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28th Olympic Games - JO

Athens, Greece, August 14-28, 2004

2000 results     Main page    Map    Preview    Start List     Results 

Commentary by Jeff Jones, with additional reporting from Rob Jones

August 18: Men's time trial, 48 km - Complete live report

Live coverage starts: 15:00 EEST
Estimated finish time: 17:50 EEST

15:00 EEST   
Welcome back to Vouliagmeni for the second event on today's program, the 48 km men's time trial which is run over two laps of the course that the women did. We have 40 starters in this event, with the first rider, Evgeny Vakker (Kyrgyzstan), just about to set off. Riders will follow at 90 second intervals, with Ekimov (Russia), Julich (USA), Bodrogi (Hungary), Rogers (Australia), Hamilton (USA) and Ullrich (Germany) the final five riders.

For our live coverage of the women's race just completed, click here and here for the results.

15:03 EEST   
Vakker is followed out of the blocks by Dawid Krupa (Poland), with Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway) the next to set off. He's also sporting a funky white, red and blue striped skinsuit, as worn by Anita Valen earlier in the day (no, not the same one).

15:06 EEST   
After Arvesen is Heath Blackgrove (NZ), who is riding a rear disc and a front Lightweight carbon wheel. That's a nice combination, and Cyclingnews is currently testing a pair of Lightweights.

Next off is Belgian Peter Van Petegem, who is not really known for his time trialling prowess, although he's not too bad.

15:08 EEST   
Next off is British TT specialist Stuart Dangerfield, who has a rear Bontrager. He's quickly into position, giving his supporters an indication with his finger (no, not that one) as he passes them. He opts for a fairly big gear.

15:10 EEST   
Portuguese talent Sergio Paulinho is next off. The surprise winner of the silver medal in the men's road race, Paulinho is clearly not a rider to be underestimated. Let's see what he can do today.

Van Petegem is grinding up the first undulation along the coast.

15:12 EEST   
Paulinho is followed by Rene Andrle (Czech Republic). South African Robert Hunter is apparently not riding.

15:14 EEST   
Dangerfield is well into his rhythm now, as Swiss rider Rubens Bertogliati sets off, wearing a standard issue Swiss skinsuit, unlike Thürig's black and white number earlier.

Paulinho passes a spectator along the course. No wait, it's an official.

15:16 EEST   
Luxembourg champ Benoît Joachim is next off, riding his USPS Trek TT machine. He is followed by Slovenian Gorazd Stangelj.

Vakker reaches the turnaround in 15'11, two seconds slower than the women's winner Leontien Van Moorsel did earlier today.

15:18 EEST   
Krupa is at the turnaround in 15'42, 31 seconds slower than Vakker.

Sweden's Thomas Lövkvist is next off.

Kurt-Asle Arvesen crashes on the turnaround, and slowly gets going again. That will cost him at least 30 seconds.

15:20 EEST   
Slovakian Matej Jurco is next off, riding a Fausto Coppi machine.

Arvesen appeared to lean his bike over just a bit too far on the apex of the corner, hence the crash.

Heath Blackgrove is past in 15'39. Still no-one has gone quicker than Van Moorsel :-)

15:21 EEST   
Van Petegem is having none of that, and gets to the 12 km mark in 15'07, the new best time.

15:23 EEST   
Filippo Pozzato (Italy) is another scratching from the start list, in addition to Robert Hunter.

Stuart Dangerfield (GBr) is at the turnaround in a time of 15'52, the slowest to date.

15:25 EEST   
Paulinho is a bit off the pace of Van Petegem, which will put him out of any medal contention, as he passes the 12 km check in 15'21.

15:27 EEST   
Czech rider Rene Andrle is coming up to the 12 km check, passing in 15'11 for third place behind Van Petegem and Vakker.

15:29 EEST   
Bertogliati is next up to the turn, but he too can't go quicker than PVP. His time of 15'16 puts him in fourth place.

Lövkvist is pedalling a monstrous gear as he nears the turn.

15:31 EEST   
Vakker is at halfway now and has ridden well over the second quarter, crossing the line in 30'02 (just under 48 km/h).

15:32 EEST   
Lövkvist guides his bike through a tunnel, passing the other spectator out on the course. The tall Swede does look very smooth.

Stangelj reaches 12 km in 15'53, 11th fastest and well off the pace.

15:33 EEST   
Lövkvist is now at the turn, having completed the first 12 km in 15'37, which puts him in 8th spot. Van Petegem is still the quickest in 15'07.

15:36 EEST   
Jurco is now past the 12km mark in 15'48, 11th best.

