Bad Break for Brown
By: Tom Lining
Bellaire, Michigan
Travis Brown a favorite to make the Olympic Mens Mountain Bike Racing Team, suffered a broken collarbone Friday during a practice run for the final qualifying race scheduled for Saturday.
Brown from Durango, Colorado, was going over a double log jump when he flew over his handlebars and landed on his shoulder. He suffered three fractures of his collarbone. Brown, who rides for the Trek-Volkswagen team, was in second place in the race to make the two-man team.
Mountain Bike Resources Online - Traverse Michigan Mountain Biking - Recap
By: Tom Lining
Traverse City, Michigan
On a hot and steamy day, 90+ degrees and 80% humidity our first Olympic Team was named. The ladies started the day at 10:00 am just as the race began it started to rain, Tammy Jaques of Team Schwinn took the early lead followed by Julie Furtado and Susan De Mattei. By lap 3 the sun had come out and the heat and humidity started to take it toll on the ladies, Susan De Mattei took the lead and never looked back, winning the race in 2:08:04.85, this gave her the right to join Julie Furtado in july at the first ever Olympic mountain bike race.
In the womens downhill Leigh Donovan reassured us that this was indeed her course by beat second place Elke Brutsaert by a whopping 4.37 seconds.
The Mens race started at 2:00pm many wondered if Ned Overend was to go to the Olympics, it would only be fitting this being his last season of racing. Would the injury to Travis Brown be in the back of teammate Don Myrah's mind, and then there was home town hero John Tomac the hottest american in the last 3 races, how was it all to play out on this HOT and STEAMY Saturday afternoon? As the race began it was Rishi Grewal, followed by John Tomac and Mark Howe, Dave Wiens and then Tinker with Don Myrah in 8th and Ned Overend in 12th, Ned needed to win by 2 spots to get the Olympic berth. By lap two Steve Larson had made his charge from 7th to take the lead,as John Tomac was on his tail only 9 seconds behind and a group consisting of Mark Howe, Dave Wiens and Rishi Grewal right in the hunt. As lap 4 started spectators began to ask where Ned was afterall this was to be the race of his life, and he had faded back to 19th position, with Don Myrah in a very comfortable 10th spot and Tinker Juarez out of the race with a technical, it was just not to be. Steve Larsen rode a very strong race and deserved the win, but the real winner for the day was to be Don Myrah as he will now join Tinker Juarez in first ever Olympic mountain bike event.
In the GT downhill event, Mongoose once again swept 1st place with Brian Lopes again winning the race, winning by a margin of 3.02 seconds over Dave Cullinan of KHS. The course was a very sandy and bumpy ride not much room for error any mistake could have been quit costly.
For detailed results, including lists of all the rankings, click our July 1st, 1996 back issue of MBR Online News.