(Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
When it comes to the Olympics, nothing is crueler than fourth place. That’s especially true for Mara Abbott, the American cyclist who had the gold medal within reach yesterday in Rio before three competitors passed her by 150 meters from the finish, booting her not only from first place, but the podium altogether.
I tuned in to the road race about halfway in, when Abbott bullied her way to the lead on the brutal climb up the mountain towards Vista Chinesa. Abbott, a 30-year old from Boulder, Colorado, is famous for her skills on the hills, and she and Dutch rider Annemiek van Vlueten were the first to the top before beginning the terrifying descent into Rio.