Cycling will be under close scrutiny in Beijing after a series of doping scandals while BMX makes its Olympic debut in an attempt to attract young fans to the sport.
Olympic road race champion Paolo Bettini has called on cycling authorities to ensure the sport is "squeaky clean" before Beijing, although the 2008 Tour de France has again been hit by a series of drugs cases.
American Tyler Hamilton, individual time trial champion in 2004, tested positive for blood doping at the Tour of Spain shortly after the Athens Games. "I think this sport has been making extreme efforts to clean itself up," said USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee.
With events ranging from the track to road racing to a gut-wrenching, jump-filled BMX course, cycling can appeal to different types of fans. About 500 cyclists will compete in a total of 11 men's and seven women's events.
Speed purists will head to the velodrome where Britain hope to repeat a strong performance in the world championships with a squad that includes a former rowing Olympic silver medallist. After winning nine golds out of 18 events at the worlds in March, Britain will have ex-rower Rebecca Romero and Victoria Pendleton anchoring the women's team and Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy spearheading the men.
American Taylor Phinney, the 18-year-old son of Olympic road race gold medallist Connie Carpenter-Phinney and Tour de France stage winner Davis Phinney, has an outside chance at a medal in the 4,000-meter individual pursuit. He faces tough competition from defending champion Bradley Wiggins of Britain and Bradley McGee of Australia.
In BMX, cyclists careen down a starting ramp, take tight turns and make spectacular jumps. Top riders include Americans Donny Robinson, Kyle Bennett and Mike Day, Britain's Shanaze Reade and Sarah Walker of New Zealand.
Some BMX riders, including Australia's Luke Madill and the American team, have been training on specially built replicas of the daunting Laoshan BMX circuit which includes eight-meter tall starting ramps and long, fast jumps.
The road race course is also expected to be tough. The men's 245km race begins in downtown Beijing and heads to the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China. Once at Badaling, the cyclists will race seven laps of a hilly, 24km circuit.
Bettini of Italy, 2007 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of Spain and American Levi Leipheimer will be fresh after not taking part in this year's Tour. Briton Mark Cavendish pulled out of the Tour, after winning four stages, to concentrate on the Olympics where Australia's Cadel Evans, who hurt himself in a freak accident yesterday, Spain's Alejandro Valverde and Luxembourg's Frank Schleck will also be strong medal contenders after racing in road cycling's premier event.
The cross country course at the Laoshan Mountain Bike Complex is expected to favour a fast, powerful rider who can maintain a high speed throughout the race.
Defending gold medallist Julien Absalon of France is a favorite among the men while the women's field is slightly more open with strong cyclists from Norway, Canada and China.
(Shanghai Daily August 1, 2008)