Men's TT at Fuji Speedway - Tokyo 2021

Primoz Roglic riding like a man on fire

The Men's TT was held with 3 start waves of 13 riders each, with the highest seeded riders going in the last wave, and going last within each wave. Also, with a 2PM start, the last wave began at 350PM, with the sun already low in the sky, some cloud cover, and cooler temperatures. This offered I think a not insignificant advantage.

Around halfway through the event, they announced that the lower area along the course was being opened, so that we could walk down and spectate from alongside the track. This made the trip all the way to Fuji Speedway worthwhile. They came by fast and close, and we could watch them as the 1-2-3 leaders waited in the "hot seat" area to find out whether their leads would hold up (or not, as was the case this day). H. Houle of Quebec took and held the lead early, then Remco Evenepoel of Belgium, then Rigoberto Uran of Columbia, and in the last wave Dumoulin, before Roglic.

Remco Evenepoel of Belgium (who is praised for his great TT form on the bicycle with, as one commentator put it, the tuck allowed by his "tiny T-Rex arms") really looked like plumber or construction worker, while Tom Dumoulin and Alberto Bettiol seem almost regal, or certainly as if they could smoothly transition from cyclist to fashion model.

Bettiol

Uran

Cavagna

Filippo Ganna

Roglic

Dumoulin

Primoz Roglic won, and he rode like a man on fire. Indeed, I think I said as much to Peter S next to me as we were watching ... then heard the commentators say exactly the same thing when I watched the recorded stream late that night soaking in a bath to cool down after cycling home. How fast was he? He won by more a minute, while the next four fastest riders were all bunched within five seconds of each other. Just incredible. Roglic was so focused that when he went across the finish line ... he kept going and going, not slowing down noticeably nor braking until he got nearly to the end of the viewing stands and finish straightaway. 

As with Van Vleuten in the women's event, this was a kind of "redemption ride", with Roglic suffering from a poor 2021 season (crashing out of the Tour de France after a few stages). It was great to see someone who has been the #1 rider in the world most of the past three years, but has struggled of late, to come in like a man on a mission and show that he is still a force to be reckoned with.  And Roglic, famously stone-faced and a man of few words, looked elated with the victory, and gave a (for him) lengthy interview to his home country TV broadcasters in the finish area.

Dumoulin, who got silver, likewise has kept a low profile this year, and must have had people questioning whether he was "done", or still had what it takes to keep going as a top level pro cyclist. 

It was a long trip home -- lines to wait for the gate to open to walk to the shuttle bus, then a 40 minute wait at Gotemba station (during which I grabbed dinner across the street -- this is convenient Japan after all), then 2 trains back to Hiratsuka, then a 60km ride home arriving after 11PM. I heard and saw an unusually number of ambulances out as I crossed Kanagawa Prefecture, so it was not surprising to read that both Kanagawa and Tokyo hit record numbers of Covid-19 new cases that day (and again each of the next few days). But I felt safe outdoors in the breeze at Fuji Speedway.  it was a memorable day!

Peter and I

After a while I realized the only way I could get good photos would be to take a video and then extract a screenshot from it -- they were just TOO FAST to photograph otherwise. The video clips themselves are nice ... but do not integrate well into Blogger. So here are some of the screenshots (in addition to Roglic at the top of the post).

Wout van Aert

Rohan Dennis

Kasper Asgreen

Filippo Ganna

Remi Cavangna

As for the Americans, Brandon McNulty had a decent run and ended in the lower middle of the pack, after his heroics on Saturday. Lawson Craddock came in at the very back. As I told Peter S., I am not a big Lawson Craddock fan -- he rides in the Pro Tour, sure, as a domestique, but does not seem to have what it takes to actually win races based upon from everything I have seen.

Sepp Kuss (USA) can win a stage on the Tour de France (the mountain stage to Andorra this year).

Nielson Powless (USA -- native American, actually) just showed that he can win, taking the Clasica de San Sebastian, the most important one day race in Spain (ranked just below the Spring "monuments"). He outsprinted the very experienced Matej Mohoric, double stage winner at this year's Tour.

Next Olympics, I would hope to see both Sepp Kuss and Nielson Powless, and other young American riders who can win against the best, in the road competition and TT.