Sam Schultz (U.S. Olympic team) and Emily Batty (Canadian Olympic team).
The mountain bike competition will be a mass start event. Riders are seeded into a starting grid, according to their world ranking. Currently Schultz (U.S. men’s team) is 37th and Batty (Canadian women’s team) is 14th.
Outside of London are 550 acres in the Essex countryside known as Hadleigh Farm. The five-kilometer circuit on the farm is situated on an open hillside.
It features perfect terrain for mountain biking: gradients measuring more than 200-feet from top to bottom, demanding climbs and descents with specific sections that include Snake Hill, The Rock Garden, and Deane’s Drop.
Construction work began on the London course in July 2010 and was completed in March 2011. It features 500 tons of rock and 3,500 tons of crushed stone.
Watch the Subaru Trek Mountain Bike Team ride the London course.
For more information about the U.S. team and the Olympic Games, visit www.teamusa.org and
http://www.london2012.com/cycling-mountain-bike/.