“I wouldn’t have chosen to try and come back if it was pan flat – even if they had wanted me to, which I don’t think they would have done”, Pooley said on britishcycling.org.uk.
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“No, I’m okay”, he said. Both rode at the weekend with Armstrong often doing big turns on the front as the team worked for Mara Abbott who missed out in agonising fashion after the climbing specialist was caught just 150 metres from the finish line. Whether I’m better than anyone else on it is a different matter. “Just to be at the Olympics is really special, but to come away with another medal is even more special”. I’m happy. Another medal is an incredible achievement.
“No-one can promise anything, least of all me, but I’m excited to have someone believe in me and tell me that I might be good enough”. The 35-year old Cancellara was overheard saying “today was my last one” after the race was over.
After some choppy waters played havoc with the schedule, we get to the first finals of the rowing on the lake at Lagoa Stadium, including men’s and women’s quadruple sculls (from 5.10pm). “Congrats to him. He nailed it”.
Thomas, a late entrant after several withdrawal following Saturday’s brutal road race, led briefly in the clubhouse but finally wound up in ninth place with a time of 1:14.52.
“I had my objective at the beginning of the year, that was the gold medal – I didn’t succeed”.
And the route may be a familiar one.
The Swiss rider powered on through the final, flat few kilometres to finish in 1.12.15 – more than a minute quicker than Castroviejo. The 30-year-old briefly led the trial having started ahead of numerous race’s favourites, riding with typical heart and determination to finish with a time of 1:14:52, good enough for a top 10 finish. He has proven time trial bona fides before, just not in individual events.
Thomas, who had finished 11th in the road race after crashing near the finish, said: “I got stuck in but it wasn’t my day. After missing out on gold in London and all the ups and downs I’ve had since then, this is just fantastic to win the gold today”, he said.
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“I tried to hold back a little bit for the last lap knowing how hard the course was but I didn’t have any more”.
