Live coverage

Olympic Games 2016: Olympic Women's Time Trial

By SadhbhO'Shea
published

January 1 - August 21, Pontal, Rio, Road - JO

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Welcome to live coverage of the women's time trial at the Olympic Games.
Time Trial preview
Women's time trial start list

Men's time trial start list

It's time trial day in Rio and first up is the women. The first rider down the ramp will be Anna Plichta at 8:30 local time. 

Defending champion Kristin Armstrong will be the last rider off at 9:06. You can find the full start list with times here. 

It's pretty gusty out there on the Rio coastline and there's some rain about too. It could make for some very interesting set-up choices today. The wind has already taken one victim today with the rowing yet again delayed. 

Today, the riders will take on the Grumari circuit that featured in the road race. Fortunately, they will not have to contend with the cobbles but there are two tough climbs. Here is the profile and you can read our full time trial preview here. 

It's the first of the two climbs that will push the riders the most. With gradients of up to 18 per cent, it is going to be tricky for those who opt for the full TT set-up. The descent is no mean task either. 

Kristin Armstrong won the Olympic title in Beijing in 2008 and London 2012. She decided to come out of retirement for the second time to target her third Olympic time trial victory. Cyclingnews had a chance to speak to her yesterday and you can read her thoughts here. 

Another contender for victory today is the current World Champion Linda Villumsen. I spoke to her earlier in the summer and she said today's course is nothing like she's ever done a time trial on. She also spoke about coming close to retiring after her disappointment of missing a medal in London 2012. Read the full story here. 

The first rider Anna Plichta is off to begin the women's time trial. 

The riders are going off at 90-second intervals today. Kopecky, who spent most of Sunday's road race on the attack, is now out on course as is Christine Majerus. They took the first corner, which has some pave, extremely carefully. The road is slick with the rain. 

Eri Yonamine is underway. She is the sole Japanese representation in the women's road events. She had to fight hard to get her place in Rio. Read her story here. 

The first time check doesn't come until the top of that first climb, 10km in. The second is at the top of the subsequent climb at around 19km. We should have our first times very soon. 

Whitten has started her time trial now. She had a serious crash when she came recon the course. She collided with a bus and fractured her skull. 

At the moment the wind doesn't seem to be having too averse an impact at the moment. Most riders choosing disc wheels. The rain is still falling though and those descents are going to be very difficult. 

I stand corrected, Emma Pooley looked like she might just get blown away on the start ramp as she waited to start. The commissaire holding her saddle was having to work very hard to keep her upright. She didn't have the best start either, appearing to have a gearing issue as she set off. 

Ann Sophie Duyck is off and she is an outside contender for a medal here today. 

Plichta goes through the first check and sets a time of 18:36.95. She's now on that descent. Fingers crossed!

Kopecky has gone through that check and she is almost 20 seconds down on Plichta. She almost slips out on the first corner of the descent and has to take her foot out to balance herself. She makes it, fortunately. 

Out by the cobbled sector, barely into the course, Whitten has caught and passed Cordon. The TT riders aren't on the cobbles today though, just a tarmacked second next to it. 

That's a big catch so early on. Remember, she started 90 seconds back from Cordon. 

We're into the final 10 riders and Longo Borghini has set off. 

We wait now to see what Whitten can do at that first time check. She seems to be at home in these conditions at the moment. 

Yonamine has the fastest time at the 10km mark with her time of 18:28.68

Whitten destroys Yonamine's time by over a minute. She sets a new benchmark of 17:19.17

Emma Pooley over the top of the first climb and she is 33 seconds down on Whitten.

World Champion Linda Villumsen is off and we've got just one more rider left to start their effort.

Anna Plichta is through the second check now, the first rider to pass that point. She posts a time of 35.25.73

Armstrong is underway and we have all 25 riders out on course at the moment. 

We're not getting any images of the riders tackling that descent but we can expect that they're taking it very carefully. 

Yonamine goes 44 seconds up with a time of 34:41.24 at the second check. She has Majerus in her sights now. 

Moolman Pasio going very well she goes 17:32.34 at the first check, which is just 13 seconds down on Whitten. 

