Bassingthwaighte geared for Olympics debut

Namibian mountain biker Marc Bassingthwaighte is in top form and raring to go in the Men’s Mountain Bike race at the Olympic Games which takes place on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Bassingthwaighte took a practise ride on the course, which is situated on Hadleigh Farm in the Essex countryside, and offers some fantastic terrain for mountain biking, with gradients measuring 70 metres from top to bottom.

Bassingthwaighte said it was a very technical course which would suit his riding style.

“The course is very technical and there are a lot of rocks, but that won’t be difficult for me because riding on rocks is one of my strong points,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful course up on a hill with some beautiful views of the Thames River in the distance,” he added.

Bassingthwaighte said he was physically and mentally ready for the race.

“I’m really looking forward to this race. I’ve worked very hard with my coach this year and I’ve never been in this good shape in my life, so it’s now or never,” he said.

Bassingthwaighte said he was aiming for a Top 30 finish.

“It’s going to be tough because the 50 best riders in the world will be here, but I think a Top 30 place is possible,” he said.

Mannie Heymans, who is accompanying Bassingthwaighte as his manager, confirmed his athlete’s readiness.

“Marc is focussed and really in good shape. He is physically in the best form that I have ever seen him. I raced him at the Namibian National Championships in July and was impressed with the improvement that he has made. But then again, all the other nations have also improved so the challenge will be immense,” he said.

Heymans said all the talk of winning medals was unrealistic.

“It takes a lot of hard work just to qualify for the Olympics and all this talk of medals, medals, medals is driving me through the roof. We must be happy that Marc is here, competing against the best riders in the world,” he said.

Heymans represented Namibia in mountain biking at three Olympic Games in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, with his best performance coming in Sydney when he came 26th. He said he would be happy if Bassingthwaighte could beat that.

“I will be the first one to congratulate him if he can beat my mark,” he said.