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Greg Van Avermaet wins Olympic road race

Vincenzo Nibali and Sergio Henao crash out in group that looked poised to contest medals

Belgium's Greg Van Avermaet has won a dramatic Olympic road race in Rio today to continue a dream 2016 season, with a crash on the final descent taking out Italy's Vincenzo Nibali and Sergio Henao of Colombia when they seemed poised to contest the medals with Poland's Rafal Majka.

Nibali, Henao and Majka were off the front of the race with 12 kilometres remaining on the way down from the third and final climb to Vista Cinesa when the Italian and Colombian came down.

Majka managed to avoid them, and suddenly found himself alone at the front of the race, with a select group of eight riders - including Great Britain's Geraint Thomas - chasing around a quarter of a minute behind.

But shortly afterwards, Thomas - the country's last hope for a medal with Chris Froome already distanced in what proved to be a tough, attritional race - also crashed.

Twice an Olympic champion on the track, the Welshman was able to complete the race in 11th place - Froome was 12th, and Adam Yates 15th - but the medals had long been decided.

After the final descent bottomed out, Van Avermaet and Denmark's Jakob Fuglsang attacked from the chasing group to set out in pursuit of Majka, and caught the leader 1.5 kilometres from the finish line at Copacabana.

The Pole was spent following his efforts to stay away and finished with the bronze medal, while Van Avermaet, the strongest sprinter of the three, launched his sprint early to beat Fuglsang to the line.

His Olympic gold medal comes in a season in which the BMC Racing rider has won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Tirreno-Adriatico and a stage of the Tour de France, where he also wore the race leader's yellow jersey for three days.

After taking Belgium's first Olympic gold medal since 1996, Van Avermaet said: “When I saw the crash I was confused about how many riders were still up the road. I was working with Fuglsang and we saw Majka.

"We knew it was possible. I knew I had to hang on. I am so happy for gold. Everyone said all week it was for everyone else."

Fuglsang said: "It was a crazy race. A good race to watch. He [Van Avermaet] was willing to work because he knows he's stronger than me in the sprint."

Team GB coach Rod Ellingworth said: “In general, great team work. The way the lads wanted to race was how they actually raced. It was just unfortunate about the crash at the end. When you think about how many riders crashed down there it was pretty mad.

"Looking at Geraint there he was proper, proper disappointed. He knew that was a proper gold medal chance."

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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19 comments

Avatar
handlebarcam | 7 years ago
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Are the organizers of Tokyo 2020 going to dig canals on either side of the roads and fill them with man-eating crocodiles? Because if they did it would only be marginally more dangerous than Rio's wheel-trap gutters on the final descent.

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wycombewheeler replied to handlebarcam | 7 years ago
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handlebarcam wrote:

Are the organizers of Tokyo 2020 going to dig canals on either side of the roads and fill them with man-eating crocodiles? Because if they did it would only be marginally more dangerous than Rio's wheel-trap gutters on the final descent.

Would be more safe because speeds would be lower on the flat sections where the canals are.

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Okinawa | 7 years ago
0 likes

many thanks simon. I even confused myself because now the womens bikes are orange

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Okinawa replied to Okinawa | 7 years ago
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.

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Okinawa | 7 years ago
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does anybody know whats the aldialized yellow bikes a lot of the olympians are on? Its really bugging me, and again with the womens race.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Okinawa | 7 years ago
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Okinawa wrote:

does anybody know whats the aldialized yellow bikes a lot of the olympians are on? Its really bugging me, and again with the womens race.

Assume you mean these?

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/199595-specialized%E2%80%99s-rio-olympi...

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Simon E | 7 years ago
1 like

I thought it was a fascinating race (the last hour and a half that I saw) and think that GVA, not known as a climber, really earned his win. Stunning parcours, it certainly kept me interested more than any previous Olympic RR I can recall.

As Boardman said in commentary, the best descenders are the guys who take it closer to the limit than the rest. On this occasion pushing hard cost Nibali and Henao a medal. Geraint looked like he was on his limit on the final climb, I don't think he'd have got himself a medal anyway.

