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Jacksonville�s Larsen sends message about Olympic snub By Tim Korte PARK CITY, Utah � Jacksonville mountain bike rider Steve Larsen wasn�t picked to compete at the Sydney Olympics, and he wanted to let the U.S. Cycling selection committee know how he felt about it. "I want to dedicate this victory to that great committee that left me off the Olympic team," Larsen said after dominating the 28-mile men�s race on the NORBA professional mountain bike circuit Friday. Larsen won in two hours, 32 minutes, 27 seconds, almost five minutes faster than runner-up Pavel Tchekassov of Russia, who finished in 2:37.16. Canadian Roland Green was third at 2:39.08. As he approached the finish area, Larsen slapped hands with fans lining the chute. He crossed the line and immediately dismounted, then hoisted his bike over his head and yelled in celebration. "I�ve said all along I�m riding at my best and I can beat these guys by four or five minutes. That�s exactly what I did today," Larsen said. Larsen, 29, appealed the committee�s decision after the team was named July 14. However, an independent hearing panel determined last week the committee had followed its criteria in naming the team. U.S. Cycling director of athlete performance Sean Petty said the panel determined the selection of Tinker Juarez over Larsen was "a very close call" but found no other action was needed. "The panel reviewed the matter to ensure USA Cycling complied with the selection process, not to determine which rider is better," Petty said. Larsen�s next appeal would be to the U.S. Olympic Committee. After the race, he wasn�t sure where his case stood with USA Cycling. "You�d have to ask them," he said. Larsen won the gold medal at last year�s Pan American Games and, at 49th, he�s the world�s top-ranked American this year. Travis Brown of Boulder, Colo., and Juarez of Downey, Calif., were named to the two Olympic slots. Larsen was the committee�s first alternate. Hopeful of riding in Sydney, he�s not making any other plans for September. "Maybe I�ll end up there on the start line by the good graces of you never know who," he said. "I�m just going to go about my business. I got myself back in the hunt for a national title. I�ll find a way to make a positive out of this." Larsen was favored by U.S. coach Stephane Girard, who said he felt Larsen "would have been the strongest in September." The committee chose Juarez based on better results in the past two years of World Cup races. "Steve is a very talented, strong rider, but we�ve got to look at results," Petty said. "He had a lot of mechanicals (breakdowns) and that�s part of racing. Quite frankly, he needed a knockout punch before now at the World Cup level." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA