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Cycling
Since 1896 France have dominated cycling at the Olympics. But in Athens the French had one of its worst Games ever and a new nation emerged as the team to beat -- Australia.
Ever since Frenchman Paul Masson trundled across the finish line on a clunky steel-framed bike to win his third cycling gold of the 1896 Games, France have dominated the sport at the Olympics.
But in Athens the French cycling team has had one of its worst Games ever and a new nation has emerged as the team to beat -- Australia.
The Aussies won a quarter of all the medals on offer at the Olympic velodrome, nine out of 36, and five of them were gold.
Add to that the gold won by Sara Carrigan in the women's road race, and the team from Down Under -- dogged by doping allegations and in-fighting in the run-up to the Games -- have had a phenomenal Olympics.
Their monster medal haul allowed them to leapfrog the United States and Italy to become the third most successful nation in Olympic track cycling history with 38 medals. Only Britain and France have won more.
On the road, France are still top with 18 medals but the Italians now have 17 following Paolo Bettini's victory in the men's road race on the opening day of the Games.
The French won just one bronze and a silver from 17 races on road, track and mountain before finally striking gold on the last day of competition thanks to Julien Absalon in the men's mountain biking.
It is a far cry from Sydney, when Florian Rousseau, Felicia Ballanger, Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli and Miguel Martinez fired the French to five golds, a silver and a bronze.
"The years ahead look very difficult," said Patrick Clauzaud, head of the French cycling team.
"You can't replace riders like Rousseau or Ballanger easily and in the next couple of years we'll be forced to rely on youth. We're looking towards 2008 or even 2012."
had bee stripped of her gold medal.
