Representing 39 countries, 133 cyclists took to the start of the 127.4k women's road race.
7 laps to go
I was back on the hill today so it's not a surprise that just 3k from the start, the peloton was still together.
There was a good crowd which made for good people watching–and good dog watching, too. This guy was riding around town with 4 of them in his little trailer.
There were a lot of characters watching the race today.
6 laps to go
There were a few riders hanging off the back but for the most part, nothing had changed at this point.
It's inevitable that you'll strike up a conversation with your neighbors when you spend an entire afternoon standing shoulder to shoulder, so as I was cringing at my poor command of the past tense in Spanish while talking with the guy next to me, a sudden lack of motion caught my eye. The big screen has no speakers, so we couldn't hear any updates, but the picture had stopped advancing on the screen because the peloton itself had stopped advancing. A devastating crash on a flat section wiped out or affected probably two thirds of the peloton. Riders were flung about the ditches and on the road. The neutral service mechanics didn't know where to start and sadly, neither did the paramedics as several riders were carted off to the hospital.
5 laps to go
Without audio commentary, I couldn't be sure of how many riders had been forced to abandon so I had no idea how big of a peloton to expect when rbey next came through. I'd estimate about 40 riders were unscathed and riding along as usual.
Suddenly, though, there were huge time gaps. All told, it was about 11 minutes from the front of the peloton until the last rider. That's a massive deficit to make up when you're riding solo or in pairs at best. Below: Evelyn Stevens.
Looking for her third consecutive rainbow jersey, Marianne Vos.
Kathryn Bertine was on the cusp of being off the back when the crash happened, so it only held her back momentarily at worst. She's a fascinating character who came to ride for St. Kitts and Nevis (she's American born and raised) through very unconventional means and has since produced a well received documentary called “Half The Road” about women's cycling.
The crowd was so supportive and sympathetic to the riders off the back and gave a mighty roar when Alison Powers pedaled up the climb. Despite having left part of her kit and her backside on the asphalt, the American TT and road race champion wore an enormous grin.
Aussie Loren Rowney led a group up the climb.
A Belarussian rider who had hit the deck.
Among the spectators, I spotted Mario Spengler who competed for Switzerland in the Junior Men's road race in the morning.
Between laps, this Italian guy had been covering the road with Visconti's name ahead of the men's race tomorrow. He was obviously getting into the spirit of things as he started taking requests about which name he should paint next. He did Vos and when he painted Valverde's name, the crowd happily insisted he also paint Purito for good measure.
He was so wrapped up in his efforts that he didn't realize how close the peloton was until the crowd starting to yell that the cars were coming. He jumped over the fence, but not before a police motorcycle slowed down to talk to him.
4 laps to go
No changes: still a big pack of survivors riding together and many off the back.
Chasers.
3 laps to go
The lead group had picked up the pace and was now down to about 20. A few riders had tried attacking but no one had gained much time or stayed away for long.
2 laps to go
An attack from a still smiling Powers! She must have known she'd be swept up before long, but it was still incredible to see.
The chasing peloton.
As much as she probably wanted to, Daiva Tuslaite didn't stop for a beer and carried on climbing instead.
The crowds this week have been supportive but thin in numbers. Not today! There was a fantastic turn out and everyone was cheering, yelling, and clapping for every rider to crest the climb.
Last lap!
As soon as the front group had passed, I ran towards the finish area and figured out a shortcut that shaved off at least a kilometer. Hurray! Thank goodness I'm tall enough that standing in the second row behind short people still give me a good vantage point. Across the street was reserved for the athletes who watched eagerly to see which nation would earn the rainbow.
A break of 4 big names had tried to escape but were swallowed up by about 10 chasers within the final kilometer. It came down to a bunch sprint with Vos in the lead at 150 meters to go, but she faded and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot narrowly took the win over Germany's Lisa Brennauer and Sweden's Emma Johansson. Vos finished in 10th.
Beyond the finish line, riders, photographers, and staff roamed around in search of one another.
Both of Hungary's riders waited at the fence to watch the medal ceremony.
This is Brennauer's third medal this week after winning gold in the team and individual time trials.
Johansson turned to sneak a glance at Ferrand-Prevot as La Marseillaise played.
The podium: 1st Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, 2nd Lisa Brennauer, 3rd Emma Johansson.
