Megan Guarnier got stronger as the 2011 season progressed, culminating with her overall win at the Giro del Toscana, which earned her an automatic berth on the U.S. Olympic long team. Photo by Jonathan Devich, Epic Images
Pescadero, CA – Megan Guarnier and Amanda Miller of Team TIBCO/To the Top were both named to the 2012 U.S. Olympic long team last week by USA Cycling, the sport’s governing body in the U.S.
Guarnier received an automatic bid for a spot by virtue of her overall victory in the Giro del Toscana in September. Miller was a discretionary selection based on her strong results throughout the year, including a stage victory at the International Thuringen Rundfahrt.
From the long team, three to four riders will be selected to participate in the Olympic Games, depending on the U.S.’s allotment. The number allowed is determined by a country’s overall UCI ranking. The top five countries in the UCI ranking as of May 31, 2012, are allowed four athletes for the Olympic Games road race. Lower ranked countries are given a maximum of three spots. The U.S. is currently ranked 7th. Team TIBCO will be sending a squad to Europe in the spring in an effort to accumulate as many UCI points as possible for the U.S. and its American riders, in order to help secure a top-five UCI ranking.
“I’m really excited to be a part of the long team for the Olympics,” Guarnier said. “It’s a goal and a dream for all professional cyclists to make the Olympics. This just means I’m one step closer to fulfilling both.”
The additions of Guarnier and Miller bring to at least five the number of potential Olympians on the 2012 Team TIBCO roster. Tara Whitten is considered a gold medal favorite on the track for Canada, while Erinne Willock was a 2008 Canadian Olympian. Joanne Kiesanowski, also a 2008 Olympian, is looking to represent her native New Zealand on the track in London.
“I’m incredibly proud to have so many of our riders in a position to make the 2012 Olympic Games,” said Team TIBCO founder Linda Jackson, a 1996 Canadian Olympian, six-time Canadian national champion as well as an MBA. “Our mission is to provide a long-term platform to help these women pursue their Olympic dreams. To now have at least five riders who are potential Olympians is a reflection of the stable and long-term support we’ve received since the Team’s inception in 2006.”
