Disappointment rocked Madison Friday after the morning announcement Chicago would not be the site of the 2016 Olympic games.

Chicago was knocked out in the first round of voting in Copenhagen, stripping Madison of the chance to play host to part of the games, including cycling and lodging Olympic athletes in an Olympic village nestled in the Lakeshore area. Rio de Janeiro was ultimately declared the winner.

At a reception in the Madison Concourse Hotel Friday, city and Dane County officials struck an upbeat mood despite the less-than-stellar news.

“It’s like the academy awards,” Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said. “It’s hard to be disappointed when you are in that caliber of organization.”

Both Falk and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz highlighted the positive aspects of being considered to host part of the Olympics, even though the vote did not swing in Chicago’s favor.

Falk was optimistic of the effects an Olympic-approved cycling course could have on the community, saying the mark of approval is important for Madison.

She said the publicity has shown the world what Madison has to offer.

“For the next 100 years, we are going to build on the fabulous cycling we have here,” Falk said.

Cieslewicz opened with a blunt assertion of the day’s announcement and reception.

“We thought we’d be here for the thrill of victory, but we got the agony of defeat,” Cieslewicz said.

However, like Falk, Cieslewicz painted a positive picture of Madison’s prospects for the future as it relates to its cycling possibilities.

“…The reasons the Olympics and Chicago were interested in us in the first place, … all those reasons are still here,” Cieslewicz said. “The great scenery, the strong community support, the great Olympic routes they worked out — those are all still here.”

As he said Madison would be recognized as the “biking center of the universe, at least of the United States,” Cieslewicz said the city will find other ways to use the Olympic route, which cuts a swathe through campus and the heart of Madison.

Cieslewicz hinted at an upcoming cycling event for the city that would use the Olympic course, but he was unable to divulge any details at the time.

Past Olympic speedskater Bonnie Blair said she was “heartbroken” when she heard the news, adding it was an even bigger disappointment Chicago was out in the first round.

Blair added she thought Chicago did all it could to garner the Olympic nod, and the city could build on this experience, learning from it to make a potential future application stronger.

“Maybe this is one way we can find out things we did wrong as a bid — in the future maybe we can get it back,” Blair said.

Instead of sour grapes, Cieslewicz closed with a sweeter analogy, referring to what Madison has to offer despite not hosting part of the Olympics.

“The Olympics would have been great–it would have been added frosting on Madison’s cake,” he said. “But to my mind, the cake is still pretty good. And who knows? Maybe 2020 — there’s always 2020.”