Cyclist Zach Bell left looking for answers after disappointing first day of omnium at London Olympics

He knew the question but cyclist Zach Bell really couldn't find the answer.

A disappointing first day will make it difficult for Bell to reach the podium in the omnium cycling track event at the Olympics.

The 29-year-old native of Watson Lake, Yukon, heads into Sunday's final in ninth place, 20 points behind leader Bryan Coquard of France.

[Slideshow: Canada captures bronze in women's team pursuit]

"It's not a good start for me, I think everybody knows that,'' Bell told Postmedia.

"I'm not really sure why. I felt good coming in, everything was lined up. It was just a bad day, I guess. [Day 2] is a good day for me, generally. Hopefully I can rebound, make a really good push and something good will come of it."

Bell, a two-time world champion silver medallist, started well Saturday finishing seventh in the opening event, the flying lap 250-metre time trial. He struggled in the 30-kilometre points race, placing 13th, then was 10th in the elimination race.

''In the elimination race, I got caught in a bad position," Bell said. ''The other two [results] were a bit shocking."

[Related: Many of Canada's Olympic broadcasters aren't in London]

Sunday's competition will start with the four-kilometre individual pursuit, where two riders start at opposite sides of the track and race against the clock. After that is a 16-kilometre scratch race, where the first rider to cross the line wins. Finally there's a one-kilometre time trial where each competitor rides the course aiming for the fastest time.

In the omnium the winner of an event receives 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.

[More: Sun Media's #Canadafail hashtag riles up Canadian Twitter followers]

Coquard leads with 10 points, followed by Italy's Elia Viviani with 13 and world champion Glenn O'Shea of Australia with 14 points.

The women's omnium begins Monday. Tara Whitten of Edmonton, who won a bronze medal in the women's team pursuit on Saturday, is considered to be a medal contender.

More London Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Canada Sports:
• Guide: What to watch Sunday, August 5
• Photos: Track and field fashion statements
• Want to row for Canada in the next Olympics?