U.S. Olympic Cycling Trials : Steve Hegg Is Critical of Team Selection Process After Heats
SPOKANE, Wash. — After qualifying for the National Road Racing Championships Saturday, cyclist Steve Hegg, considered by many to be the best U.S. hope for a road racing medal at Seoul, criticized the Olympic selection process.
Hegg, 24, of Dana Point said he was unhappy with a process that requires the men to run a 33-mile heat through the rugged hill country north of Spokane just a day before the National Road Racing Championships.
“Whoever decided on this is full of bunkum,†Hegg said. “There’s no reason to be running heats for the Olympic finalists now. There are 300 guys out there and how many will go on, three?â€
Hegg made his statement shortly after successfully completing his own qualifying heat, finishing 10th.
“I didn’t have a strategy. I just tried to stay close and be in the top finishers,†Hegg said.
Three heats were run Saturday with about 100 cyclists in each. The top 40 from each heat qualified for today’s National Road Racing Championships.
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