On his Olympic debut, a mere seven days short of his 30th birthday, Ryan Mullen faced several daunting challenges throughout the 32.4km course from Invalides to Pont Alexandre III along the Seine for the men’s time trial. Rather than dealing with the usually feared Paris summer heat, the riders were robbed of the sun by steady rain that had already dampened Friday’s Opening Ceremony finale and rendered each turn towards the Bois de Vincennes increasingly hazardous.
Rather than recklessly speeding around corners, Mullen chose a cautious approach to ensure his completion of the race. As the seventh of the 34 competitors to begin, his finish time of 37:57.16 momentarily placed him at the top of the leaderboard, an adrenaline-rushing 88 seconds that subsided as time-trail experts entered the fray.
Ultimately, Mullen finished a commendable 12th. The winner was Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, who, fresh from his third-place finish at the Tour de France, tucked the gold medal under his belt with times of 36:12.16, breaking down to an impressive average of 53.7km/h. He nudged 15 seconds ahead of Italy’s Filippo Ganna, while Wout van Aert, another Belgian, placed third, trailing by 25 seconds.
Mullen’s reflection of his Olympic ride was unfiltered: “They f***ing threw everything at us; it was cold and slick and rife with danger.” He admitted the viewing of the women’s race prior to his own only served to unsettle him as he watched the falls. But behind the shivering and between chuckles, the satisfaction in his performance was evident.
“So, perhaps I was excessively careful, but I didn’t travel this far to merely lay low near a traffic circle. It was crucial to provide the top-notch performance I could muster. Of course, the day is unpleasantly wet here, rendering my preparation for the anticipated heat in Paris less effective!
Practically, I went through the grueling heat in Andorra and Spain to adjust myself to such weather and humidity. Contrary to my expectations, the current temperature here is 17 degrees, which has left me with hypothermia.
My final timing was 37:57.16, trailing Evenepoel by only one minute and 45 seconds. Given the circumstances, my performance was quite commendable. I’m also scheduled to participate in the men’s road race next weekend together with Ben Healy. We anticipate the weather in Paris to be more conducive at that time.
Over the past few years, I’ve become accustomed to leading, especially around corners, though I did misjudge one because it slipped my attention. However, due to the fear of losing balance, it wasn’t always possible to deploy full power.
Nonetheless, I’ve harboured the desire to do this for the past 15 years, and I’ve ultimately made it. I turn 30 next week, so this has been a lifetime in the making. It’s a deeply gratifying feeling, despite the rather dismal weather combining with downright sogginess for an uncomfortable experience.
While it would have been nice to enjoy a longer spell in the pole position, it’s still an impressive feat to have been in that position in every prior time trial. The athletes’ village experience is also unique. No shock really given that it’s France, albeit the food could be improved. Overall though, the ambience is invigorating. It feels like being jailed amongst the world’s finest athletes, all in pursuit of their peak form.
The atmosphere is truly remarkable and something I’ve never encountered before. Seeing these massive characters wandering around has been quite the eye-opener. I mean, cyclists generally don’t exhibit an imposing physique; they appear more like survivors from a war camp.”
“It is truly invigorating to be amongst these exceptional sportspeople. Such surroundings facilitate growth and inspire betterment – it is an experience I have not had before. The entire experience was both wonderful and extraordinary. I feel immensely fortunate to have been given this chance.”