How the sport works
My dad, brother, and I boarded a morning train for Hampton Court to secure a good spot along the route. We were thrilled to have gotten a prime spot right away, exactly where the race courses for the men and women diverged so we figured this would give us a great view of both events. After about an hour, an Olympics volunteer told us our area was off limits to anyone but press and we had to leave. We were disappointed, especially since twenty minutes later other spectators began to fill in our vacated spot. Our new location ensured us a better view of the men but a subpar view of the women. It was a trade off.
Since it was a time trial, we spotted several riders warming up along the course almost immediately. Most notably, we saw one of my favorite cyclists and one of the world's best time trialists, Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara, twice as he was scouting the course with his teammate Michael Albasini. Here, France's Sylain Chavanel checked out the course.
When they started, the twenty four female cyclists were each greeted with cheers, with favorite Kristin Armstrong, pictured below, of the US taking gold.
I was maybe four hundred fifty meters from the finish and a few of the female riders rode my way after their race to cool down. Since the riders were all in their national kits, some of them were easy to identify, so when I saw a Finnish cyclist coming towards me, I knew right away who she was because she was the only Finnish cyclist. I started to yell her name at the top of my lungs, “PIA!!” She was so surprised to hear her name that I half expected her to fall off her bike! Pia Sundstedt looked around, totally confused, trying to figure out who was calling her. Whether she knew it was me or not, I'll never know, but she looked in my direction and suddenly had a huge grin her face. And now I have a favorite Finnish cyclist.
The men's race started about half an hour after the women's ended. The start list was packed with some incredible names and it was thrilling to see thirty seven of the world's top cyclists speed by.
New Zealand's Jack Bauer.
Philippe Gilbert of Belgium.
Alexandre Vinokurov of Kazakhstan.
Ryder Hesjedal of Canada.
Edvald Boasson-Hagen of Norway.
Denis Menchov of Russia.
Sweden's Gustav Larsson.
Michael Rogers of Austalia (note the boxing kangaroo on the support car!).
Chris Froome of Great Britain.
Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain.
Taylor Phinney of the USA.
Tony Martin of Germany.
Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain.
Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.
Once the last rider had zoomed by, the three of us dashed up the course to try and get a spot closer to the finish. We were able to get an amazing spot probably two hundred fifty meters past the finish, with a clear view to the finish line, where we could see a giant screen broadcasting the race and an equally massive Canadian flag.
Again, most of the cyclists continued to pedal well after the line, though by the time they reached where I was, they looked absolutely wrecked. They were generally covered in sweat, trying to calm their breathing, with a long string of drool dangling from their mouths, and peering up into their water bottles like desperate men lost in the desert. These guys make it look so easy on TV, but when you see how spent they are afterwards, you know they've given it their absolute all. Below, David McCann of Ireland catches his breath.
Michael Rogers and Gustav Larsson after the finish line. It's hard to see in the photo, but Larsson's left knee is a bloody mess.
Undoubtedly, the most touching, human moment came from New Zealand's Jack Bauer. He'd gone past the finish line to exactly where we were and he came to a dead stop and just put his head down. He was so clearly overcome with exhaustion and emotion, I didn't know if he was crying or what. The fans had been shouting and cheering and banging on the barricades but when Bauer took off his helmet and just sat there, everyone quieted down and respectfully applauded or just gave him his quiet moment. He lifted his head and gently, sincerely said, “Thank you,” before slowly riding off. It was such an unexpected and powerful moment that I'll never forget. I love a lot of sports but I don't really love a lot of athletes. Cycling is the exception. To realize that these guys are regular humans, vulnerable and fragile like the rest of us, is not something I typically see in other sports.
But it wasn't all heavy emotions. Plenty of riders were thrilled to be done and were happy to high five the spectators. I was delighted to get sweaty high fives from Portugal's Oliveira, Germany's Bert Grabsch, and Italy's Marco Pinotti.
Of course I cheered my heart out for Ryder Hesjedal, Canada's only cyclist in the men's time trial. Earlier in the day, another Canadian fan struck up a conversation with my family about Hesjedal. It turned out she was working on his website and she later interviewed and photographed us (who knows, maybe we'll end up on the site!). When Hesjedal finished, we frantically waved our Canadian flags at him and I screamed his name pretty much nonstop, so I was pleased to get a smile and a wave from him!
In the end, the gold medal went to the hometown hero, Bradley Wiggins. Less than two weeks earlier, he won the Tour de France and now he has became Britain's top medal winner ever at the Olympics with a grand total of seven medals. It's been a good summer for Bradley, to say the least.
Medal results: women
Gold: Kristin Armstrong, USA
Silver: Judith Arndt, Germany
Bronze: Olga Zabelinskaya, Russia
Medal results: men
Gold: Bradley Wiggins, Great Britain
Silver: Tony Martin, Germany
Bronze: Chris Froome, Great Britain
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