I watched the highlights of the road race on TV and can not understand why no one seems exhausted at the end? Instead they appear as though they just finished a walk in the park. There is plenty of energy left for smiling, fist pumping etc. If it were me in that race, I would probably throw up and hit the ground with exhaustion after the end?

So how come these guys don't use their 'spare energy' to give an all out 120% in the last few minutes?

I notice the same thing in swimming, athletic etc. Nobody seems tired after the end of it all???

Perhaps they are in shape.

It's probably simply a faster recovery. They probably were totally out of it for a few minutes. Also, if you aren't watching the live coverage, you don't know how much time was edited out by the broadcaster.

Recovery rate of peak form olympic athletes will be extreme. Their bodies will be tired but their aerobic fitness should allow them to bring their breathing and heart rate down in a few minutes or less.

These guys have been training specifically for a few events (Phelps, you genetic freak, stop rocking the boat) for up to a year before hand. Not to mention the base fitness and muscle memory from the years of training it took to get to international quality.