Day 1 BBC One: 18.20-22.10 Olympics

Good afternoon and welcome to the Olympic Park here in Rio. We have

tonnes of sporting action coming up. People have gathered around the

Olympic rings to make sure they get a photo they can send home the loved

ones or take home with them. It is a joyful atmosphere. The opening

ceremony last night set the tone. But now we can focus on the sport,

and here is what is coming up on BBC One. We will join the road race live

soon to see the final stages of a gruelling, but beautiful course

around Rio, Chris Froome hopefully leading the way for the British

team. Britain's team of Max Whitlock,

Louis Smith, Nile Wilson, Kristian Thomas and Brinn Bevan begin their

challenge with the preliminary stages of the men's gymnastics. We

will also be off to the pool, where Adam Peaty, James Guy and Hannah

Miley are swimming in heats. That action is on BBC for now.

-- BBC Four. New to the Olympics is rugby sevens and Britain's women

open their campaign against the hosts Brazil. We will feed up and

their second Match Of The Day live against Japan at around nine o'clock

your time. This is the scene here in Rio,

beautiful, sunny and hot day. Don't forget, you can watch coverage

across the BBC. I particularly want to draw your attention to the Get

Inspired section of the website. If you want to take up a spot, this

will give you the information on how and where to do it and who knows, in

four or eight years' time, we might be here with you at an Olympic

Games. Christ the Redeemer, high up on the

Hill, looking down over the city of Rio. These are the many ways in

which you can watch and follow the Olympic Games.

But we start with the road race, the men's road race. Nearly 250

kilometres, a phenomenally tough course. It is really hilly, with

cobbled street sections as well. In the heat of the day, it is really

tough. But Britain have a strong team including Chris Froome, who

recently won his third Tour de France title. We have Geraint

Thomas, double Olympic champion, as well. We also have Steve Cummings

and Adam Yates. Here is the story so far of the race. We will join it

lied to the final hour in a second. As I mentioned, it has been tough

going for the riders. We had a breakaway around 20 kilometres into

the race. Six riders led the way. As you can see, chains have fallen and

riders have come off as well. Chris Froome had a bike change with 100

kilometres to go. He rode back to the chasing pack with a little help

from team-mate Geraint Thomas. Let's go live to the race. In an hour, we

will see the second gold of the games won. It is a good afternoon

for our commentators, Chris Boardman, medallist from 1992, and

Simon Brotherton. Thank you and welcome to the closing

stages of this men's road race. We are based in Copacabana, on the

beach at the finish line, but the riders are up in the hills in the

urban jungle, high above the coastline. That is the leader, the

world champion from a couple of years ago from Poland, Michal

Kwiatkowski. But he is being chased down rapidly. That is Geraint

Thomas, the Welshman, who leads the chase. Thomas is at the front of

this group. The Colombian is behind him. The Belgian is in that group as

well. Ryan Tara may from Estonia is there as well. -- Rein Taaramae. You

mentioned the urban jungle, but they finish this climb in the real

jungle. Tiny roads and a treacherous descent. Incredible riding, just two

a sense left. They are well into the penultimate one now and the race is

really taking shape. Geraint Thomas is monitoring things in second

position. This small group has a slender lead over the Chris Froome

group. And this race is still anybody's at the moment. It

certainly is. Gradkowski as part of a six-man breakaway group who left

the peloton behind very early -- Kwiatkowski. He is the last one left

from the six, but they are closing in quickly. A downhill section here.

They get a respite for a few seconds before it ramps up to over 10% and

the climbing continues. I'm not sure whether Thomas is trying to get

others to come through. He is rolling his body a little bit. But

he is not committing fully at the moment. And I am not sure whether

that is tactical or physical incapability at the moment. Behind,

we are waiting for one of the favourites to throw their first

punches. Yates is in position to monitor things. He has been quiet

for the last hour but now very much on the front line. They are going up

the road in just ones or twos, trying to test things. But they will

have to get stuck in soon because there are some quality riders up the

road. The Irish cyclist Nicholas Roach is there. But nobody has laid

it on the line yet apart from Kwiatkowski, who has been frying in

the sunshine. He has been in a group of six. It is an advantage to be in

a small group, with the twists and turns and cobbles. It is now that he

has got himself into a position where he can take part in this race,

but it has cost him to be in that early breakaway. This is not what we

would expect from someone of his calibre to get into such an early

breakaway. He probably decided it was a long shot anyway. Not going to

happen, I don't. Geraint Thomas is second on the road in this Olympic

road race, with 45 kilometres to go. This is the second chase group,

which includes George Bennett from New Zealand, have a look. There is

also the Croatian and surrogate Chernetski from Russia -- Sergei

Chernetski, and the Slovenian. They are taking their opportunities.

This is a very different course. This is how it played out in London

as well. There wasn't any major move. There were riders going up the

road in small groups. Then it coalesced into a large 30 to 40

rider group, and they contest did the race. The favourites are sitting

back at the moment, but the race might be riding away from them. Very

exciting out on the climb at the moment. Finally, the junction is

made and Michal Kwiatkowski, the former world champion, now has some

company. Will he be able to stay with them or will they sweep him

away? Geraint Thomas is in third place as queer Kosky settles in.

Excitement starting to build -- Kwiatkowski settles in. There was a

loud bang a little while ago, not far from where we are sitting. But

we gather all is well and it was a controlled explosion at Copacabana.

It is not affecting this road race. If Geraint Thomas finds this tough,

there are still the British options of Chris Froome and Adam Yates. Yes,

three winning cards to play, which is the strongest position the

British team has been in for many years. They will play the individual

card, look for opportunities and whoever is in front, the others will

get behind them. That is the way to play a race like this. Roglic is now

on their attack, the Dutchman. This is a small ascent, 800 or 900

metres, which gives them a breather in this climb and and it kicks in

for the final four kilometres. It is the briefest of breeders. But they

will take anything at this point. They have been out there for a long

time, just over an hour remaining. Then we will see who is the 2016

Olympic champion. Geraint Thomas is doing his bit. The others behind

him, you notice them turning their heads. They are not sure whether

this is the move yet. Their lead is still quite slender. It was hovering

at 45 seconds when we last checked. It is not going to be much more for

less than that now. It is still all to play for. In pole position right

now, this group have worked to get this advantage. They need to decide

soon whether they want to do something with it. Kazakhstan won

the gold medal four years ago with Alexander Vinogradov on The Mall in

London. This group is still only a handful of seconds ahead of the main

group. It is too small to be called a peloton now. They are again

starting to look around to see who will get in the front. You can't do

that. You have to commit yourself. Cancellara is getting distance. He

has done well to be at the forefront of the race for as long as he has. I

am surprised there are as many who are still potentially in contention

here, given the nature of the route. There really is a tough course.

There might be real confidence in the group. They have seen the gaps

and think they can close them. It is 20 minutes of climbing each time

they go up here, so they might think, we can close that on the

final climb and we don't have to commit ourselves on this penultimate

ascent. Thomas looks OK. None of this group look fantastic and none

of them are pure climbers, so it is anybody's guess. Caruso, the

Italian, has just been sitting there. I think he might be there to

monitor. They have no responsibility to chase while Nibele is off the

road. You get an idea now of how big their lead is, or maybe we will not.

It is 31 seconds. Nobody is want to really go for it. They are all just

waiting. It is a quality group. Cancellara on the wheel of Nicholas

Roach. Cancellara struggling to stay in contact, but if he could, he is

one of the best ascenders in the world. Bennite counters that attack,

George Bennett from New Zealand. -- Bennite.

Froome is going to wait until the last possible moment, it looks like,

the last climb. And Vincenzo Nibali is playing the same game along with

him. Adam Yates is looking pretty good at the moment. Absolutely. One

of the first beauty shots. The view from the top of the climb from Vista

Chinesa. That lake in the foreground that we briefly saw is where the

blurring is taking place. -- where the rolling. And still they climb

and still Kia Kosky hangs in there. -- Klukowski. He's played a cagey

game, too early the break, looked back, decided whether he would go

with it, committed to it, went into stand-by mode, waited until he got

to the circuit and started to raise, a clever rider not in the of form.

But he got over the top and he is a good sprinter as well. It's not

going to be fought out by out and out sprinters, of course because of

the nature of the course. It is the best of the ones who are left,

really. He would be one of them. I think they are going to get

overhauled, to be honest. But what a great position for Great Britain to

be in, a man in the move and two behind, another one watching for

anything that develops and Froome waiting for the final lap. The pace

being made by Ukraine on the back of the second of this first-rate group.

Adam Yates in. Interesting, the absence from the first ten riders on

Spain, Valverde is still back there but the master tactician, he must

have decided that it's close enough and he will wait for the last dive.

That looks to me like Stephen grows wheat from the Netherlands, not a

great day for them. -- Steven Kruijswijk. After the Tour de

France... He will have to keep going because he's out in the middle of

nowhere, in the jungle at the moment, Kruijswijk. Less than 42

kilometres remaining, now. They have got them lined out, that

is visual. Adam Yates still looking good in third position. -- for sure.

Australia working really hard, here. You can tell when someone is in good

shape because they overlap the wheels, waiting, waiting, not

sitting back. This is really strong. Valverde, further back in the pack.

Richie Porte potentially still a player in this race.

