Downhill mountain bike racing should be an Olympic event

At some point this spring, when the summer sun was nothing more than wishful thinking, I read that mountain biking was to be an Olympic sport. But wait. The mountain bike races will consist of only one event….wait. The mountain bike races will consist of only one event…. cross country. What about the crazed, speed demons of the downhill?

I suppose I should be grateful that the sport was being taken seriously enough to be considered in the first place. We’re talking about a sport that is still in its infancy. Since a handful of cycling fanatics first rode their modified cruiser bikes down a hill in California some 20 years ago, the riders and their bicycles have evolved considerably.

Riders have developed proven techniques. Manufacturers have developed proven designs. Just like its winter counterpart of skiing, mountain biking has seen innovation in everything from training techniques to equipment. Racers are in better physical condition and they ride lighter, stronger bikes.

Like cross country skiing, cross country mountain biking is a grueling sport. It’s the ultimate in endurance. It can also be a punishing ride, especially in the heat of Atlanta. A talented field can provide some exciting battles for position throughout the race, right up to the finish.

Because of my work schedule, I was only able to see the women’s race on TV. I was a bit disappointed that all the challenges and lead changes seemed to happen out of sight of the cameras. Whenever we returned from a commercial or one of the 57 features of the same Chinese gymnast, there was a new leader or the favorite had been passed by a half-dozen riders.

I missed the men’s competition altogether. I suppose I could have taped the entire four-hour afternoon broadcast, but to be honest, I forgot they were racing that day. Or more accurately, I should say the announcers neglected to promote the fact that this premier event was happening the next day. I think they owed me that much after I suffered through countless preliminary swimming heats that had as much energy as an Atlanta belle with heat stroke.

Now, if you want to talk about hype, think of the winter Olympic sport that plays big on TV. It involves speed, split-second reactions and daredevil maneuvers. Yes, it could be Tonya Harding being chased by the Nancy Kerrigan fan club, but I was thinking more of downhill skiing.

It takes your breath away watching those maniacs plummet down a mountainside. Well, there are plenty of athletes who have nothing better to do than let gravity work its magic while they are attached to the pedals of a mountain bike. They can take your breath away as they scream through an open field, slide through a hairpin turn, and get airborne off a rock outcropping.

If the Olympic committee allows ballroom dancing to be a medal “sport,” then they better be ready to give downhill racers the respect due their athleticism. In case they don’t, and regular avenues prove unsuccessful in convincing the officials, I suggest strapping the U.S. National Cha Cha champions to a Specialized Stumpjumper, and then we’ll see what they’re really made of.

Of course, mountain bikers are required to wear helmets. That’s just common sense. Olympic boxers wear protective headgear. Equestrian participants wear those horsey-riding-helmet things. The Olympics are always sensible when it comes to the safety of athletes. Or are they?

Did you see the cycling road races? Helmets are optional. You would think the death of a rider in last year’s Tour de France would have been the wake-up call to Olympians and officials.

Helmets won’t guarantee injury-free blows to the head, but the statistics are indisputable…. the risk is diminished substantially. Road racers travel at higher speeds than cross country mountain bikers and pavement is a tough surface when introduced to the human skull. Even the BMX cyclists in the closing ceremonies wore helmets.

There were 14 medal competitors in cycling at this year’s Olympic Games. Out of a possible 42 medals, Americans took only three. No gold, two silver and one bronze. Every year we’re assured the U.S. athletes are going to be competitive. When the gas is turned off on the Olympic flame and the cycling medal tally is nothing more than a Boy Scout salute everyone starts analyzing. Blame is hurled at lack of money, training and research.

Sour grapes. The U.S. team had one of the most space-age designs ever used for track cycling. They still lost. They had world champions riding in more than one event. They didn’t come close.

The excuses are unfounded. And why make excuses in the first place? Whatever happened to the glory of getting to the Olympics and representing your country? In this world of “being the best,” “doing your best” has become an embarrassment.