Canadian track cyclist Zachary Bell of Watson Lake won the silver medal of the omnium event in Melbourne, Australia at the opening Track Cycling World Cup of the 2011 season.

Tara Whitten of Edmonton, halfway through the Women's omnium, sits in second place with a strong showing on opening day.

Bell finished the two-day omnium event in second place with a total of 31 points.

In today's three last races, Bell finished first in the Scratch race - his specialty - fourth in the time trial and fifth in the individual pursuit. New Zealand cyclist Shane Archbold won the omnium with 24 points.

The omnium event is a series of six races that includes both sprint and endurance races.

Bell has had regular success in international omnium races, winning the silver medal at the 2009 World Championships in Warsaw, Poland. More recently, Bell won the bronze medal in the scratch race at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. At the 2010 Canadian Track cycling championships, Bell won gold medals in four races.

In the Men's Keirin, Travis Smith of Calgary, Alberta finished 11th. Smith advanced to the second round by finishing second of the opening heat, but finished fourth of the second round, one spot shy of qualifying for the final showdown.

Monique Sullivan of Calgary, Alberta finished her day in 20th position in the Women's Sprint events.

In the women's omnium, current World Champion Tara Whitten of Edmonton,

Alberta, had a strong day in the opening three races of the event, currently sitting in second position in the overall standings. Whitten placed 3rd in the elimination race, 13th in the points race, and 2nd in the flying lap race. On Saturday, Whitten will race in the last three events: the individual pursuit, the scratch and the time trial races.

The 2011 UCI World Cup event in Melbourne, AUS, continues tomorrow with Women's omnium, the Women's Time trials, the Women's keirin, the Men's sprint, and the Men's team pursuit finals.

For full results, please visit the UCI timing website at: http://www.tissottiming.com/sports/cycling/track/classics2010_melbourne/index.htm.