Germany's Fabian Wegmann marks Italian Paolo Bettini (r - l) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The weather for the men's Olympic road race on Saturday turned out to be exactly as Germany's Fabian Wegmann feared. "More than 30° and humidity of 90 percent, that's not fun for any rider." The 28 year-old went on to finish 21st in the 245-kilometre event won by Spain's Samuel Sánchez.
The German team based itself around captain Stefan Schumacher. It had Jens Voigt and Bert Grabsch in an escape group, "but then they all had to give up, one after the other. In the end I was the last one left," he said on his website, fabianwegmann.de.
"Twenty-first place is OK, but I would rather have been further forward. I went with [defending champion Paolo] Bettini when he attacked and overdid myself. You don't have so many chances in a race like this," he noted. "And those weren't nobodies who picked up the speed and went for the win."
Looking to the upcoming time trial, which he will not ride, the Wegmann said that while Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara is his favourite to win, his Gerolsteiner team-mate Schumacher "can also have something to do with it. He certainly has the form, but the weather makes it difficult for him." (SW)
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