Photograph by Robert Scheer
Don Myrah, a Homestead High School alumnus, has been racing mountain bikes for eight years.
By ANNE GELHAUS
Homestead High School alumnus Don Myrah Jr. didn't win a medal in the first-ever Olympic mountain-bike race, but he was happy just to have been there.
Myrah placed 20th in a field of 44 cyclists, finishing the course in 2 hours, 35 minutes and 50 seconds--just 35 seconds behind his U.S. team member, David "Tinker" Juarez of Los Angeles.
The California cyclists raced alongside reigning world champion Bart Jan Brentjens of the Netherlands, who won the gold medal; Thomas Frischknecht of Switzerland, who captured the silver; and Miguel Martinez of France, who earned the bronze.
"The guys who won today are the Michael Jordans and Joe Montanas of our sport," Myrah, a Saratoga resident, told the Associated Press on Tuesday. "Tinker and I gave it our all. I hope everybody understands, and that this won't hurt our sport here."
While mountain biking is uniquely American, Europeans have dominated the men's circuit during the past several years. Prior to the event, Myrah told The Sun that the Olympics were a chance for Americans to excel at their own game.
Just qualifying for the Olympics was a feat for Myrah, who sustained a collarbone injury during the Olympic trials in June.
After Myrah qualified, his family and friends met him at the airport, decked out in patriotic colors.
"We all had cowbells and flags and made a big ruckus--everyone knew why we were there," said Myrah's mother Jeralynn, a Sunnyvale resident. "His grandma went to a T-shirt store and got shirts made that say, 'My grandson is an Olympian.' "
Myrah's event, a 35-mile race, was held July 30 at a ski area in Conyers, Ga., where he competed against the top mountain bikers in the world.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 31, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.