Hear from the U.S. Olympic Road Team on the eve of the road race
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Print Hear directly from the U.S. Olympic road cycling team on the eve of their historic road race in London. The men will embark on a 250-kilometer journey on Saturday including nine loops of the Box Hill circuit climb. On Sunday the women will tackle the same course with two laps around Box Hill for 140-kilometers. For a full race preview, visit the Course & Event Previews section of www.usacycling.org/olympics.
View more images from the press conference in USA Cycling's photo gallery here.
Kristin Armstrong and Amber Neben share their thoughts during today's press conference.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
ON HER REHABILITATION FROM A BROKEN COLLARBONE: "During my 10-year career, I've had a lot of luck on my side. It was the first collarbone break, people were telling me, 'Welcome to the collarbone club.' I was like, 'For real?' (laughs) I had surgery within 24 hours. My doctor at first said, 'You probably won't be riding outside for at least two-to-three weeks.' Planning things out with my coach, about five days later, when I went to see my doctor to look at my wounds to see how they're healing because of possible infection. He was really pleased with how things were going. He asked me, 'If the Olympics were in a week, would you race?' I said, 'Absolutely. No question.' He said, 'Alright.' I said, 'Can we have a discussion about when I get ride outside? I know it's not going to be today, but I just have to have a plan in my head, so I can move forward.' He said, 'I wouldn't stop you from riding outside in a week if it was the Olympic Games, so I have no reason to stop you from riding outside tomorrow. Just be careful. Don't fall.' From then, I worked with my physical therapist back home, my coach and my family. I had very focused training sessions leading up to a North American race. I felt like it was a very focused six weeks. Looking back, I'm not saying breaking my collarbone was a blessing, but it also gave me five or six days off my bike, which sometimes need to be forced to do anyway."
AMBER NEBEN
ON HOW PREPARING FOR TIME TRIAL AFFECTS PREPARING FOR ROAD RACE: "The last five-10 days, not so much. My focus the last three weeks coming in though has been getting ready for the time trial. Right now, the road race set up before the time trial is actually good for me. I like to ride really hard a couple days out, so I'm opened and I'm ready and I'm not super fresh. I'm excited about the road race and I'll be able to give everything I've got there."
SHELLEY OLDS
ON HOW THE RACE MIGHT PLAY OUT: "I'm confident right now that, if it comes to a sprint, I can sprint with the best sprinters. I don't know what will happen in the race. We have a lot of cards to play. We have, I think, the strongest team, so it will be just whatever happens, but I would be happy if it came to a sprint."
EVELYN STEVENS
ON WHETHER THE WOMEN'S COURSE IS TOO EASY: "I've never competed in the Olympic Games. It's a field of only 64 women. It depends on how it's raced. I think the women of cycling want to show the world how aggressive and exciting women's racing is. I think the women are going to make the race hard."
Tyler Farrar and Chris Horner share their thoughts.TIMMY DUGGAN
ON HIS 2012 SEASON: "It was a big goal of mine to make the Olympic team. The goals and my role on my trade team (Liquigas-Cannondale) and my personal goals really aligned this season in terms of the Amgen Tour of California, Nationals and timing of the selection for the Olympic selection. It all worked out well for me this season. I had some great accomplishments already. The way I see it at the Olympic Games, it's a whole other thing now. It's a new beginning. We make goals from there. I hope to be part of a successful, medal-winning performance tomorrow."
TYLER FARRAR
ON HOW HE SEES THE RACE PLAYING OUT: "I think it’s going to be a really interesting race. Its going to be an attrition thing, there’s not much recovery on the circuit and I think that might surprise a few people.”
ON THE COURSE: "I think it's going to be a really interesting race tomorrow. I think the course hasn't been given its fair due a lot in the press. I think its bit harder than a lot people are saying. It's not something you ride one lap and say, 'That's really hard.' It's going to be an attrition thing. There's not a lot of recovery on the circuit. I think it might surprise a few people."
CHRIS HORNER
ON HOW HIS EXPERIENCE CAN HELP THE TEAM: "Certainly, I think its easy when you've been racing as long as I have to predict what's going to go on in the race. Coming from the Tour de France you know which riders are riding well and which riders aren't, so you have a pretty good idea of possibly how the race could come down. The main thing would be that we're only racing with five guys without radios, so that could complicate things and change the strategy from what we're normally used to racing through the year. Experience is telling me that you're going to have to watch for something a little bit different to happen in the Olympic road race than what its been all year."
Taylor Phinney cracked his signature jokes.
TAYLOR PHINNEY
ON DRAWING FROM HIS 2008 OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE: "I do feel fortunate to have had one Games under my belt already. I learned a lot the last time around. Especially when you come into this Olympic Village, it's the craziest place in the world. It can make you forget what you're actually doing here. So, we've come in and had great support from USA Cycling, staying close by Box Hill, great training in the Surrey area. We're here to do business this time. I'm here to do business this time. We're all here as a team. We're staying away from the video game arcades and trying to spend the least amount of time in the dining hall as possible."
TEJAY VAN GARDEREN
ON BALANCING RECOVERY WITH TRAINING AFTER TOUR DE FRANCE: "We flew directly to London to cut out the travel, so we have access to soigneurs, training rides. I was getting massages. We had doctors who keep us healthy. I feel great. I think the winner of the Olympics is going to be someone who raced in the Tour because you don't get that kind of training in such a big volume in a big training block. As long as you come out of it healthy, those are going to be the guys making a difference after 220 kilometers."
