Cycling: Worrack wins opener

Photo / Getty Images

German cyclist Trixi Worrack has won the pre-world road championships event at Buninyong, near Ballarat.

Worrack outsprinted Belgian Liesilot Decroix of Belgium, while South African Carla Swart of South Africa was third in the World Cycling Classic.

That trio and fourth-placed rider Katheryn Curi-Mattis from the United States dominated the 90km race with their breakaway, which formed before halfway.

German star Judith Arndt was in a chase group of three riders that finished five seconds behind the leaders, while the main group was more than three minutes off the pace.

The Australian team for the world titles in Geelong had a bad day, with Carla Ryan and Tiffany Cromwell having to pull out just before the Sunday morning start because of food poisoning.

No.1 Australian rider Ruth Corset and Bridie O'Donnell were then involved in a crash which sent German Sarah Duster to hospital in an ambulance.

Ryan, Cromwell, Corset and O'Donnell are all expected to be fit for Saturday's road race at the world titles.

- AAP