Rogers Ready For Olympic Time Trial

It’s been a difficult year for Team Columbia rider Michael Rogers, but an unexpected turn of events has the Australian eyeing the Beijing Olympics as a chance to salvage his 2008 racing season. After enduring injury and illness over the past 12 months, Rogers, a three-time world champion in the time trial, was granted a late entry into the Olympic time trial.

Just over a year ago, Rogers’ 2007 Tour de France came to a premature end when he crashed while battling for the yellow jersey. It took months for him to recover from injuries sustained in that crash, and this season he was slowed by a glandular illness. Rogers missed making Columbia’s 2008 Tour de France squad, and he was originally left off Australia’s Olympic team.
But a knee injury suffered by Cadel Evans, the runner-up at this year’s Tour de France, opened the door for Rogers to compete for the Australian squad in Beijing. Evans hurt his knee at a post-Tour party and was unsure if he’d be able to recover for Beijing. He opted to give up his spot so that Rogers could step in to race the 47-kilometer men’s time trial on August 13. Since then, Australia has been granted one extra starting spot, and it’s likely that Evans will race the time trial after all, giving Australia two medal contenders.
Beijing will mark the third Olympic Games for Rogers, who will ride be riding a Giant time trial machine in Beijing. He says he’s in peak form—an impressive second-place overall finish at the Tour of Saschen in Germany, which included a third-place in the Stage 4 time trial result, indicates that Rogers has indeed recovered from the illness that slowed him earlier this year.

In addition to the time trial, Rogers will also be part of Australia’s five-man team for the Olympic road race on August 9. Follow the efforts of Rogers and all of the other Giant-sponsored athletes here at www.giant-bicycles.com.