June 8, 2004 – In only a matter of days, three nominations to the 2004
U.S. Olympic cycling team will be awarded to three athletes at the PoolGel
USCF Elite National Championships and Team USA Selection Race in Redlands,
Calif. Scheduled for June 16-19, Olympic nominations will go to the winner
of the women’s USCF Elite National Time Trial Championship, the women’s
USCF Elite National Road Race, and the men’s Team USA Selection Race.

And now with the first half of the cycling season in the books, the
favorites to win these events and realize their Olympic dreams have become
evident. For women’s road cycling, the U.S. Olympic team will be comprised
of three athletes while the men’s team will feature five riders.

Heavily favored to win the women’s time trial and thus a spot on the U.S.
Olympic team is one of many capable athletes. Defending USCF National Time
Trial Champion, Kimberly Bruckner (Boulder, Colo.) leads this list as the
winner of this race for the last three years. After recently recovering
from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor at the end of the 2003 season,
Bruckner has returned to form, most recently placing second in the time
trial and third overall at the nine-day Tour de l’Aude stage race, a major
international event in France last month. Bruckner’s teammate during the
season, Dede Barry (Boulder, Colo.) took the time trial win at Tour de
L’Aude and will also excel on a course such as the one laid out in
Redlands. Barry is likely to qualify for the Olympic team as the
highest-ranked American in the international standings, so a time trial
win is not as vital for her chances at making the Olympic team perhaps
opening the door for a few other teammates. Kristin Armstrong (Boise,
Idaho) is also a likely candidate for a victory in the time trial. Her
bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games and a few wins in 2004 as well
as a third place finish in the time trial at the Tour de l’Aude make her
one of the pre-race favorites. Also, 2000 Olympic silver medalist, Mari
Holden (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and current USCF National Road Champion
Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.) will be looking for a nomination to the
Olympic team through a time trial win.

In the women’s road race, the five aforementioned riders should also be
considered favorites for a road race win. And the fact that all five
riders compete as teammates for the T-Mobile professional cycling team all
season long will make for some interesting dynamics. By the time the road
race begins however, one Olympic spot will already be determined from the
time trial, and Barry’s hold as the highest-ranked American rider is
likely to go unchallenged. Other candidates that are expected to challenge
for the road race win include Tina Pic (Dahlonega, Ga.) and Christine
Thorburn (Davenport, Iowa.). Both riders have thus far posted impressive
results throughout the first half of the 2004 season.

On paper, the consensus is that Chris Horner (Bend, Ore.) is the
overwhelming favorite to win the men’s selection race. Horner is a
four-time winner of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, an annual stage race
held in the same area and has won almost every major race in America.
Horner recently displayed his dominant form by winning the Housatonic
Valley Classic, an equally challenging one-day event in May.

Most of the top Americans will be entering the Team USA Selection Race
with strong form after last weekend’s USPRO Championships. If that race is
any indication, then Kirk O’Bee (Ada, Mich.) should also be considered a
serious contender. O’Bee was the second American finisher behind
three-time USPRO Champion, Fred Rodriguez (Emeryville, Calif.) in the epic
156 mile race. Rodriguez, an Olympian in 2000 and perhaps the best
American sprinter in the peloton today, has not yet confirmed his
participation in the Team USA Selection Race.

The unpredictability of a one-day road race means that the chase for an
Olympic nomination is essentially wide open even though favorites may
exist. And given the current depth of the field in America, the chances of
another rider challenging for the win are equally as likely.

The winner of the men’s Team USA Selection race will join four others on
the men’s Olympic road cycling squad. Although those four are not
officially determined until later this summer, strong candidates to fill
those positions based on early season performances are Lance Armstrong
(Austin, Texas), Tyler Hamilton (Marblehead, Mass.), Bobby Julich
(Glenwood Springs, Colo.) and George Hincapie (Greenville, S.C.). These
four have already met qualification criteria, and if the team was selected
today, would make up the remainder of the team along with the winner of
the Team USA Selection Race. Three opportunities remain though for other
American riders to qualify for the team. Currently Levi Leipheimer (Santa
Rosa, Calif.) and Floyd Landis (Lancaster, Pa.) are competing in the
Dauphine Libere stage race in France, an event that could factor into
Olympic selection.