By Diane Pucin, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — Seven-time U.S. national time trial winner Dave Zabriskie and five-time Olympian George Hincapie were not named to the U.S. road racing team Friday. Beijing Olympian Levi Leipheimer had withdrawn his name because of continuing problems with a leg injury.
All have been reported in various publications as having been contacted by either a federal grand jury or the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the national athletic drug enforcement organization, in connection with continuing investigations into possible doping by Lance Armstrong.
Instead the United States gave 40-year-old Chris Horner, who won the 2011 Amgen Tour, his first Olympic spot, along with a quartet of younger riders who were never part of any of Armstrong’s teams for which doping was suspected.
The headliner is Tyler Farrar of Wenatchee, Wash., who will be making his Olympic debut in the road race. He finished 10th at last year’s world championships and rides for Garmin-Barracuda.
Getting the time trial spot that Zabriskie argued for after he won the Bakersfield time trial in the Tour of California will be Taylor Phinney, who, at 21, is the youngest member of the team and who competed in track cycling at the Beijing Olympics. Phinney briefly held the pink leader jersey during this year’s Giro d’Italia and is a former junior world time trial champion.
Tejay Van Garderen, 24, of Tacoma, Wash., and BMC Racing, has earned five top-five results this year and will be joined by U.S. road-racing champion Timothy Duggan, 29, of Boulder, Colo., and the Liquigas-Cannondale team.
According to USA Cycling criteria, “All athletes must be in good standing with USAC, UCI (International Cycling Union) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency at the time of nomination.”
An athlete who may have testified against Armstrong and given information about his own as well as Armstrong’s possible doping might be considered “under investigation,” according to a person with knowledge of the USADA investigation who is not authorized to speak publicly.
