Sam Schultz rides for Subaru Trek Mountain Bike Team and is a part time TCH employee.

I’ve been trying to figure out the Olympic Mountain Bike Selection thing for a year.  Right when I think I understand someone tells me something different.  Now that 3 of 4 deciding World Cups are over, let’s take a look.

First criteria to make the team:

“Win a cross country World Cup event during the final qualification period of January 1 to May 22, 2012, and then prove to selectors that form has been maintained accordingly.” (the last world cup for this period is next weekend, and so far no one has met this criteria)

Second criteria to make the team:

“…racers who finish in the top five in a World Cup during the final qualification period will be considered with the World Cup ranking again serving as the decider. After that, selectors will look to the top ranked US racer in the World Cup as of May 31, 2012, but only if that rider is in the top 15 overall.” (After 3 of 4 world cups Sam is the highest place rider in the overall at 30th, so no one has met this criteria)

Third criteria to make the team:

“Should the automatic final team selection criteria enumerated above somehow not suffice to fill the squad, USA Cycling may invoke discretionary criteria. Discretionary criteria include factors like medal capability, recent history of strong international competition, capability of enhancing future team performance and future medal capability.”

In summary, with 1 qualifying world cup left for selection the first two criteria are looking grim.  The best world cup finish by a US male in 2012 is today’s 20th by Sam.  After the 4th world cup next weekend we’ll likely be holding are breath and hoping that SS is “medal capable, has strong international competition, and capable of enhancing future team performance and future medal capability.”

Our opinion……he’s all those things.

cyclingnews.com helped me break it down, read here.