October 13/02 4:13 am - Men's Pre-race Update

Posted by Editor on 10/13/02
 

It is about 30 minutes before the start of the elite men's 256 kilometre (20 lap) road race. There is one scratch from the start list - Marcus Zberg of Switzerland, who has been replaced by Roger Beuchat. It is cool, but not as cold as yesterday, probably around 12C. The big difference is the dampness. There is mist and the road is wet. If it doesn't rain, things should gradually get drier on the road, but for the first lap or two for the 202 deep field should be a little sketchy. The estimates are that 100,000 spectators will show up, and the traffic lines are already horrendous.