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Go to Cycling Section Go to Olympic Section Go to Sports Section
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Indurain Takes Olympic GoldBy ARNIE STAPLETONAP Sports Writer Saturday, August 3, 1996 3:19 pm EDT ATLANTA -- Miguel Indurain, who has dominated the Tour de France, added an Olympic gold medal to his collection Saturday, winning the cycling time trial. The Spanish star, whose string of victories in the Tour de France ended at five this year, was timed in 1 hour, 4 minutes, 5 seconds. The victory was a vindication of sorts for Indurain, who was 11th in this year's Tour de France, won by Bjarne Riis of Denmark. Riis was 14th Saturday. Abraham Olano, also of Spain, won the silver medal in 1:04:17. Chris Boardman of Britain got the bronze in 1:04:36. In the time trial, often called ``the race of truth,'' cyclists race alone against the clock, starting at 90-second intervals, with no teammates to help and no opponents to hinder. Indurain finished 26th in the road race on Wednesday, but said he was saving energy for Saturday's four laps on an 8.1-mile circuit, the same one used for the men's and women's road races. All the medalists were in the fourth and final group, which got to ride in sunshine after rain pelted the second and third groups of riders. Lance Armstrong, the best men's cyclist in America, finished sixth, clocked in 1:06.28 on the 32-mile course. Armstrong, of Austin, Texas, finished 12th in the road race Wednesday, just two places better than his showing at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Armstrong and teammate Steve Hegg raced in the rain through some parts of the course. ``We don't have rain tires like cars do,'' said Hegg, of Dana Point, Calif., who was clocked in 1:08.29 for 16th place.
© Copyright 1996 The Associated Press
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