And so it begins; one of the biggest races against the clock of the entire season – the race for Olympic glory. And what a huge line-up we have here. Almost all the biggest time trialists in the world are on the startlist, though they will be leaving much later in the day. It is hard to pick any real favourite form amongst them because they are all so close in skill – there are five or six riders who could walk away with the gold medal today.
The weather today is cold and overcast, but rain is not expected, meaning we should have a fairly clean race. There are two intermediate time checks to help us gauge who is doing well. The first one is after 13km. The second comes after the slightly bumpy middle section and occurs after 30km and then there is the finish line at 45km.
Before we get to the top riders we must first observe the earlier riders who are departing. First up we have Jackson Rodriguez. Not really a noted time trialist, he will at least give some indication of what sort of time frame we are looking for. He goes through the first intermediate check in 20’32”.
Behind him on the road is Junya Sano. As with most of these early starters he isn’t a well known time trialists, but rather he is a climber. The middle section may be more to his liking. He goes through the first check in 20’30”.
Our third rider out is Daniel Martin. He comes off the back of the Tour de France, where he finished in 28th place in the final TT. He goes through the first check with a time of 20’26”.
And look who it is! The man of the hour, Filippo Pozzato. His late attack in the road race grabbed him a gold medal and showed everyone his form. It is exceptionally optimistic to think that he could get a second gold medal here, but he goes through the first check with the current best time of 20’21”.
The next one on his way out is John-Lee Augustyn. The South African climber is probably just proud to be representing his country and relishing the opportunity to mix it with the best in the world. He goes through in 20’30”, the same time as Sano.
Martin Velits is the next one out on course today. One of the better time trialists of the early starters, he might give us more of an indication of the times we can start to expect from the outsiders, such as his brother Peter. His time through the first check is 20’09”, our new best.
Representing Norway today is Edvald Boassan Hagen. Usually considered more of a puncheur, he has had a fairly disappointing season all up. This is hardly the sort of race to turn that luck around, however, particularly given the amount of work he did in the road race. He goes through with 20’19”.
In the splendid Portuguese jersey is Tiago Machado. He is much more accomplished as a GT rider than as a pure TT rider but he goes close to Velit’s time with 20’12”.
Tanel Kangert comes out on course, and this it he first real chance we should have to see what a true time trialists can do. Kangert generally performs better in the hillier time trials, as shown by his 7th at the Tour of Oman TT this year. The young man shows his talent by goes through the check as the first person to break the 20 minute mark, with a time of 19’56”.
Representing the Czech Republic today is Jakub Danacik, someone who is half-decent in these tests against the clock. He clocks a time just outside of that Kangert, with 19’57”.
After 10 riders the leaderboard at the first check is as follows:
Kangert
19’56”
Danacik
19’57”
M. Velits
20’09”
Machado
20’12”
Hagen
20’19”
Pozzato
20’21”
Rodriguez
20’23”
Martin
20’26”
Augustyn
20’30”
Sano
20’30”
That board may be re-written soon though as an even better TT rider comes out to show what he can do. That man is Ignas Konovalovas. One of the leaders of the Cyclevox team, he will be proud to represent his country here and hopefully get some publicity by a good early showing. He does indeed set a new best time with 19’50”.
Lars Bak is behind Konovalovas on the course. He hasn’t had a particularly good season against the clock, with his best result in a TT being 27th on the final TT of the Tour de France. Yet he is good enough to score a selection for Denmark in the TT and will hope to show his ability. He goes through in 19’54”, provisionally second best at the first check.
Our 13th starter is Swede Freddy Johansson. His best result in a TT in this disappointing season has been 28th in the Vuelta a la Region Murcia time trial, and he has failed to make a real impact in all the other ones that he has participated in. Today does not seem to be his day either and he manages only 20’04” at the first check.
Exciting stuff as we learn that our first two riders have gone through this first check. Rodriguez gets a time of 43’23” and Sano is outside that with 43’39”. There are only 15km to go before these two riders finish now.
Next out of the start house is Simon Spilak. He managed 16th in the final stage of the Tour on his way to a fairly disappointing 14th overall. He should be capable of a decent result today but can only manage 20’00” flat.
The crowd roars as their home favourite Andrew Tennant comes through the opening corners at high speed. He won the short 5th stage TT of the Tirreno-Adriatico despite riding for wildcard team Rapha. The competition here is much more fierce but he puts in a great showing with a new best time at the first check of 19’48”.
