Hook, Parry, Jab, Clinch, Repeat
It’s perhaps a bit clichéd to resort to boxing metaphors, but there is simply no other way to describe the remaining laps of the race. Nys, more technically proficient, danced and ducked and jabbed and threw well-timed punches to consistently put Štybar on the defensive, and until the final lap he looked to have the upper hand, if only slightly. Štybar, however, was raw power, and responded to each assault by with devastating hooks, which Nys, more often than not, was able to take on the shoulder instead of being dropped to his knees.
As the two racers bludgeoned each other across the course, neither was able to land the decisive blow. But the efforts began to show, and each began making small mistakes. Clearly, this was to be a 12-round match, and it was going to come down to who could hold off the threats of exhaustion longest.
The first to hit the floor, with the ref counting ten above him, was Štybar, who, while leading Nys, slid out on the same sweeping, soft, angled descent that took out Bina early on. Nys, smooth as silk, dismounted, jumped over the Czech – his first barrier of the day – and remounted without losing a beat, accelerating away. Though Štybar rebounded impressively quick, there was a broad expanse of daylight between the two, and it appeared that Nys might have gold in hand.
Sven Nys hurdles Zdenek Stybar.
But in a mistake that will surely return in his dreams tonight, Nys, while grabbing the end of a fence to whip around a 180-degree turn, lost his wheel. His bike slipped out from under him, and the Belgian champion found himself off his bike, struggling to remount. It was a quick slip, but the loss of speed was enough for Stybar to re-enter the ring for the final round.
