ATHENS, 15 August 2004 — Italy’s team captain Paolo Bettini outsprinted Portugal’s Sergio Paulinho to win the gold medal in the Olympic men’s road cycling race here yesterday.
The 30-year-old Italian made his move two laps from the finish to join 24-year-old Paulinho in a desperate sprint for the line and win the grueling race under a baking sun in five hours 41 minutes 44 seconds.
Belgium’s Axel Merckx made a determined effort to peg back the front two in the final lap to take bronze in the 17-lap 224.4 kilometer odyssey around Athens city streets and under the Acropolis.
“Victories are always sweet but it has a special significance here because I’ve won the gold medal at the Olympic Games and it’s not only one sport but for the whole world’s sport, and everybody knows who I am now,” Bettini said at his post-race press conference.
“I’m just delighted to have won this race and I dedicate it to my wife and daughter... I hope they saw my race on the television.”
Paulinho, who was on the brink of a major upset victory, said: “It’s an amazing feeling, it’s wonderful. It’s the best day of my life.
“I didn’t expect it. I’m very happy and I dedicate this medal to my country.”
Merckx, the son of five-times Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx, said: “I never try to compete against my dad, this is my cycling, this is what I’m doing and to get the bronze medal is obviously one of the top moments of my career.”
Bettini threw his arms into the air as he crossed the finish line in his greatest cycling achievement having been twice a World Cup winner in 2002 and 2003.
Bettini and Paulinho went into the bell lap holding a 25-second lead over the main chasing bunch and it came down to Bettini’s superior finishing speed to claim gold for Italy on the opening day of Olympic competition.
The race took its toll on the 144-strong field and many leading contenders either retired or faded in the final stages.
Germany’s Erik Zabel was fourth 12 seconds down, followed by Slovenia’s Andrej Hauptmann.
Defending champion Jan Ullrich of Germany was 19th with Australia’s Tour de France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen 11th.
Fancied Spanish rider Igor Astarloa and Dutchman Michael Boogerd were early casualties when they crashed inside the opening lap and were forced out of the race.
Astarloa went to hospital before being released while Boogerd injured ribs and his right shoulder.
Sweden’s Magnus Backstedt made the first breakaway near the Acropolis on the second lap. Backstedt, the winner of this year’s Paris to Roubaix, held the lead before tiring and was caught by Frenchman Richard Virenque and Hungary’ Laszlo Bodrogi on the eighth lap. The baking heat was taking its toll with Sydney Olympic silver medalist and last month’s Tour de France runner-up Andreas Kloden of Germany retiring on lap 10.
Italian Cristian Moreni and Jose Isidro Chacon Diaz of Venezuela made their moves on the 12th lap and led as the race ticked over four hours.
They led the peloton by 41 seconds but were pulled back by a group of six riders, including McEwen, on the 13th lap.
The leading bunch opened a one-minute gap as Spaniard Jose Ivan Gutierrez succumbed with a right knee injury.
With two laps and over 26 kilometers left Italian Luca Paolini and Merckx made the running with Ullrich among the leaders of the pursuing peloton.
Paolini broke away inside the penultimate lap with Paulinho.
Bettini came from eighth on the 15th lap to join Paulinho as the bell lap sounded and a 25-second gap to the pursuing bunch headed by Kazahkstan’s Sergey Yakovlev.
Bettini and Paulinho diced for the lead inside the final lap with a 40 second lead over the peloton with a half-lap left and had enough to take the major spoils.
