 122-year history.

1. The first Track Cycling World Championships were held in 1893 in Chicago, USA by the International Cycling Association, before the International Cycling Union (UCI) took over their jurisdiction in 1900.

2. In its 122-year history, the world championships have visited 23 countries including Japan, Colombia and Venezuela. France has hosted the event 15 times.

3. Winning the world championships entitles a rider to wear the rainbow jersey in the event in which they became world champion. They lose that right at the next world championships, which usually happen on an annual basis. 

4. Sir Chris Hoy has won 25 medals - 11 of which were gold - at the track world championships. He is only superseded by Frenchman Arnaud Tournant, who heads the men’s medals table with 14 gold, three silver and two bronze between 1997 and 2008.

5. Women first competed in 1958 and in the modern era, Victoria Pendleton is third in the medal table, collecting a total of nine gold, five silver and two bronze.

Find out more about the Great Britain Cycling Team at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, in our event guide.