The 2012 Summer Olympics are officially underway in London, and there are several local Olympians that are hoping to make a big splash for USA Cycling this year. Cycling competitions fall under four categories for both men and women -- BMX, Track Cycling, Road Cycling and Mountain Biking -- and while Boulder natives Timmy Duggan and Taylor Phinney join Denver native Kristin Armstrong in the Road Cycling competitions, Denver native David Herman looks to make his mark in the BMX field.
SB Nation's Cycling blog, Podium Cafe, has put together some excellent breakdowns of the road race fields for the men and women, so be sure to check those out. The men will be chasing loaded teams like Australia, Belgium, Italy and Spain, but the women have a much better shot at success:
I have to take my hat off to Team USA - they looked at what they needed to get 4 riders to the Games, and have worked their socks off to achieve it. Amber Neben and Shelley Olds took full advantage of the disproportionately large number of UCI points available in the South American races, and scooped them up - and with Evie Stevensand Olds both having a spectacular season, they easily qualified the maximum riders.
Their plan should be Olds for the spint, and Stevens and Neben for the breaks - with Stevens and Neben both used to riding their hearts out for their team-mates in Specialized-lululemon. Kristin Armstrong will be focusing on the ITT, and doesn't have so much of a reputation as a team-player - but Olds, Neben and Stevens are all great at that, it won't really matter.
For full daily broadcast schedules, visit NBC's Olympics web site.
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