July 31, 1996
Mountain magic
NOT THE MOST EXCITING EVENT, BUT WE'LL TAKE THE SILVER MEDAL.
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
CONYERS, Georgia - I'd love to report that silver medal winner Alison Sydor rode her first tricycle in the City of Champions and began on her road to the Olympics as a toddler in town.
Problem is, she never rode a tricycle.
Never rode a bike with training wheels.
Just hopped on one day and rode away.
"She didn't even get on a tricycle,'' mom Maureen said as she waited to see her daughter climb onto the second step of the Olympic podium here to receive another one of those Canadian golds-turned-silver.
"She didn't use training wheels for anything,'' said her dad, Hank, who said the great event happened when the family was living in the U.S. She might have been five.
"The kid next door had a new bike and couldn't ride it. She just picked it up and rode it.''
When she hopped on her mountain bike in the 32 C heat here yesterday, Alison Sydor of Edmonton, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver (in that order) was expected to win a gold medal.
Overwhelming favorite
She'd won six of the seven World Cup races this year and was the overwhelming favorite to win.
She won silver. And I'd love to report it was exciting.
But to tell the truth, it was the least exciting silver medal I can ever remember watching Canada win at an Olympic Games.
Now maybe from where you watched it, it was great stuff.
But I watched it at the start/finish line of the track constructed on the property of the Georgia International Horse Park where they hold the equestrian competition.
Part of the course ran through a golf course. Part took the riders around a horse training track. And the rest was in ravines.
It was pretty much a rumor to us.
We watched them start there. About 35 minutes later they came by again with Sydor and six others in a line going about 10 kmh.
Half the photographers then put their equipment down, leaned back on the rail, put their hats over their faces and took a nap. The writers read the papers.
Another 35 minutes or so later and they came by again. This time, eventual gold medal winner Paola Pezzo of Italy was out in front by herself . Sydor and eventual bronze medal winner Susan DeMattei of the U.S. and Gunn-Rita Dahle of Finland came through together about 90 seconds later.
They rang the bell.
Bell lap?
These girls can't remember if they've gone around this course once or twice?
I don't know. It was the first time for mountain bike racing in the Olympics and Canada had another silver medal.
I ought not knock it.
No concession
But there were 50,000 fans there lining the course where they forgot to put a concession stand (the first recorded incident of the Atlanta organizers screwing up when it comes to making a buck) and what did they watch?
They didn't get much of a show unless they were with the 50 or so at the location where Canada's Andreas Hestler of Victoria stopped for the pause that refreshed that isn't Coca-Cola and was tinkling on a tree while the other racers whizzed past in the men's race.
Of course, sitting at home, there are already reports that the event was a hit because the winner, Pezzo, pretty much had her breasts on display all the way, immediately increasing the popularity of the sport.
It was a very different day.
If the country got to know Sydor as a result of what we watched (or didn't watch), then that's great. She's a wonderful athlete and a person worth getting to know.
"I wasn't having an awesome day,'' she said of her race.
"She had an awesome day. I had a great day. It wasn't awesome but it was great.''
Too hot for a Canadian?
"Heat was a factor. You don't normally race mountain bikes in humidity like this,'' she said.
Maybe in Italy.
She said she drank every ounce of water handed to her around the course (and fortunately didn't have to stop to go potty and end up 31st like Hestler).
She gave Pezzo full credit for the win.
A former Alberta junior champion in the triathlon, her separated parents had their own individual media scrums where they were telling her story.
Her dad came to Edmonton as a mining engineer, took the family to several U.S. locations and then moved to Calgary for 13 years.
"The only reason we left Calgary is so she could go to the University of Victoria,'' reported her mom.
"Do you know that Alison plays hockey in the winter? With her legs she can outskate everybody. And she's an excellent skier. Those are some outstanding leg muscles.''
Papa was proud, too.
"Alison always knew where she was going and how to get there,'' said her dad.
Hank Sydor said he knows she's happy with the silver.
"I can tell. She knows she did everything she could do. I know she's not looking at it as something she didn't achieve.''
