Which cyclist won the 2012 Olympic men's road race in London?

Alexander Vinokourov won the 2012 Olympic men’s road race in London.

The Kazakh rider attacked late in the 250-kilometre race and finished first in a two-man sprint against Colombia’s Rigoberto Urán. Norway’s Alexander Kristoff took the bronze medal. Vinokourov’s victory came on a course that began and ended in London and included repeated climbs of Box Hill in Surrey.

The race had a large field and no individual time-trial style control, making team tactics important. Great Britain worked to protect Mark Cavendish, one of the favourites, but the home team could not prevent the decisive breakaway. Vinokourov’s experience and timing proved decisive near the finish.

This result is distinct from the Olympic time trial held several days later, which Bradley Wiggins won. It is also separate from Vinokourov’s 2000 Olympic road-race silver medal in Sydney. The 2012 gold was one of the most notable late-career achievements of the veteran cyclist.