Individual Time Trial, Women

The Netherlands’ Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel had had an up and down career. In 1991 and 1993 she was World Champion on the road, and won the 1992-93 Tour de France Féminine. But she withdrew from competition, suffering from anorexia nervosa and depression. She returned to international competition in 1998, winning the time trial World Championships in 1998-99. She entered the time trial in Sydney as the favorite and her entire 2000 Olympics was the stuff of wonder. She would win the time trial by a comfortable 37-second margin over surprising American Mari Holden. She would also win gold in Sydney in the individual pursuit and the road race, and added a fourth medal, silver, in the points race. After the Olympics, Holden won the World Championship in this event, although Zijlaard-van Moorsel did not compete. Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, the bronze medalist, is the greatest female road cyclist ever, with a huge list of palmares. She was World Champion in this event in 1995-97 and would win again in 2001. Holden had not raced much internationally but later in 2000 she would win the World Time Trial Championship.