July 28, 2012 (London, UK) – In a major upset Kazahstan’s Alexander Vinokurov won Olympic gold in a two-man sprint against Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran Uran as the two escaped from the lead group with about 4km to go seeming to catch everyone off guard. In the blink of an eye, as Uran turned to look the wrong way behind, Vinokurov who was on Uran’s right side saw his opportunity and pounced leaving the Colombian in the dust to claim the biggest win of his career completing the 249.5 km event in 5:45:57 for an average speed of 43.272 km per hr.

Predictions of rain were banished as the men’s road race started under breezy mid-teen temperatures on The Mall by Buckingham Palace. But the big prediction – that Team GB would dominate and place at least one rider on the podium – was decimated as Britain was not only shut out of the medals, but star-studded squad didn’t even make the winning break.

Eight seconds back was Norway’s Alexander Kristoff winning the group sprint and the bronze medal. Taylor Phinney of the USA proved his cycling pedigree once again that he inherited from parents Davis and Connie, finishing fourth with the same time as Kristoff. Uzbeckistan’s Sergey Lagutin was fifth and veteran Aussie rider Stuart O’Grady, who was aggressive throughout the race, took 6th. Recent Giro winner, Ryder Hesjedal, did not factor in the race as the only Canadian, finishing 40 seconds back in 63rd position.

“It was fun to be out there but we just missed out at the end. It was hard to read what was going on as GB was riding so strong. You’d see guys attack but not really go anywhere and the pace was stiff enough that it didn’t make sense to try and move up. I really thought we’d catch the break and then the action would start later and riders would play their cards,” said Hesjedal.

Hesjedal Interview

After an exhausting effort, Vinokurov was asked whether or not this was a dream come true. He talked about his injuries and family. “Actually after so many crashes, returning to cycling was difficult. But my family – my kids and parents – were behind me all the time. It wasn’t easy. I still have the metal plate in my femur [because of a crash]. So today, yes, it is a dream come true.”

But Vinokurov’s dreams are also tempered with the reality that he tested positive for doping in 2007 and was asked a number of pointed questions about his past. He said it “was a closed chapter” and that he has “proved he is able to come back and be good on the bike.” Later to yet another doping question, he responded, “Cycling has changed. The organizations are doing a lot to fight doping. I myself do what I can in this field.”

He felt that he had an advantage because teams are no longer allowed to use radios to let riders know what is happening in the race overall. “I studied the race from the inside. I don’t really bother with what the team manager tells me. I think with the Germans especially, not having team radios played into my favour.” The Germans including their star sprinter, Andre Greipel, like the British, missed the crucial break. Approximately 30 riders, including Vinokurov, were too far up the road for the powerful teams to see. Vinokurov will do the time trial as a fun spin and then retire on the highest high possible.

The time trial, on August 1, may be minus one of the fastest men ever as Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara crashed on a corner less than 10km from the finish. He was chasing Vinokurov and the results may have been quite different had he not crashed as he was one of the engines in the group that Vinokurov and Uran Uran had just escaped from.  Cancellara got back on the bike, but could not hold on with his right hand and eventually rode with one hand, finishing in 101st place at 5:43 minutes back.

Meanwhile, Uran Uran, who ended up being successful with Vinokurov in their two-man break with under 10 km to go, rode with all his heart. Afterwards he was asked if he lost concentration during the sprint as Vinokurov won it so handily. “I certainly didn’t lose my concentration. I would say it was very difficult. We did the last 10 km full speed. I looked to my left and Alexandr took off on my right. I had nothing left to answer back.”

For Uran Uran, having a silver finish was a great gift. “We didn’t think we were in for anything today” he said about the Colombian team who fielded a team of three against the power houses of Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, Australia, USA, Holland, Switzerland, and Germany who all had the maximum of five riders.

“But everyone waited to see who was going to be in the break,” and the overemphasis on the big teams watching and chasing each other down allowed him to ride strategically well. “In a way Great Britain had too strong of a team. Everyone was watching them and they were riding only for Mark Cavendish,” said Uran Uran, who races for Sky professionally and is normally a teammate of the members of the British squad.

Team GB, even with reigning world champion Mark Cavendish and Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, couldn’t answer back when other teams rode a race that was intentionally against them. They worked hard but cracked under a combination of pressure and multiple teams riding against them.

Cavendish did not even win the group sprint of the chasing pack he was in. He came third to Germany’s Greipel and Belgium’s Tom Boonen, yet was the top GB rider in 29th spot, at 40 seconds back. Wiggins, who, along with David Miller and Christopher Froome, worked tirelessly to protect Cavendish, finished 103rd, 1:17 minutes back. Miller and Froome finished 108th and 109th.

There was immense pressure with Prince Charles and his partner Camilla at the startline chatting away with the GB cycling stars, Lord Seb Coe at the finish and crowds on the course that easily rivaled anything at the Tour de France. But they were cheering all the riders said Uran Uran with their encouraging shouts helped everyone, while perhaps adding to the pressure on the Brits.

The race had approximately 50km of flat roads after the cyclists left The Mall. Once they got to Surrey they had eight laps of Box Hill and this is where the race, as predicted, was made. O’Grady and ten other riders, including bronze medalist Kristoff and American workhorse Timothy Duggan, initiated a break that had up to six minutes on the field. Another chase group formed out of the peloton and by the end of four laps, they were closing in with just 23 seconds separating the two groups. Belgian Philippe Gilbert animated the race with Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) when the leaders were caught Gilbert attacked yet again building up a 30-second lead but eventually was swallowed up.

The attacks of Gilbert, the 2011 World Pro Tour champion, forced the pace of the two groups, as both had strong riders, making for a blistering ride to the finish, especially when the other teams were not working with Britain’s attempt to try to catch the leaders. The final break numbered thirty-two riders at first, but attrition and later on Cancellara’s crash reduced the lead group to 25 as they headed back from the Surrey hills to the flat roads of London with a fairly strong wind on their back.

At one point it appeared the peloton would bridge as there was only 37 seconds between them, but the time gap crept back up to 50. In the end it was reduced to 40 seconds, too little too late. The empire lost against the rest of the world and the small countries of Kahzakstan, Columbia and Norway triumphed on the roads of Britain.