Quietening consistent climb as well, this, it dips up and down, folds

flat, kicks up around the bends. It might be the first time we have seen

we're Tarkowski get out of the saddle. Keen to have a look and see

what the situation is. -- Mishal quip Kosky. They won't be getting

much information, either. Steadfastly holding up half a

minute, here. Greg van Avermaet and Geraint Thomas and front then Sergio

Henao behind them. At this point in the race, there's just too many of

them, you are not all guaranteed a medal. They need to press on and

build that half a minute lead over the top, assuming they can maintain

it, if they are going to have a shot and no one is going to want to ride.

The peloton really strung out, predictably so come on this climb.

-- so, on this climb. And Adam Yates continues to just sit

in there. Monitoring what is going on, staying up towards the front.

This is the bit in bike racing that I just could not get myself to do,

to just wait. A mistake here, and they just have to wait and wait and

they are judging all the time, how far to go, what is the gap, how are

they feeling, can they close the gap? They are weighing up all the

different things, here. Simon Clark is absolutely piling on the pressure

at the front. Doing a good job of holding some classy rider that half

a minute. All of the favourites have clearly decided it is a bridge of

all gap on one climb and they are going to wait. -- Bridger bowl gap.

-- a gap they can bridge. They are on the descent, in the next to last

position, Thomas Kane. They were looking at Ipanema Beach, away in

the distance. And then just around the other side is that the cabana,

which is where the riders will be heading for an yen. A little stretch

for Kwiatkowski, now. -- in the end. I'm not sure if he was letting them

go. Yes, he's decided he cannot stay in the pace so is over. He certainly

got his money's were there, didn't he? The thick end of 200 kilometres.

-- moneys worth. Out there in a group of six in the final hour, but

it proved too much for him. One of the Danish riders trying to bridge

the gap, it looks like. Enjoying this bit of the descent. It

gets a bit more hairy later. Exactly 40 kilometres to go, now. It has

been an interesting race, the way this has panned out. In a sense, it

is similar to previous Olympic Games. It is not always the biggest

of star names that are going to win out today because once they get into

a position of having to close some gaps, who is going to do the

chasing? If you do it for yourself you may be handing the winter your

opponent and it just changes the dynamics, it is like being in a

breakaway but all they, the numbers are so small. The penultimate time

they go past Vista Chinesa. Right at the top of the climb. They went into

that corner very quickly, there, using every bit of road. You can see

how professional they are, how they know how to handle a bike. There is

no room for error on this descent, you can't go one centimetre off the

edge of the tarmac because there is a wheel trap, a one foot drop,

either side. This is where it is really tough for the motorbikes and

the cameramen on them. What a job they do. I counted that is 25

seconds, that distance. They are coming back. Ever so slowly. What is

going to be fascinating is who in the breakaway is going to work on

the flat because that will decide their fate. It is not the climb, 30

seconds, just under, it is fair to say, is not likely to be enough of a

buffer for one of them to stay away and take the gold medal so they need

to build that margin if they can. That means they have to work

together on the flat. It also means that one of them is going to lose

out and get dropped on the climb, so who is going to commit themselves

but to mark are they going to work equally? If one person tries to sit

on, they are doomed because everyone will say they are not working and it

will kill the breakaway. Similarly, behind, we saw some great work done

by the Spanish team in the previous lap. But I don't think that is going

to happen again. Not as prominent this time. Sweeping down here.

Twisting, turning, sinuous descent, technical, requiring total

concentration from these tired athletes. The penultimate time down

this road. And there's a crash! One of the Portuguese riders. I'm happy

to see him getting up, if you look at what he has got to content with,

there. That is the first hairpin we have been watching which takes them

by surprise. And that is Nelson Oliveira from Portugal. It is a

relief to see him up on his feet. That was a close call. Let's have a

look at it once again. There he is, and the fencing did its job, albeit

rather uncomfortably. But it is better than disappearing off the

side of the hill. The good news is that Nelson Oliveira, as you can

see, is OK and relatively unscathed. That is a relief. The camera is

sticking with him which is a bit of a shame because once we have seen

he's OK, we want to get back in with the racing because it is fascinating

stuff, here. We have less than an hour left in this Olympic

championships and they are on one of the most hair raising descent I have

ever seen, certainly in an Olympic road race. In fact, we have never

seen anything like this in an Olympic road race, a course that is

incredibly diverse. The motorbike is struggling to keep with the riders.

It shows how professional they are. It looks like a Brazilian rider, no,

one of the Australians, Richie Porte, Richie Porte. Look at the

damage he has done to himself. You can see clearly that he has gone

into the pole, Richie Porte, at the side of the road. It is held up with

solid poles. It is not riders. Bear is the aftermath of the crash,

Richie Porte not the only wonderful so drama on the penultimate lap of

the Vista Chinesa circuit, with roughly an hour still to go in the

Olympic Games road race. Richie Porte of Australia out of the race.

One of the favourites for the race, and a rider who we may well have

seen on Wednesday as well. Well, we might have done but it sums up his

year. It has been fraught with problems and crashes and

mechanicals. Let's hope that is the end of his bad luck. It was bound to

happen today, I've been banging on about it all through the race, I'm

afraid but when you have no way of... You step one centimetre

outside of the tarmac, you can't recover and that is going to happen.

There's no run-off, nowhere to go. And he's crashed on one of the safer

parts of the course because those netting portions are few and far

between. They are but it was his misfortune not only to go into the

netting but to hit the pole quite clearly and nearly take it out of

the ground. Looks like he's broken his collarbone. But I would breathe

a sigh of relief if that was as bad as it gets today. That's good. These

guys are back onto the safer, lower part of the descent. Here we go, a

couple of Italians. We missed some major attacking because of that.

They have done Chris Froome and chosen not to use the climb but the

descent to try to make some ground up and they have done just that.

That must have been an incredible descent from Vincenzo Nibali, to

close on this group. Not much in it, they have got some other riders

behind them. We will try to get them identified as soon as we can. But

now we have got the favourites for this race coming into play. And I

think that could be Chris Froome, there. It is room or Thomas, rather,

sorry. Adam Yates has come across. Yes, the green helmet of Adam Yates

as he goes past Geraint Thomas. Two Italians, two British in the final.

What a position for Great Britain to be in and what a position for the

Italians to be in. Absolutely. Soon as we get the time checks, we will

let you know but if this group holds, it is all going to come down

to that climb. That must have been an amazing descent by Vincenzo

Neeley to get across, there. So Sergio Henao is still in there as

well and Van Avermaet. Adam Yates and Fabio Aru and

Vincenzo Neely came across. Fabio Aru is some company for Vincenzo

Neely but one of them has do give it up and guess who it is? -- Vincenzo

Neely. I think Rafael Marquez is involved in this breakaway and Jakob

Fuglsang from Denmark. Interesting development, Rafal Majka, the king

of the mountain 's winner in the Tour de France, so Poland with

another card to play. What a final lap it is going to be. It is a shame

that we missed it. Absolutely but it is Fuglsang, number 61. A shame we

missed the descent but it must have been quite a piece of riding, three

Italians, with Caruso. Vincenzo Nibali is great at the descent. Yes

so we have two to work and want to finish it off, a fantastic position

for them but this time, two Brits in the mix, Thomas and Adam Yates.

Kwiatkowski was still in this group and he has Rafal Majka with him as

well and Italy are well placed with Caruso, Fabio Aru and Vincenzo

Nibali. Adam Yates and Thomas in there for Great Britain. And Andrey

Zeits for Kazakhstan. Sergio Henao for Colombia. Greg van Avermaet of

Belgium and Jakob Fuglsang from Denmark. Well, this is a very tasty

looking group and an important juncture in the race. 32.4

kilometres to go. Kwiatkowski, this is where we were talking right at

the start of the day about team responsibilities, professional team

responsibilities, how they could influence this race, Kwiatkowski is

getting dropped on the climb. Fantastic December, got back into

contention but is now working on the front, so clearly there is nothing

in it for him but he's also got two Team Sky team-mates there and he's

helping them out to try to keep this group away. And Rafal Majka is in

the group as well, his compatriot. Yes, fascinating stuff. Italy R.N. A

great position and suddenly Spain very much on the back foot. -- are

in a great position. Rodriguez and Valverde from Spain. I don't know if

I can see Chris Froome behind but I'm assuming you there. It must be

Rui Costa on the wheel with the pink helmet. And Daryl Impey from South

Africa. Yes, Rui Costa and Valverde, I think, is the one who has really

lost out. I would have expected him to be more attentive but he was

hanging back. Three of those four won all the medals in Florence in

2013 in the road race championship when the two Spanish riders

contrived to end up losing and being outfoxed by Rui Costa. Now it is

chance to get revenge but he's got to get across to this group and they

are really motoring. It's going to be a fascinating

final. What a last lap it is going to be. It's the waiting game, 12

kilometres from the bottom of the descent to the climb starts again.

So we have probably got six or seven left now. 30 kilometres to the end

of this race. And it kilometres of that -- eight kilometres of that is

uphill. As we have just seen, going over the top first doesn't mean you

will be the one who goes for the win. Descending like Nibali and Aru

could get you back on level terms. Cancellara, going back in front. The

pack have caught the two Spanish riders again. The tempo is being set

by Cancellara, with 30 kilometres to go. Meanwhile, we are with the front

of the race. There two British riders in the front group in the

closing stages of this road race on the opening day of the Games. We are

hearing that they have a 52nd lead -- a 50 second lead. There are

struggling to get organised. There are no big teams doing the chasing.

