Cycling: Olympic Track Squad Named for Athens

Colorado Springs, Colo. (June 25, 2004)--USA Cycling announced today the final roster of athletes in the discipline of track cycling for the 2004 Olympic Games. The U.S. will field a team of seven riders that will compete in six events on the track. Following the 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Championships last month, the U.S. secured Olympic start positions in the team sprint, keirin, and points race for the men and the individual pursuit, sprint and 500m time trial for the women. Filling those spots is a mixture of new talent and familiar veterans who endured a challenging process to simply qualify for the Games.

Nothstein returns for his third Olympic Games this time with a focus on the keirin. Photo Casey B. Gibson

Leading the men’s squad is 2000 Olympic gold medalist, Marty Nothstein (Orefield, Pa.). After winning the men’s sprint in Sydney, Nothstein retreated from track cycling to pursue a career on the road where he eventually became one of the top criterium specialists in the country. Following a win in the prestigious New York City Cycling Championships in 2003, Nothstein refocused his efforts toward the track and the goal of returning to Olympic competition in Athens. With a rebuilt and much slimmed down physique compared to his glory days in the sprint, Nothstein again has medal potential, this time in the mass start keirin event. Nothstein was selected to the Olympic team based upon his overall placing in the 2004 World Cup standings in which he placed 13th after competing in only two of five events in the series.