AMERICAS OLYMPIC EFFORT HALFWAY COMPLETE
Two start spots for the United States were awarded to each gender at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The usacycling.org report reveals the two women and one man who have been selected to automatically join the Olympic Mountain Bike Team.
The U.S. Olympic Committee will select the remaining male and female riders through a discretionary process.
Two athletes, who have performed well throughout the season combined, have been nominated for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
Todd Wells (Durango CO; GT) has been nominated for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. He is the American mountain biker with the highest cumulative placings in all three of his 2008 Mountain Bike World Cup events. Wells placed sixth at the World Cup, Vallnord in Andorra, on May 31, to go along with an 11th-place effort in the season opener, Houffalize in Belgium, on April 20. On June 7, he was 13th at Fort William Scotland’s World Cup. Well’s sixth-place finish in Andorra was his best result in World Cup competition.
Georgia Gould, Luna Chix rider, Fort Collins, CO, met the criteria to be automatically nominated for the women’s squad as the female athlete with the highest cumulative placing in all three of her 2008 Mountain Bike World Cup performances. Gould finished in fifth place in Madrid and Houffalize in the first and third World Cups of 2008. Her 11th place finish at Fort William’s most recent World Cup was her next best.
