Mountain biker optimistic about Olympic chances

With the summer Olympics in London a little more than a month away, Harvey Station cross-country mountain biker Catharine Pendrel said she is working hard.

Cycling Canada on Wednesday named the four mountain bike athletes who will compete at the London Olympics.

National champions Pendrel and Max Plaxton will be joined by Geoff Kabush and Emily Batty as Canada has qualified the maximum two spots for both the men’s and women’s races.

Pendrel said she's following a tough, but enjoyable, training program right now.

"You know, working on mental strength, working on the physical training component of just being very sharp and able to respond to any situation," Pendrel said.

"I just spent the weekend in Revelstoke, B.C., fine tuning my technical skills on wet rocks and roots. So yes, there's a lot of fun things to be doing."

She said her training also includes a lot of strategy.

"The podium is determined by seconds, so you have to go into each race with a plan and be prepared for that moment when it's going to get really tough," she said.

"You want to give in but you can't."

Pendrel has been having a strong season following her gold medal win at the 2011 Union Cycliste Internationale Mountain Biking Championships in Switzerland.

Pendrel secured her fourth Canadian Mountain Bike Championship title on Saturday in St. Felicien, Que.

At the 2008 Olympic summer games in Beijing, the world-class biker came in fourth place.

Pendrel said she's feeling good heading into the 2012 Olympic games. 

Cross-country cycling became an Olympic sport in 1996 and is the only form of mountain biking practised at the Olympics.

The London Olympics get underway on July 27.