Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
It's like he wasn't really even trying. He was just out there keeping pace with everyone.
And USA got Silver by diving across the line.
See above:
Bradbury's strategy from the semifinal onwards was to cruise behind his opponents and hope that they crashed, as he realized that he could not match their raw pace. His reasoning was that risk-taking by the favorites could cause a racing incident, and if two (or more) riders collided and fell, the remaining three would all receive medals, and that as he was slower than his opponents, trying to challenge them directly would only increase his chance of being caught in a collision and falling.
Bradbury's strategy from the semifinal onwards was to cruise behind his opponents and hope that they crashed, as he realized that he could not match their raw pace. His reasoning was that risk-taking by the favorites could cause a racing incident, and if two (or more) riders collided and fell, the remaining three would all receive medals, and that as he was slower than his opponents, trying to challenge them directly would only increase his chance of being caught in a collision and falling.