View more images from the press conference in USA Cycling's photo gallery here.
Kristin Armstrong and Amber Neben share their thoughts during today's press conference.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
ON HER REHABILITATION FROM A BROKEN COLLARBONE: "During my 10-year career, I've had a lot of luck on my side. It was the first collarbone break, people were telling me, 'Welcome to the collarbone club.' I was like, 'For real?' (laughs) I had surgery within 24 hours. My doctor at first said, 'You probably won't be riding outside for at least two-to-three weeks.' Planning things out with my coach, about five days later, when I went to see my doctor to look at my wounds to see how they're healing because of possible infection. He was really pleased with how things were going. He asked me, 'If the Olympics were in a week, would you race?' I said, 'Absolutely. No question.' He said, 'Alright.' I said, 'Can we have a discussion about when I get ride outside? I know it's not going to be today, but I just have to have a plan in my head, so I can move forward.' He said, 'I wouldn't stop you from riding outside in a week if it was the Olympic Games, so I have no reason to stop you from riding outside tomorrow. Just be careful. Don't fall.' From then, I worked with my physical therapist back home, my coach and my family. I had very focused training sessions leading up to a North American race. I felt like it was a very focused six weeks. Looking back, I'm not saying breaking my collarbone was a blessing, but it also gave me five or six days off my bike, which sometimes need to be forced to do anyway."
AMBER NEBEN
ON HOW PREPARING FOR TIME TRIAL AFFECTS PREPARING FOR ROAD RACE: "The last five-10 days, not so much. My focus the last three weeks coming in though has been getting ready for the time trial. Right now, the road race set up before the time trial is actually good for me. I like to ride really hard a couple days out, so I'm opened and I'm ready and I'm not super fresh. I'm excited about the road race and I'll be able to give everything I've got there."
SHELLEY OLDS
ON HOW THE RACE MIGHT PLAY OUT: "I'm confident right now that, if it comes to a sprint, I can sprint with the best sprinters. I don't know what will happen in the race. We have a lot of cards to play. We have, I think, the strongest team, so it will be just whatever happens, but I would be happy if it came to a sprint."
EVELYN STEVENS
ON WHETHER THE WOMEN'S COURSE IS TOO EASY: "I've never competed in the Olympic Games. It's a field of only 64 women. It depends on how it's raced. I think the women of cycling want to show the world how aggressive and exciting women's racing is. I think the women are going to make the race hard."
Tyler Farrar and Chris Horner share their thoughts.
ON HIS 2012 SEASON: "It was a big goal of mine to make the Olympic team. The goals and my role on my trade team (Liquigas-Cannondale) and my personal goals really aligned this season in terms of the Amgen Tour of California, Nationals and timing of the selection for the Olympic selection. It all worked out well for me this season. I had some great accomplishments already. The way I see it at the Olympic Games, it's a whole other thing now. It's a new beginning. We make goals from there. I hope to be part of a successful, medal-winning performance tomorrow."
TYLER FARRAR
ON HOW HE SEES THE RACE PLAYING OUT: "I think it’s going to be a really interesting race. Its going to be an attrition thing, there’s not much recovery on the circuit and I think that might surprise a few people.”
ON THE COURSE: "I think it's going to be a really interesting race tomorrow. I think the course hasn't been given its fair due a lot in the press. I think its bit harder than a lot people are saying. It's not something you ride one lap and say, 'That's really hard.' It's going to be an attrition thing. There's not a lot of recovery on the circuit. I think it might surprise a few people."
CHRIS HORNER
ON HOW HIS EXPERIENCE CAN HELP THE TEAM: "Certainly, I think its easy when you've been racing as long as I have to predict what's going to go on in the race. Coming from the Tour de France you know which riders are riding well and which riders aren't, so you have a pretty good idea of possibly how the race could come down. The main thing would be that we're only racing with five guys without radios, so that could complicate things and change the strategy from what we're normally used to racing through the year. Experience is telling me that you're going to have to watch for something a little bit different to happen in the Olympic road race than what its been all year."
Taylor Phinney cracked his signature jokes.
TAYLOR PHINNEY
ON DRAWING FROM HIS 2008 OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE: "I do feel fortunate to have had one Games under my belt already. I learned a lot the last time around. Especially when you come into this Olympic Village, it's the craziest place in the world. It can make you forget what you're actually doing here. So, we've come in and had great support from USA Cycling, staying close by Box Hill, great training in the Surrey area. We're here to do business this time. I'm here to do business this time. We're all here as a team. We're staying away from the video game arcades and trying to spend the least amount of time in the dining hall as possible."
TEJAY VAN GARDEREN
ON BALANCING RECOVERY WITH TRAINING AFTER TOUR DE FRANCE: "We flew directly to London to cut out the travel, so we have access to soigneurs, training rides. I was getting massages. We had doctors who keep us healthy. I feel great. I think the winner of the Olympics is going to be someone who raced in the Tour because you don't get that kind of training in such a big volume in a big training block. As long as you come out of it healthy, those are going to be the guys making a difference after 220 kilometers."
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