PARIS, France — Grace Brown was waterlogged but overjoyed, the Australian hugging anyone within reach after winning the Olympic time trial. Anna Henderson was bouncing on her feet nearby, the British cyclist just as delighted with her silver medal.
Chloe Dygert sat on a chair, soaked to the bone, the American looking not like a bronze medalist but a rider who had lost it all.
In a stunning performance over the wet, treacherous streets of Paris on Saturday, Brown managed to safely stay on her bike as Dygert and some of her biggest rivals hit the deck. And by the time she crossed the finish in 39 minutes, 38.24 seconds, Brown had delivered her nation its first medal of any color in the women's time trial at the Summer Games.
“It makes me really proud of everything I’ve done,” said Brown, who finished just out of the medals at the Tokyo Games, and who plans to retire at the end of the season. “I know that I’ve come here and given it everything and it’s paid off."
At the opposite end of the spectrum was Dygert, the time trial world champion from the U.S., who crashed heavily in a corner and saw her dreams of gold wash away. The prerace favorite, who overcame a career-threatening injury only to deal with an Achilles injury and a bout of COVID-19 earlier this year, had to rally just to claim the bronze medal.
“I don't show up to a race to lose,” Dygert said. “I'm not going to be a sore loser, but everybody shows up to win. Everybody who shows up who isn't on the top step is going to say the same thing. I've just got to be better.”
Juliette Labous of France, cheered on by the home nation, finished just out of the medals in fourth. Demi Vollering was fifth for the Netherlands, which had claimed the gold and bronze medals in the time trial in Tokyo.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig of Denmark, one of the favorites in next week’s road race, was among numerous riders who crashed on the wet pavement. So was Taylor Knibb, the surprising American time trial champion, who also will compete in the triathlon.
In fact, it was so slippery that one of Knibb’s support crew also fell while trying to give her a new bike.
“I tried to enjoy the Olympic spirit,” Ludwig said, "but it’s really painful at the moment.”
The riders set off in 90-second intervals from the great gilded dome of Les Invalides on a twisty, 32.4-kilometer (20-mile) route, marking the first time that the women and men covered the same distance in an Olympic time trial.
They crossed the Seine River and powered past the Place de la Bastille, the endearing symbol of the French revolution, before paying homage to some of the nation’s great cyclists. First came a loop through Bois de Vincennes park, where two-time Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon trained, and then a trip past Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil, named for the five-time Tour winner.
After all the twists and turns, the race ended with a flat-out finish to the ostentatious Pont Alexandre III bridge.
Kim Cadzow, the 22-year-old time trial champion of New Zealand, threw down the fastest ride of the early starters. She stopped the clock in 41:46.02, setting up a long wait for her in the hot seat with the favorites still on the course.
Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands, a three-time world champion, struggled mightily after her preparations were derailed by a fractured ankle that required surgery just six weeks ago. Van Dijk was well behind by the first time check and kept losing ground before finally crossing the finish line 2:43 behind the winning time.
Brown was the penultimate rider off the start ramp and quickly set the pace. The 32-year-old put five seconds into Dygert at the first checkpoint and breezed through the second nearly a minute ahead of the rest of the field.
Dygert was trying desperately to stay close before the fateful left-hand turn, where the pavement turned to cobbles. Her bike slid out, Dygart went down hard and the time it took to remount and get back to speed proved costly.
She was left with a bronze medal to add to the silver and bronze she had previously won on the track.
“I could tell right away I smacked my leg on my frame,” said Dygert, who still hopes to start the road race before competing in the velodrome in the team pursuit. “But again, that's no excuse to finishing third. The two girls ahead of me are amazing athletes, amazing riders. What an amazing way for Grace to go out her last year of racing.”
