Pretty funny side story about Michael Bourgain the track sprinter who will be competing lol:
Bourgain, who does not compete on the road, has placed his hopes in winning a medal in the keirin but to participate he must, according to the rules, also be qualified for another cycling event.
Because France has filled up its allocation of places in the other track events, Bourgain had to take part in another event.
The only spot available was in the road race and he will now race alongside established road professionals Sylvain Chavanel, Arnaud Demare and Tony Gallopin, according to French Cycling Federation (FFC) officials.
It means Bourgain, with his imposing track sprinter’s physique which is used to intense efforts of racing on several laps of a 250-metre track, will stick out like a sore thumb when he lines up for the Olympic road race on July 28.
Is this story serious? Why must he qualify for another event just to ride the Keirin? I’m not complaining though, anything that brings the lols in the all-too-serious Olympics is fine by me.
No gambling access at work. Will check tonight to see if there are any Olympic markets up. (picked up $160 on the Tour, with Wiggins for the win and Nibali for the podium. Look forward to blowing it all on the Olympics)
Would be part of the effort to keep total competitor numbers under control.
Same as the road ITT guys (Cadel & Rogers) have to do the RR too (or maybe they could do the keirin or something?)
From memory, he didn’t qualify for the keirin but the rules state that they can substitute a rider into the track squad from the road squad making him required to ride in the road race.
Although in theory an NOC is entitled to qualify up to one place per track event for a total of eighteen quota places, a limit of 14 riders (8 men, 6 women ) is placed on each NOC, with the possibility of drafting in two further riders from other cycling events. For certain countries, therefore, the number of quota places won will significantly exceed the numbers of riders qualified.
Similarly, the cyclists who compete in the road time trial must also compete in the road race event; thus an NOC may win 2 quota places, but be allowed to take only one rider.
Holy shit! That guy looks like a midget’s bomb shelter!
On a seperate track cycling note…
I’m a Chemical Brother’s addict and this has given me a much needed fix until their next album, but I still think it’s shite.
