Olympic leaders approved major changes today in track cycling — including elimination of the sport’s signature endurance race — and the addition of mixed doubles in tennis for the 2012 London Games.
As a result, the Olympics will lose track cycling’s iconic event — the 4,000-meter individual pursuit for men and women, which is the specialty of Boulder’s Taylor Phinney, the 19-year old world champion.
“A little part of me knew this day would come. I’m just devastated,” Phinney said from Tucson in a phone interview with the Denver Post. “But I’m not surprised. I had ample time to think about it. It’s definitely disappointing, but it’s a little weight off my chest. I don’t have to worry about the (decision) anymore.”
He said he’ll compete in the individual pursuit at the world championships in March.
As for the 2012 Olympics in London, “I’ll definitely take time to think about what I’ll do,” Phinney said. He said he might do the road time trial, or the road race.
Dozens of current and former cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, spoke out against dropping the individual pursuit. Also eliminated by the IOC at its meeting in Switzerland were the men’s and women’s points races, and men’s madison.
The new Olympic program includes men’s and women’s competition in individual sprint, team sprint, keirin, team pursuit and the five-race omnium event. The omnium combines performances in a 3-kilometer individual pursuit, 200-meter sprint, 1-kilometer time trial, 15-kilometer points race and 5-kilometer scratch race.
Cycling had seven track events for men and three for women at the 2008 Beijing Games. Today’s changes were designed to make sure male and females compete in an equal number of events in London.
“The changes reflect the IOC’s desire to continually refresh the program, as well as its commitment to increase women’s participation,” the IOC said in a statement.
But reigning Olympic women’s individual pursuit gold medallist Rebecca Romero was not satisfied.
“I’m all in favor of moving to achieve parity between men and women but there must be a better solution,” she said. “This is a major culling. There’s got to be something better.”
Phinney also disputed the rationale behind the move.
“That doesn’t make sense with the changes they made,” he said. “The individual pursuit already had gender equity, as did the points race. They’re making changes on false claims. They wanted something when they already had it.”
The change will bring the number of women track cyclists in London to 84, up from 35 in Beijing in 2008. Women will make up 45 percent of the total number of Olympic track cyclists, compared to 19 percent in Beijing.
Phinney is at a road racing camp in Tucson. His next race is in February at the Tour of Qatar.
On the final day of a two-day meeting, the IOC board also ratified a proposal by the International Tennis Federation for inclusion of mixed doubles in London, where the tournament will be played on grass at Wimbledon.
Denver Post staff writer John Henderson contributed to this report.
