Grace Brown – “little old me” – is the grand dame of the Paris boulevards after her command performance to win the women’s Olympic road time trial.
After years of near misses in major time trials, the 32-year-old Australian cyclist dominated the 32.4km event in treacherous conditions to win her country’s first gold medal at the Paris Games.
Emphasising the dangers brought by the constant rain in central Paris, compatriot Luke Plapp crashed out of the men’s time trial later on Saturday afternoon and was taken to hospital for scans.
The AOC later said Plapp was in a “stable condition” after his heavy fall.
Rising above the rain, Brown put past disappointments behind her for the biggest win of her career.
She finished second at the last two world championship time trials by a handful of seconds.
She also missed the podium at the Tokyo Olympics by seven seconds, finishing fourth.
On Saturday, she won by a whopping one minute 31.59 seconds.
Brown will retire at the end of this season and will close her career as the first Australian cyclist to win an Olympic time trial gold medal.
She joins Sara Carrigan (2004 road race) and Kathy Watt (1992 road race) as Australia’s women road cycling gold medallists.
But more broadly, she reflected on what it felt like to join an Olympic champions club featuring Australian sporting icons such as Cathy Freeman.
“It’s a bit insane. These are Aussie legends … it’s hard to get your head around other people viewing little old me in the same way,” she said.
“It might take a little while to get used to.”
“Insane” was how Brown described her winning margin, in no small part a function of her staying upright.
American world time trial champion Chloe Dygert and Belgian world road race champion Lotte Kopecky – renowned for her bike-handling skills – were among the big names who came to grief on the central Paris streets in the constant rain.
Dygert had to be helped off her bike at the finish, clearly in distress after landing heavily on her right leg.
She still managed third, less than a second behind British silver medallist Anna Henderson.
“Maybe I just got a little bit lucky. Some of it’s good management, some of it’s luck,” Brown said.
Brown led at the two intermediate time checks and once she knew she was up on Dygert, a renowned fast starter, the Australian’s confidence soared.
She was able to celebrate soon after the finish on the Pont Alexandre III Bridge with her husband Elliot and others.
“It’s a really big deal and just thinking of all the people who have supported me … really put their belief in what I can do here and given me the strength to go after it,” she said.
“To repay everyone with a gold medal is awesome.”
But the gold will not make Brown reconsider her retirement.
“I can be really proud to go out on such a high,” she said.
And now this year’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner can prepare for the August 4 Olympic road race with little pressure and sky-high confidence.
“I will be able to just really race a bit more relaxed, take it in my stride, and see what opportunities I can take,” said Brown, who switched to cycling in frustration nine years ago because of frustration at injuries from cross-country running.
“I have one gold medal and that’s pretty good.”
In the men’s time trial, Belgian Remo Evenepoel, fresh off his third place at the Tour de France, ahead of Italian Filippo Ganna and compatriot Wout van Aert in third.
