As the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens approach, Canada is once again poised in all three cycling disciplines to confirm its 1996 Olympic accomplishments, where Canada garnered an unprecedented five Olympic medals in Atlanta. The Olympic gold medal, however, remains agonizingly elusive to Canadian cyclists, as definitive measurements boil down to inches and mere hundredths-of-a-second.

Twenty years seems (and is) a long time ago, but for many of us the image of American Alexi Grewal sprinting past Steve Bauer in Los Angeles will continue to remain strong in our minds for a lifetime.

On a hot August afternoon, Bauer, 26, was breaking into the élite ranks of cycling, controlling the men’s Olympic road race. Finding himself in a two-man break with Grewal suited him fine, as his sprint was deceivingly faster. The problem was Grewal wouldn’t work, as he knew of Bauer and had teammates in a chase group behind. Bauer decided to drag Grewal to the line and made two crucial mistakes, underestimating his rival and choosing too big of a gear for the final headwind sprint.

The silver lining for Bauer was that the Olympic silver medalist was allowed to start the World Road Championship race; the gold medalist was not. So, a few weeks later, Bauer won a bronze medal and signed with the prestigious La Vie Claire team.

Bauer chose to finish his career 12 years later in Atlanta with a respectable 41st place.
The Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 also provided the setting for the emergence of one of Canada’s most-decorated track cyclists. Only a teenager at the time, Curt Harnett of Thunder Bay, Ontario, blazed to a silver medal in the kilo. Placing a mere three-one-hundredths-of-a-second behind German Fredy Schmidtke, Harnett shocked the cycling community.

Harnett excelled early with junior national titles in both track and road. A promising hockey career likely helped him develop his explosive quickness, which he honed on the track. After his success of ’84, Harnett and coach Des Dickie made the decision to turn to the sprint. A 10th place in the ’88 Olympics in Seoul inspired Harnett to progress through another four years to the Barcelona Games in 1992.

It was there that Harnett eventually succumbed in the semifinals to Aussie Gary Niewand and settled for the bronze medal. It was a feat he would repeat in Atlanta four years later when he bested Niewand, but couldn’t handle the American Marty Nothstein or the eventual winner Jens Fiedler. Harnett retired after the 1996 Games with Olympic silver and two bronze, and a gold and silver from various World Championships. His results speak for themselves.

Harnett’s bronze medal in ’96 was part of the greatest-ever haul of Canadian cycling medals at an Olympic Games. Perhaps inspired by his teammate’s accomplishments, Brian Walton contested the men’s points race on that same July 28. Known as a tenacious fighter, Walton had had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in April and hadn’t pushed himself until mid-May.

Lacking serious speed in the sprints, Walton’s game plan was to attack and attempt to gain a lap. The opportunity arose mid-race as a break of two was a half-lap up and Walton needed to get across. With what many were calling the smartest and bravest attempt at a medal, Walton eventually made it into the top three and lapped the field before finishing second behind Silvio Martinello of Italy.

It would be 23-year-old Winnipeg native Clara Hughes who thrilled Canadians coast to coast with her double bronze-medal effort in the road race and ITT. “I hope I’m a role model for girls,” stated Hughes after an impressive road race that had her in the mix with the legendary Jeannie Longo of France and Imelda Chiappa of Italy. The three battled to the line after Longo made the selection on the rainy 13K course. Soloing in behind Longo and Chiappa, Hughes sported her flowing red hair and trademark grin.

Following up days later with an ITT bronze behind Zulfiya Zabirova of Russia and Longo, Hughes had no words to describe the amazing feeling. Of course, years later Hughes would also become the only Canadian to medal at both Summer and Winter Olympic Games with her bronze medal in speed skating.

Canada’s fifth medal in Atlanta arrived courtesy of Alison Sydor and the Olympic debut of mountain biking. In 1996, Sydor was the odds-on favourite, having won the last two World Championships and won the last six of seven World Cups. Taking control on the first lap, Sydor led for its entirety, with Americans Juliana Furtado and Susan DeMattei close behind and Italian Paula Pezzo recovering from an early crash. By lap two, the relatively unknown Pezzo would build a 25-second lead and never look back, besting Sydor and company by more than a minute. Sydor cruised in for the silver after dropping her companions one by one over the course of the last lap.

A testament to the longevity of their careers, both Sydor and Hughes will be gunning for spots on Canada’s Olympic teams bound for Athens. Harnett will be there as well in the broadcasting booth for the CBC. Bauer will likely be in Europe guiding his tours, and Walton will be busy developing a training centre in Philadelphia, Pa.
Canada’s hopes in Athens rest on the shoulders of all our champions, including Hughes and Sydor and a new crop of medal hopefuls such as Roland Green, Genevieve Jeanson, Charles Dionne, and Lyne Bessette””all very capable and motivated to land that elusive gold.

Canadian Olympic Cycling Medals

Steve Bauer, silver, road race, 1984

Curt Harnett, silver, kilo, 1984

Curt Harnett, bronze, sprint, 1992

Curt Harnett, bronze, sprint, 1996

Brian Walton, silver, points race, 1996

Alison Sydor, silver, cross-country mountain bike, 1996

Clara Hughes, bronze, road race, 1996

Clara Hughes, bronze, ITT, 1996