COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- East Germany dominated the track events through the first five days of competition at the World Cycling Championships, picking up three rainbow jerseys in men's events and one in women's. They also picked up a second in the team pursuit competition.
'It is just simply for the last few years we have determined the way cycling should be done,' said Michael Huebner, the 27-year-old who won the match sprints on Saturday night and set a world record earlier in the competition in the 200-meter flying sprint.
Evidence of the men's domination in the shorter distances is that four East Germans semifinalists in the match sprints. They also took the two top places in the kilometer time trials.
'When I look at my career and try to determine what has happened, I don't think much has changed,' Heubner said. 'We are all still racing.'
The East Germans use the latest in technology and equipment, and cyclists gain experience beginning in grade school by joining sports clubs, said Lutz Hesslich, who finished second in the match sprints to his best friend, Huebner, after taking the world title in 1979, 1983 and 1985.
After losing to Maik Malchow and Jens Glucklich in the finals of the kilometer time trial, Martin Vinnicombe of Australia said that the training techniques of the East Germans are far ahead of the rest of the world.
'I ran my personal best against them,' Vinnicombe said. 'and I think it will take me at least another two years to develop a start like these guys have.'
Even the East German women are making strides in international competition, where they just began entering races a year ago.
'I began cycling in 1978, but only in national championships,' said Christa Rothenburger, a 27-year-old economist who won the women's match sprints title. 'We haven't competed in international races all these years simply because no one thought much about it (women's cycling). It was not very well supported, but this thinking has changed within the last year.'
Rothenburger, who is an Olympic gold medalist in speedskating, said she got her inspiration to start cycling from Americans who double as skaters and cyclists.
'I know Sheila Young and Beth Heiden, and they were the women who made me think I ought to try bicycling,' she said.
Although she has won the title, Rothenburger said that it will not mean a lot back home in East Germany.
'There will be no advantages at all. Everyone will be happy because the title was so unexpected, but I can think of no advantages that it will give me. Right away I will start training for speedskating,' she said.
There appears to be no end to the East German domination of the sport, said Huebner.
'I really don't think there is a new guard coming in. We are not young, but we will continue racing,' Huebner said. 'But when we retire, there will be someone (from East Germany) to take our place.'
And when will retirement come?
'In four years, we will answer that question,' Hesslich said.
