A local mountain biker didn't quite make it to the top for the Canadian Olympic team, but she won't let that get her down.
Amanda Sin made it to the selection pool for the Canadian Olympic mountain bike team, but when the four-person team was selected – two men, and two women – Sin was not on the list.
“It was definitely a goal coming into this Olympics, to first be in consideration,” said Sin. “It was an honour to be selected in the pool, and to know that I am racing at that level.”
Sin was disappointed when she realized she wouldn't make it to the team because she wasn't racing at the level of the two women who did make it.
“We have such a strong Canadian team, so the two people are in the top five in the world,” she said. “I was really happy for those athletes, to know they have a good chance in London.”
Sin has been mountain biking since she was a kid, and started racing nine years ago.
“Every race I realized I liked it more, and I would improve and that would make me want to keep doing it,” said Sin.
This season alone, Sin has improved in the five UCI World Cup races she has competed in, placing 46th in South Africa at the beginning of the season, to 17th on June 24 in Quebec. She hopes to get another personal best on the Canada Day weekend in the World Cup race in New York.
Within Canada, Sin has placed third in both Canada Cup races this season, and placed fourth in Nationals. Last fall, Sin won Canada's first medal at the Pan-Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, picking up a bronze.
Sin's next goal is the World Championship in Austria in September.
“We'd have to first qualify for the team, and then do well,” she said.
Sin has been with Scott-3Rox Racing team since 2005, shortly after she got into racing.
“I think the most important part is having a group of people behind you,” she said. “There's several athletes on the team, and we travel together, and it's nice having someone there to look out for you.”
She also uses her teammates to motivate her to go faster.
“I train with a lot of guys, or if I train with other top female athletes, I know how fast they can go,” said Sin. “I always have that in my head, that I want to try to beat that.”
Sin says she values the mechanical support and the team manager.
“We can focus on our training without getting overwhelmed,” she said.
It's hard to find things Sin doesn't like about mountain bike racing.
“I like pushing myself technically. I like some of the challenges of being a bit scared, and overcoming that," said Sin. "I also like the hills, I like climbing and also coming back down.”
But sometimes the races don't have the most favourable conditions.
“The thing I find most difficult is when the weather is cold. We've had a lot of cold weather races this year,” she said.
For Sin, mountain bike racing is simple.
“Once the race starts, it's about riding as fast as I can and figuring out the course.”