The Spanish want somebody else to help them out, but a lot of the

favourites are up the road. Kwiatkowski is cramping up. That is

probably the end of it for him. It is a long day out. He dropped his

tempo in the last few minutes, having been in that breakaway group

all day. It is a shame. He was doing a good job and that is one of the

reasons why this group was making such headway. Their two Team Sky

team-mates there as well. Looking behind, it is going to be an

almighty climb to try and get back in contact, Chris Froome at the back

of that group at the moment, jettisoning some bottles. I wonder

if he is good enough to make the junction on the client. He is

sitting a long way back in this group now. The group is being led by

Cancellara, the last Olympic Hara from him. Chris Froome seems to be

getting something to eat and drink. Not much racing left to do now. Get

your supplies in. Doesn't matter how much action there is, you have to

keep eating and drinking. Cancellara is driving hard to bring this group

back, but he is not going to do it alone. If you leave him there, all

he will do is monitor the gap. So Italy are setting the pace.

Caruso has done a big job for them today, been in the breakaway, doing

the work. Nibali is in the perfect position. We barely said his name

for the first few hours of the race. He was the favourite before the race

started, Vincenzo Nibali, along with a birdie from Spain. Unless

something changes fast, the winner is likely to come from this group.

Could the likes of Chris Froome close that gap if it is a minute? As

the footballers say, it is a big ask. And when you have two

team-mates, you can't risk bringing anybody important with you. Froome's

big target is the time trial here. We said at the start of the day that

his biggest advantage might be to give his team-mates and opportunity,

because everybody is thinking he has come out of the Tour de France in

fantastic form. There are other capable riders capable of taking a

gold medal, and that is what the British team have done. This is the

best race I have seen the British team ride. Certainly since I have

been involved with British cycling. Hats off to Rod Hollingworth, the

strategist behind this. They have come here with individuals who can

the job and they haven't come in working for one person. It has given

them options and they have used it superbly. Valverde up there with

Cancellara. Caruso is piling on pressure at the front of the race.

He was second in the Tour of Britain four years ago, behind Nathan Haas.

It has been a long day for these cyclists. And for us! They have been

in the sunshine throughout. It's been a fantastic race to watch. We

could see from the make-up of the course that it was going to be an

interesting day. This is the chase group, and we still do not have a

time gap to the front of the race. Heading back to the team car here to

grab one final bottle. It is just the status quo now,

everybody is pinned in place. And there are the French. We have seen

little from them throughout this race. They seem to have been waiting

for the opportunity. They might have watched it right away if they don't

get stuck in here. Alaphilippe has chances. There are three Frenchmen

and they are not helping the chase at the moment. There are two British

riders in the front pack, Adam Yates and Geraint Thomas. Adam Yates won

the British jersey, fourth overall in the Tour de France. And Geraint

Thomas, the Commonwealth Games road champion. And the two-time Olympic

gold medallist of the track in Beijing and London as part of the

team pursuit squad. This is the leading group. The big prerace

favourite, Vincenzo Nibali, is in this group. Andrey Zeits Kazakhstan

will be the surprise of those riders in that leading group -- Andrey

Zeits of Kazakhstan. Fuglsang in the red. The gap is coming down.

Yates can afford to dangle at the back in a group of this size,

getting rid of the extra weight. This race is finely balanced, with

more riders in contention than we anticipated. , We can see the lead

motorbikes. If they leave it to the Italians, that lead might be eroded

enough to see the back group come into contention again. It has cost

Valverde to get back on terms, but 30 seconds is now looking printable.

He realised it was now or never to get involved with the chase. I think

the French have just come to watch! Barbet is in third position. South

Africa have two riders in the race, and they are both up here. One of

them rode well in the Tour de France. I wonder how much he has got

left in his legs. The Spanish have just got off the front and probably

said, we will all lose together if you don't get stuck in. There is

Froome on the left-hand side, behind Rodriguez, in the Navy. Caruso is

done. That leaves our room and Nibali for Italy upfront. Italy down

to a couple now. Zeits is looking good in third place, the Cowes

Eider. -- the rider from Kazakhstan. This is irrelevant, because that was

his job. Italy have always been the most consistent country in getting a

team of writers to work together. -- a team of riders. And considering

the strength of personality they have, it is interesting that they do

stick to the three line whip when it comes to it. Now we see a bit of leg

stretching from the French. At last, buddha is getting involved. But it

doesn't look like he can follow the move -- Bardet.

We have not seen Froome react yet, but they had to do this. They have

to go at the start of the climb, because if you don't, there will not

be enough road left to get back on terms. I wonder what is happening at

the front. They must also be starting to play out the race. Here

is the front of the race. Nibali is leading. I thought he would be the

protected rider. Yates is now starting to work hard. It is hard to

tell with Yates, you just kind of hangs there. In this instance, the

climbers are probably the best descenders as well. Aru is going.

And Zeits is now accelerating, the Kazakh. Now Adam Yates is being

distanced a bit. He has to grit his teeth and try and hang on to this

leading group of riders on the final lap in the Olympic Games. They are

starting to slip away into the distance. Can he claw his way back?

I don't think he can. Same with Geraint Thomas. He is capable of

staying in this group, but it is going a bit quick. It might ease.

The second climb is not too steep. Then there is the descent, and then

it is a 6% average gradient all the way up. When Geraint Thomas won

Paris-Nice, he struggled to stay with them in the final climb. But it

was a fantastic descent and chase into the finish in Nice, which won

him the race in the end. So all would not be lost for Geraint Thomas

if he were within touching distance when they reach the top. Aru was

launching the first results to break it up, but he is struggling to stay

in contact. But he knows it is worth it because he have that recovery

opportunity made climb. Rodriguez leads the chase. He was not among

the favourites because of form recently. He said the course is

ideal for him, and he is living up to his old form now. Valverde is

struggling to hold on to the wheels. It doesn't look as if it will be his

day. There is Chris Froome, at the back of this group. This is not the

first group on the road. I think this is the second group. That is

why he was working on the flat. He knew his form. He probably spoke to

Rodriguez said, we need to get this gap down, you finish it off.

Yates about to be called by Rodriguez, looking to end his career

in a blaze of glory, been so close also mutations and done so well in

the Grand Tours without winning any and was desperately close to

becoming the world champion, pipped to the line in 2013 in Florence by

Rui Costa, left in floods of tears afterwards and is he going to claim

the Olympic gold medal? He's got a lot of work to do pseudo- -- still

because he's got to get up to this group which still includes Geraint

Thomas, number 20, for great Britain and on his will, Vincenzo Nibali and

the rider out of the saddle, just sitting down in the pale blue with

the black, yellow and red striped of Belgium is Greg van Avermaet. Fabio

Aru holding up the back but Thomas is looking better and better,

actually, looking better. Chris Froome accelerate on the group

behind. He's got to be careful who he takes with him but he's waited as

long as you can and wants to get himself back in contention. I think

that is a reasonable price to pay a fee only to grow and barred it with

him. And Esteban Chaves in the white jersey tried to follow as well and

it looks like Bauke Mollema, the Dutch rider, has followed the wheel

of Chris Froome. Romain Bardet looks up and is Chris Froome still on the

attack? Romain Bardet cannot go with him and Chris Froome is digging in

and opening up the gap and Bauke Mollema is leading the chase after

him but Chris Froome, now, riding away from the second group, here, on

the road, on the last lap of the Vista Chinesa finishing circuit,

here in Rio. He's on the back foot, isn't he, which is very poignant for

Chris Froome, he's on the back foot and he's got to get back in

contention, got to work as hard as he possibly can to try to bridge the

gap, just to get back into a medal position. He may have been told that

Adam Yates has been dropped which has given him the opportunity to try

to get across. Geraint Thomas looking in good shape on the front,

managing to stay with them as they go through the crowds. He's got that

little descent to look forward to and recover and then it is not so

steep. Fabio Aru fighting to stay in contention but I think is they've

done. Chris Froome a bit further back down the road. Not making much

inroads on the group, though, he's probably got about 50 metres and he

needs to be closing the gap faster than this. Back up towards the

leading group and Fabio Aru, the Italian looks as though he is being

dropped, we said he did not quite have the form in recent weeks, but

some of these people, the crowd need to get off the and get out of the

way and Andrey Zeits of Kazakhstan cannot hold the pace either but here

comes the pressure at the front of the race from Vincenzo Nibali will

stop Rafal Majka from Poland goes with him. He looks good. Really

strong and Fuglsang from Denmark up to the front as well but struggling

to hold the wheels, just getting dropped, as is Greg van Avermaet.

Sergio Henao is up there and the great ride by Geraint Thomas, lung

busting effort, his legs must be absolutely screaming at this point,

but Geraint Thomas is hanging in there at the front of the Olympic

road race. Doing a fantastic job, he needed the respite, struggled with

the opening pace but now he's on it, in fourth place, hanging in, only

one of those guys at the moment would end up without a medal but

Vincenzo Nibali has another card to play, probably the best descender in

the group but if they do it crest the top together, even if he went

away alone, he probably would not get enough time to make it stick.

