Heinz Frei of Swizerland has become the 2008 Paralympic Road Race competition's second double gold medalist.
In a mad scramble for the line between five riders after 48.4km of racing in the Men's Road Race (HCB), the 50 year-old multi-Paralympic athlete Frei had the strength to edge out his four opponents to take the title by just 0.01 second.
Max Weber of Germany, who took gold at the 2007 Paracycling World Championships in Bordeaux, France, was given the silver even though Edward Maalouf of Lebanon in bronze position was given the same time.
Fourth and fifth were Manfred Putz of Australia and Vittorio Podesta of Italy 0.06 and 0.16 seconds behind Frei who also took Friday's HCB class Time Trial.
Maalouf becomes a double bronze winner having come third in the HCB Time Trial.
The finish of the Men's Road Race (HCC) was no less exciting than the HCB class rush to the line. Three riders entered the final straight with nothing between them and crossed the line with just 0.01 second separating first from third.
Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa was judged to have inched the gold ahead of Alejandro Albor and Oz Sanchez of United States who were awarded silver and bronze despite being given the same time.
Van Dyk's win gives South Africa its first gold at the competition and goes with the title he took at the 2007 Paracycling World Championships. It also makes up for the South African's disappointment at missing out on a medal in the class Time Trial in which he placed fourth.
Albor now has a 2008 Paralympic silver to go with the bronze he took in the Time Trial while Sanchez has a bronze to go with his Time Trial gold.
The outcome of this morning's racing leaves the top of the Road Race gold medal table unchanged with Britain on five and Spain, Germany and the USA all on three.
(BOCOG September 14, 2008)