Her teammates, Tracey Gaudry and Juanita Feldhahn, had wilted near the finish, leaving her alone against a posse of crack European riders. The Dutch had teamed brilliantly, first Chantal Beltman, then Mirjam Melchers riding to clear room for Leontien Zijlaard, who had already demonstrated her matchless sprinting ability with gold and silver on the track, and who now tore to the finish line for her second gold of the Games. Moreover, she is world champion and pre-race favorite for Friday's time trial. Those damned Dutch and their damned bicycles. But they sure can ride.
Road cycling is simpler to understand than track cycling, but scarcely any less perverse.
Riders work as teams, but are judged and rewarded as individuals. They sweat and strain for hours, but sometimes, like yesterday, nothing much happens until the end. And it rains. It might just as well be cricket. Yesterday's race, after all, began and finished at the members' gate of the SCG, and this story is coming to you from the indoor nets.