August 24, 2004 – There was nothing more brilliant than Theo Bos’ (Netherlands) tactics in the semi-final. He was up against Rene Wolff (Germany) , who looked much like his name with, of all things for a bike racer, a goatee which looked quite dwarfed by his giant frame. And while Bos didn’t nearly have the same size as Wolff he had the most brilliant of tactics. With dives would have qualified him for the high board, Bos used brains against brawn and took both heats: 10.502 and 10.639
The other semi-final saw Australia’s  Ryan Bayley up against France’s
Laurent Gane. Bayley was probably the best example of the Aussie machine
that dominated the velodrome so completely this Olympics. He simply
powered his way in both heats, whether from the front or back, he was an
absolute train, jumping his wheel over the line as opposed to Gane’s
traditional lunge. Bayley recorded 10:546 and 10:638 and moved into the
finals against Bos.
Men’s Final
The bronze medal ride was decided in two straight for Wolff. Wolff took
the bronze with 10.677 and 10.612. In the gold and silver medal race,
things weren’t so cut and dry. Bos used his usual brilliant tactics to
take the first heat in 10.710. But Bayley dominated the two remaining
heats and scooped the gold in 10.661 and 10:661Â and 10:743. Later Bayley
summed up his win. “It’s unbelievable. Everything came together at the
right moment on the right day. I am a little bit faster than Bos, but he
is a clever guy. He knows what he wants.”