MADINAT ZAYED (VN) — The change of format in the omnium should lure more road riders to the track, said Italian Olympic champion and road sprinter Elia Viviani.
Viviani’s view is shared by former track-cum-road rider, Mark Renshaw who is contemplating an off-season return to the velodrome to race in the Australian Madison championships in December.
Sky’s Viviani expressed his view on the event at the Abu Dhabi Tour, which started on Thursday with the 147km first stage run through barren and flat desert out from Madinat Zayat and back.
The stage was won by Italian Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek – Segafredo) who will lead the tour overall going into Friday’s 115km second stage that starts and finishes in Abu Dhabi.
Viviani, meanwhile, plans to spend the next two years focusing on the road before making any decision about whether to defend his Olympic omnium title at the 2020 Olympics.
However, the Italian is keen to see how the new omnium format goes at this week’s European track championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France that finish Sunday.
The UCI’s call to change the format means that the omnium is now a four- rather than six-discipline event that will run over one day instead of the the two as has been the case. Out of the omnium are the timed events — the flying lap, time trial and the individual pursuit. In is a new mass-start event, the tempo race, along with scratch, elimination, and points races.
“For sure it is less specific,” Viviani said of the new format. “Maybe it is better for the road rider … Maybe it is easier for me. I worked a lot on the time trial races — the kilo, and the individual pursuit — to prepare for Rio. The elimination race is my [type of race] race.
“I need to understand a little better the new tempo race. But I think the scratch and points races are good for the road rider. It is a good move to get more road riders on the track.”
But while the omnium is now more of an endurance event suiting road riders, Viviani warns that a switch from road to track will still not be a fait accompli for those considering it.
“If they decide now, maybe with four years to go they can do the track,” Viviani said.
As for his plans, Viviani said that with an Olympic Games victory in the omnium he will now focus back on the road, at least for the next two years, for which he has set new goals.
“Now I have won the gold medal I can stop for two years the track,” he said. “Maybe I will do some six days this winter, but nothing more. The omnium is really stressful to prepare for and also to do. I am going to prepare absolutely all the winter for the road, and I have a big, big goal for next year on the road. Milan-San Remo is one. I want to come back to the Giro d’Italia because I am really disappointed to have abandoned this year the Giro.”
Renshaw and his fellow Aussie Michael Matthews see merit in omnium change
Dimension Data’s Renshaw, who raced on the track before focusing on the road, believes the omnium will now attract more road riders. “The [UCI] goal is to set it up for professional road riders to come in, which is smart because all the money and media is around road cycling,” he said at the Abu Dhabi Tour. “It’s good to try to get the track back up and going.”
Renshaw, who was in Australia’s team pursuit line-up that won the world title in 2002 and 2004 and Commonwealth Games in 2002 when he also won silver in the points race, then revealed his plan to possibly make a return to the track in Australia … however short-term.
“I have a partner for maybe the Madison titles in December … I won’t say who it is yet,” he said. “I might have a stab at the Madison, but it is such a late finish to the year. I don’t want to go and get totally toweled up. I will need some form. So if I don’t have the form, I won’t do it. The goal now is try and organize a bike with Cervelo and do some [track] training.”
However, Renshaw ruled out any longer term ambitions for on the track. “No … no,” he said. “For now, I am just focused on the road. It is just a bit of fun to play on the track.
“I haven’t done it in a long time, so I might hate it. I might regret going back.”
Matthews of Orica – BikeExchange saw the attraction of the omnium event for the road rider. Although, the sprinter indicated that he was more interested in observing road riders try it rather than actually making the switch himself.
“Watching it I thought it looked like a nice event to do. It sort of suits that style of rider like I am,” Matthews said. “I haven’t really done too much on the track though. It’s hard to say I am going to focus on it, but it’s something interesting that I would like to look at for the future. I don’t know too many details about it. I saw there were some changes … Everyone was saying it suits more of a road sprinter than a track rider now. Hopefully it does throw some more roadies in there … It would be quite fun to see I think for the next Olympics.”
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