And Longo Borghini goes through and she is 6 seconds up on Whitten. It remains to be seen if she can hold that pace but that is a great start. 

A big moment for Van Dijk, she misjudges her line on a corner and catches a dip at the side of the rode. She doesn't come off but her bike gets tangled in the foliage at the side of the road. 

Tara Whitten is still flying. She stops the clock at 33:08.53, which is 1:32 faster than second fastest Yonamine. 

After her moment, Van Dijk makes it to the top of the first climb. Despite running herself off the road, she is just 19 seconds down on Longo Borghini. That's not too bad but think of what it could have been had she not made that mistake. 

Stevens is on the climb and she's really having to battle her bike on the steepest ramps. This is tough. 

Stevens is more than a minute down on Longo Borghini at the first check. 

This is an image of Van Dijk's incident.

Plichta is the first rider to finish and she sets the early benchmark at 47:59.66. Meanwhile Van Dijk has passed Solovey. 

Pooley not enjoying these conditions. She's almost a minute down on Whitten at the second check with her time of 34:06.22. Further back on the course, van der Breggen is going very well. She is just over a second back on Longo Borghini. 

Villumsen is fourth fastest over that opening climb and 13 seconds down on Longo Borghini. 

Armstrong is riding so fast she's managed to give herself a nosebleed. She sets the quickest time at the opening check, stopping the clock at 17:07.93.

Tara Whitten smashes the fastest time. Six riders have completed the course and this is how the standings look. 

Out on course, Garfoot is going well. She has moved up to second quickest at the second time check with her time of 33:56.04.

Longo Borghini bumps everyone down with the fastest time of 32:48.00 at the second check. That is 20 seconds quicker than Whitten. 

10 riders finished and this is how it stands at the moment

Meanwhile, Van Dijk goes second fasted with a time of 33:05.42 at the second check. She has shaved two seconds off Longo Borghini's advantage to 17 seconds. That's a tough ask to make up at this stage. 

Emma Pooley comes home third fastest. She will no doubt be bumped off the podium when the next few riders cross the line. 

And Canuel comes over and immediately bumps Pooley off the podium. She posts a time of 46:30.93.

Olga Zabelinskaya is making a comeback, she goes almost seven seconds up on Longo Borghini at the second check. She was 22 seconds down at the first.

Van der Breggen is losing time. She's 16 seconds back on Zabelinskaya at the second check as Garfoot sets the second quickest time at the finish. 

Villumsen is fourth quickest at that second check with a time of 33:05.21. She's going to have to push hard if she wants a medal. 

Longo Borghini goes fastest at the finish, nine seconds quicker than Whitten, as Armistrong goes through the second check in second, three seconds back on Zabelinskaya. 

Van Dijk crosses the line and she just beats Longo Borghini but a touch over three seconds. 

This is the new top 10 after that

All the riders are through that second time check so we're just waiting for the finishers. Stevens is coming home and she's got Zabelinskaya on her tail.

Unsurprisingly, Zabelinskaya goes fastest with a time of 44:31.97. That is 16 seconds quicker than van Dijk. 

Brennauer is the next rider to stop the clock. She is well down in fifth place with a time of 45:22.62

Van der Breggen sprints for the line and she goes into the silver medal spot at 6 seconds down on Zabelinskaya. 

Villumsen riders home and she's outside of the medals with a time of 44:54.71. 

One rider left to come home and that is Armstrong.

It's going to be very close. 

Armstrong wins her third gold with a time of 44:26.42

She immediately asks did I win and then promptly collapses on the floor. 

In the hotseat, van Dijk looks disgusted as she is knocked off the podium. She puts a towel over her head as she walks off.

Van Dijk surely would have been on the podium had she not made that mistake on the first climb. 

Confirmation of the top 10 in the women's time trial

The men's time trial is underway and you can follow that here. 

With that victory today, Armstrong is the only female rider to have won three gold medals at the Olympics. She's also far and away the most successful female time triallist in the competition also. 

For Anna van der Breggen, this has been a hugely successful Olympic Games, adding a bronze medal to her gold from Sunday. 

That is it from the women's time trial, the men are well underway. head over to live2.cyclingnews.com

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