Meanwhile, Van Petegem has caught and passed Blackgrove and comes through 24 km in 29'44.

15:39 EEST   
Dangerfield is now at the halfway pointing 31'14, about 1'30 off Van Petegem's pace. Paulinho is quicker, passing in 30'20 for third fastest.

15:42 EEST   
Stangelj is fighting on the homeward section of the course, on one of the undulations. It's a hard course to keep your rhythm.

Andrle is at halfway now in a time of 30'07, third best behind PVP and Vakker.

15:45 EEST   
Bertogliati is next through the 24km check, the Swiss rider clocking 30'22 for 5th, and really working for it.

Joachim is next in 30'25 for sixth.

There have been no more riders starting since Jurco at 15:19, as this race is run in three "waves" in order not to have riders getting in each other's way at the finish. The first rider in wave 2 will be Slawomir Kohut (Poland) at 16:00 local time.

15:46 EEST   
Vakker has now reached the 36 km check in a decent time of 46'10.

15:49 EEST   
Stangelj is at the halfway point in 31'16, looking pretty knackered.

Meanwhile, Dawid Krupa is coming up to km 36. His time is 47'26, 1'15 slower than Vakker.

Lövkvist is at halfway now in 31'01.

15:57 EEST   
Peter Van Petegem has continued his strong ride, passing 36 km in 45'34, well ahead of Vakker (0'43) and Paulinho (1'25). Andrle also looks good at this point, coming past in 45'40.

15:59 EEST   
Christophe Moreau (France) is now getting himself wired up to the team coach. It's very warm here in Vouliagmeni, and the cicadas are once again drowning out any other noise.

16:01 EEST   
The second wave of riders has now started, with Slawomir Kohut (Poland) leading off, followed by Michal Hrazdira (Czech Republic).

16:05 EEST   
Canadian Eric Wohlberg is next off the ramp in wave 2, followed by Yuriy Krivtsov from the Ukraine. Then Kazakhstan's Andrey Kashechkin.

16:09 EEST   
Van Petegem finishes his ride in 1.00.35, 46 seconds faster than Evgeni Vakker who is in second place.

16:12 EEST   
Kurt Asle Arvesen finishes in 1.02.10, which puts him in third place behind PVP and Vakker. But that doesn't last long as Sergio Paulinho finishes in 1.01.25, for third.

16:13 EEST   
Czech rider Rene Andrle has picked up the pace in the final lap, finishing in 1.00.27, beating Van Petegem by 8 seconds.

16:17 EEST   
The first of the wave 2 riders, Slawomir Kohut (Poland) has made it to the 12 km check in 16'09, the slowest time of the day it looks like.

Thomas Dekker (Netherlands) has started.

Benoît Joachim (Luxembourg) finishes in 1.01.50 for fifth fastest.

16:18 EEST   
Wohlberg is past the 12 km check in 15'03, the second fastest to date behind Michal Hrazdira (Czech Republic), who clocked 14'57!

16:19 EEST   
Thor Hushovd starts then stops and changes his bike due to a mechanical problem. That is not going to help.

Krivstov is past 12 km in 14'54, three seconds better than Hrazdira.

16:22 EEST   
Lövkvist finishes his ride in 1.03.43, just a bit quicker than Stangelj but well off the pace of the top riders.

Frank Høj's is past the 12 km mark in a brisk 14'52, which gives him the best time to date.

16:24 EEST   
Igor Gonzalez De Galdeano (Spain) is very impressive at 12 km, passing in 14'28 and blitzing the time of everyone else.

Matej Jurco finishes in 1.04.22.

16:26 EEST   
Dangerfield's finishing time was 1.02.50.

Michael Rogers (Australia) is warming up to the advice of team manager Neil Stephens.

16:27 EEST   
Victor Peña (Colombia) powers up to 12 km in a time of 14'45, 17 seconds slower than Gonzalez de Galdeano.

16:28 EEST   
Marc Wauters (Belgium) looks rock solid as he drives his machine up to the first time check in a time of 14'47, third best to date.

16:30 EEST   
Christophe Moreau (France) is just a bit slower than Wauters in 14'48. He is 20 seconds off Igor's pace at the 12 km mark.

16:31 EEST   
Jan Ullrich (Germany) is warming up next to Michael Rich, chatting to his teammate.

Michel Hrazdira is past the halfway check in 29'42, a couple of seconds better than PVP.

16:33 EEST   
Kohut comes past 24 km in 32'19, way off the pace. Wohlberg looks better as he cruises through in 29'52.

Hushovd reaches the 12 km mark in 15'18 - not bad, considering the bike change.

