What a great race that was! I was at the Beach Volleyball yesterday but followed the tension of the chasing peloton on the radio. Today it was the opposite emotion as I was willing them to stay away.
It was a really exciting tactical race, with the Dutch repeatedly attacking off the front in an attempt to splinter the peloton, all marked by Emma Pooley who did a great job today, but no one got away on the two laps of Box Hill, and the break finally came as they went over it for the last time and started heading back.
The weather was diabolical as they approached town, with 4 riders in the break working together, and no one helping the Germans bring them back until it was too late- how ya liking that karma?! Then, disaster for the American rider in the break! Jonathan Vaughters, boss of Garmin & an American:
Man, what a pisser getting a flat tire while in the winning break at the Olympics. That kinda crap doesn't happen in swimming and ping pong
Well quite.
Anyway, it did happen, so 4 became 3 as they surged on, and the tension rose: could they stay upright in the weather, could they maintain the pace, would the peloton get organised, would they start playing cat & mouse too soon? I don't think we ever really thought Lizzie Armitstead would get past Marianne Vos - she's been compared to Eddie Merckx, and is the best rider by a mile in the womens game - won just about everything across multiple disciplines over the last 3 years. Armitstead sat on her wheel at the right time, but she couldn't get past when Vos jumped - I think the result would have been the same if she'd tried to jump first - and she didn't quite have the legs. She said afterwards she couldn't feel them anyway, it was that cold & wet!
So an enormously creditable silver for GB! Well done Lizzie Armitstead.
Becky Adlington wasn't expected to win the 400m in Beijing and she came from 7th in the last 50m to win. So she came to London as defending champion, but talking her chances down for this one as the 800m is the one she's really expecting to win.
Qualification was slightly complicated, as she was in the first of the quicker heats so the subsequent girls were able to gauge their speed better, and Adlington ended up 8th and in the outside lane. This was spun as an advantage as she could then "swim her own race" whatever that means - don't they all?!
Anyway, the French favourite Camille Muffat duly lived up to her billing and won in an Olympic record. Adlington had a strong swim down in the 8th lane, swam faster than her Gold medal win in Beijing, and came out of it with a bronze - and she was thrilled about it!
No comments:
Post a Comment