Germans to send five cross country riders to Olympics

By Susan Westemeyer

Germany will be allowed to start with five riders in the cross country mountain bike competition at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, the Bund Deutsche Radfahrer (German cycling federation) announced Friday afternoon. The total of five places, two for women and three for men, is the maximum number that can be awarded.

The national starting places were based on the nation's top three male and female riders in the 2006 and 2007 rankings, as released by the UCI in early January. National trainer Frank Brückner was happy with the results and said, "That show that with our potential, we don't need to hide ourselves.