16:36 EEST   
Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukraine) shaves a few seconds off Hrazdira's time at halfway, doing 29'39.

16:41 EEST   
Spanish rider Igor Gonzalez De Galdeano continues his impressive ride, clocking 29'12 at the halfway point. He looks to be the quickest of the second wave of riders.

16:42 EEST   
Victor Peña is second best at that point, coming across the line in 29'35.

16:44 EEST   
Marc Wauters comes through in 29'39 for third fastest. Igor is still setting the pace in the men's TT.

16:45 EEST   
Moreau is next through in 29'36, a few seconds better than Wauters but one second slower than Peña. That puts him in third for the time being.

16:48 EEST   
Thomas Dekker (Netherlands) is the next rider to come past the 24 km point and he does so in 29'49, which will put him just outside the top five. Hushovd is behind him, the last of wave 2.

16:49 EEST   
Hushovd has dropped off the pace a bit, and is through in 30'40. The top five at 24 km are:

1 Igor Gonzalez De Galdeano (Spain)     29.12
2 Victor Peña (Colombia)                 0.23
3 Christophe Moreau (France)             0.24
4 Marc Wauters (Belgium)                 0.27
5 Yuri Krivtsov (Ukraine)               

16:51 EEST   
Meanwhile, at the other end of the course, Yuri Krivstov (Ukraine) has done the best time of 44'52 at the 36 km turnaround. No surprises there.

16:53 EEST   
Gonchar is warming up on his home trainer, very hard.

Frank Høj's is up to 36 km now in a time of 45'25, just slower than Wohlberg and good enough for fourth.

But Igor Gonzalez smashes that in a time of 44'28. Easily the quickest.

16:55 EEST   
Defending champion Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia) is busy with his shoe covers, getting some last minute instructions from an assistant.

16:57 EEST   
Rogers looks well warmed up now.

Victor Peña (Colombia) is at 36 km in a time of 45'04, for third best.

16:58 EEST   
Marc Wauters is struggling a bit as he reaches 36 km, passing in a time of 44'59, a few seconds better than Peña.

17:00 EEST   
Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) is now on his way, the first of the last wave of riders. He gets the countdown, and departs. He looks fast.

17:02 EEST   
Michal Hrazdira (Czech Republic) finishes his ride in a good time of 1.00.07, shaving 20 seconds off his compatriot Rene Andrle.

Thomas Dekker is past 36 km in 45'26, for 9th.

Santi Botero (Colombia) is now under way. A past winner of the world championships, Botero's last two years have been less than average.

17:03 EEST   
Evgeni Petrov (Rus) is next off.

17:05 EEST   
Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukraine) is the first rider to break the hour for the 48 km test, finishing in 59'49 for the new best time. Hrazdira and Wohlberg are in second and third.

Hushovd passes 36 km in 47'03, well off the pace now.

17:06 EEST   
Serguei Gonchar (Ukraine) sets off in his 68x10.

Slawomir Kohut (Poland) crosses the line very slowly in 1.06.17

17:08 EEST   
Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Spain) is now on his way, as Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara sets off. He quickly gets up to speed. A good tester, Cancellara is better at the shorter distances.

Frank Høj's finishes in 1.00.37 for 6th.

17:10 EEST   
Igor Gonzalez De Galdeano finishes in a nice time of 59'27, the new best mark. Meanwhile, Michael Rich (Germany) sets off from the start ramp.

Gonchar has got the big gear turning at an acceptable cadence, and is rocking and rolling over the bike as he muscles up the first part of the parcours.

17:12 EEST   
Ekimov is next off the ramp. What can the defending champion do? Leontien was successful earlier today in defending her gold.

Next to go is the USA's Bobby Julich, looking very focused.

Peña finishes in 1.00.09 for fourth.

17:14 EEST   
Julich is riding with a camelbak, taking the "Rominger hump look" to new extremes.

Marc Wauters ends his ride in 59.59, just under the hour.

It looks like Andrey Kashechkin (Kazakhstan) DNF'd.

Bodrogi is now on his way.

17:14 EEST   
As expected, Alexandre Vinokourov comes up to the 12 km point in the best time of 14'25, 3 seconds better than Gonzalez de Galdeano.

17:15 EEST   
Moreau ends in 59'50, which will put him in the top five.

Mick Rogers (Australia) is now powering away from the start ramp.

17:17 EEST   
Tyler Hamilton (USA) is the second last rider to leave, and he is definitely one of the gold medal favourites today.

Botero crosses the 12 km mark in 14'30, which is quite decent.

