Chris Froome's Failure Is Already One of Rio 2016's Biggest Disappointments

We're just one day into the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and already we've witnessed one of the biggest disappointments we're set to see in the next fortnight of action.

No, we're not talking about the opening ceremony; it's Team GB's failure in the road race that has left fans deflated.

Chris Froome, the three-time Tour de France winner and reigning champion, failed to podium in the road race alongside any of his Team GB teammates, causing a big upset.

Riding with different partners than who he's used to with the all-conquering Team Sky, there was never any guarantee he would finish up with a gold medal in the road race. But as one of the biggest names on the circuit, his failure is still a big shock.

It's disappointing for him; it's disappointing for neutrals.

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When the big events come around, we want to see the biggest and best riders put on a show. We want to see them create a bit of history in the process and live up to their billing.

Froome may have kept up the pace until late, but his failure to finish in the medals means Team GB is getting off to a poorer start at Rio 2016 than many had hoped.

Indeed, when we think of favourites and those we were expecting to see challenge in the road race, victory going to Belgium's Greg Van Avermaet typically would mean other pre-race favourites Alejandro Valverde of Spain and Italy's Vincenzo Nibali were also on the receiving end of a surprise victory.

All in all, none of the powerhouses—Italy, Spain, France and Great Britain—came away with a medal as Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark) and Rafal Majka (Poland) completed the top three positions.

It isn't quite in the territory of "doing a Leicester City," but it is a shock, no less.

The success of the Foxes last season has transcended sport. It's given hope to the underdog and shown that victory in any form can't be taken for granted. Being a name or not comes as no guarantee, and the challenging ascents of Rio proved that.

Van Avermaet is no slouch, though. He has recorded three stage wins at the Tour de France in his career, so doing it as a one-off at the Olympics hasn't exactly meant ardent cycling fans have been falling over themselves with shock.

Seeing Froome tail off late did produce shock, though. That's where the anti-climax kicked in. As thrilling as the race remained to the death, watching such a seasoned campaigner and bankable rider come up short is frustrating.

Froome's failure is akin to when Cristiano Ronaldo suffered heartache at Euro 2016. As dull as the final between Portugal and France proved, the occasion alone made it fraught with tension and nerves. Ronaldo's absence through the injury he picked up early on in the game took some of the gloss away from it.

When Portugal forward Eder proved the surprise match winner, a sense of romanticism remained. With Ronaldo in his place to step up and complete the fairy tale, though, it would have added to the sense of occasion. For neutrals, he was the main attraction, so when he couldn't be there to drag Portugal over the line, the shine was taken off.

Team GB suffered a similar fate in 2012 when Mark Cavendish and the rest failed to take gold at the opening race of their home Olympics. It was left up to Alexandr Vinokurov of Kazakhstan to take road race gold that day, with Cavendish the highest-ranked Brit way back in 29th place, 40 seconds off the pace.

Froome was 109th in the 2012 road race, so finishing 12th this year is a marked improvement. Geraint Thomas was one place ahead of him in Rio as the best-placed team GB rider, finishing in 11th.

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British cycling legend Chris Boardman told BBC Sport that Froome and his teammates should be proud of how they approached the race:

"

That was the best Olympic road race I have seen from the British team, so hats off to them. They gave themselves plenty of options rather than concentrating on one rider, and used them superbly. All five rode a tough course fantastically well and I was really impressed by how they managed their resources.

"

It's just a shame it wasn't followed up with a medal to mark the progress British cycling continues to enjoy. After all, when we get this far, it's the medals that count. And right now, Froome doesn't have one.

All is not lost for him in Rio, of course, as he races in the individual time trial on Wednesday. He won bronze in that event in 2012, and Sir Bradley Wiggins took the top prize of gold.

Suffering in the road race, a man of Froome's reputation can't afford another disappointment so soon after.