Bart from the start
By Matt Lanning

Distance: 48.7 kilometers (30.3 miles)
Temperature: 86 F
Humidity: 72 percent

After years of anticipation, numerous qualifying races, and countless hours of organization, the moment of truth finally arrived for the inaugural Olympic mountain bike race.

It also was time for the athletes to focus months of training onto a 30-mile burst of energy and emotion.

And burst is just how the men's race on Tuesday, July 30, began. Bart Brentjens of the Netherlands went to the front of the pack in the very first mile and was strong enough to hold off all contenders to take the first-ever Olympic mountain bike gold medal. He was followed by gold medal favorite Thomas Frischknecht of Switzerland, and French wunderkind Miguel Martinez.

As the racers headed out on the perfectly manicured course--lined with more 30 television cameras--it was Italy's Luca Bramati who initiated the first challenge. Brentjens remained hot on his heels, however, and waited patiently for Bramati to expend his energy before moving into the lead himself.

Once Bramati's attack was arrested, the remainder of the four-and-a-half lap race was Brentjens' for the taking. The chase group, which included such riders as Frischknecht, Martinez, Christophe Dupouey (France), Daniele Pontoni (Italy), and Andres Brenes (Czech Republic), worked their hardest to make up time on the fleeing Dutch rider, but he just put more time on the rest of the field with every pedal stroke.

The United States had a less inspiring tale to tell. Both team riders--Tinker Juarez and Don Myrah--were out of contention. According to USA team manager Doug Martin, "Don rode one of his best races, but this course just didn't suit him. It was definitely Bart's course."

Tinker on the other hand looked to be suffering right from the beginning, and never made a play for a medal position. "Tinker just didn't ride to the best of his ability today. It was an off day," said Martin. Tinker rolled in more than 17 minutes back (19th place) with Myrah right behind him in 20th place.

Also strong today was the youngest rider in the race, 19-year-old Cadel Evans of Australia. He rode consistently in the top 10 all day, going bar-to-bar with the big boys, to finish an eventual ninth.

At the finish, Brentjens finished a full two minutes, 36 seconds ahead of a hard-charging Frischknecht, nearly three minutes ahead of Martinez, and an amazing 7:25 ahead of fourth-place Dupouey.

Warren Sallenbach of Canada was the top-placing North American in 13th, while fellow countryman Andreas Hestler finished 31st. Said Hestler, "I had the slowest flat repair of my life, and on top of that, I had to take a longer break so I could pee."

All told, the first-ever Olympic mountain bike race was a success. Organizers believe that the on-site attendance of more than 40,000, amplified by the extensive television coverage, should give the sport a boost toward widespread acceptance.

Matt Lanning is a frequent contributor to Outside Online