An omnium is a multiple race event in track cycling. Historically the omnium has had a variety of formats. Currently, and for the 2012 Olympics, the omnium as defined by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) consists of the following six events:
Points are awarded in reverse order. The rider who finishes first in an event receives one point, the second rider will get two points and so on. The rider with the fewest points after all events is the winner. When two riders are tied on points, the combined time of the three time trials will break the tie amongst the riders. A rider must have completed every event in the omnium.
The omnium was re-introduced into the World Championships as a five race format for men in 2007 and for women in 2009. The omnium was changed in 2010 by the UCI to include the elimination race in 2010 and the distances of the events were lengthened to favor endurance cyclists.[2]
The omnium will replace the individual pursuit, the points race, and the madison at the Summer Olympic Games beginning in 2012. The change was quite controversial.[3]
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