I was sitting at home last night watching the opening ceremonies in Beijing. I absolutely love the Olympics, and always have. I like all the artsy production, but what I truly love are all the athletes walking into the stadium. It was a dream of mine from the time I was a little girl to be in the Olympics, and now that I’m older and have done it, it still has a hold on me. I will never grow tired watching these athletes.

In cycling, there are two road events. The road race and the time trial. There is also mountain bike racing, track racing, and BMX. I’m going to talk about road racing since that is what I know best.
For women, the Olympics are the pinnacle of the sport. The men have the Tour de France, but for women, the Olympics are the one time that we get to play on the world stage. The ironic part is that the Olympic Games are the one time every four years that we have to race with a very small team. There are only three spots per team, when a typical World Championships has a team of six. It’s difficult because the tactics of a road race have to change with such a limited team. It also makes the field size really small. It’s a very strange combination for the Women’s races.

This problem is not really a discrimination issue. The problem is that there have to be strict limits to the amounts of athletes allowed in the Games. The men’s teams are also smaller than normal. It’s unfortunate because it changes the nature of the race. It wasn’t as obvious in the men’s race today because there was so much attrition because of heat and humidity. This might also be the case in the women’s race tomorrow, but I believe that the women will learn from what they saw happen in the men’s race.

The other road event is the time trial, and since that is the rider against the clock, it seems like a normal style of racing. We have two amazing women from the US in this event and have a great shot at a gold medal. It could even be two on the podium. It is the best field that the US has ever fielded. We also have a great chance in the road race, but the odds are amazing in the time trial.

Giant sponsors the Team Columbia (formerly T-Mobile, then High Road). They have 15 athletes in the Olympics. Picking them out will be challenging because they will be wearing their countries jerseys and not the Team Columbia jersey. But, keep an eye out for their Team Columbia GIANT bicycles.
Enjoy the Games! Get out and Ride!

In Olympic Spirit