More news up front as two more riders go through the second check. This time it is Martin, who manages 43’31” and then it is Pozzato who sets our new best of 43’18”. He is provisionally in a position to win his second gold medal of these Olympic games.
The next man out is Fabio Duarte, the Colombian TT champion. He isn’t a bad TT rider but he can hardly be expected to challenge Tennant’s time. He goes through the first check in 20’11”.
Justo Tenorio follows Duarte on the road. He is without a doubt one of the most promising stage racers out there at the age of only 23. His fabulous ability against the clock gives him the edge over better climbers. For this reason we can expect a strong time from him today, and he does not disappoint with a new best time of 19’35”. The crowd sighs with disappointment to see Tennant no longer in a gold medal position.
Times up front continue to filter through. This time it is the turn of Augustyn and M. Velits. Augustyn manages a time of 43’35” but people pay little attention to that when they see that Velits has pulled out an excellent middle section to come through with the new best of 42’49”. Pozzato’s brief dreams of two gold medals are no longer.
The next rider through the first check is Joost Posthuma. A great time trialist in his own right, Posthuma can be expected to show us what the pure specialists should be aiming at. As proof of his talent, Posthuma can point to his sixth place in the final TT of the Giro d’Italia. Today he is clearly on fine form as he beats Tenorio’s time and sets a new best of 19’28”.
Behind him on the road is a man who is not at all known for his TT talent, and that is the silver medallist in the road race this year, Tom Boonen. He is out here more as a pathfinder for his countryman Dominique Cornu, who is one of the last riders to depart. He sets a time of 20’17” and has clearly decided to take today off.
Two more times from the second check come through now. This time it is Boassan Hagen and Machado. Boassan Hagen can only manage 43’11”, but Machado comes close to Velit’s time with 42’55”. He could well challenge for the provisional lead by the end of this course.
The next man out on course is the German Stefan Schumacher. Much better known as a puncheur, he should still be able to post a decent time, particularly if he can gain a bit in the middle section. It is a good sign as he goes through the first check with a time of 19’49”.
Next up we have Steve Morabito. Though he is unlikely to post a particularly good time today, the information he gathers will be of help to Fabian Cancellara, who departs much later. Indeed, as expected he can only manage a time of 20’15”, outside the top 10 at the first check.
In more exciting news two of the best early times have now gone through the first check. They are Kangert and Danacik. Kangert sets a new best at the second intermediate with 42’21” and Danacik is only 3 seconds slower than him. They will be having a close battle to the wire.
Out on course coming through the first check is another man with an important rider to report back to. This time it is William Bonnet, who is also an accomplished time trialists in his own right but today will be seeking to give Jerome Coppel every advantage that he can get. Showing his class he goes through in the provisional third best time of 19’40”.
But hold on, there is an even bigger rider out on course. None other than the world time trial champion Taylor Phinney. With 3 long time trial victories to his name this season (The Tours of Romandie, California and of course France) and several strong results throughout the season, no one is doubting that he is capable of winning this race. And he starts off his bid for victory in style with a blistering time of 19’10”.
The cameras are so fixated on the American rider that they almost miss the first rider to finish. It is, of course, Rodriguez, who manages a time of 1h05’24”. He can celebrate his brief minutes as the provisional gold medal wearer. Right behind him is Sano, who goes through in 1h05’48” and will be hoping that is enough to avoid last place.
Meanwhile back a bit further again we have yet another new time at the second check. This time it is Konovalovas, who sets the best at 42’12”. Bak is breathing down his neck, however, with a time of 42’19”.
Another rider comes through the first check and it is Michael Ford, who manages a time of 19’31”. Australia’s hopes rest on Michael Rogers however and Ford is clearly out there just hoping to put in a decent time and scout out the course. Truth be told, Ford’s time would have been impressive if he hadn’t been riding right behind Phinney.
And with Ford out of the gate we are half way through the start list. That seems like a good time for an ad break but before we go let’s look at the provisional top 10 standings. At the first check this is how things look:
Check 1
Phinney
19’10”
Posthuma
19’28”
Ford
19’31”
Tenorio
19’35”
Bonnet
19’40”
Tennant
19’48”
Schumacher
19’49”
Konovalovas
19’50”
Bak
19’54”
Kangert
19’56”
Check 2
Konovalovas
19’50”
42’12”
Bak
19’54”
42’19”
Kangert
19’56”
42’21”
Danacik
19’57”
42’24”
M. Velits
20’09”
42’49”
Machado
20’12”
42’55”
Hagen
20’19”
43’11”
Pozzato
20’21”
43’18”
Rodriguez
20’23”
43’23”
Martin
20’26”
43’31”
Finish
Rodriguez
20’23”
43’23”
1h05’24”
Sano
20’30”
43’39”
1h05’48”
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And we are back from that break. Leaving now is the first man in the second half of the start list – Jose Rujano. Despite being designated as the team leader here, he isn’t a time trialist at all and so it should come as no surprise when he can only clock a time of 20’29”.
