Canadians expected to challenge as cycling’s omnium makes Olympic debut at London Games

It's a test of body and mind. The cycling omnium is a multi-discipline event where the best riders combine strength and strategy.

The competition, which features six individual races spread over two days, makes its Olympic debut at the London Games. Canadians are medal contenders in both the men's and women's events.

Tara Whitten of Edmonton is a two-time world champion in omnium while Zack Bell of Watson Lake, Yukon, has twice won silver medals at the world championships.

The men's omnium begins Saturday and the women's event starts Monday.

The omnium opens with a flying lap, which is a race against the clock, then a points race (30 kilometres for men, 20 kilometres for women) where riders score points for sprints which occur every 10 laps during the race, and for lapping the field. That is followed by an elimination race where a group of riders race with an intermediate sprint every two laps. The last rider each time is eliminated.

[Related: Tara Whitten and Zach Bell follow twisting paths]

Next up is the individual pursuit (4,000 metres men, 3,000 metres women) where two riders start at opposite sides of the track and race against the clock. After that is a scratch race (16 kilometres men, 10 kilometres women) where the first rider to cross the line wins.

Finally there's a time trial (one kilometre men, 500-metres women) where each competitor rides the course aiming for the fastest time.

In each event the winner gets one point, the second place rider two points and the third three points. The rider with the lowest total score at the end of six events wins.

All the events will take place in the Olympic Park Velodrome.

[Related: Brent Hayden claims bronze for Canada]

Whitten, 32, dominated the world omnium scene for two years winning the world championships in 2010 and 2011. She slipped to fourth at this year's world championships where two of the cyclists that beat her were 12 years younger.

Laura Trott of Britain, who at 20 is just hitting her peak, is the reigning world champion and will be a hometown favourite. Other contenders are Australia's Annette Edmondson, 20, who took silver at the world championships and 28-year-old American Sarah Hammer, a four-time world champion in individual pursuit.

In the men's race Bell will be challenged by world champion Glenn O'Shea of Australia, Britain's Ed Clancy, Shane Archbold of New Zealand and Juan Arango of Colombia.

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