Nys aiming for Olympic mountain bike qualification

Sven Nys is devoting his summer to qualifying for the mountain bike race at the London Olympics 2012. The cyclo-cross rider is looking for his first Olympic participation.

"I would be very disappointed if I can not qualify. It's my only goal this summer. I put so much pressure on myself, but I'm ready," he said, according to Belga.

Nys, 34, did not take much time off after this winter's 'cross season. “Every two or three days, I went biking or walking. You know, this is not the body of a 24-year-old. I do it as much for my general fitness as well as to avoid injuries," he told the Gazet van Antwerpen.

He is opening his road season with the Four Days of Dunkirk for his Landbouwkrediet team this week. That will be followed by a mountain bike race in Stoumont on May 14 and the World Cup race in Dalby Forest, Britain.

Nys will ride a total of three mountain bike World Cup races this summer on his way to the European Championships in Dohnanny, Slovakia on August 8. There he will have his first chance to qualify for the Olympics. "I have to finish in the top 12 and that is certainly possible, because I already took bronze in the 2009 European Championships."