We also have two more riders coming through the finishing line – Martin is the first of these with a time of 1h05’36”, between Rodriguez and Sano. Behind him, however, comes road race gold medallist Pozzato with a time of 1h05’17”.
More times indeed filter in from the second time check. First is Johansson who sets a decent time of 42’41”. Behind him however is Spilak, who posts a strong middle section to come through in 42’34”. More exciting for the British fans, however, is Tennant setting the new best time at the second check of 42’09”.
The Japanese time trial champion is the next one out of the block – Fumiyuki Beppu. Despite being the time trial champion, he is far from good enough to mix it up in the European peleton and can only manage a time of 20’23”.
Behind him is Irish all-rounder Nicholas Roche who can’t do much better than the Japanese man before him and only gets a time of 20’15”. There is still some time before the big guns start firing.
A couple more riders finish the source. First up is Augustyn who gets a time of 1h05’52”, meaning that Sano gets his wish of not coming last. Following not long afterwards, however, is the first good time to be set. Martin Velits finishes the course in a time of 1h04’36”.
More times from the middle section again. This time it is Duarte who is the first through,with a time of 42’59”, and shortly after him is the Spaniard Tenorio who manages 41’44”, the new best time. His moment of elation is short-lived, however, as Posthuma sets clearly the best time with 41’28”.
And we have yet more finishers now. This time three go through shortly after each other. First up is Boassan Hagen, who gets a time of 1h05’08”. Machado does better than that with a time of 1h04’45”. Finally, Kangert sets our new best time at the finish of 1h03’57”.
The Italians have one medal here already and so thankfully for Damian Cunego, there is no pressure for him to be competitive in the time trial. The finishing TT of the Tour showed that at the end of a grand tour his TT abilities are great, but here after some rest, the specialists get their advantage back. He goes through the first check in 20’10”.
The South African TT champion is up next, James Perry. At age 33 he is not what he used to be and this shows when he can only manage 20’05” through the first check. This will be his last shot at the Olympics, so he is probably just enjoying the chance to represent his nation.
And now out of the start house is Peter Velits. Drawing on the information passed on by his brother Martin, he manages a time of 19’57”, just outside the top 10.
Now Boonen and Schumacher go through the second check. Boonen posts a time of 43’10”, which is nothing special. Schumacher shows that he is on a good day by going through in 42’12”, provisional fifth. After these two go through there are yet more times at the final. Now we get the conclusion to the Kangert/Danacik battle as Danacik goes through in 1h04’01”, 4 seconds slower than Kangert. The man behind him on the road, Konovalovas, spoils Kangert’s day however and goes through in 1h03’45”.
And once again all eyes are turned to the second check, as this time three more riders go through. First up is Morabito, who only manages 43’06”. Bonnet is more interesting with a time of 41’51”, provisionally third. But then the world time trial champion blazes up the course. He sets our new best time at the second check with 40’47”.
So that means that with Phinney through the second check this is the standings:
Phinney
19’10”
40’47”
Posthuma
19’28”
41’28”
Tenorio
19’35”
41’44”
Bonnet
19’40”
41’51”
Tennant
19’48”
42’09”
Konovalovas
19’50”
42’12”
Schumacher
19’49”
42’12”
Bak
19’54”
42’19”
Kangert
19’56”
42’21”
Danacik
19’57”
42’24”
Phinney’s performance overshadows Sten Stenersen’s performance but given that he only manages 20’03” that isn’t too bad.
Rui Costa is the next one up and comes close to the top ten with a time of 19’55”. Most CT riders would be pleased with being that close at this point, however, so he can still be quite happy.
Rein Taaramae, the stage racer from Estonia, is here and ready to ride. He is truly a complete GT rider and it is likely that one day he will win one of the three week tours. For today, however, it is only his ability against the clock that counts and with a first time of 19’44”, he is the first one to make an impression on the leaderboard in some time.
