The meticulously crafted strategies of the world’s elite cyclists unraveled amidst the tumult of Montmartre’s cobblestone streets, with Kristen Faulkner from the USA seizing the gold medal in the women’s Olympic road race.
On a day filled with tactical uncertainty, the lack of race radios heightened the sensation of disorder. It took a composed mindset to evaluate victory’s potential; at a crucial juncture just under three kilometres from the Trocadéro, Faulkner rose to the occasion.
Trailing her were Marianne Vos from the Netherlands, a gold medallist from London 2012, and Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, the reigning world road race champion, lamenting the tactical deadlock that enabled the American to escape.
Vos and Kopecky were not alone in their disappointment: Team GB’s athletes also reflected on missed opportunities as a potentially winning strategy faded, ultimately leaving them without medals, although Pfeiffer Georgi earned a commendable fifth place.
With only three nations – Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy – entering a full squad of four riders, the 92-competitor race was even less manageable than the men’s event held the previous day.
Team GB began with a full roster of four but was down to three before the race commenced, as Anna Morris opted to focus on the upcoming track racing competition starting Monday. This left Anna Henderson, a silver medallist in the recent women’s time trial, London 2012 silver holder Lizzie Deignan, and Georgi, the British national champion, to carry the nation’s hopes in the 158km race.
Similar to the men’s competition, an opportunistic escape group formed early on. However, it was at the Côte du Pavé des Gardes, 90km from the finish line, that serious attacks began. Subsequent bursts of speed dissolved the early breakaways, leaving the main favorites together as they entered the finishing circuit at the Côte de la butte de Montmartre. A crash at the first ascent to the Sacré Coeur delayed Faulkner’s teammate Chloé Dygert and also impacted Kopecky.
This incident triggered a select group, comprising all three British riders, to break away. With Kopecky and other contenders distanced, the trio found themselves in an advantageous position, but it was fleeting. In the absence of clear information, the GB team appeared hesitant in their strategy, inadvertently attacking one another instead.
Meanwhile, Kopecky, who is set to compete in the omnium later this week, managed to regroup and rejoin the front contenders. “I had to give it my all to get back in contention,” she remarked.
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With 22km to go, Vos and Hungary’s Blanka Vas surged ahead, leaving Deignan behind as the terrain ascended towards Montmartre once again. From that point, Vos and Vas appeared destined for the podium until Kopecky, teaming up with Faulkner, launched a chase on the last of three climbs to the Sacré Coeur.
That final ascent on Montmartre proved too much for the British trio, causing Henderson and Deignan to fall significantly behind while Georgi struggled to keep pace with Kopecky’s fierce acceleration. “I was really hoping for something remarkable to happen, that I could contend for a medal,” Georgi reflected. “But as I scaled the last climb, my legs just said ‘No’. I watched them pull away, which stung a bit.”
Deignan acknowledged that her attempts had catalyzed the decisive move by Vos and Vas. “I enjoy being part of the action,” she shared. “I love the competition.”
The former world champion experienced a Covid diagnosis during the Giro Donne in July and was hospitalized just ten days before the road race due to a medical emergency. “My preparation for this race was utterly inadequate,” Deignan, who placed 12th—one position ahead of Henderson—noted. “I was aware of being in decent shape, but I knew a rigorous final push was beyond me. The last 120 km would be a struggle. It’s been an intense build-up. An emotional rollercoaster, and now I just want to relax.”
Georgi, despite her fifth-place result, felt dissatisfied. “I’m a bit disappointed,” stated the British national champion. “There’s always room for improvement. We could have made different decisions, but the Olympics present a unique challenge compared to other races.”
On the other hand, Faulkner, who will participate in the women’s team pursuit this week, thoroughly earned her triumph. In a selfless effort to chase down Vos and Vas as they approached the finish, she received minimal assistance from Kopecky, who opted to remain in her slipstream.
When, 3.5km from the finish, the leading group finally converged, the American did not hesitate. As Vos, Vas, and Kopecky hesitated, Faulkner, aware that she was the least likely to win a sprint finish, quickly launched a counterattack to secure gold. “It was my moment, and I knew I had to seize it,” she remarked.
