CYCLING Americans ride to three rare medals

XATHENS, Greece -- Tyler Hamilton's back is still badly bruised, the lingering aftereffects of a crash that knocked him out of the Tour de France a month ago.
Dede Barry was concerned about cramping in the heat, a malady that wrecked her road race chances three days earlier. And Bobby Julich's right wrist is broken.
"This gold medal is everything," Hamilton said Wednesday night, grasping his shiniest and newest prize possession. "I don't feel any hurt now."
None of them do -- not after delivering U.S. cycling's finest Olympic hour. Their three medals in the road time trials Wednesday eclipsed the total that American riders had combined to win on Olympic roads since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
Led by Hamilton, the Americans left the scenic road course along the Saronic Gulf with one medal of every hue: Barry won silver in the women's trial, Julich took the men's bronze.
"It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to have the success we did," Julich said. "It also takes a little luck. And we have a lot of good fortune."
No other nation took home more road medals from Athens than the United States, which touted its team as the deepest group of riders ever sent to an Olympics -- even without Lance Armstrong, the six-time defending Tour de France champion who declined an invitation.
Hamilton finished the 29.8-mile men's race in 57 minutes, 31.74 seconds, a time that beat defending gold medalist Viatcheslav Ekimov of Russia by 18.84 seconds for the first American road gold since 1984 -- when Alexi Grewal won the road race in Los Angeles.
Julich's time was 57:58.19, 3.48 seconds better than Australia's Michael Rogers in the battle for bronze. He suffered his broken wrist in the 13th stage of the Tour -- but it wasn't diagnosed until a few days ago.
Barry set the tone in the women's race with her silver, finishing 24.09 seconds behind Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands -- who successfully defended her gold medal by covering the 14.9-mile course in 31 minutes, 11.53 seconds. Switzerland's Karin Thuerig won bronze.
Associated Press