'Feels like a bowling ball went into my ribs' – Mass pile-up at Track World Championships sees Lorena Wiebes crash out of Omnium title defence – Video

A mass pile-up crash at the UCI Track World Championships forced defending rainbow jersey holder Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) to abandon the Omnium, coming down hard in the first of four events, the Scratch Race, and taking down more than half of the bunch with her.

Wiebes was riding towards the front of the pack with four laps to go when she was squeezed in between Lara Gillespie (Ireland) and Elisa Balsamo (Italy), causing her bike to slide out from under her as she lost control of the handlebars and hit the deck at high speed. Riding towards the front, 13 of the 24 competing riders ended up crashing as they funnelled down into a pile at the bottom of the banking.

Twenty three riders were able to remount their bikes and finish the race after a restart, with Japan's Tsuyaka Uchino winning the Scratch Race, but Wiebes, who won the title 12 months ago in Santiago, Chile, was a DNF. The Dutch star was left with bandaging on both knees, both arms, and one of her ankles, but confirmed to her home media that she escaped without fractures.

"It looks like some handlebars got tangled. From what I can see in the footage, I just held my line. I was focusing on the girls coming from behind and it felt like I was suddenly taken out," said Wiebes to NOS in the Shanghai Velodrome.

"It does feel like a bowling ball went into my ribs. My knees are pretty scraped and I also have pain in my ribs and shoulder, but I think the damage after this blow is relatively minor."

It's the second year running that Wiebes has crashed hard at the Track World Championships, coming down while leading last year's Madison after a botched handover with teammate Lisa van Belle.

Already the Scratch Race World Champion in 2026, Wiebes was due to race in the Madison again on Saturday after the Omnium, and didn't rule out a quick return, albeit with some heavy strapping likely needed.

"We have to see how things go during the day and if I can do some easy cycling on the roller trainer later," she said, having hobbled off the track gingerly with two Dutch team staff members by her side. "Maybe we'll tape up my body here and there and then we'll see."

With three rounds of the Omnium complete at the time of writing, Anna Morris (Great Britain) currently leads the overall standings ahead of the final Points Race.

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