American Cyclist Backs Out of Olympic Contention, Citing Zika Concerns

Just as Rio Olympics organizers were trying to put Zika concerns to rest in one final presentation to IOC bigwigs, top American cyclist Tejay van Garderen announced that he would be staying home due to his worries about the virus.

Many athletes — male and female — have expressed concern about the virus, which can cause severe birth defects in babies born to infected mothers. Van Garderen’s concern is for his wife, who is reportedly pregnant with their second child. Zika is a mosquito-borne illness but can also be transmitted sexually.

USA Cycling hasn’t yet announced its Olympic team, but Van Garderen has been called “the best rider in the USA” and was considered a top contender this year. He competed in the 2012 Olympics and was expected to excel on Rio’s hilly course, well matched to his climbing abilities. USA Cycling is expected to announce its road team June 24.

“If Jessica were not pregnant right now, assuming I was selected, I would go,” van Garderen said, according to Cyclingtips.com. “But when she has a baby in her belly, I don’t want to take any chances.”

He also acknowledged that skipping the Olympics provides a welcome respite in his schedule, according to Cyclingnews.com, which quotes him as saying he was glad to have a “breather” to spend some time with his family after the Tour de France in July.

Van Garderen is the first U.S. athlete to decide to stay home. Golfers Marc Leishman of Australia and Vijay Singh of Fiji have announced they’ll skip the Brazil games because of Zika, even though their sport is a medal event for the first time this year since 1904. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the world’s third-ranked golfer, has expressed trepidation. Other athletes, including U.S. soccer icon Hope Solo, have said they’ll go “begrudgingly,” despite serious concerns about their health.

At a time when the global traveling public is being warned not to travel to Zika-affected areas, more than 10,000 world-class athletes, most of child-bearing age, are gathering in the epicenter of the disease.

A group of more than 100 medical experts called last week for the Olympics to be postponed or moved due to concerns that the Games could hasten the spread of Zika around the world. The World Health Organization countered that there was “no public health justification” for such a move, and Centers for Disease Control Director Tom Frieden asserted that “the risks are really very, very low” for athletes competing in Brazil.

Organizers of the Games echo that sentiment, saying that since August is winter in Brazil, mosquitoes will not be abundant.

The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Olympic Committee has ensured that athletes “have been informed about mosquito-bite prevention, will be living in air-conditioned housing, and will be given long-sleeved shirts and pants” as well as “condoms for up to six months following their trip to Brazil.”

Photo credit: Richard Masoner, Cyclelicio.us