The London Olympics (2012) were held from the 27th July to the 12th August 2012. Most of the events were being held in the new Olympic Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London. Many events such at Rugby, football and sailing were held in various venues around the south of England.
The Men’s Road Race, was one of the first events to be held, took place on Saturday 28th July at 10:00am in Central and South-west London and North Surrey, starting and finishing on the Mall.
It was a massed start event, with 144 riders, from 63 nations competing.
The maximum number of riders for each term was 5. However, depending on your position on the 2011 UCI World Tour Team Standings list, you were allocated the number of riders you were allowed.
Spain, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands, United States and Switzerland all had 5-man squads; whereas Slovakia, Costa Rica, and Latvia had one rider each.
Of the 144 riders who started 115 managed to finish the 250km (155.3ml) course; travelling through the centre of London, out towards the Southwest and into Surrey.
The riders climbed the perennial favourite of the Sunday Cyclist – Box Hill, nine times, as there are no substantial hills in Surrey.
The overall favourite to win, was the 2011 World Road Race Champion Mark Cavendish of Great Britain.
Cavendish had what he termed his “Dream Team”, to help him, Ian Stannard, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and David Millar, who was to be the Road Captain.
In the end it was not to be, with Cavendish in 29th place; Wiggins in 103rd and Millar and Froome taking 108th and 109th respectfully.
The GB team were distanced from the Breakaway, and none of the other teams would work with them to bring the breakaway back.
The overall winner was Alexander Vinokourov from Kazakhstan with Rigoberto Uran in second place.
A couple of days later, (Wednesday 1st August), Bradley Wiggins (GB) took the Gold Medal in the Mens Road Individual Time Trial. Beating the early favourite Tony Martin from Germany by some 42 seconds.
Chris Froome (GB) came a very close third, 26 seconds behind Martin.
The competition was a one lap course of 44km (27.3ml) with the usual staggered starts.
Starting and finishing at Hampton Course Palace, the course passed through southwest London and the Surrey countryside.
There were 37 Competitors from 30 nations. UCI ranking came into play again, with Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Australia, Netherlands and Kazakhstan, Denmark, Spain, Sweden and Canada and the United State each having 2 riders. The rest of the nation’s having one rider.
One Gold and one Bronze medal out of two events, with the Track Cycling and the BMX to come, it was an exciting start to the 2012 London Olympics.