Still coming off the high of his win at the six-stage Tour de Beauce, Langley's Svein Tuft received more good news as it was officially announced Thursday that he will be one of the riders going for gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Canadian Cycling Association nominated the 31-year-old Tuft, as well as Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria and Toronto's Michael Barry, as the three men who will fight to win a road racing cycling medal for Canada for the first time since Steve Bauer took silver at the 1984 Los Angeles games.
Tuft, who will join fellow Symmetrics teammate and track cyclist Zach Bell as a member of Canada's cycling team, had an impressive year including winning the 2007 International Cycling Union's America Tour and earning four gold medals at the recent Pan American Cycling Championships in Montevideo Uruguay.
The 260-kilometre Olympic road course, which starts at Yongdingmen Gate near the Forbidden City and passes the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square, is reported to be one of the toughest road racing courses in Olympic history, but Tuft is not phased by this challenge.
"This is an opportunity of a lifetime for all of us and I am looking forward to representing Canada on the world stage," Tuft said. "I feel really good - I feel strong and I am going into this with the most success I have ever had. Hesjedal has had a great year as well and this is Barry's third Olympics so we have the ability and experience."
In addition to the road race in Beijing on August 9, Tuft will also be competing in the individual time trials on August 13.
His warm up to the Olympics will be racing during BC Superweek; one of Canada's largest cycling events with eight races taking place over ten days in July.
For more information about Symmetrics Cycling and to view complete race schedules, visit
symmetricscycling.com.
Mark Cunningham
Symmetrics Cycling
Tel: 604.891.5565
Fax: 604.681.8514
Email:
markc@symmetrics.net
web:
symmetrics.net