This is a fascinating group and I think we are probably looking at the

make-up of where the medals are going to from. Chris Froome to get

across, very difficult. It is going to be tough for him but Adam Yates

is going to see if he can find a fifth the wind or something to try

to dig in, even if it is just for a couple of minutes, to try to lift

Chris Froome back up towards the front of the race and that is

precisely what Adam Yates is doing. What a year he has had, what a

talented young man and what a great career he could still have in front

of him. Some big gaps there, over half a minute to close and the

kilometres are ticking away, just over 20 remaining, starting to look

behind you see what damage is being done. Vincenzo Nibali accelerates.

He goes again and he's got to do this, thin out the group because he

won't necessarily win the sprint. It is all down to him, his team has

worked for, sacrificed themselves one by one and now it is down to him

to finish it off, small bursts not enough at the moment, though. Thomas

is still in there. This is going to be one fascinating descent of this

mountain, that is for sure. Sergio Henao is still up at the front of

the race, I think, the Colombian, a very select group, now. Rodriguez,

there, Joaquim Rodriguez, the best smash rider on the road at the

moment. A top ten finish in the Tour de France, the South Africa, mind

you, leading him up the climb. Romain Bardet is on the will of

Chris Froome, head of the rider who was fourth in Paris, Adam Yates.

Adam Yates has just been dropped and he is unlikely to be the chase them

down, Chris Froome has to do this himself if he wants to get across.

Adam Yates has already shown he does not have the validity to close and

stay with them, let alone close the gap so he really has do work for

himself if he wants to get back on terms. I think it is just too far in

the distance remaining for him. Rafal Majka, with the red stripe

down his jersey, the Polish rider, as we momentarily lost the picture,

Vincenzo Nibali looking around, Geraint Thomas hanging in there,

Fuglsang is there, Greg van Avermaet is there. Van Avermaet has had a

second wind, done really well to get back on terms and is looking

stronger. I suppose you have to remember there is a fatigue factor

and some of these riders will fare better, so the stronger riders won't

necessarily last as long so Van Avermaet is used to long, single day

races and is starting to find a second wind, not fatiguing as fast

as the others. Rodriguez is doing a fantastic job, slowly making inroads

to get concerns as well. They are not too far away, here and closing

in, Fabio Aru trying to hang on for all use web buddies sort of court in

no man's land, Andrey Zeits looks as though he's going to get back on and

there are still a number of riders who will fancy their chances, if

they can stay pretty close to the front as they go over the top.

Fuglsang has decided to take on the pacemaking, for whatever reason,

Vincenzo Nibali has decided not to go again, maybe he's not capable. It

was a strong surge a few moments ago but only shorter we might have seen

the best he's got to give. But like I say, defending is what he has got

to give as well. Some ride by Geraint Thomas, whatever happens

between now and the finish. He's done a phenomenal job, the whole

team has, to give Great Britain this opportunity. It is not perhaps the

one that a lot of people were expecting, Chris Froome, but I would

give good odds on Geraint Thomas being a better sprinter if it comes

down to it. What a great sporting summer it has been for Wales already

with the football team at the Euros. Is Geraint Thomas about to write

another chapter, here in Rio? Rodriguez catches Fabio Aru,

catching up with the rear wheel, goes past him and he's going to get

back on terms, almost certainly, before they get over the top.

Vincenzo Nibali, I think, I feel sure, must just be waiting for his

next chance, just waiting and waiting. You will have gauged this

crime, knows where the steep sections are. The strongest of the

climbers but perhaps not quite strong enough to make a significant

gap. Joaquim Rodriguez has done really well, made that junction,

pretty much, almost onto the wheel of Fabio Aru, who is hanging on and

Louis Meintjes is just about managing to stick with the Spaniard.

Just a bit further down,... They have got away from Chris Froome.

This is Alaphilippe, number 13. Has to get back on terms. Where is Chris

Froome? Is he in front of these riders behind them? The thought

would be that he would be in front of them but you never know and we

are not being given any in formation, unfortunately. We should

get a look when they go over the top. One thing we can save all

certain if this race is an absolute bits and the winner will probably

come from the front group containing Vincenzo Nibali and Geraint Thomas.

You would think so, wouldn't you? It certainly looks that way, this is

the little descent halfway up the final big one. You forget how long

it is, 20 solid minutes, with one-minute rest in the middle. It is

like rounds in a boxing match, isn't it? Just not much time for recovery,

as you can see, the road is about to go uphill again, very quickly. They

make a right-hand turn to start the second part of the climb, another

four kilometres lying before them up to the summit of the Vista Chinesa

for the final time. Not quite as deep, though, I'm not sure how much

of a consolation that will be to the guys who are already in trouble,

here. It starts off quite leisurely, 3-4% and then kicks up to 11% and

then it's pretty consistent around 6% all the way to the summit.

Gripping stuff inside the last 20 kilometres of these men's Olympic

road race. It is now I think five and three

quarters hours that they have been in the saddle. They left us here at

Copacabana five and three quarters hours ago and Alaphilippe, the rider

we were talking about earlier today, is still looking to be a factor,

here. If anyone is wondering why Fuglsang has decided to ride on the

front, Wellcome he Vincenzo Nibali's team, of course. This is Chris

Froome. But we don't know where he is on the road. Is he in front of

Alaphilippe behind? But we know who it is. Is Chris Froome closing the

gap? He was certainly in front of them before so there's no reason why

he isn't still. This is the front of the race, we know that. We will

watch these guys keep on looking back down the road and see if he

comes into view, that is the best we can offer you at home. But what a

fantastic race, we are certainly not been disappointed in the fact we

have pictures at all from under this dense canopy I think is incredible,

as the race really kicks off now. Andrey Zeits starting to lose a bit

of contact and predictably, Fabio Aru is as well and Rodriguez can't

go with it. Sergio Henao and Vincenzo Nibali at the front of the

race. And this time, they have got some daylight and these two have

managed to slip away, got three or four seconds worth of lead and that

might be enough. Such motivation in these positions because you are both

guaranteed at least a medal. It is worth digging deep. Absolutely and

Sergio Henao, we knew his form was pretty good coming into the

Olympics, who races for Team Sky alongside Chris Froome and still

finished 12th in the Tour de France despite all that. Now perhaps a

chance for glory for him and Colombia, who knows? It is the final

move, I think, the final split, Vincenzo Nibali knows that if he

wants a certain win, he has to get away. He is unlikely to win a

spread. Rafal Majka on the chase from Poland, now, three times a

stage winner in the Tour de France and the king of the mountain 's

winner and Chris Froome is a little bit further back down the mountain,

as you can see, behind Alaphilippe. Rafal Majka is a good sprinter as

well so we have three medals. Vincenzo Nibali having another go,

wants to get rid of these riders but Alaphilippe is flying up the

mountainside and Vincenzo Nibali now makes his bid for victory, gritted

teeth and tries to leave the others behind. He's out on his own and it's

a long way to the finish after this descent but he's the best defender

in the group and he could make enough of a buffer, if he can reach

the summit alone, he can make enough of a buff on the descent to give

himself up by of getting all the way to the chequered flag. -- a fighting

shot of getting. It is tricky stuff, he knows he's got to get away if he

can beat Rafal Majka, who can sprint. But both riders have enough

to get back on terms. It's going to be a fascinating finish. Vincenzo

Nibali just can't quite get enough daylight to get himself away. It is

a really steep bit of the climb, this one, is Alaphilippe joins what

was the leading group of riders. This is a superb final lap from him,

the young Frenchman. So he did get away and Chris Froome was left

behind. He went well in the Tour de France, some very impressive

finishes, a fourth and a fifth as well as a second place. Very

consistent, second in the Liege race earlier in the spring as well.

That's it, Vincenzo Nibali knows he has given we can and needs to take a

breather but I don't think he's going to shake these two. -- all he

can. He can take them by surprise but Rafal Majka is one of the

canniest riders in the peloton, let alone this group, he's not going to

let Vincenzo Nibali get behind him if he can help it and he's going to

make sure he keeps an eye on the best climber in the group. He knows

he has got to stay with him. He can't out time trial him. He might

be able to stay with him in the climbs but has a very good chance of

outsprinting him. The gap between these three and the group behind

will be key when they go over the top because remember, in the second

group on the road, a handful of seconds behind, Geraint Thomas is

still in that group. But at the moment, Vincenzo Nibali leading from

Sergio Henao of Columbia and Rafa magic of Poland. -- Rafal Majka.

Still a feral distance, even when they get to the bottom of the

descent but as we saw earlier on this circuit. -- fair old distance.

But earlier, Vincenzo Nibali showed his prowess at descending. If we

take out the descent, there's ten kilometres of racing left to do,

that is a technical thing, a carriage thing, a part of the race

where it is about skill. -- acreage thing. The other ten kilometres is

visible as well. You have to break it up into mental chunks for them as

well. Back to Chris Froome, we think he is still 40 seconds behind. I

don't think he has any reasonable hope of getting back on terms from

here. You have to remember, he's not won a major single day race, so we

were expecting an awful lot of him, to be honest. Geraint Thomas was in

a good position but had not quite got the legs to live with an on form

Vincenzo Nibali, road all the way through the Tour de France largely

as training for this event, one of his two targeted events this year

and now we can see why, this and the Giro d'Italia, and he has got

himself in position to try to win both. It is Rui Costa, the former

world champion with Chris Froome on the road at the moment, the

Portuguese, just a bit further down the mountainside.

