JUST two weeks after his win in the Queensland Masters Racing Championship, Dalby State High School principal Dean Russell came third place in another cycling event, this time competing against riders in their early 20s and younger.

The 45-year-old competed against seven other finalists on Thursday, January 24 in the open age Queensland Elite Omnium Championships at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane.

Russell said the race was one of the toughest events in track racing.

"It's because you have to race four times across the course of one day, which, in track cycling, is quite a lot. You normally only race once or twice," he said.

The competition spans four events: scratch race, tempo race, elimination race and points race.

"Each of the events is different but very difficult so you have to race hard, recover and try to get back on for the next one," Russell said.

"Omnium racing is very difficult but it's the kind of racing where you can be conservative and pick your opportunities to go hard.

"Fortunately, I have raced things like this many times over the years.

"So I think I was lucky to be able to play it smart.

"Obviously being 45 I'm not going to have the same legs or lungs as a 20-year-old but I relied on my experience.''

For three years in a row Russell has participated in - and won - the Masters Championship. He competed in the Elite open for the first time this year after friends encouraged him to give it a go.

"A lot of my peers and friends said 'you should have a crack against the younger ones, see what happens' and that's what happened: I came third," he said.

He plans to do it all again next year, at 46.

"I don't see why not. It was obviously a much faster, tougher event than masters because the average age was, like, 22 instead of 40," he said.