Christian Vande Velde checks in from China with some answers to a few of your burning questions on the Olympic road race:
What were the conditions like – hot and massively humid? I read that they had cooling jets or something along the course.
CVV: Cooling jets? Hell no! They had some shower heads that reminded me of O’Brien’s Water Hole* on the Manayunk Wall in Philly. It is crazy hot and humid here. Like the hottest part of a midwestern summer.
Was the course surreal with what appeared to be massively restricted access by fans? On the coverage it seemed eerily quiet.
CVV: Yeah, it was a bit of a shame that there weren’t too many fans on the circuit. On the way there, however, hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets. But the circuits were restricted by security that lined the entire course. These guys put the Queen’s guards to shame. Serious, serious dudes. Not smiling nor moving.
How did you feel and are you happy with your performance?
CVV: I am really happy with the way that Team USA raced. Personally, I am happy with my performance. I was present in every move but just lacked a little to go with the elite move of Andy Schleck. And considering how bad I felt the week before the race, I am amazed at my performance.
*O’Brien’s Water Hole is a residential house along the wall that is famous for setting up a water sprinkler for the cyclists to ride through.