But here are our three leaders. I think Nibali would rather have got

rid of the other two by now. Absolutely. He doesn't want to leave

this to chance. It is his main goal for the year, and the only way he

can win is by getting away. He may try to drop them on the descent,

which would be a scary thing to watch. Alaphilippe tries to make a

break from the Geraint Thomas group. Fuglsang is in third place in the

red, Geraint Thomas still in there. We could do with a time gap from

this group to the leading three to give us some indication as to

whether they could still be players in the race. I think it will only be

a handful of seconds. They are riding consistently. The worst of

the climb is behind them. So is a fan! That Italian fan is getting a

bit excited. He has a fair bit of pace, though! Thanks for that. We

are being told 15 seconds is the gap. So it is still possible for

them to make the junction. Van Avramov at would have a good chance.

The lone figure of Chris Froome, trying to make that junction, but it

is not happening for him. Rui Costa has left him behind. Here is the

front of the rest again. Nibali is still leading at the end of this

gruelling, attritional and quite superb Olympic Games men's road

race. It has had everything and we have enjoyed every element of it.

This climb most of all. The descent, not so much. I don't want to see

anyone come to harm. There was a dramatic crash for the Australian,

Richie Porte. He looked OK, but still a nasty fall. At least the cat

netting do this job and stopped him disappearing off the side of the

hillside. -- the catch netting did its job. They are starting to drop

now. Nibali is in his natural place at the front. Majka tried to stop

him. Is me not just be the motorbike that struggles to keep up. This is

the second group, the Geraint Thomas group. You can see how close they

are behind as they cover the same road. It is still a fair trek to the

finish, Chris. When they get to the bottom, there is not much room for

manoeuvre for the three at the front. That was where Richie Porte

crashed. This is the start of the real twisty descent, follow

hairpins. You can be sure Nibali has researched this carefully. It is not

much of a lead. But difficult to close on a descender like Nibali.

They have to store and re-accelerate after it. Then those gaps start to

appear and it is hard to close them again. The first cycling medals up

for grabs, the second set of medals to be awarded at these Games. Just a

few minutes away now. We are waiting for Chris Froome. Clearly, he is not

going to get back on terms now. Nobody is giving Nibali an inch. And

there isn't an inch to spare on this road. Really technical, tight

descent. We should probably talk in metric, there is not a centimetre to

spare! They are coming round in dribs and drabs now. We have still

not had a shot of Chris Froome, I can only assume we have missed him.

We need some indication of the speed of these riders as they hurtle down

the mountainside toward the centre of Rio. It is a crash! Sergio

Hanauer is down, and Vincenzo Nibali is down! Suddenly, Rafal Majka is on

his own in the lead at the front of the race. We said it was tight and

technical, we said it was an unforgiving descent here, and that

is precisely what it has proven to be. Disastrous for two of the three

leading riders. Just as they thought they were going to be contesting the

medals, the big prerace favourite, Vincenzo Nibali, is on the ground.

It will be disastrous for the next people around the corner if they

don't get them off the road fast. That is a genuine hazard for the

rest of the riders. We said this would happen. We said the descent

would play as big a part in this race as the climb, and so it has

proven. Let's hope everybody else gets around safely here. It doesn't

look like Nibali is getting up. That Olympic dream, gone in a flash. As

the rest of the race goes past and leaves him behind. That dangerous

corner looks even trickier now. Froome was in a similar but less

consequential crash in the Tour de France. But this time, the price has

been paid. Hang on, I am just hearing that

Geraint Thomas has gone down, but we haven't seen any of this. Here is

the leader. Rafal Majka is out in front alone. There is Geraint Thomas

at the side of the road. He crashes out of the Olympic Games on the

final descent of the climb of Vista Chinesa. He was a contender for a

medal in the closing stages, Vincenzo Nibali. His hopes are in

tatters. The previous contenders, Vincenzo Nibali and Henao, have

crashed. And Geraint Thomas has fallen in a separate incident. Rafal

Majka now leads this Olympic road race on his own. And Alaphilippe of

France is chasing hard to try and get up with the remnants of the

Thomas group. Before we saw Geraint Thomas lying along the side of the

road, Majka is a worthy winner, because he didn't take a risk on the

descent. He used his judgment. It is not just about physical ability. He

decided to back off slightly and found his way through that crash.

His tiny bit of prudence has paid off and put him in a gold medal

position. Can he take it all the way to the line? He only has a handful

of seconds. We think it is 20 seconds for Rafal Majka, the Polish

rider. But he has ridden a wily race. Alaphilippe has come on strong

in the closing stages. This group are not trying to bring Majka back.

So he looks like he is heading to being Olympic champion, because

there is not an organised chase behind him. He might be alone, but

he has only got eight kilometres to go and all the incentive in the

world. Rafal Majka finds himself in the box seat here. He can almost

touch the finish. Here is the chase group.

You can see the dead legs now. It is like the last round in a boxing

match. They have been out there for the best part of six hours now. It

is about who has got the most left now, not who has the best form. We

have joking Rodriguez, Fabio Aru in the white jersey, Zeits from

Kazakhstan, the South African in the green and white. Fuglsang is there

from Denmark, and one other rider who is not in the picture. It is

Julian Alaphilippe. I think that group will just concentrate on

trying to get onto the podium, all playing into the hands of Rafal

Majka, who is heading for that gold medal now. What a turn up for the

books. I honestly thought Nibali had it, but just overcooked it and

changed the course of the race in one bend. Let's hope he is OK, and

Geraint Thomas too. We will get the stories in post race interviews, no

doubt. But it was a dramatic last descent. Let's hope Geraint Thomas

is OK, a dramatic descent of Vista Chinesa left him in the gutter along

the outside of the road, having overcooked the bend slightly. Fabio

Aru is suddenly back in the running in this Olympic Games road race.

Greg Van Avermaet will fancy his chances if it comes back together.

But Rafal Majka is powering away and hoping he has the legs to take him

all the way to a golden victory on the seafront here on the beach at

Copacabana. Just a handful of kilometres remaining. I am sure that

is enough now. The chasing group's efforts are not consistent. And the

kilometres are ticking away. It is a closable gap if this group work

together, but with six kilometres to go and I'm not working, I think it

is his. He would be a worthy winner given the way he has written. He has

won a Stage 3 times in the Tour de France. He won the king of the

Mountains jersey this year. He won the Tour of Poland as well. He was

third in the Tour of Spain last year and also came fifth in the Tour of

Italy, the Giro d'Italia, earlier in the summer. So a very strong rider,

but often has not managed to land the big prizes. That is often what

happens in the Olympics, though. Somebody who was always there or

thereabouts gets an opportunity as the favourites watch each other and

all the pressure is on them. In this case, he proved to have the better

judgment and good enough legs. I can't believe they will close that

gap now. And he kept a cool pressure in that intense descent. If they do

get it together, it is not impossible that they could bring him

back. He is tired. He has been out there all day. He has not gained

much more time. They would not need to do it huge amount to bring him

back, but they have to work together. And they haven't got much

time in which to do it. Rafal Majka casts an anxious glance over his

left shoulder to see what the advantage is and whether there is a

bit of cat and mouse going on behind, whether they are worried

about who is going to collect the other medals. Fuglsang now attacks

from the right-hand side of the road. And on his wheel is Greg Van

Avermaet, the Belgian. Everybody else, for the moment, sits and

watches. As you suggest, Chris, maybe they are a bit cooked. They

are all knackered now. They are just surviving to the finish. Majka was

not involved in any breakaways. He wasn't attacking from the front of

the race. He just made sure he was in the right place at the right

time. The gap is coming down rapidly, which is surprising me.

Greg Van Avermaet is driving hard. These two are better sprinters than

Majka if they can get back on terms. I tell you what, Greg van Avermaet

will be licking his lips that this situation. Fuglsang is there and the

chase is very much on behind. This is the front of the race,...

Alaphilippe getting back on terms and I would give him a good chance

of beating Rafal Majka as well so Rafal Majka, who looked like he was

heading for a nailed on gold medal, now looks like he could be in threat

of getting a medal if these three can catch him up which would be

desperately sad inside the last four kilometres. What a dramatic and

exciting finish to this meant's Road race. Riders crashing at the vital

moment on the final descent, taking out some of the favourites,

including Geraint Thomas of Great Britain. Rafal Majka looking as

though he was going to profit, in a lead group of three and suddenly

found itself on his own, almost as a last man standing from the lead

group. But we are not sure whether the lead he has is going to be big

enough to take him all the way to the line. The chase is very much on.

