Sean Petty and the good folks over at USA Cycling have submitted the US roster for the 2008 Olympic men's time trial and road race, and once again have managed to completely mishandle the selection process. Levi Leipheimer and David Zabriskie will ride both the time trial and road races, while George Hincapie, Jason McCartney, and Christian Vande Velde will round out the men's team.
Hincapie, in participating in the road race, will become the only 5-time Olympian cyclist in American history. "Big George" still has some punch left in his legs, and could be a dark horse contender for the title if he can come to Beijing in top form.
When looking at the rest of the road roster, the first question that comes to mind probably is: "Where the hell is Chris Horner???!!?!?!?" It is a complete travesty that the fiesty one day specialist won't be included on the road squad. Horner riders for one of the top outfits in all of cycling, has demonstrated an ability to win tough, one day races, and has the experience that could make the difference when the final selection is made in this year's Olympic road race. Leaving Horner off of this year's Olympic squad will cost the stars and stripes team dearly.
Sure, McCartney and Vande Velde are proven Euro veterans, and Levi an excellent time trialist and stage racer, but none of them can compare to Horner when it comes to being ready for a one day hilly shoot out. Zabriskie meanwhile is utterly useless in a road race, as he has no real climbing or sprinting ability. Only Hincapie seems to be a good fit for the road race, as he is a one day type rider.
And Chris Horner wasn't the only one who got the shaft. How about Danny Pate? Pate is a much better one day rider than Z, VV or Mc, but won't get the chance to prepare for the prestigious race. Even Tom Danielson would have been an upgrade over Zabriskie, In the end, the American team will probably ride an emotionless race while the Italians and Spanish once again battle for the title. Too bad that the home of the brave is devoid of courage when it counts the most: choosing a contingent to represent your country.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
US Olympic Squad Named: Hincapie First American 5-Time Cycling Olympian
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3 comments:
Amen to that! What the heck is USA Cycling thinking??? Chris Horner not on the team??? How many races has DZ and CV have won?
I can see DZ getting a slot on the TT roster, if only for his Tour victory a few years ago... but vande velde? I think he got it because of the maglia rosa this year, which was because his team rode a good ttt. i don't know, i like horner... i feel like he is overlooked. a lot.
also, you should enter a fantasy team at velogames.com. i'm having a hell of a time putting one together this year.
i like the blog a lot. i tried to do this once, but couldn't stay with it.
Participating in 5 different Olympics is pretty amazing. As a fellow Greenville resident, I'll be pulling for him.
I agree that it is a bummer about Horner. He is a hardworking rider that I would want on the team if I were riding.
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