A few more riders come through the finish line. First up is Bak, who comes close to the time of Konovalovas with 1h03’55”, only 10” slower. Johansson only manages a disappointing 1h04’26” and then Spilak comes through in a slightly better 1h04’15”. He will probably be satisfied with that time. One man who is likely to be very happy with his time is Tennant, who goes through with a magnificent 1h03'39", much to the elation of the home crowd. Meanwhile, Ford goes through the second check in a time of 41’31”, just off the time of Posthuma.
The next riders out show us how close we are to the really big favourites. First up is Roman Kreuziger. He is the Czech TT champion and an accomplished time trialists all around. This time he goes through in 19’49”.
After him is the big rouleur Ramunas Navardauskas. He is a pure time trialists through and through, though he struggles at these longer distances a bit more than those around him. He shows this by only managing 20’03” at the first check.
Duarte is the next rider to finish – but only just! His time of 1h04’48” is only just good enough to stop him being overtaken by Tenorio who clocks a great time of 1h03’01”. His glory once again is only short-lived as Posthuma comes through with the first seriously competitive time of 1h02’38”.
The next three times through the second check are rather uninspiring – Rujano gets 43’26”, Beppu gets 43’24” and Roche manages 43’07”. All three are well outside the top 10.
Andre Steensen, representing Denmark, is the next one out. A good time trialists, he still struggles to post a good time and can only get 19’53”.
Next up is Gustav Larsson. He has had a magnificent season so far at the Continental level and will relish the opportunity to mix it up with the biggest time trialists in the world. He seems ready for the battle when he goes through the first check in 19’39”, provisionally fifth place.
The next man out is Janez Brajkovic who didn’t have a chance to ride this season because of problems with his Domina team. As such he comes here just looking for some results. He puts in a first time of 19’40”, just outside that of Larsson.
Bradley Wiggins, the home favourite, is the next one to come through the intermediate check. He hasn’t got any stellar results in long time trials this year, but he was 11th in the final time trial of the Giro d’Italia, so he is definitely capable of big things. Riding on home soil might give him that extra little burst that he needs. The crowd are disappointed to see that he goes through in a time of 19’50”, 2 seconds slower than Tennant.
Boonen and Schumacher finish the course. Boonen’s time is 1h05’04”, which is rather poor, but Schumacher posts a much more respectable (though still not competitive) 1h03’41”. Then the audience get a real treat as three riders pursue each other down the road. First up is Morabito, who has almost been caught by Bonnet, and then behind Bonnet comes Taylor Phinney, who has Morabito in his sights too!
Morabito just holds them both off, with a time of 1h4’58”. Bonnet posts the third best time of 1h03’10” and the fact that Phinney almost catches him is testament to his skills as a time trialists. Phinney goes through in an earth-shattering 1h1’38”. The final table needs a complete re-writing and this is what it looks like:
Phinney
19’10”
40’47”
1h01’38”
Posthuma
19’28”
41’28”
1h02’38”
Tenorio
19’35”
41’44”
1h03’01”
Bonnet
19’40”
41’51”
1h03’10”
Tennant
19’48”
42’09”
1h03’39”
Konovalovas
19’50”
42’12”
1h03’45”
Bak
19’54”
42’19”
1h03’55”
Kangert
19’56”
42’21”
1h03’57”
Danacik
19’57”
42’24”
1h04’01”
Spilak
20’00”
42’34”
1h04’15”
Four more riders go through the second check and none of them threaten that leaderboard – Cunego gets 42’56”, Perry goes through in 42’45”, Peter Velits posts 42’48” and Stenersen manages 42’41”. But now the biggest time trialists in the world are about to start.
Rigoberto Uran is the first of the second wave of big names to set off. He has 3 long time trial top ten placings to his name this season including the Tour de France. He goes through in 19’36”, provisionally 5th place.
Spain has been blessed with a lot of time trialling talent and so Ruben Plaza was sent here in addition to Tenorio. He has come 5th in 3 time trials this season, so he should be good for at least a top ten placing to wave the flag of Spain. He goes through with a time of 19’34”, just 1 second better than Tenorio and good enough for 4th for the moment.
Robert Gesink is next out of the blocks and though he would prefer a much hillier course, he can still time trial exceptionally well. He won the Tour of Oman ITT earlier this season, but that had more hills along the way. Regardless he manages 19’38”, keeping him in the mix.
Making it three Jack Wolfskin riders in a row, Dominique Cornu starts out. He won the final stage of the Giro d’Italia, but hasn’t got a lot more ITT results this season. Regardless, he is looking strong today with a time through the first check of 19’29”, just 1 second behind yet another Jack Wolfskin rider, Posthuma.
