U.S. Cyclists Defend Breathing Mask Use

WONG:
U.S. cyclists who arrived in Beijing wearing breathing masks say it was purely for health reasons and they were not sending any other kind of message. Olympic road racing ends on Wednesday with time trials.

STORY:
From choking smog to intense heat, from torrential rain to high humidity, cyclists at the Beijing Olympics have quickly learned that the weather is a barometer of medal chances.


A third of the cyclists dropped out of the men's road race on Saturday blaming the suffocating and dirty air.


The next day the women faced drenching rain and chilly weather when they raced the circuit between two sections of the Great Wall. They had to survive crashes on slippery roads as they wound their way along the route.

The question on the mind of every cyclist after the huge contrast in conditions is what to expect next from China's weather as they prepare to compete in the Olympic time trial events at the Great Wall on August 13.

Anticipating poor air quality, some of the U.S. Olympic cycling team arrived at Beijing airport wearing breathing masks and on August 12.

The United States Olympic Committee has said that about one third of the USA team -- around 200 athletes -- had been issued with a breathing mask.

U.S. Olympic cyclist Sarah Hammer told reporters on Tuesday she was convinced that wearing her mask has made her feel healthy ahead of Wednesday's big race.

[Sarah Hammer, U.S. Cyclist]:
"Because I have taken the precaution I feel healthy. You know, the whole point of, you know, what we were meaning to do by, you know, wearing the mask is to have a best performance and, you know, I believe that is why I am feeling good still and I feel just like, you know I feel coming into another race."

The Beijing authorities have shut factories, pulled cars from the roads and spent 120 billion yuan or $17.6 billion U.S. dollars to combat chronic pollution and ensure smog does not shroud the Olympics.

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[blazednsleepy]

@8mudphud

fucking moron.

[Herokid32]

@8mudphud your an idiot

[quarvis]

No, actually Beijing is far worse than LA.

[8mudphud]

Health reasons? Uh yeah, bullsh1t. Stupid ass bicyclists. I don't see them wearing this around LA which is just as polluted as Beijing if not more!!!!

[radiocrash]

as if cycle racers care about riding in the rain

[brw147]

Obviously they're going to take them off to race. Have you ever worn a mask like that? They're hard to breathe in.

Quit being a dickhead.

[stichyerick]

it's funny how here in america everybody reacted by the "spanish pictures" saying it was offensive for the chinese, but the chinese's real reaction of being offended was by what americans did with the breathing masks, and not the pictures.

[htijer]

May be they got influenced looking at MJ's lifestyle!! :)

[LU29UN99]

LOL, stupid shameful ignorant. She was disqualified in the race. YOU KNOW WHY?

SHE WASNT WEARING HER DUMB MASK IN THE RACE!

LOL. PRECAUTION? SARAH, YOU SHOULD KISS MY ASS FOR HEALTHY REASONS.

[jambokam]

last!