I don't know what you mean about commentators being in a London studio, CB and Simon Brotherton were at the seaside in Rio.

//pbs.twimg.com/media/CpK8ytWXEAA0fN5.jpg)

https://twitter.com/Chris_Boardman/status/761878878948364288

 

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japes | 7 years ago
0 likes

fantastic race, well done GvA

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ajd | 7 years ago
1 like

Excellent and deserved win for GVA.

A true Belgian hardman.

Chapeau!

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balmybaldwin | 7 years ago
0 likes

Great race. tricky descent tho. Hope Porte isn't to badly injured.

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zanf replied to balmybaldwin | 7 years ago
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balmybaldwin wrote:

Great race. tricky descent tho. Hope Porte isn't to badly injured.

Apparently, he has broken collarbone and ribs and Nibali has broken collarbone. Thomas and Henao just cuts and bruises.

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Jimnm | 7 years ago
4 likes

That looked like one tough race.

well done Greg

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
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Was hoping Froome would drop out as a challenge to Dumoulin after he resigned at the start. Crash was a shame, ruined the race for me, wanted to see them slug it out, instead of watching that tragic and cheap looking end.

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Leviathan replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
4 likes

unconstituted wrote:

Was hoping Froome would drop out as a challenge to Dumoulin after he resigned at the start. Crash was a shame, ruined the race for me, wanted to see them slug it out, instead of watching that tragic and cheap looking end.

"Cheap Looking"? 

Oh what could have been if G hadn't crashed. But then again, what if Nibali hadn't crashed? We still got an epic exciting finish.

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tritecommentbot replied to Leviathan | 7 years ago
1 like

Leviathan wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

Was hoping Froome would drop out as a challenge to Dumoulin after he resigned at the start. Crash was a shame, ruined the race for me, wanted to see them slug it out, instead of watching that tragic and cheap looking end.

"Cheap Looking"? 

Oh what could have been if G hadn't crashed. But then again, what if Nibali hadn't crashed? We still got an epic exciting finish.

 

*You got a finish you found epic which excited you.

 

I got a finish that looked like a total facepalm. Made worse by gut wrechingly shit commentary.

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brooksby replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
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unconstituted wrote:

Made worse by gut wrechingly shit commentary.

I don't know about for the cycling, but there are very few journalists actually in Rio this time around (except Claire Balding, it appears); most of the commentary and reporting is done from offices in London, by reporters/commentators watching the same images that the public do.

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Leviathan replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
2 likes

unconstituted wrote:

I got a finish that looked like a total facepalm. Made worse by gut wrechingly shit commentary.

Some riders took too many risks on a dangerous descent as predicted by Boardman. There were crashes, a lone survivor, a chase and a sprint. There was narrative. Natural drama, that is when sport is at its best. You will remember this one for a long time. What more do you want?

So, your guy didn't win, so what. Stop being bombastic and say what you mean. 

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tritecommentbot replied to Leviathan | 7 years ago
0 likes

Leviathan wrote:

unconstituted wrote:

I got a finish that looked like a total facepalm. Made worse by gut wrechingly shit commentary.

Some riders took too many risks on a dangerous descent as predicted by Boardman. There were crashes, a lone survivor, a chase and a sprint. There was narrative. Natural drama, that is when sport is at its best. You will remember this one for a long time. What more do you want?

So, your guy didn't win, so what. Stop being bombastic and say what you mean. 

 

You described the race to me, which I saw. I thought the finish was an anti-climax to what was turning into an a decent final 25km. I didn't have 'a guy' and never said I had a guy, so you're just making up nonsense, which is odd behaviour for an adult.

 

Someone else on the planet thought the way the race turned out was pants. Deal with it.

 

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Rapha Nadal replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
1 like

unconstituted wrote:

Was hoping Froome would drop out as a challenge to Dumoulin after he resigned at the start. Crash was a shame, ruined the race for me, wanted to see them slug it out, instead of watching that tragic and cheap looking end.

What an Earth are you on about?!

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