Rio’s dodgy road cycling course claims first Aussie victim

AUSTRALIA’S Olympic cycling coaches have taken extra steps to keep riders safe in Rio but the state of the course itself is completely out of their control.

Australia’s road cycling team of Scott Bowden, Simon Clarke, Richie Porte and Rohan Dennis at Ipanema Beach. Picture. Brett Costello

AUSTRALIA’S Olympic cycling coaches have taken steps to keep riders safe and focused in Rio this week but the course itself has already brought time trial hope Rohan Dennis undone.

The men’s and women’s road teams have been followed by their own security escorts to safeguard them from external threats as they survey the course in and around Rio ahead of their races this weekend.

But they were powerless to stop Dennis from crashing when he hit some concrete on Tuesday and lost a significant amount of skin from his right hand and left elbow.

Dennis, 25, feared his Games might have been over when he hit the ground hard.

“Let’s just pack up and go home’,” Dennis said of his initial reaction to crashing.

“I was on the course and there are a couple of little kickers before the cobbles and the steep climb.

“I was fixing my glasses and talking to Richie and you know when that cement truck drops a bit of cement on the ground and it dries into a little blob? I didn’t see it and it jacked my handlebars and I went straight down.

Scott Bowden, Simon Clarke, Richie Porte and Rohan Dennis at Ipanema Beach. Picture. Brett Costello

“I put my hand down to stop sliding which wasn’t the best thing to do but I jumped up straight away and thought ‘I’m fine’ but I looked at my hand and it was a lot of skin off.

“The elbow stings but I need to hang on to the handlebars ... and that’s (hand) the main thing I want to get fixed.

“But even after my crash I felt really good and I hope that it stays that way.”

Australia’s hope in the women’s time trial, Katrin Garfoot, has also suffered a blow by revealing a virus had forced her off the bike in recent weeks.

Garfoot will still line up in the road race and time trial but said she had significantly lowered her expectations.

“I don’t know, I’m just here to participate and whatever else happens,” Garfoot said.

The men’s leader in the road race will be Richie Porte who after finishing fifth in the Tour de France believes he can win, but has installed three-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome as the man to beat.

“Why not?,” he said when asked whether he can win.

“In the Tour I think I showed I was one of the better climbers there, coming out of the Tour it’s always a hard one but I’ve done all that I can to get here fit and healthy.

“There are some big favourites going in but what happens if they start looking at each other? It’s perfect for one of us to slip off the front.”

Cycling officials have also taken steps to keep the riders focused by opting for them to stay outside the athletes’ village until after the weekend road races.

Riders and staff are based at Ipanema Beach, about 22km from the athletes’ village in Barra, where they also have easier access to train on the course.

Rohan Dennis became the first victim of Rio’s road course. Picture. Brett Costello

In London 2012, the women’s road team moved into the athletes’ village the night before the race and national champion Amanda Spratt admitted it affected her performance.

“In 2012 it was really overwhelming for me and I didn’t know what to expect and I probably wasn’t prepared well enough and it affected my performance for a number of reasons,” Spratt said.

“The excitement of being in the village and everything like that so that’s something we’ve been conscious about (heading into Rio).

“Just little things like staying out of the village before our race, we’re not in there getting overwhelmed, and you do a lot of walking in the village as well, just little things that can affect your performance.”

Originally published as Rio’s dodgy road cycling course claims first Aussie victim