By Eddie Arnet
Once the rays of sun touched it off, the first of over 11,000 torchbearers embarked on a journey that will pass the flame out of Olympia, Greece, around the world, and then back to Greece again. In total, the Olympic Torch will cover 50,000 miles in the next 2-1/2 months. It's a journey which will pale in comparison to how many miles the American Olympic hopefuls will log chasing down UCI points. It's largely assumed that the riders who have racked up the most International Cycling Federation points by July 12 are the ones who will be lining up next to Pezzo and Martinez.
READ THE RULES
Points will only get you nominated as a potential member of the U.S. team. In the end it will be the Americans who have the best chance of producing a medal-winning performance who will be lining up at Athens.
According to the USA Cycling 2004 Olympic Games Selection Procedures, 3. MOUNTAIN BIKE (CROSS-COUNTRY ONLY), II. Discretionary Selections on page 21, "The purpose of discretionary athlete nomination is to allow USA Cycling the ability to recommend to the USOC the best physically, psychologically and technically prepared athlete in order to produce medal-winning and/or top-eight performances at the 2004 Olympic Games. Based on the context of the situation, the USA Cycling National Coaching Staff will evaluate which athletes can be nominated to the team in order to field the strongest, most sound and unified team for the 2004 Olympic Games.
"Discretionary nomination will be used in the event that positions are available and it is determined that an athlete, due to historical international performance, is capable of winning a medal or placing in the top eight at the Olympic Games. USA Cycling will use discretion in evaluating the medal potential of U.S. athletes prior to the final nomination...
"...The discretion shall be based on the criteria applicable to the respective event using the following USA Cycling Principles of Discretion:
*A history of strong performance in international elite competition.
*Recent improvements in international and/or elite domestic results.
*Performances during any 2004 Olympic Games Final Preparation Activities.
*Medal capability on the 2004 Olympic Games road race circuit, time trial or mountain bike course since courses and their respective course profiles can vary widely...."
In plain English it says the best riders will go, not the ones with the most points. Yes, brilliant performances by Adam Craig, Todd Wells, Mary McConneloug, Sue Haywood, Shonny Vanlandingham--or by anyone else with sufficient sponsorship--could put them on the Olympic start. But, they're going to need to convincingly start beating ex World, World Cup and NCS Champion and current Cyclocross Champion Alison Dunlap, National Champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and fourth overall NCS rider Jeremiah Bishop to do it.
It does make sense that the riders who show the most medal winning potential will be the same riders tearing it up on the UCI circuit and who will have earned the most UCI points by July 12. Here's an update on how many points the Olympic candidates have earned so far this year
THE SCORE SO FAR
Americans have been racing all over the globe--Cyprus, Mexico, Texas, Puerto Rico and Portugal to be exact--in an effort to chase down as many UCI points as possible. Going off of these early season performances, it's plain to see that Trek-VW's Jeremiah Bishop and RLX Ralph Lauren sponsored National Champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski have the best shot off filling the two available Olympic XC men start positions. On the women's side, it's coming down to a points battle between Seven Cycles sponsored National Champion Mary McConneloug and Luna Chix's Alison Dunlap. The American women only get one start spot in Athens.
Mary McConnelough leads the points score with 160. Alison Dunlap joined the chase much later in the year and did so in a big way. First the multi-champion won the cross country in Waco, and then followed it up a week later by taking the Maxxis Cup International in Gouveia, Portugal. In just those two major one day races (E1 classification), Alison has won exactly half as many points as Mary earned by winning three ordinary one day races (E2), an E1, and an ordinary stage race (D2 classification). Alison's Luna Chix teammate, Shonny Vanlandingham, placed second at the Maxxis Cup.
On the same weekend as the Maxxis Cup, Jeremiah Bishop picked up 35 more points by taking a second at the E1-rated Ultimate Dirt Challenge in Rincon, Puerto Rico. In the process Bishop padded his points lead over Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski: 148 to 90. Bishop also beat Horgan-Kobelski at the first big test of the year, the E1 points paying cross country National at Waco.
Winning the Ultimate Dirt Challenge was newly signed GT-Hyundai rider Todd Wells. Chris Eatough (Trek-VW), Barry Wicks (Kona-Clarks) and Adam Craig (Giant-Pearl Izumi) placed third, fourth and fifth.
Todd Wells, Adam Craig, Sue Haywood and Shonny Vanlandingham all have outside shots at filling one of the Olympic spots. Respectively they have earned 69, 22, 124 and 40 UCI points. While Trek-VW's Haywood, who raced the early season events in Cyprus that Dunlap sat out, has 44 more points, Alison isn't stressing. That's because she has a better chance of earning more UCI points than Mary and Sue prior to July 12. And even if she doesn't, she has and continues to show more medal winning potential than any other American cross country rider.
The Olympic Flame will pass through Los Angeles on June 16, St. Louis on the 17th, Atlanta the 18th and then through New York the following day.
Click Here for the complete lowdown on the USAC's Olympic selections process.
|