06.27.08 - Canadian Cycling Association nominates mountain bike team

OTTAWA – The Canadian Cycling Association nominated its mountain bike team Friday for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The nominees are Marie-Hélène Prémont of Chateau-Richer, Que., Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops, B.C., Geoff Kabush of Victoria and Seamus McGrath of Millgrove, Ont.

Prémont won the Olympic silver medal in 2004 and is Canada’s top podium hope this year. She has won a medal at all five World Cup races this season to stand first overall and was fourth at the recent world championships in Italy.

‘’There’s more attention on me than four years ago,’’ said Prémont. ‘’But I’m prepared and I will go there to do the best I can. That’s the approach I had in Athens and I hope it’ll work again this time too. But this year I know what the Olympic Games are about and I think I’ll be more relaxed and more confident.’’

Pendrel has been a consistent top-10 performer on the World Cup the past two seasons.

‘’This is really exciting for me,’’ said Pendrel. ‘’I feel my training is really on track right now and in a few weeks time I’ll be ready to put out a really good race. I raced the test event in Beijing last year. It’s a good course for me. It’s physically demanding, there’s absolutely no rest on it.’’

Kabush and McGrath provide Canada with two solid veterans in the men’s race who are no strangers to international success. Kabush won a World Cup bronze medal earlier this season and McGrath was an impressive ninth four years ago in Athens and took bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2006.

Sean O’Donnell, the CCA’s high performance manager says success and experience gives Canada medal threats in mountain biking.

‘’We’re excited with these four athletes we are sending to Beijing,’’ said O’Donnell. ‘’All four athletes have a strong history of international performances. We go into Beijing with a strong chance of earning at least one medal in both the men’s and women’s event. It’s a very experienced team and a very strong team and that bodes well for Canada.’’

The women’s cross country race is August 22 and the men’s race on August 23.