Samuel Sanchez taking Gold in the Men's Olympic Road Race
Samuel Sanchez from Spain won the first Olympic cycling gold medal event today, beating out Italy’s Davide Rebellin after a grueling 245-km road race from the Forbidden City in ancient Beijing to the Great Wall.
Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland took the bronze after the three sprinted on the final uphill portion of the course to make it to the podium.
Sanchez and Rebellin, who celebrated his 37th birthday with a silver medal, were part of a lead group in the final kilometers and Cancellara launched an attack to escape the peloton and join the leaders for the final sprint.
Road Race Result
1 Samuel Sanchez (Spain)
2 Davide Rebellin (Italy)
3 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
4 Alexandre Kolobnev (Russia)
5 Andy Schleck (Luxembourg)
6 Michael Rogers (Australia)
