Shanghai: A mass crash involving 13 cyclists ended Dutch defending champion Lorena Wiebes’ women’s omnium campaign at the 2026 UCI Track World Championships on Friday, October 16.

The collision occurred during the scratch race, the first of four events comprising the omnium, at Shanghai Velodrome. More than half the 24 rider field fell in the incident.

Wiebes was riding near the front with four laps remaining when she became squeezed between other competitors and fell. Riders behind her were caught in the collision, with cyclists and bicycles sliding towards the bottom of the banked track, Cyclingnews reported.

Medical personnel attended to the riders, and the scratch race restarted around 15 minutes later, according to Velo. The other cyclists involved continued, but Wiebes was unable to resume her title defence.

Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS afterwards, Wiebes said her knees were scraped and she had pain in her ribs and shoulder. She said she had not broken anything and believed the injuries could have been worse.

Her participation in Saturday’s Madison remained uncertain following the crash.

The withdrawal came after Wiebes had already won the separate women’s scratch world title earlier in the championships. Although the scratch race also forms part of the omnium, the two competitions award separate titles.

Anna Morris subsequently won the women’s omnium world title. The championships, being held on Shanghai’s Chongming Island from October 14 to 18, feature 22 world titles, equally divided between men and women.