Cycling: Fans get up close and personal

By EUGENE BINGHAM in Athens

The crush of the crowd in Sofokleous St was something else, even if the odour was not.

Squeezed in shoulder-to-shoulder between the beautiful old buildings of the narrow street near Omonia Square stood heroes of road cycling, star-struck fans stunned that they could get so close to their idols, and the butchers of the central markets, their distinctively smelling outlets closed for the afternoon's proceedings.

By virtue of its skiting about historic links to the Olympics, Athens has promised that athletes will have first-hand experience of the sights, sounds and presumably smells on offer in the birthplace of the Games.

The road cyclists due to race over the weekend got their opportunity to sample what was on offer early yesterday.

Games organisers closed down the 13.2km circuit where the riders will race (the men for 17 laps, the women for 9) so they could practise and reconnoitre.

The course winds past some of Athens' most picturesque sites, including the Acropolis, Lykavittos Hill and the Parliament building.

Practice was supposed to get under way about 4pm. But for long after that, the athletes were stalled in Sofokleous St. Some teams, like the New Zealanders, were running late, thanks to traffic delays and a few wrong turns.

While the riders waited, the locals gathered close by. The slick-looking French team were the undoubted crowd favourites, but they took it in their relaxed Gallic stride.

Richard Virenque, a well-tanned slip of a thing and seven-time winner of the king of the mountain in the Tour de France, seemed to enjoy the attention of camera-wielding fans following his every move.

Further down the road, the United States team - minus its giant star, Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France winner who opted out of the Games - was on edge, bossed around by an NBC television crew intent on capturing a created moment.

The big teams had arrived on their own in fleets of black Olympic-issue Hyundai cars. But the smaller teams shared a ride. Iran came with Chile, El Salvador car-pooled with Guatemala and the Barbados - international co-operation in action.

Eventually, the police cleared the roads and the riders set off for lap one of their five practice loops.

Soon after, the New Zealand cars arrived, using Kiwi wiles to convince police to let them through barricades and park right at the front, in the prime spot.

Coach Garry Bell slipped into tight black riding gear with a blazing silver fern on the front to accompany the three members of the women's team, Melissa Holt, Michelle Hyland and Joanne Kiesanowski, all wearing the much more subdued grey and black team uniform.

Another member of the coaching staff, Jacques Landry, had come to Athens some time ago and rode the course with a camera strapped to his bike. But this was the riders' first opportunity to see the course for themselves.

Kiesanowski, ranked 10th in the 2004 World Cup circuit, noticed that it was more technical than she thought it would be.

Hyland got a pleasant surprise. "I thought it would be hotter than it actually was."

Bell deemed it a good course. The longest hill was broken up by bends, rather than being one long drag. And although there were cobblestones along part of the way, they were smooth.

As for who was looking strong in the women's field, Bell was not committing himself. "There's probably a bunch of 10 or 12 women who have consistently had top finishes over all these World Cup races.

"But the Olympics is a different animal - it brings out a different mongrel in some people and they can just rise to the occasion."

Warren Lister, the high-performance director for BikeNZ, said it was the same in the men's race, won in 2000 by Russian Viacheslav Ekimov.

"The favourites spend a lot of time watching each other so there is a chance for others."

Lister said all the New Zealand riders, including Tour de France rider Julian Dean, who arrived in Athens last night, were fit and strong.


Out on the course, the cheers of the Athenians who lined the streets, even though it was only a practice run, were a sign that the weekend's racing will be one of the most popular Games events.

If that, and the views, do not inspire the riders, nothing will.

Road cycling

Tomorrow, 9.45pm (NZ time): Men's road race, Athens City centre featuring Julian Dean, Heath Blackgrove, Robin Reid, Jeremy Yates

August 15, midnight: Women's road race, Athens City centre featuring Joanne Kiesanowski, Michelle Hyland, Melissa Holt

August 18, midnight: Men's individual time trial, Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre featuring Heath Blackgrove