Lorena Wiebes secures hairsbreadth win to defend title at Track World Championships

Wednesday, 14 October 2026 at 15:05

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Lorena Wiebes won her third consecutive Scratch world title on Wednesday in Shanghai. The Dutch rider kept everyone on the edge of their seats with a long sprint, forcing a photo finish against Ireland’s Gillespie to determine the winner. In the end, she barely managed to pull it off.

Read more below the photo!

Lorena Wiebes has defended her title in the scratch race

Wiebes set out to defend her title

Wiebes had already spent the past week in Chongming, where the Tour of Chongming Island was also held. The Dutch rider won all three stages of this WorldTour race, after which she had to spend two days on the island. Although the Track Cycling World Championships are officially being held in Shanghai, the velodrome is located on Chongming.

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Wiebes, who was clearly in top form, lined up as the defending champion and top favourite at the Scratch World Championships, where—just like in a road race—the goal is to be the first to cross the finish line. Nevertheless, the speedy Wiebes had to stay alert, as her competitors were eager to overtake her.

Everyone is keeping an eye on Wiebes

Halfway through the race, we saw the first signs of an attack, but overall it was a fairly subdued race. In the non-Olympic discipline, Wiebes stayed well embedded in the pack, while quite a few women were riding right on her wheel. The reason? Because, quite simply, it offers the best chance at a medal.

With seven laps to go, an attack finally came, but the Dutch rider covered it herself. In the final laps, Wiebes then looked for a way to the front and a good moment to launch her sprint.

With one and a half laps to go, she went wide. Ireland’s Lara Gillespie was right on her wheel and waited until the jump, which brought her very close to Wiebes. A photo finish was needed to decide the race, but Wiebes ultimately came out on top.

Portugal's Maria Martins completed the podium.

Track Cycling World Championships Results - Scratch 2026

1. WIEBES Lorena 🇳🇱
2. GILLESPIE Lara 🇮🇪
3. MARTINS Maria 🇵🇹

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Clarice WebsterEditor

Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.

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