Only five months remain until the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and both the United States and Canada are in the process of choosing their respective four-person (two men, two women) teams. Both countries base their Olympic selection on results from the 2008 European World Cups and the 2008 UCI world championships in Val di Sole, Italy.
That means the fight for Beijing has begun for North America’s Olympic hopefuls, and Sunday’s World Cup opener in Houffalize, Belgium was round one.

So who were the winners?

Marie-Hélén Prémont
Prémont again scored the top finish by any North American at Houffalize, crossing the line in third place after spending much of the day in the runner-up position behind Margarita Fullana. Prémont fought her way back into the race after suffering a loss of tire pressure. Houffalize marked Prémont’s first race effort on a mountain bike since the World Cup finals back in September.

“I had one week of riding on my new bike so I am happy about this race,” said Prémont, who hails from Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec. “It is still snowing at home right now.”

Prémont’s finish means she’ll likely be a shoo-in for one Canadian spot.

Georgia Gould
While other riders burned their matches too soon, Gould rode a consistent race, picking her way from the high teens on the opening lap to fifth by the race’s finish. Gould could have the legs to score a top-three result at a World Cup, which would earn her an automatic Olympic selection.

“I didn’t want to just blow it at the beginning,” Gould said. “I wasn’t super confident on my pre-ride yesterday. I was all over the place so I’m happy the way I rode.”

Todd Wells
Wells turned heads by advancing from his 39th starting position to finish a career-best 11th. Wells rode in 7th place for the first half of the race before fading back to 13th, then pulling himself up two spots.

“At the end of the fifth lap the lead group of guys was only five seconds away. I wish the race would have ended there,” Wells said. “I proved to myself that I can be up there. I always tell myself I can, but until I did it I didn’t really know.”

The result shone even brighter, considering Wells and his GT teammate Burry Stander had their race bikes stolen two days before the event. Luckily team mechanics had extra frames for the two, with Mavic and Shimano loaning extra parts for the race.

The finish effectively puts Wells in the driver’s seat to earn one of the two American men’s spots.

Geoff Kabush
Kabush crossed the line one spot behind Wells in 12th, which is his best finish at Houffalize. On the penultimate lap the Canadian suffered his calamity of the day, as his fork seized up. Kabush rode the last two laps on a fully rigid bike, crossing the line as the first Canadian man. And with compatriot Seamus McGrath having obtained the selection for Canada’s Olympic pool, Kabush is in great position. McGrath is too, finishing in 23rd place.

Catherine Pendrel/Kiara Bisaro
At the start, Pendrel showed the full force of her legs and lungs as she popped up in third place alongside the sport’s heavy hitters. But reality caught up with the first-year Luna rider two laps later, and she eventually faded to 13th. Still, Pendrel’s effort has given her the confidence to ride at the front. Her compatriot Kiara Bisaro finished one spot in arrears, just 18 seconds later. Bisaro has been fighting a back injury for the past season, and opted to build through the Houffalize race. The two riders have differing styles, which should make for an interesting battle for Canada’s second spot.

And who were the, er, not winners?

Max Plaxton
Plaxton suffered an untimely broken derailleur on the course’s opening section of singletrack, miles from the nearest tech zone. By the time the young Canadian walked down from atop the hill with his bike in hand, the race was long gone and Plaxton pulled the plug. The finish was a tough blow to a talented young rider who has the fitness and the technical skills to make the Canadian team.

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski
JHK was riding in the mid 30s when his rear tire exploded just before the course’s long, twisting descent. The Coloradan, who represented the U.S. at the 2004 Olympics, had to jog several miles up and down Houffalize’s steep hillsides to the next tech zone, and remounted his rig in the high 80s. He finished in 60th place.

Jeremiah Bishop
Bishop raced South Africa’s nine-day Absa Cape Epic hoping that the stage race would give him the springy legs to ride inside the top 10, like he did at the 2006 UCI world championships. But Bishop’s legs were flat at Houffalize, and his usually big engine was fatigued.

“I kept telling my legs ‘it’s time to get going!’” Bishop said.

The American hopes another week of rest brings him the form he’s looking for.

Willow Koerber
Koerber is known for her fast starts and gritty racing at World Cups, and the American appeared to be on track for another such performance. Koerber grabbed the hole shot and rocketed up the course’s steep paved climb. But the effort proved a little too much, and Koerber bonked early in the race. She suffered her way home in 44th place.

“That was the worst I’ve suffered in a while,” Koerber said.

Who stayed the same?

Mary McConneloug
McConneloug started in 12th place, and admitted the race’s quick opening lap caught her by surprise. Still, she soldiered home as the second American woman in 18th.

Heather Irmiger
Irmiger lined up in the 22nd starting position. Two hours later, the Coloradan finished in 22nd place.

Adam Craig
Craig lined up in the 15th starting position. Two hours later, he too finished in 15th place.

Wendy Simms
Simms advanced from 39th place to 26th by the race’s end, but the Canadian faded in the last lap. Riding as the 26th fastest woman at a World Cup is no small feat, but Simms was hoping for something more.

Ricky Federau
The Canadian freelancer rode his way up from the 56th to 52nd spot. It’s still a long way to go to catch his countrymen.

Mathieu Toulous
Toulouse advanced from 109th to 73rd position.

Barry Wicks
Wicks isn’t on America’s Long Team to make the Games, but he had an admirable ride at Houffalize. The Kona rider started in 188th place and rode his way up to 61st by the race’s end. Unfortunately, only the top 60 riders earn a starting position for the next round.