The day started off with the Women's event where cooler weather, light winds and cloudy skies welcomed
the 25 female starters -- far different conditions from the heavy rainfall that drench riders during Sunday's Women's Cycling Road Race.
Emma Pooley of Great Britain set an early fast time, but was knocked down to the silver medal by Kristin Armstrong's (USA)
powerful performance in the second half of the single-lap, 23.5km course up and down a steep climb along the Badaling section
of the Great Wall.
Armstrong was four seconds slower than Pooley at the top of the main climbing section, but the 2006 world Time Trial champion
powered over the second half of the course to win in 34:51.72 (40.445kph).
"The key things I told myself going into this race is that I have to focus on my own race and no one else's. The time trial
is all about racing your own race. It's a race against the clock," Armstrong said.
"The Olympic Games is the biggest day in four years. You can't give up until you cross the finish line."
Karin Thürig had to wait long in the finish area for the confirmation of her bronze medal. The early started Swiss athlete
had only the fifth intermediate time on the Badaling pass but was strong on the second part of the race and left the 49-year-old
cycling veteran Jeannie Longo behind her in the finish. "My tactic was not to go on the limit in the uphill, that I have enough
power to push the pedals in the downhill," said Thürig after the race, "I was able to keep the rhythm."
The gold is Armstrong's first in Olympic competition and the first by the USA Cycling team in the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games. Armstrong's win also marked the record 900th gold medal for the United States in the history of the Olympics.
