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They started mapping their plan last November. It wasn't exact, but Mary McConneloug and her boyfriend Mike Broderick knew they couldn't stay home if McConneloug was going to realize her dream of racing the cross-country at this summer's Olympics.
"When I found out that I had a shot at making the team, I knew I had to—and wanted to—do everything in my power to get there," recalled McConneloug, the reigning US national cross-country champion. "I wrote to USA Cycling to make sure of the qualification criteria and they said 'UCI points.' Mike and I looked at the UCI web site and it was clear, there was no promise of high-ranked races in the US, so we had to go to Europe.
Seven months and more than 25,000 kilometers in a rented RV later, the Seven Cycles rider has thrust herself into a neck-and-neck battle with fellow American Sue Haywood for the country's lone female start spot at the race in Athens. In the UCI rankings released on June 14, McConneloug was one point behind Haywood, in seventh place overall, with only 28 points separating them.
To get to that point, McConneloug has spent all but five days of the 2004 season in Europe, grabbing 10 wins along the way. Her one sortie away from Europe was a quick silver-metal yielding trip to Ecuador for the Pan American Championships. But ask her about lasting memories and McConneloug is quick to point to the journey, not the destination.
"It's been such an amazing opportunity to travel all over Europe and see the subtle differences of each country we've visited," she explained. "One of the most amazing things is the strength of the bike culture in Europe. Bike paths are everywhere and it seems like everyone rides."
McConneloug and Broderick, who also races and serves as the two-rider team's mechanic, started the year in Cyprus, and have since competed in France, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Scotland, and Austria. And while the trip has been a resounding success thus far, there have definitely been some pitfalls, too.
"We definitely have our ups and downs, like any couple," admitted McConneloug. "It always seems like our list of things to do is a mile long. We usually get along great, but there have been times when the RV seems a little too small. But that's when you have to think, 'what else would we rather be doing?" The answer, she says, is the same every time. "Nothing."
Not everyone has been so enamored with McConneloug's journey, though. Alison Dunlap, who some feel should go to Athens no matter what happens with the UCI rankings, has accused McConneloug of running scared, choosing to race in Europe instead of competing head-to-head in the States. But McConneloug quickly brushes this notion aside. When the pair have gone head up, McConneloug has held her own. Dunlap has the year's best World Cup results thus far, a second-place effort in Houffalize, but at the next stop, at Fort William, Dunlap slipped all the way to 20th, while McConneloug posted a solid 11th. In the overall Dunlap is sixth after three events while McConneloug is 12th and Haywood is 16th.
"For the record, staying in Europe is much easier on the budget, not to mention the stress traveling back and forth from the States," McConneloug contended. "But I think my results speak for themselves. It's pretty clear that my fitness is on par."
McConneloug's path to the brink of an Olympic berth has been very non-traditional. She didn't grow up racing bikes, but instead had an eye on a singing career. She earned a bachelor's degree in Vocal performance from California's Santa Clara University in 1993, and spent the ensuing years "working odd jobs, singing a lot of opera, and drinking good beer."
It wasn't until she moved to Bend, Oregon in 1997 that she caught the bike-racing bug.
"It's just a really special town with great terrain and a thriving bike culture," explained McConneloug. "That's where I got into racing mountain bikes and doing cyclo-cross."
Progress came slowly, though, and it wasn't until 2003 that McConneloug broke through with her first NORBA win. "I feel like my racing success is a natural progression of time and dedication," she said.
And then there's the freedom that comes from racing for such a small team. Unlike her peers, McConneloug doesn't face a ton of pressure from her sponsors (Dunlap who is on the big-budget Luna team, raced in Scotland one weekend, flew back to the U.S. for the Snowshoe NORBA, and then went back to Europe to race in the Austria World Cup).
"I don't know if I would ever be able to race for a big trade team unless they offered me complete freedom and a sizeable salary," admitted McConneloug. "I love being in control of where and when I race, and love being self-employed."
Of course what McConneloug would love most is to add Greece to the dozen new stamps she already has on her passport.
"I really hope I'm the one who gets to go to Athens," she said. "But either way this will be an adventure that I will never regret or forget.