(30 July 1996; Day 11)
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Dutch cyclist Bart Jan Brentjens pedals hard on his way to winning the gold in the Olympic men's mountain biking event at the Georgia International Horse Park in Stone Mountain 30 July. The 27-year-old Dutchman led the race all the way to finish the course in 2hrs 17min 37sec. (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) AFP/IOPP/Michael JUNG Hundreds more images available daily in Photo Album. |
So where has newly crowned Olympic Champion mountain biker Bart BRENTJENS of the Netherlands been training for the past few months? In road races, of course.
"I have done three stage races on the roads this year," said BRENTJENS. "Two in Holland and one in Belgium, all amateur races. It was good for my speed, my power and overall conditioning. In the last one, I was King of the Mountains. It was six days, all on hills, but I felt strong."
BRENTJENS' strength showed early, as he and Italian rider Luca BRAMATI opened up a 30-second lead on the rest of the field during the opening half-lap around the steeplechase course at the Georgia International Horse Park. The pair traded the lead for nearly 2.5 laps before BRENTJENS took the lead alone.
"When I attacked hard with just over two laps to go and I lost (BRAMATI), I felt that I could win the race. I was just hoping to not have a flat tire or a crash," said BRENTJENS. "(BRAMATI) was very fast in the beginning of the race, but then he lost his power."
BRENTJENS, an advocate for his sport, hopes that his gold medal performance will help mountain biking to rise to the level of popularity that road racing holds in his country.
"Cycling is very popular in Holland,"said BRENTJENS, "and I hope that mountain biking will become more popular there as a result (of his gold medal). But road racing is also popular, especially since (Dutch riders) did well in the Tour de France this year. For myself and for my sport, an Olympic gold medal is the highest honor that you can win. It doesn't matter what sport it is, that's always true."
After victories at the World Cup, world championships and now the Olympic Games, BRENTJENS still isn't looking to leave the sport any time soon. "I like mountain biking, and I don't plan to stop any time soon," said BRENTJENS. "When I'm in Holland, I'm motivated even for small races. It's my business, but I still like it. I'm motivated for every race, but when I'm not motivated, it will be time to stop."
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Amy H. Symons.
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| More tickets were sold to the competitions of the 1996 Games than to any other Olympic Games or sports event in history. The 8.6 million ticket sales figures topped sales to the Los Angeles and Barcelona Games combined. |