Lorena Wiebes wins world scratch title as Dutch women miss team sprint final

Wiebes wins a third straight scratch title

Lorena Wiebes (27) won the women's scratch race at the track world championships in Shanghai on 14 October, taking the first world title for the Netherlands at the event. It was her third scratch title in a row, after wins in 2024 and 2025. She launched her sprint early, with 500 metres to go, and no rival could get past her. At the line she had just enough left after her long effort to hold off the Irish rider, who came up fast in the final straight.

For much of the race, which covered 40 laps or 10 kilometres, few riders attacked and Wiebes could save energy. With seven laps to go she had to respond to a move by the French rider Valentine Fortin, and she could not recover afterwards, which forced her to start her sprint early. She had also won all three stages and the overall classification at the Tour of Chongming Island shortly before the championships. In 2026 she has won 24 races in total.

Dutch women's team sprint out

The Dutch women's team sprint trio of Kimberly Kalee, Hetty van de Wouw and Steffie van der Peet, the defending world champions, will not contest the final. They posted only the sixth-fastest time in qualifying. After Kalee's opening lap they were virtually eleventh and at risk of missing the next round, but a sound closing lap carried them into the top eight. In that round they lost their heat to Germany, which meant they could not reach the final.

Men's team sprint heads to the final

Roy van den Berg, Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland were the fastest in qualifying, almost three tenths of a second ahead of China. In the next round they beat the Czech Republic by seven tenths of a second, and NOS reports they have been the fastest team in every round so far. Australia came closest in that round, conceding a tenth of a second to the Dutch trio. The final against Australia is set for shortly after 14.00 local time. With this line-up the trio is hoping to win the rainbow jersey for the seventh time in eight years, after Olympic gold in Tokyo and Paris.

Team pursuit and the Japan keirin trip

Wiebes also qualified fourth for the first round of the team pursuit in the morning session, alongside Nienke Veenhoven, Sofie van Rooijen and Lisa van Belle. The Dutch squad is at the start of an Olympic discipline for the first time since 2022, and it hopes to secure a place at the Los Angeles Games. The last Dutch pursuit team at the Games competed in 2012. The first round continues on 15 October, when the Netherlands face Great Britain, the fastest team in qualifying, for a place in the final. The championships run until Sunday, 18 October.

Trouw reports that Lavreysen and Van de Wouw were invited last summer to ride the keirin in Japan, a sport built around heavy betting. Lavreysen rode 19 races in just over two months there.

If you see how that sport lives in Japan, this really belongs in a track career. I am very happy that I can tick this off as well.