OLYMPICS-RIO/MOUNTAIN BIKING-TEST EVENT Rio holds Olympic mountain bike test event in high temperatures

Record ID: 135044

  • Title: OLYMPICS-RIO/MOUNTAIN BIKING-TEST EVENT Rio holds Olympic mountain bike test event in high temperatures
  • Date: 11th October 2015
  • Summary: SPORTS DIRECTOR AT RIO 2016 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FOR THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES, RODRIGO GARCIA, SPEAKING WITH JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) SPORTS DIRECTOR AT RIO 2016 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FOR THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES, RODRIGO GARCIA, SAYING: "Today is a little hotter than what we'll have during the Games. We're going into spring and summer right now
  • Embargoed: 26th October 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4460FBHQ40A034HZFSCURUJ0U
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Some of the world's best mountain bikers braved the scorching heat as they tore up Rio de Janeiro's Olympic mountain bike course on Sunday (October 11) in an official test event ahead of the 2016 Games to be hosted here next summer.
    Some top prospects gunning for Olympic glory here next year took advantage of the only chance to take a spin at the Olympic course just 10 months from the start of the 2016 Olympics.
    In the end, current world champion Nino Schurter of Switzerland took the top spot in the men's competition while Italy's Eva Lechner topped the women's event.
    Rio has held a series of test events as the city slowly transforms itself to welcome the world for the mega sporting event which will kick into high gear with the opening ceremony on August 5, 2016.
    After last week's BMX event was troubled by wet weather that complicated the man-made course, this week's mountain bike event was generally regarded as a success despite the sweltering heat that surpassed 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
    An organizer from Rio 2016, Rodrigo Garcia, said the weather should be a bit milder during the Olympics which will be held in August, in the middle of winter in the southern hemisphere.
    "Today is a little hotter than what we'll have during the Games. We're going into spring and summer right now in the southern hemisphere. During the Games, they are summer games, but we could call them winter games, here in Brazil. (The Games) are in the middle of winter here in Rio, but winter in Rio is not that different from this heat, so it is good the athletes came to take part in the test event so they have an idea of what they have to come next year," Garcia said.
    Some competitors have complained the 5.4 kilometre (3.4 mile) course, which is chalk full of tight curves and ups and downs, is a bit dangerous, but generally the course was celebrated by the athletes.
    Gregor Raggl of Austria said he did not think the course was especially dangerous.
    "No, it's not that dangerous, it's like any World Cup course, it's nearly the same with (inaudible) and jumps in it, but it's not too dangerous," Raggl said.
    However, China's Ren Chengyuan fell and twisted her knee at one point. A stretcher was called out to carry the athlete off the course, but in the end she was able to walk off with her bike.
    The winner of the women's event, Eva Lechner, said the main issue was the heat.
    "The course itself is really nice to ride, I enjoyed it a lot. But with the heat you have to be really careful, because then you can make a lot of mistakes, because you're down and so, I think, that is the biggest challenge on that course," Lechner said.
    In total, 88 competitors from 32 countries took part in Sunday's Race.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register