With US Track Nationals over not long enough for dust to settle on her three gold medals in the keirin, sprint and team pursuit, Jennie Reed's attention is already focused on Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Reed, who rides now for Momentum Cycling, missed out on the Olympic team in 2000 and suffered a disappointing showing in 2004 with a 10th place finish in the sprint. She attributed her 2004 performance in part due to not knowing how to take care of herself in the midst of the often overwhelming atmosphere that surrounds the Olympics.
"I think the whole experience of having so much stimulus [sic], there's nothing that could have prepared me for that," Reed said to the Associated Press. "Trying to rest when you have that much stimulus, my body never felt rested when I was there. So when I go again, I'll know how to prepare for that."
"There's nothing like actually going through it," Reed said. "So hopefully next time it'll be a little easier."
Reed finds herself in a better situation this time around; she belongs to a solid team, is on a new training plan, is travelling less, and is surrounded by fast male team-mates to train with her at the Carson, California, velodrome, just a few miles from where she now resides.
Looking forward, Reed said to the AP, "Hopefully, I can bring my level up over the next year. Last time around, to be realistic, I was really happy to qualify. Looking back, I was a real far shot for a medal. But now, I'd like to put myself in that top four and have a real chance again."
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