Thomas Dekker finishes in 1.00.38.

17:18 EEST   
Jan Ullrich, the last rider on the list, is now under way. The German looks very mean and focused. He wants that gold medal.

17:19 EEST   
Jose Ivan Gutierrez approaches the 12 km check in 14'43, fourth fastest to that point.

17:21 EEST   
Gonchar comes up to the turnaround in 14'44 for fifth fastest. He clearly needs a bigger gear. Maybe it's time to switch to the 83x7.

Hushovd crosses the line in 1.03.10, way off the pace of the good riders.

17:22 EEST   
Cancellara looks better, coming up to 12 km in 14'24, one second better than Vinokourov.

17:23 EEST   
Michael Rich follows Cancellara, and the German is even better. His time is 14'21, quickest to date!

17:24 EEST   
Hamilton is having problems with his radio. He looks like he's trying to eat it.

Ekimov in 14'14!! New best time!!

17:26 EEST   
Hamilton will probably have to do without his radio for the rest of the race.

17:26 EEST   
Julich, hump somewhat diminished, is past the 12 km check in 14'25 for fifth place.

17:27 EEST   
Rogers is hammering along the deserted coastline, taking the curves tightly as he strives for maximum speed. He passes another spectator, then three more. They're out in their throngs today.

17:28 EEST   
Bodrogi looks to be suffering at the first time check, passing in 14'44, well off the best pace.

17:29 EEST   
Rogers is now up to the turnaround and he's going well, just a few seconds slower than Eki in 14'16.

17:30 EEST   
Disclaimer: References to Gonchar's gearing can be treated with the appropriate grain of salt. Thank you for your understanding.

17:31 EEST   
Hamilton's time is also good, crossing 12 km in 14'18 for third best. What can Ullrich do?

17:33 EEST   
Ullrich has got a nice pace going as he pedals up to the 12 km turn. But he's not in the top five, surprisingly. He passes the mark in 14'28 for 8th.

So Ekimov is the quickest at 12 km, followed by Rogers at 2 seconds then Hamilton at 4 seconds. But Ullrich tends to improve in the second half.

17:34 EEST   
Gutierrez is now up to 24 km in 29'44, just in the top 10.

17:36 EEST   
Eki is working up a good sweat, and seems to be struggling a bit on the homeward leg on the first lap.

Gonchar is at the 24 km mark in 29'50, 12th best.

17:39 EEST   
Michael Rich drives his machine up to 24 km in a time of 28'42, easily beating Botero's 29'09. Gonzalez de Galdeano sits in third place.

But here comes Eki - the Russian shaves another 10 seconds off Rich's time.

17:41 EEST   
Hamilton is fighting with the bike as he nears the end of the first lap. No gloves for the American. His compatriot Bobby Julich comes past 24 km in 28'42 for third fastest. The hump is now half full.

17:41 EEST   
Or half empty, if you're like that.

17:42 EEST   
Ekimov takes a drink from a bottle. Even in an event as short as an hour, it's very important to drink. Especially in this heat.

Rogers, the de facto World TT Champ, looks good as he goes under 1 km to go for the end of the first lap.

17:43 EEST   
Bodrogi is next across 24 km in a time of 29'43, 1'11 off the pace of Ekimov.

17:43 EEST   
Here's Rogers - his time at 24 km is 28'36, which puts him 4 seconds slower than Eki!

17:44 EEST   
Meanwhile, Vino has reached 36 km in 44'22.89, better than anyone else so far.

17:46 EEST   
Hamilton is now at 24 km in a time of 28'38, six seconds off Eki's excellent pace.

Botero passes the 36 km check in 44'24. He's having problems hearing his time.

17:47 EEST   
Here's Ullrich, but it's not to be his day today. His time is 29'10, seventh fastest, already 38 seconds slower than Eki.

17:47 EEST   
The top five at km 24 (all riders through):

1 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia)           28.32
2 Michael Rogers (Australia)             0.04
3 Tyler Hamilton (USA)                   0.06
4 Michael Rich (Germany)                 0.10
5 Bobby Julich (USA) 

17:48 EEST   
Rogers catches and passes his Quick.Step teammate Laszlo Bodrogi, buffeted by the crosswinds along the coast.

17:50 EEST   
Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Spain) is at the 36 km mark in 45'13, sporting a lot of bandages. Evgeni Petrov is not as good, passing in 46'51.

Bodrogi has passed Rogers again. They have to keep 25m apart.

17:51 EEST   
Ekimov is now making his way out to the next turnaround at the 36 km point.

Rogers passes Bodrogi again. You'd never imagine that these two ride for the same team.

