How is winning time determined during men's road race in the 2008 olympics? first 6 riders had same times...?

Question

Looking at this page:

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/cycling/results/CRM012/1;_ylt=AncF3pH93HcPEiLwUGrjdcWYaJh4?is_medal=1

First 6 riders all finished in the same time. How do they determine who gets 1st(gold) 2nd(silver) and 3rd(bronze)? Thanks.

Answer 1

In road racing, a group of riders is all given the same time if there are no gaps in the group.   Finish places are determined by who actually crossed the line 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.  

Answer 2

Photo finish.  Very frequently, in road cycling, groups of riders will all finish within 1 second of each other.  However, if you look at video or pictures of the finish, you can see who crosses the line first.  Since the Olympics is a 1-stage race (unlike le Tour de France, for example, where you have to add together times from multiple days), whoever crosses the line first is the winner, next is second place, etc.

See example of a cycling photo finish below.