RIO DE JANEIRO – The e-mails come in frequently, tipping off USA Cycling to new talent. Sarah Hammer remembered her coach receiving one such message about Kelly Catlin, suggesting the Arden Hills native might be good on the track.
"People say that about a lot of riders,'' said Hammer, the veteran of the U.S. women's team pursuit group. "But the first day Kelly came to a camp, we were like, 'Wow. This girl is good.' She had no fear, and she was incredibly strong. People were looking at each other and saying, 'This is a winner.' ''
Hammer hopes they're saying the same thing Saturday, when she and Catlin — along with Chloe Dygert and Jennifer Valente — chase an Olympic gold medal in team pursuit. The defending world champions, the Americans qualified with the second-fastest time, behind the world record set Thursday by Great Britain. They will square off against Australia in the first round at 9:17 a.m. Saturday; Great Britain will race Canada.
The winners will compete for the gold medal at 2:53 p.m. Saturday. The United States is the favorite after winning the country's first world championship in a team event, but all four countries are capable. The Brits, the U.S. and Canada were on the Olympic podium in 2012.
Hammer, 32, is the only holdover from the silver medal team in London. The current group formed about a year ago, surrounding her with young talent eager to move the U.S. up to gold. Tough, strong and fearless, they covered the 4,000-meter distance in 4 minutes, 14.286 seconds, behind Britain's world record of 4:13.260.
"That got the nerves out for everybody,'' Hammer said. "We're at the Olympic Games. It's really exciting for all the girls.
"[The record] is what was expected. It's going to be even faster (in the finals).''
The U.S. team is hoping to get an assist from a new bike. After the silver at the London Games, USA Cycling teamed up with Felt Bicycles to study how to redesign the bike to make it even faster.
