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'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

Defending world champion Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) suffered a brutal crash in the Scratch Race at the UCI Track World Championships, forcing her to abandon her title defense in the Omnium. The incident unfolded when Wiebes lost control of her bike while riding near the front of the pack, colliding with Lara Gillespie (Ireland) and Elisa Balsamo (Italy) and triggering a multi-rider pile-up.

Thirteen of the 24 competitors went down, though 23 riders managed to remount and finish the race after a restart. Wiebes, who won the Scratch Race world title in 2026 and the Omnium last year in Santiago, Chile, exited with injuries to her knees, arms, and ankle but confirmed no fractures.

Despite the setback, she hinted at a possible return to the Madison event later in the competition, though she’ll likely need heavy strapping to compete again. With three of the Omnium’s five events completed, Anna Morris (Great Britain) currently leads the standings ahead of the final Points Race.

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