Fuglsang of Denmark and Greg van Avermaet of Belgium are right after

him now. Nine seconds is the difference between them, they are

right on top of him. I would say it is less than nine seconds now and

that is almost enough, you could eat that in a sprint. He is the two

behind him hesitate and start to think about the spread when they get

to about a kilometre to go but to be honest, I think they will catch him

before that. They are not hesitating at the moment, absolutely flying

along the seafront as they make their way back towards Coburg and

the finish. They have Rafal Majka very much in their sights. And Rafal

Majka just digs as deep as he possibly can, just to see what else

you can find, whether he has got anything left in the tank that would

hold him clear of these two chasers, who are bearing down on him now,

almost with the Finnish insight. It is brinkmanship at its very best,

isn't it? You will see them both starting to look behind, none of

them want to work too hard, they all know that if they do too much, they

will not win the sprint. They are starting to think about that as well

and the leader is just holding his own, now. It's now or never and he

knows it, you can tell by the look on his face, he could not possibly

be giving anything more, his legs are screaming, here, this is his

chance to win an Olympic gold medal and these two riders are out to deny

him and claim the gold for themselves. Fuglsang leading the way

and Van Avermaet menacingly sitting on his wheel. Six seconds is the gap

and the motorbikes are starting to help the chase quite a lot to close

the gap now. Two kilometres to go. I think it is going to come down for a

-- to a sprint for them and I know what Rafal Majka will get if that is

the case, less than two kilometres to go and he will be able to see the

finish soon. Four seconds the gap, that is more realistic and the two

behind know they need to get to him quickly so they can start to think

about the spread. They are closing right in and they will join him

before we get to the finish now. And Alaphilippe is in the wings as well,

out of shot at the moment but not far behind. These three words need

to ease much for him to get back on terms and raffle Matt Cook would

come away from this empty-handed. You can't give any room at all here

to Alaphilippe, you can't forget him because he won't be playing cat and

mouse, he would be fiddling around, looking after his shoulder -- over

his shoulder, he will be going for it, gaining ground on these riders

all the time, we need to look back and see how far behind he is. Van

Avermaet, I would not have said about the narrow half ago that he

was going to be the one to contest the finish, he'd worked so hard on

the climb, got dropped, got back on terms but a wily rider, he has spent

his energy well and used Vincenzo Nibali to get back in contention on

the descent. He got himself back into the group and survived the last

climb and then has profited from those technical mistakes made by the

front three. I think they should be about roughly in the last kilometre

of this race moron is because when they turn left onto the seafront,

they've only got about 500 metres to go. A little look behind from Greg

van Avermaet, still no sign of where Alaphilippe is but the race is

rapidly approaching the beach at Copacabana and for a few minutes,

there, it looked as though Rafal Majka was going to enjoy a lone

victory and become Olympic champion but suddenly, he's going to have to

sprint against these are the two with the chasing group closing down

but may be running out of time. They have, we have not had a shot looking

back down the road for the last few kilometres and Alaphilippe has been

reabsorbed, Rafal Majka is going to get a medal, I'm relieved about that

but I think I know what colour it will be. Into the finishing straight

and just over 300 metres to go, the riders almost insight, the ground

have been waiting all day, this is what they have been waiting for, I

don't think many of them were expecting to see these three at the

front of the race. Who is about to become the Olympic champion? Van

Avermaet goes for glory, opens up the attack. Rafal Majka has got

nothing left, Van Avermaet... Is he going to take the victory for

Belgium? Van Avermaet is the Olympic champion! Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark

take the silver, and Rafal Majka, who just five minutes ago looked set

for gold, is to settle for bronze and here comes the spread between

the remnants of the chasing group, led out by the young French rider,

Julian Alaphilippe and Joaquim Rodriguez will chase him all the way

up towards the line, they are fighting for the minor places, Fabio

Aru over the line, Louis might just as well but there is the Olympic

champion, Greg van Avermaet Belgium. Phenomenal ride by him. I would not

have said he was going to be the one who would win today but he showed

some real grit and stayed in contention, had some tough times

going up that hard, hard climb on the Vista Chinesa circuit but stuck

in their and his endurance paid through. Bears Geraint Thomas.

Coming in, clearly injured but able to finish the race which is a real

relief, it has to be said. Tears in the Belgian team, here. I have to

say, as disappointing as it was in the end for Geraint Thomas, to see

the medal chance disappearing from his grasp so late in the race, it is

a major relief to see him on the bike and riding up the seafront,

here, towards the finish. Battered but unbowed, the Welshman, rapidly

coming in towards the finish. And riders will be finishing for some

considerable time but Van Avermaet was always going to be the favourite

when it came down to those three. It was but I'm amazed he had the grit

to stick in there, with the true climbers up there and a descent --

event like that but he showed why he is a top Classics rider, he's more

than just as printer, more than a climber, more than someone who can

ride a descent, can read a race and read himself and measure his energy.

Van Avermaet, a man who has won stages in the Tour de France last

year and busier, here comes Geraint Thomas ordered the seafront, had the

yellow jersey in the Tour de France, Van Avermaet this year well. He has

won a good few races but none as big as this single one-day race. Here

comes Geraint Thomas, wondering what might have been. His performance was

so good for so long. We did not quite see what happened on the

descent but the relief is he's OK. The British team, regardless of the

outcome today, rode fantastically well. I was really impressed by the

way they manage their resources and ultimately, they did not have the

legs today. Even Chris Froome, when he went for it, was not making

inroads. He's had a lot of responsibility since the Tour de

France, clearly lost a bit of edge and it is the one-day race which is

a different thing. Adam Yates coming in. With Dan Martin on his wheel and

also there, Chris Froome. So it was a tough day, as expected, we knew it

would be at the British team did what they could but in the end, we

had a worthy winner in Greg van Avermaet and bitter disappointment

for Geraint Thomas in particular, is Chris Froome decides to have a

little sprint with Dan Martin up towards the line, competitive to the

last and then Adam Yates over the line for Great Britain as well. All

those top riders within three minutes in the end. Despite the

crashes and everything else, a close race. I'm wondering if Chris Froome

actually stopped? Three minutes down, he was only a few seconds off,

he may have stopped with Thomas. Maybe he stopped and helped out

Geraint Thomas at the time. Fuglsang, there, the silver

medallist from Denmark. Riders continuing to cross the line.

Fuglsang banging his handlebars in frustration at the end of the race

but I think it was no disgrace and no surprise in a way, that that man

there was able to beat into the line, Greg van Avermaet. He has been

knocking on the door for a long time until the last year or two, Van

Avermaet, but had missed out so many times on the big victory. The sprint

again, Van Avermaet makes the move, gets the gap, Rafal Majka had

nothing left, he knew that he was going to end up with the bronze

medal and Fuglsang, of course, as you can see, not able to close the

gap at all. A big, comfortable sprint win at the end of a long,

tough, arduous Olympic road race for Greg van Avermaet of Belgium. He is

only the second Belgian rider ever to win this race, after a win in

Helsinki in 1952. It's been a while, considering how Belgium are such a

fine, traditional cycling nation but some of -- Van Avermaet begins the

celebrations. Spare a thought for Rafal Majka, he was in what looked

like the race winning move with Vincenzo Nibali and Sergio Henao,

who both crashed on the final descent of Vista Chinesa and

suddenly, Rafal Majka was in the box seat with no one around him, on his

own. The gold medal looked to be there for the taking but in the end,

that was the man who took it off him. Greg van Avermaet, great race,

great course. We said it was going to be a difficult descent, Chris

Boardman said how treacherous he thought it was and we both had

misgivings about the descent when we saw it yesterday. We took some

pictures and it looked very unforgiving and so it proved. Richie

Porte, Geraint Thomas and Sergio Henao, just three of the riders who

came a cropper when they were just pushing to the limit, as you have do

in a race like this with so much on the line. But Rio provided a

wonderful backdrop throughout the race, not just here in Rio itself

but as it headed out along the coast, all the way to the first

circuit. That seems a long time ago now! The first circuit of Grumari,

and then back along the coast, past all of the beach at -- beach huts,

in towards Rio and the finish. You can see what it means, not just the

winner but his team-mates as well, all that work, all that effort, to

fruition. -- coming to fruition. Here comes some more of those who

have made it to the finish line. Among them, Serge Pauwels, who will

have a big grin on his face because he knows that he is part of an

Olympic gold medal winning nation today. Greg van Avermaet will have

so many media duties and so much protocol to follow. From here on in,

over the next couple of hours before he can really start to relax and it

will sink in. But Van Avermaet, with one of the easier sprints of his

career. The British team performed well, great job done by Ian Stannard

early in the race, took a lot of terms at the front, and Steve

Cummings as well, Adam Yates in the end got into what looked like the

race winning move with Geraint Thomas but did not quite have the

legs. Thomas still hoped to be in the hunt for a medal right up

towards the end of the race but crashed at the roadside, crashed out

of contention and there is the top nine, Van Avermaet, Fuglsang and

Rafal Majka, Alaphilippe just outside the medals after a very

strong final lap, Jo Kim Rodriguez, in his final race before retirement,

the best of the Spanish finishers, fifth place, Fabio Aru, who did not

look as though he had the legs and was not as strong as Vincenzo

Nibali, but ending up in sixth and Louis Meintjes from South Africa, of

the back of an excellent top ten finish in the Tour de France, in

seventh place, Andrey Zeits of Kazakhstan, a good ride from him and

Tanel Kangert, who is a team-mate of Vincenzo Nibali, in ninth place.