For now finishes the course in a time of 1h02’40”, just 2 seconds slower than Posthuma, putting him in the provisional bronze medal placing, but with a lot of big names still yet to start, it is only a matter of time before he is kicked off the hot seat.
Finally there is some change at the second time check as Taaramae moves into provisional 6th place with a time of 41’59”. He is followed by Kreuziger who manages 42’09”. Navardauskas is well off the pace, however, with a time of 42’37”.
It is now that point where the last five riders all set off. First up is Marcel Kittel. 13th is his best place in any long time trial all year, so it is possible that he will struggle over this distance, but the German selectors have put their faith in him to aim for a medal. He slots in to 6th place with a time of 19’35”.
The fourth last rider to leave is Fabian Cancellara. His only result in a long time trial this season is 10th place on the 20th stage of the Tour de France. His biggest season goal – the Tour of Northern Europe is still to come, however. Could he go there as Olympic Time Trial champion? His time through the first check of 19’15”, just 5” off the time of Phinney, looks promising.
Next up is France’s best chance for a cycling medal in Jerome Coppel. He has participated in 4 long time trials this season and in all 4 of them he was on the podium, though not once did he win. Could this turn that streak around? He goes out fast and sets a time of 19’07”, 3 seconds faster than Phinney!
Team USA, as mentioned earlier, brought 2 potential winners here. Phinney has already gone, but here is David Zabriskie. He has 1 win in a long time trial this season, at the Vuelta a la Region de Murcia, which also landed him in the overall win. He also has 3 other podium places. So expectations are high today, and he goes out with a new best time of 19 minutes flat!
Only one man remains to go, and that is Michael Rogers. Rogers has had a very inconsistent year against the clock, but he still managed a win in the Criterium du Dauphine’s long time trial. Other than that he hasn’t been brilliant in time trials this year. Is his form good enough? The answer is on the road, as he goes through in 19’07” – the same time as Coppel.
So with all the favourites through the first check, the top 10 at each point look like this:
Some more times come through the finishing line and once again none of them are capable of a top ten result. Rujano manages 1h05’26”, Beppu gets 1h05’23” and Roche at least breaks the 65 minute mark with 1h04’59”.
Indeed, more times come through the second check as well, as we start to reach the business end of the race. Steensen comes through the second check with a time of 42’16”. Larsson pops into the top 10 with a time of 41’46” and Brajkovic gets his name in the top ten as well with 41’48”. More interesting to the British fans, however, is Wiggins, who comes through in 42’11”, again 2 seconds slower than Tennant and just outside the top 10.
Cunego, Perry and Peter Velits all reach the end of the course. Cunego continues to struggle with a time of 1h04’44” and Perry is only marginally better at 1h04’28”. Velits manages to at least sneak into the top ten with a time of 1h04’04”.
Uran is the first of the favourites to reach the second checkpoint. His time is a 41’41”, putting him ahead of Tenorio and into provisional 4th. A top 10 seems doable for the Colombian.
Going 5” better is Plaza, who manages a time of 41’36”, just outside that of Ford. Ford’s time appears to be holding up well under the pressure of these riders. Plaza is also looking good for a strong finishing time.
Stenersen, on the other hand, did not fare so well today and can only manage a time of 1h04’23”. Costa, on the other hand, defies a lot of people’s expectations and posts a strong time of 1h03’57”. It isn’t going to challenge the absolute best, but it shows that he is certainly in the mix as a time trialist.
The next favourite through the second check is Gesink, who was struggling after the first time check. He still does not appear to have found his rhythm as he can only manage 41’46”. That is a testament to how well Uran seems to be riding today, as Gesink is 5 seconds slower than him.
Performing much better today is Dominique Cornu. The plucky young Belgian puts in a time through the second check of 41’27”, meaning that he beats the time of Posthuma and is in second place at that time check by the slimmest possible margin.
The current leaderboard at the second check is as follows:
Phinney
19’10”
40’47”
Cornu
19’29”
41’27”
Posthuma
19’28”
41’28”
Ford
19’31”
41’31”
Plaza
19’34”
41’36”
Taaramae meanwhile finishes the course in a time of 1h03’21”, beating Kreuziger who finishes with 1h03’34”. Navardauskas continues to have a disappointing day and can only manage 1h04’11”.
