Monday Hit List

Sunday, 10 August 2008 07:42

With the Olympics upon us a little bit of a mixed bunch for this week's Hit List.

1. Michael Rogers - After a really average year for the man from ACT Rogers bounced back and had a great race on the weekend in the men's road race. His sixth place confirms the true talent that he is and will no doubt remind the Pro Tour peloton that he is not finished with yet.
2. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli - This woman rode the Olympic road race. No big deal except she is 49 years and 10 months old! And it was not like she hung out the back and watched the Chinese countryside drift by. She was at the head of affairs driving the pace all the way to the circuit. Amazing.
3. Stephanie Rice/Michael Phelps - The new star of world swimming Rice blew the opposition away with a devastating swim in the 400 IM. She also swam a new world record. Good looks and now a gold medal - cha ching! I know we have thrown a couple of swimmers in this list but for all those triathletes who go to their swim squads every morning and struggle through the individual medley (IM) sets. Well THE man of these games let it rip in his final and destroyed the opposition. This guy makes it impossible to ever think you're swimming well but he is so likeable you don't mind! When he was in Melbourne for last years worlds Phelps split his time between pool training chatting to locals in Geelong at the local pizza shop. A thoroughly entertaining and amazing athlete.
4. Nicole Cooke - If you take a look at the last 150 metres of the women's road race you will notice one thing. Cooke was a about 50 metres behind having taken the last corner very slowly. Her effort to seize the day and take the win was outstanding as she showed why she is the number one female bike rider in the world.
5. Faris Al Sultan - Faris destroyed the field at this weekends 70.3 in Germany. Racing from the front all day he showed the sort of form that will keep us guessing all the way to Kona.

Wrongtown of the week - The women's road race was contested in the most appalling conditions for a bike race. Torrential rain and a circuit that did not cope too well meant these girls all deserved a medal! In a second installment for Wrongtown, has anyone else heard Ian Thorpe's U.S accent? What's up with that?