Welcome if there's ever been a more scenic Olympics road race, I'd love

to see it. It's a great way of understanding the topography of the

land around Rio on a scorching hot day but what an incredibly

difficult, dangerous race for the riders. Let's go back down to the

finish at Copacabana... Struggling to say it! Jill Douglas is there. So

many incidents to talk about. For you, what will be the headlines that

come out of the race? I think the technical descent, the fact that

Vincenzo Nibali set off in pursuit of gold and went down. We looked at

the course yesterday, we drove up and down the descent, Chris, and at

the time, we both said this would be where the decisive move in the race

was. In the course preview, we said the descent would play a bigger part

in this rate than the crime itself and sadly that came to be. When

there's no room to make any error whatsoever, and the pressure is on,

and the is going to decide who is sprinting for medals, it is going to

happen. I was surprised, once they had got into a group of three, but

Vincenzo Nibali made the mistake, absolutely tragic. I think we might

get a word with the Olympic champion now, Greg van Avermaet is making his

way here. Gray, a quick word in English? Congratulations. You have

won some big races in your time, wore the yellow jersey, but this is

the best you have done? Yes, this is the biggest title you could ever

have, the Olympic champion. For me, it was not a great course, it was

really hard. Not the best, I was not the favourite but I had a great day

and everything in the last 10-15 kilometres when perfect. A lot of

guys crashed on the descent because they took some risks but I just

played safe. Stayed focused and I knew I had a good spread so in the

end, the last five or six K, everything when perfect, catching

Rafa Majkova and then I was the fastest guy of the two, incredible

the two, incredible movement. Mutch congratulations, I know you are

being moved on to collect your medal but well done. There we are, and

very happy Olympic champion. As he said, he did not take the risks but

Vincenzo jete -- Vincenzo Nibali gave everything to get the gold

medal, one of the best defenders in the sport but today, it was not his

day. -- December. No, but being the best descender

means you have to push the envelope. Sometimes it is knowing when to back

off. It takes a lot of courage sometimes to do less, not more.

Tragic for him. Majka showed great judgment in backing off while in

that group. I thought he might have got himself a gold medal, but he

just didn't have the legs. He ran out of steam. I think cleverness

came into it as much as anything. Van Avermaet is a very clever bike

rider. He knows how to use his resources. We are waiting to see if

Geraint Thomas appears. I imagine he is on his way after catching up with

Chris Froome at the finish. We saw that he had a nasty crash on the way

down. Did you see it? Nobody saw the crash. It was in disarray, we just

saw motorbikes coming around the corner and seeing bodies on the

floor. It doesn't look like anyone has been seriously hurt, thank God.

There are lots of trees at the edges of the road, so the potential for

serious damage was there. I think Richie Porte has probably broken

collarbone. It was a nasty descent for everybody and not a difficult

one to make a mistake on, if that makes sense. You would not have to

make much of a mistake for the consequences to be huge. The British

team rode fantastically, regardless of the results. They used their

resources to the best, but they just didn't have the legs. The other

riders were quicker on the day. There was nothing more that could be

done. Chris Froome even had the legs to sprint at the end, trying to beat

Dammartin over the line. It was a long day in the saddle. How will

this set him up for Wednesday in the time trial? Not well, to be honest.

There is a price to pay and you will not fully recover before the time

trial. He has to make a choice. But I like the fact that he committed to

this. He said, I am in it to the end and I'm going to sprint for the

minor places. But it is not ideal preparation for the time trial. A

great performance from the British team. The guys did their job early

on, Ian Stannard leading the charge. I would not have brought standard.

-- Ian Stannard. But I would admit that I am wrong. It was a great

decision to bring in somebody who was just for the flats and to make

sure all the grunt work got done. What a loyal person to have on your

side. The team selection was excellent. I am not one for putting

a spin on it when you don't win, but I can't see what else they could

have done. I suppose it is what ifs, but if Geraint Thomas had stay

upright, could he have been in the mix for a middle? Yeah, but his legs

were not quite there -- in the mix for a medal. It worked out

fantastically, but they just didn't have the legs to finish the job.

There is nothing you can do about that. As the Olympic champion does

another interview over your shoulder, we will have the ceremony

shortly and hopefully a word with Geraint Thomas. Meanwhile, back to

you. We will definitely be back with you to hear from Geraint Thomas and

Chris Froome. Many thanks to respond and Simon Brotherton. During that

road race, there was a huge roar from the Aquatic Centre behind me,

which suggested something very special had happened, and it

involved Britain's Adam Peaty. Here are Adrian Moorhouse and Andy

Jensen. In four and three, Peaty and

Murdoch. It has not been that fast so far. What can they do? They are

in great position is next to each other. There is Ross Murdoch. Adam

Peaty, the two British boys. And there is the world number one, the

favourite to win the Olympic title, Adam Peaty. Ross Murdoch will give

him a run for his money, I think. The final heat of the men's 100

metres breaststroke and Great Britain's world record holder,

Commonwealth champion, has started very well. Adam Peaty in four in the

Red Hat, with Ross Murdoch of Great Britain also going well in three. A

great start from Peaty. I would not be surprised if he went for it right

now. He is holding water really well. Let's see what he has left in

the last 15 metres. This could be a massive world record if he can hold

onto it. It is his world record. He's swimming away the field. We are

looking for 57.92. This is going to be outstanding! 57.5, goodness me!

Half a second underneath the world record. A massive win for Adam

Peaty. He didn't need to do it, but he blew the field away. Massive

world record. Over 1.5 seconds faster than the rest of the field.

What a brilliant world record. That is the time to do a world record.

Adam Peaty is brilliant at turning everything into an opportunity.

People say to him, how do you manage the pressure? And he has said, I am

the world record holder, they are going to be worried about me! 57.55

from Peaty. Ross Murdoch swam well. He will be in the semifinals. He was

third. Goodness me, three tenths underneath world-record pace. Thumbs

up?! Are you kidding me? I would do a dance! That is stunning. Ross

Murdoch congratulate him. He might have not done enough to get in. But

Peaty, all-powerful, leading the world into the semis. A new world

record for Adam Peaty. He looks tremendous.

Adam, what possessed you to go in there and swim like that? Just

laying down your cards? Yeah, I was showing a bit of my hand. What was

it? I have been practising that front end for a while. I heard the

crowd screaming more than I thought, there is something dodgy going on

here! I just enjoyed my first Olympic Games. I am unofficial

Olympian now, so it is great to enjoy the atmosphere. It doesn't

matter what country they are from -- I am unofficial Olympian now.

Obviously, you are spear hunting the British swimming team. Yeah,

hopefully tonight, get a better performance and see what we have

got. Don't be afraid of the slot, it is just swimming two lengths. It is

what you have done all your life. Hopefully, that will translate to

the kids back home watching who want to get involved in swimming. It is

scary, but once you are in that lane, it is amazing. That is one of

the things you are bringing to British swimming. You must be

pleased with the rest of the squad. It is great. But our job is not done

until we have got those medals round our neck. I am now looking to get my

head down and see what happens. Great start, well done.

Adam Peaty, sensational. Just 21 and in his first Olympic Games, he

smashes the world record in the heats. He has semifinals tonight

just after 3am, your time. And then the final of the 100 metre

breaststroke tomorrow night, same time, early hours of the morning.

Britain have only ever had three male swimming Olympic champions, and

you know their names, David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse

in 1988. Adam Peaty is trying to do something very unusual. We will

catch up with James Guy, a contender in the 200 free. We will catch up on

his 400 free hit later. I want to take you out to the Deodoro massive

equestrian centre to tell you the story of the eventing team. You will

know it includes William Fox-Pitt, who last October had a horrendous

fall on a young horse in France. He was in a coma, suffered a serious

brain injury and has managed to get back to fitness. Got selected for

the team. It was a controversial selection. He went into the dressage

arena second in the team line-ups today on chilly morning, a

16-year-old stallion. This will be his last major competition. William

said he would never have come back without the support of his horse.

His dressage test was flawless. It was absolutely beautiful. He got a

score of 37. Given that Michael Young, who went after him, made a

couple of mistakes, that means William leads the dressage stage

halfway. A stunning success for him. Afterwards, he spoke to Lee

McKenzie. What an incredible way to start your

Olympic campaign. Could it have gone any better? That was a great start.

Chilly is such a special horse. He is my mate. He was confident and

relaxed. We have worked so hard with Tracy Robinson, our trainer. She has

helped me through my injury and to get me back on track and to get me

thinking straight. She has been brilliant. That was really down to

her. I have had an interesting last few months. Thank you so much to UK

sport and the lottery. We had funding and support, both physically

and mentally, to get me back. They did a superb job. I have been lucky

to be here. I know you said you never doubted that you would be

ready in time for Rio. You always want to be back here for Rio, but

did it feel more special riding into the arena today? It was very special

riding into the arena today. I have done five Olympics. They have all

been useless. And of course, Chilli Morning is 16 and it is the end of

his career. After the journey we have had, this is a big moment. But

I was not thinking about that when I was in there. I have been so lucky

to have that support to get here. And yes, at times, you have thought

it is coming around fast. Last November, I thought August was ages

away and suddenly, it is around the corner. So I have got back. My

eyesight has come back. I feel good. It is so good to see him perform

like that. Two more team members to come tomorrow. That will be proper

funnel and Kitty King, who at her first Olympics is taking up

position. William has been predicted a bit in terms of selection by going

second. The cross-country course out there is really big. It will be a

major test. We are hearing that Geraint Thomas is receiving medical

attention. He did finish the road race, but he had a terrible crash on

the final descent. We will try and catch up with him later. But let's

bring you up-to-date on some of the other headline makers on day one of

the Rio Olympics. The first gold medal of the games

came in the women's ten metres air rifle. America's Ginny Thrasher

secured a debut major international victory on the biggest stage of all.

The Chinese took silver and bronze. Out on the logo, British rowers

Katherine Grainger and Vicki Thornley also enjoyed the first

taste of Rio 2016 action, progressing through the women's

double sculls hit along with 20 twelfths silver skulls medallist

Alan Campbell. But there was bad news for British

judoka Ashley McKenzie, whose campaign ended at the second round

stage when he lost to Kazakhstan's world champion.

This is what we have got coming up for you.

