Some days you have it, some you don't.

Adam Craig realized he didn't have his best Saturday afternoon in the Olympic men's mountain bike cross country race.

He wanted to do well, but not necessarily for himself. Every athlete at these Games knows that if you do well in your sport, there tends to be a boost back in the States. Craig figured if he and teammate Todd Wells put on a good showing, more people might take up mountain biking.

It didn't happen. Craig was credited with a 29th while Wells finished 43rd. And while both were officially credited with finishing the race, both were pulled off the course before they could complete the eight laps.

It's a weird rule. If a rider doesn't complete his lap within 80-percent of the time the leader completes his, they pull the slower rider off the course because they don't want to clog the course. They don't want the lead rider to have to slow down to lap another rider.

Anyway, Craig showed remarkable poise dealing with the media afterward, all wondering just how disappointed this Exeter, Maine, native was. Personally not at all. But he was disappointed on a missed opportunity to give his sport a boost.

So I thought you'd like to see some photos of what it looked like out at Laoshan Mountain Bike Park.

If you weren't under the shade of a tree, you needed some protection from the sun. These fans brought theirs:

Yeah, the mascots are everywhere, here dancing to "Cotton-eye Joe.''

Adam Craig looked pretty relaxed at the starting line …

… considering how crowded it was.

He even found time to slurp this mixture of honey and ginseng:

Once the race was over and we were heading out, I noticed this:

Yep, a ferris wheel. There's a big amusement park next to the cycling venue.

Okay, that's it for today.

One more day and I'm heading home. I'll let you know about the Closing Ceremonies tomorrow night.

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