Can Wolfgang Puck save the US Mountain Bike Team?
By Matt Lanning

The grumblings started with women's gymnastics. Should it be fair that America's darlings be treated to massage, personal chefs, and manicurists in their own private mansion, then shuttled around in first-class transportation?

Is this fair, while other teams like the Romanians are confined to the Olympic Village, and held hostage by the less-than-perfect bus system? Today's question also applies to mountain biking, where the American team is being catered to by one of America's finest chefs, Wolfgang Puck of Spago Restaurant fame.

The answer will come Tuesday, July 30, as the U.S. team--Juli Furtado, Susan DeMattei, Tinker Juarez and Don Myrah--burn these top-shelf calories in a bid for the first-ever Olympic mountain bike medal.

The Canadians are one team that is feeling the short end of the stick, or in this case the short end of the catering tray, as they prepare their star rider, Allison Sydor. Although housed in one of the less-desirable sections of the athlete village, the team remains very optimistic. "It's a bit noisy," said team member Andreas Hestler. "We were placed right next to the bus pickup, so we have to listen to that at all hours. Other athletes don't have it so bad, especially on the other side of the building."

Out at the venue, however, the fine dining and noisy buses are left far behind. All attention turns to the course. The Georgia International Horse Park was designed with the equestrian events in mind, but with ample consideration for the mountain bike race. The course is a double-teardrop design, with two distinct sections. The first section is made up of mostly dark foresty terrain, while the second section travels over more of a rocky, granite surface. The total length for the lap is 6.6 miles, with an elevation gain of 1,065 feet per lap. The men will start Tuesday at 10 a.m. and do four and a half laps, while the women will start at 2:30 p.m. and do three laps.

A total of 80 riders (50 men and 30 women) will take the course Tuesday.

Who are the favorites out here? It's tough to say who's gonna be fast on any given day, but history has shown certain riders do better under pressure than others. In the men's race look for consistent riders like Thomas Frischknecht (Switzerland), Rune Hoydahl (Norway), Jan Erik Ostergaard (Denmark), and Christophe Dupouey (France) to be strong, while other riders like Miguel Martinez (France), Luca Bramati (Italy), and Bart Brentjens (Netherlands) have shown themselves to be top contenders when they're on-form. My picks for the podium are Frischknecht, Hoydahl, Martinez, in that order. Any chance the Americans will win a medal? There's always hope, but they just haven't shown themselves to be contenders against the Euros this season.

The women's race is a little clearer to pick, although as always, anything can happen. The obvious favorites are Allison Sydor (Canada) and Juli Furtado (United States), but one can never count out Paola Pezzo (Italy). The underdog favorites are Gunn-Rita Dahle (Norway), Annabella Stropparo (Italy), Susan DeMattei (United States), and Eva Orvosova-Lowe (Slovakia). For this race, I'm going with Sydor, Stropparo, and Furtado, 1-2-3. Furtado has been concentrating on this race for a long time, but Allison's in better shape this season. The Italians have been in hiding since the St. Wendel, Germany World Cup event, so I imagine they may have something up their sleeves. Watch for Stropparo, as she's gonna be quick.

The other determining factors in the race will be the heat, the flat tires, and the relentless nature of the course. Temperatures have been uncomfortable at best, muggy and hot at worst. Race day looks to be more of the same. Cloud cover is always a possibility, which would be a dream come true. But either way, it's gonna be hot.

In addition to the weather, the riders also must contend with nasty thorns along the course. At the Olympic Qualifier here in May, nearly all the riders had more than one flat, and even the winning rider in the men's field accomplished his goal after fixing two flats. Look for that to be a factor as well.

And finally, the course itself is a brutal, rolling circuit that offers little opportunity to rest, drink, or merely blink. There are so many small obstacles to contend with that the winner will be the one with the longest attention span in addition to fine fitness. The riders will certainly be aware of the many tight turns, rock lips, and undulations in the terrain that could easily throw them off-course or off their bikes.

The real winners of the day will be the spectators at home, however. With 30 cameras situated at every key point on the course, it will be the first mountain bike race ever where all the key moments of the race will be recorded on tape.

Matt Lanning is a frequent contributor to Outside Online