And this is how to watch everything you want to watch here at the

Olympics. To help you make even more of your

Rio 2016 Olympic Games, from boxing to badminton, hockey to handle,

you've got it all covered right here on the BBC. Alongside coverage on

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on the BBC Sport website or via the BBC Sport app, on mobile, connected

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the Red Button, via satellite, cable or Freeview, depending on your

set-top box or your TV receiver. If that's not enough, you can download

the BBC Sport app or set up news and medal alerts and live event

reminders so you can follow all your favourite sports.

Last year, Max Whitlock became the first British male gymnast ever to

be a world champion, when he beat his team-mate Louis Smith on the

pommel horse. He and Louis now form and spearhead the British team

that's in action here in Rio. It includes Kristian Thomas, Brinn

Bevan and Nile Wilson. It's been a very long and very bumpy journey for

me. I put everything on the line the last couple of years I couldn't have

done anything more. I want to be able to go out there and hit my

routines as best as possible. I feel like I've improved a lot. I'm going

to be an Olympian, it's like a dream come true really. This team is

actually very strong cost of its five-man team, it's very hard to

make the team and we know you have to deliver competition after

competition, be consistent with what we do. We've got such a strong team

that the positives are we are able to push each and on to higher levels

and get the best out of each other. For so long we were expected to be a

team that took part, whereas now you can expect us to cause a bit of an

upset. I think Great Britain have done a fantastic job over probably

the last eight years or so of the transition from juniors to seniors,

it's been successful, where you'd tend to get a big drop-off in other

countries. It shows that what we are doing within British gymnastics,

we're doing it correct, doing it right. Our goal is to make the final

and challenge for a medal in Rio. I believe we can do it. Realistically

we are only top five in the world. Japan art in front of us, China are

in front of us. Russia, we have a close battle with. So it's

interesting, you know, but in gymnastics anything can happen. As a

gymnast and an athlete and very ambitious. I think you have to aim

high and I do. I try to keep the medals and results at the back of my

mind. It's about doing a job and hopefully it can be done. In terms

of performance I love the biggest stage and I think an Olympics,

performing at an Olympics, I'll love it. I'm hoping to go there and

perform the routines to my potential. You have to stay so

focused on what you want to achieve. There might be setbacks and

obstacles but it doesn't stop you from dreaming and you have to dream

big. It's a wonderfully talented team. They are raring to get going.

Now is their time to perform. They need to finish in the top eight of

the 12 teams in action in this early qualification setup. It is

significant for the individuals to progress to their respective final.

Let's head over to the Rio Olympic Arena and join our commentators over

at the other side of this Olympic Park in Baja. Our commentary team,

Craig Heap and Christine Still. COMMENTATOR:

So next on to the vault for the USA, Alexander Naddour. And a big double,

what a fantastic fault that was. -- vault that was. It was indeed. Just

have a look at this, really powerful, blocks the front of the

horse. Into the air, two and a half times round in the pike position,

spots the floor, a little adjustment on landing. That will score big. The

Americans are great vaulters, they are powerful, committed gymnasts.

Lovely, straight vault. The lines on the mat indicate whether you have

stayed in a straight line or not. So there is the score for Alexander

Naddour, 15.1. Over to the high bar, we will see Marcel Nguyen, from

Germany. A very stylish, smooth gymnast. Full pirouette.

Just gloss of legs there, but very difficult combination -- loss of

legs. The somersault over the bar, he does it with the full twist.

He has done one with a full twist, very difficult. Lovely one armed

Circle. That was an error, he was meant to put his hand on after the

full term. It just slipped. He recovered well. The judges will take

that the loss of swing. Close bar element, now a big lift up into the

air so he can put two twists, two somersaults in. He will be

disappointed with that. Disappointing there from the German

Marcel Nguyen. That mistake will be very costly.

So we are watching the replay here of the German team, lovely double

twisting double straight dismount, but there was an error in the

routine early on. There was indeed, Christine, it will be costly, he was

a silver in the all-round competition in London 2012. He has

had a break from gymnastics, with a modelling career, come back to the

team but a very experienced gymnast. His experience was lacking a bit on

that first piece of apparatus. You could see he was disgruntled with

himself. The German team, the high bar is one of their big apparatus.

They would certainly be hoping for a good start here. They would be. This

was the error, the hand just didn't grasp, and although he stayed on the

apparatus it was an obvious mistake. The score will reflect that, no

doubt. Give the judges something to think about. So onto the floor,

representing Great Britain, Max Whitlock. And a superfast floor

work, a full twist into two and a half twists, very nicely landed. The

routine made up of twists. Watch out here, three and a half, into front

somersault with half turn. He is a bit of an expert on the pommel horse

as well, showing you here. A bit of break dancing as well for good

effect. Lots of flair in this routine. Gymnasts of course have to

hold the handstand, they have to show balance as well as the ability

to tumble. Every landing needs to be clean. And that was very difficult.

You could see a real big concentration as he went forwards

into that. A lovely roll-out, gymnasts are

allowed to clued one of those -- include one of those somersaults to

roll-out. A big tripled to finish. What a first routine from Max

Whitlock, fantastic stuff. Marcel Nguyen on the high bar, 13.366, he

will be disappointed with that but the score has come in for Max

Whitlock, 15.5 on the floor. A great start. Next up on the floor,

Kristian Thomas for Great Britain. And a whip into double Arabian. Very

difficult combination. Double twist, into full twist. Quite

a tall gymnast, he has to harness this power inside the 12-metre

square. Very nice shapes. All these gymnasts know that everything has to

be perfectly performed. That was a very unusual and interesting

handspring, to miss the feet and roll out.

Beautifully wide armed handstand. Lovely control and strength.

Big concentration. Up into the dismount, double Arabian, what a

routine from Kristian Thomas. So we have seen two really fabulous

routines from the British guys. Well, what a routine from Kristian

Thomas. You can really tell why he is the captain of the team, so calm,

so collected, all those years of experience. We have seen a lot of

nerves out here in the first round, but that was spot-on. The whip into

the double Arabian in the pike position, hugely difficult. Double

twist, spot the flaw, punch, took full twist, secure on the landing,

precise. Just what you need. Next onto the high bar, representing

Germany, the one and only Fabian Hambuechen.

And that's why. Beautiful somersault over the bar with a twist and a

second one. You are allowed to do one straight and one tuck, they are

different elements. Super straight Tkachev, into a hot one and a half.

The idea is you've got to keep the swing going. Link the elements,

which he has done. Not too many, just giant circles. You want to try

and make each move count. Squat dislocation with half turn into the

hot fall, you can see him change the shape of the swing, lift up, two

twists, a beautiful landing. That was the routine Germany needed at

that moment. It was indeed and he certainly is enjoying the crowd in

this arena today. So by the time the competition

finished in the first round, we had a full arena. Not quite full now.

There we can see, the straight position with the full turn, perfect

position of the hands. Now you can see as he travelled backwards across

the bar, that's the Tkachev. We see it in straddle position, in the

straight, gymnasts have to perform twisting elements, elements around

the bar, and there you can see he wraps it into a double twisting

double straight back dismount. As you can see, the expression on his

face is well and truly happy with that. High bar scores have been

quite difficult to come by this competition so far, I think a 15.3

is the highest. The score for Kristian Thomas on the floor,

15.233, into the nine for execution, a brilliant start for the British

boys on the floor. So the British lads finished on

floor, ready to move round to the pommel and in the front Louis Smith.

That's their total, 45.799. A good performance, three 15s, Great

Britain and USA are very comparable teams. The highest score from the

American 15.366. The top scorer of the day, 15.533.

Germany's team total, 43.799, carrying a bit of a disastrous high

bar. This has been the gymnast to watch, a massive 6.4 Star value. Two

somersaults with the half turn out, he nominated double pike front half

out, he did have to took his legs up in the second somersault, didn't he,

Craig? -- tuck his legs up. 6.4, it's the average of six -- two more

scores for the final, absolutely huge. Blocks at the front, one, two,

a little bit tuck there, half turn. I think the judges will give the

double pike half out because although he did tuck his knees up at

the end, over three quarters of the move was done in the pike position.

He will have a deduction for a step out at the side, but that is a

massive vault. You can see there he pulls his legs

apart a little bit to increase rotation. He has got a big second

fault as well. This is his second vault. Another

massive 6.4. This is the difficulty level. This is his signature vault.

Watch carefully. Turn on full twist in the first somersault. Tucked back

out, that is unbelievable. When we first saw the hard-won, we could

never imagined somebody doing 2.5 somersault plus a twist. That was

better than the first vault. Technically it was more in line. He

is a powerful gymnast. These gymnasts pretty much come all

this way to win this one apparatus. I think he will have a good chance

of winning it if he vaults like that.

He has set the bar. Here comes Louis Smith of Great Britain, come to do

the pommel horse. Now is your moment.

A single leg work, a solid start for Smith. This builds the difficulty of

the routine, probably one of the most difficult routines we will see

today. Good extension. He needs to keep the momentum going. Come on.

That is the forward travel connecting into the backward travel.

Up into the handstand. What about that? A fantastic start from Louis

Smith. He has performed his top routine. You can see the delight on

his face. Good style, very smooth in the transition from the handstand

down. Lifting his hips well at the front of the swing. He has actually

improved his style. Very good technically, but the big thing is

how difficult this routine is. He is always full of courage, always

prepared to go the extra tenth or so. Extra pair await on the finish.

It has been a long wait since 2012 and that was a great routine. -- an