Welsford Defends Omnium Crown

Sam Welsford has won the 2019 Omnium national title at the DISC Velodrome in Melbourne, defending the championship he won 12 months ago.

The Omnium is a four discipline, pure-endurance competition, with all events – scratch race, tempo race, elimination race and points race – taking place within a single day.

The pace was electric from the start of the elite men’s race with defending champion Samuel Welsford – who last week claimed gold at the UCI Track World Cup in Germany – roaring around the entire field inside the final lap to take the win in the scratch race.

In the tempo race, dual 2018 junior world champion Luke Plapp (VIC) attacked the elite field early in the race to take the win.

It was a fight to the finish between some of the world’s best in the elimination race, with team pursuit world record holders Welsford, Kelland O’Brien (VIC) and Alexander Porter (SA) taking it to the wire before Welsford finally got the better of his teammates to claim another win.

Holding a ten point lead over Joshua Harrison (SA) and Porter heading into the closing points race, Welsford defended his crown amongst a furious blend of strategy and chaos in a pulsating 100-lap race.

Porter and O’Brien both finished on 122 points, with the South Australian taking the silver after finishing ahead of the Victorian in the final sprint.

“It was pretty crazy out there tonight, I came here with some good form with a win at the Berlin World Cup, so I am happy to come away with the win,” said Welsford. “National racing is so intimate, and really close racing, all the boys put on a good show.

“It was great to see three of the Aussie boys up there on the podium, we love racing each other and are really competitive when we line up against each other.”

The women’s Omnium title was claimed by Tasmania’s Macey Stewart.

Photo and story: CyclingAus