Stefan Schumacher is eyeing the time trial after he abandoned the road race with a headache (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Before the Olympics heads to the boards, there are two more gold medals - and two silvers and two bronzes, of course - up for grabs on the road. Ellis Bacon previews Wednesday's men's and women's time trials.
Off the back of the time trials at the Tour de France, the men's Olympic time trial is guaranteed to be an interesting and exciting affair.
Surprise winner of both time trials in July, Germany's Stefan Schumacher has elevated himself into the position of one of the strong favourites, but suffered in the humidity during Saturday's road race and failed to finish.
Conversely, a strong ride from Fabian Cancellara to take bronze behind Samuel Sanchez and Davide Rebellin demonstrates that the Swiss time trial ace, and reigning TT world champion, is clearly up for the task in hand, but even without that performance, he would surely have started on Wednesday as the favourite.
But he'll have to deal with Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg who rides well against the clock, and who put Cancellara in his place by beating him in the first time trial at the Tour de France, before finishing just a place behind him in third in the second and final TT. Kirchen was clearly in the form of his life at the Tour, and may be the dark horse who can do the job over the hilly 47-kilometre course, made up of two laps of the circuit on which the road race finished.
Possibly spoiling the Tour boys' party are Australia's Michael Rogers and American Levi Leipheimer, neither of whom rode in July, but who are both specialists against the clock. Leipheimer, as part of Alberto Contador's Astana squad, was not invited to the Tour, while Rogers is only just back from glandular fever.