Now down to our final 5 riders. First up is Kittel who, as expected, appears to be struggling over the distance and goes through in 41’42”, losing 2 seconds to Uran. This final section might be tough but he just has to keep pushing on those pedals and bashing out a rhythm.
Cancellara is the next rider up and he clearly has something to prove today. He goes through the second check in 41’01”, the second best time but still 14 seconds slower than Phinney, who is looking more and more likely to pick up a medal.
Now the three fastest riders through the first check are up. First of these is Coppel, who was the second fastest rider through the first check today with the same time as Rogers and 7 seconds down on Zabriskie. And finally someone beats Phinney’s time through the second check! Coppel goes through in 40’46”, only 1 second faster than Phinney, meaning that he lost 2 seconds in the middle section.
Zabriskie is the next man up. He went through the first check 7 seconds faster than both Coppel and Rogers and 10 seconds faster than Phinney. He also manages to set a new time at the second check – an astounding 40’29”! He has gained an extra 10 seconds on Coppel in the middle section!
And how will Rogers respond to this? Just a fraction of a second outside Coppel’s time at the previous check, it is clear that Coppel had a poor middle section. Rogers comes through and there are cheers in Australia as the clock reads 40’45” – he has pulled into second place. He remains 16 seconds down on Zabriskie, however. Did the American go too hard too early? That remains to be seen.
Steensen is the next man to finish the entire course, in a time of 1h03’42”. It isn’t too bad in the end, but it will not hold up once the big favourites finish. One many who puts in a surprisingly good time, however, is Larsson, whose 1h02’59” could well be enough for a top 10 result. Brajkovic goes through in 1h03’02” and Wiggins finally comes in with a hugely disappointing 1h03’34”. His last section was very fast – he pulled back 7 seconds on Tennant beat his time, but the British crowd were hoping for more. Uran finally finishes his great day against the clock with a time of 1h02’52”.
Plaza is the 8th to last man to finish today’s time trial. He goes through in a time of 1h02’45”, justifying his designated leadership in the time trial and putting him in provisional 5th place.
Gesink has really struggled to find his rhythm the entire way around the course but he is still more naturally talented than most against the clock so sets a decent time of 1h02’59”. He would have hoped for better coming into today, but that is what he will have to settle for.
Cornu, on the other hand, is riding a magnificent time trial. His final section is strong and he clocks a time of 1h02’38”, which is good enough for a provisional second place. A lot of good riders are ahead of him, so the chances for a medal seem bleak, but he can proudly walk away saying that he represented his country to the best of his abilities.
Kittel has also been struggling with the distance, but seems to have found some consistency and as such he manages a time of 1h02’54”, just 2 seconds behind Uran. He will probably be happy with that result and he is likely to have at least one more Olympic games ahead of him to improve.
The fourth last man to leave will be hoping to challenge for a medal, or at least a top 4 finish. Cancellara has been riding well today, though always just missing the times of the best four riders. He finishes strong and bumps Cornu into third place. His time of 1h01’54” is undeniably strong, but it probably won’t be enough for a medal.
Third last to finish is Jerome Coppel. He was 10” down on Zabriskie at the second time check, and 1 second faster than Phinney at that same point. It is going to be touch and go to see if he can beat Phinney’s best...
And he does it! 1h01’33” is our new best time, a mere 5 seconds faster than Phinney managed over the course. Copppel is guaranteed a medal of some type from here, and Phinney has to rely on either Rogers or Zabriskie having a poor ride in the final third of the course.
Zabriskie is up now. He was fastest through both of the previous checks and had a 9 second lead over the last man out on course, Michael Rogers. Unsurprisingly, he sets a new best time.
... That time is 1h01’08”. A full 25” faster than Coppel managed!
The pressure is on for Michael Rogers. He needs to claw back a huge amount of time to beat Zabriskie’s time and he must maintain his 1 second gap over Coppel to guarantee himself a silver medal. Not only that, but if he slows too much he may even finish outside the time of Phinney. Rogers approaches the line... the time of Zabriskie ticks past and the press start to mob around the American man. The cameras stay glued to the Australian man out on course, however. Can he claim the silver medal?
He enters the final straight.
The crowd hold their breath.
The clock stops.
1h’01’32”
He has beaten Coppel by 1 second.
The Frenchman walks over and shakes the hand of both Zabriskie and then Rogers in turn. They had a huge battle for the final podium. Phinney comes over and joins them, a grin plastered on his face. He knows that this will not be his last chance to win Olympic gold. One day he will manage it. But today, one man is celebrating above all...
