(Photo by Sina McCarthy)
Cycling reaps gold in 50km Point Raceby Colin Whited on September 12, 2009 In the final cycling event of the Taipei Games, the U.S. Cycling Team once again had high expectations bestowed upon them. For Nicholas Schreiber, an all-around cyclist, the fourth time was the charm. The 50km Point Race, an event that requires great endurance, ended in celebration for the Americans. Schreiber was able to reach the top of the podium by racking up 46 points, good enough for a 10-point victory against Reece-Emerson Van Beek, of Australia. Sprinting down the final stretch, Schreiber raised his arms in triumph as he passed the finish line. After he got off his bike and embraced coach Ralph Fernandez, he smiled and signed, "Finally." "It feels great" to win gold, Schreiber said. "For me, the first three events were disappointing, so it's nice to win the last one before going home." Despite winning only two sprints, Schreiber was able to place second nine times, enabling him to stave off a charging Van Beek, who won the final seven sprints. Of the 25 sprints, Schreiber was able to score in 17. For each first-place finish, a cyclist is awarded five points. The second-place cyclist wins three points; third place, two; and fourth place, one. Fernandez was able to develop a clever scheme of communication for his cyclists. In order for them to know how many points they had, Fernandez had volunteers keep track of each cyclist's accumulated points. He also had them keep track of non-Americans with a high amount of points. This plan proved to be essential. At one point during the race, a frustrated French rider Steeve Touboul rode by his coaches, pleading to know how many points he had garnered. Thanks to Fernandez, the American cyclists never had this problem. Fernandez said it was important for his riders to know where they stood throughout the race. "That way they were able to know who to watch for and justify when to attack," he added. Trevor Kosa finished fifth with 24 points, and David Snow finished 15th with two points. In his final Deaflympic event, Paul Wood managed to accumulate 18 points by the 36th lap, but ran out of gas and eventually was lapped by Van Beek, resulting in a 20-point deduction. Despite the win, Schreiber already is looking ahead. "My goal is to get better and come back [in 2013] stronger than ever," he said. For now, Schreiber said, he will sit back and enjoy the win. |
 (Photo by Sina McCarthy)
 (Photo by Sina McCarthy)
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