The current time in Athens is 17:01 on November 21, 2024

Olympic Cycling News for August 21, 2004

Edited by Chris Henry

Baugé's time will come

French reserve track cyclist Grégory Baugé is only in Athens to fill in for his teammates in case of accident or injury, but the 19 year old is considered the next great threat for the strong national track program. Baugé has already impressed coaches Daniel Morelon and Gérard Quintyn, and is expected to excel in the coming years.

"Right now he's posting times faster than Florian Rousseau, Arnaud Tournant and Laurent Gané did at the same age," Quintyn told the Associated Press. "He's an incredibly gifted kid. If we've taken him to the Games, it's because of his great talent."

Baugé was a silver medallist in the 2003 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany in the junior sprint competition, as well as world champion in the team sprint in the 2002 Junior World's.

"Of course I'm happy to know that I've done better times than my predecessors at the same age," Baugé said. "The concern is that I like to go out and party... Thankfully, when competitions come up, I'm able to stop going out. That's not going to keep me from pushing hard on the pedals."

Baugé, who rides for the US Créteil team outside Paris, has clearly inspired hope in his national team.

"The changing of the guard is assured with Greg Baugé," Quintyn commented.

Peden withdraws from Olympics

Track cyclist Anthony Peden has withdrawn from the New Zealand Olympic team after claiming to have inadvertently taken a banned drug. Former Australian representative Peden has flown from France to his home in Newcastle, New South Wales, ending a dramatic series of events which began last month when he visited a doctor in Germany to receive treatment for ongoing back and leg pain.

Peden told the New Zealand Olympic Committee he was prescribed the drug Triamcinoline, a cortisone-type drug which has no performance enhancing properties but which is on the banned list for in-competition under the regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

This took place in Cottbus between July 19 and 28 but New Zealand Olympic team chef de mission Dave Currie was unclear of the exact date.

Due to language difficulties with the German doctor, Peden told the NZOC he was unaware that the administered product would still be in his body by the start of the in-competition testing period on August 1.

He said he was also not advised by the doctor of a need to apply to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UCI for a therapeutic use exemption.

© AAP

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