Gonchar is now at 36 km, but he's well out of it in 45'36.

17:52 EEST   
Cancellara is next up to the 36 km check, and turns in a time of 44'54 for fifth best. He is followed by Michael Rich, who is much better in 43'46!

17:55 EEST   
As expected, Ekimov is even quicker than Rich, passing in 43'28. Really only Rogers or Hamilton can threaten him now. Could the Russian also be on track to a historic double a la Leontien?

17:55 EEST   
Bobby Julich is up to the 36 km check in 43'34, 6 seconds slower than Eki but still the second best.

17:57 EEST   
Eki is fighting his way along the final part of the parcours, but looking really strong now and rock solid. What a fantastic ride by the reigning champ.

17:58 EEST   
Rogers, now well clear of Bodrogi, comes up to the 36 km check in a time of 43'29!! There's just one second in it. Advantage Eki.

17:59 EEST   
Vinokourov finishes in 58'58, easily the best time so far.

18:01 EEST   
Hamilton has taken time back on both Eki and Rogers, coming past 36 km in 43'23, the best time yet again!

Botero finishes in 59'04, for second so far.

18:02 EEST   
There's almost nothing in it, as Hamilton, Ekimov and Rogers fight for the medals in the final part of the race. But Julich is flying along too in the last part.

Ullrich's time at 36 km is 44'23, 7th best and nowhere near a medal today.

18:03 EEST   
Top five at 36 km (all riders through)

1 Tyler Hamilton (USA)                  43.23
2 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia)            0.05
3 Michael Rogers (Australia)             0.06
4 Bobby Julich (USA)                     0.11
5 Michael Rich (Germany)                 0.23

18:04 EEST   
10 seconds in it between the top four riders with 12 km to go. What an incredibly tight race.

Rogers is giving it everything now as he gets into the final 6 km.

18:05 EEST   
Jose Ivan Gutierrez finishes in 1.00.22 for ninth at the moment.

18:05 EEST   
Julich is looking smooth too, having ridden a great time trial so far. It's not easy to ride faster in the second half.

Petrov finishes his ride in 1.02.50 for 20th.

18:07 EEST   
Hamilton has his head down, and is going Full Speed Ahead (sorry, that was last year).

Gonchar finishes in 1.01.00 for 15th, not a good result from the Ukrainian.

Rich is better, finishing in 58.09 for the best time.

18:08 EEST   
Viatcheslav Ekimov smashes Rich's time with 57'50. A winning time? We'll see.

18:10 EEST   
Hamilton is now catching Bodrogi - that's a 3 minute difference.

Bobby Julich is nearing the end of his ride. He flies across the line in 57.58, the second best time after Ekimov.

18:11 EEST   
Hamilton suffers on the last climb, reaching for a lower gear and giving it everything he has.

18:11 EEST   
Rogers is now in the final kilometres, still looking smooth, but has he done enough to beat Slava Ekimov?

18:12 EEST   
It's down to Hamilton and Rogers to try and get in the medals. The colour is not yet determined.

18:13 EEST   
Hamilton is really motoring now!

Rogers sprints home in a time of 58'01, third so far. Two Americans on the podium today?

18:14 EEST   
57'31!! Hamilton wins the Olympic time trial!!

Bodrogi follows in 1.00.44.

18:17 EEST   
There's one more rider to come, and it's Jan Ullrich, who hasn't had a good day today and finishes in a time of 59'02 for 7th today.

Hamilton, Ekimov and Julich win the medals. Fantastic performance from the USA.

Results

48 km

1 Tyler Hamilton (USA)                  57.31
2 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia)            0.18
3 Bobby Julich (USA)                     0.26
4 Michael Rogers (Australia)             0.29
5 Michael Rich (Germany)                 0.37
6 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan)      1.26
7 Jan Ullrich (Germany)                  1.31
8 Santi Botero (Colombia)                1.33

36 km

1 Tyler Hamilton (USA)                  43.23
2 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia)            0.05
3 Michael Rogers (Australia)             0.06
4 Bobby Julich (USA)                     0.11
5 Michael Rich (Germany)                 0.23

24 km

1 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia)           28.32
2 Michael Rogers (Australia)             0.04
3 Tyler Hamilton (USA)                   0.06
4 Michael Rich (Germany)                 0.10
5 Bobby Julich (USA) 

12 km

1 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia)           14.14
2 Michael Rogers (Australia)             0.02
3 Tyler Hamilton (USA)                   0.04
4 Michael Rich (Germany)                 0.07
5 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)        0.10

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