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August 28, 2004 11:07 am

Wells 19th in mountain biking

By STEVE RIVERA

Gannett News Service

MOUNT PARNITHA, Greece - Todd Wells has no regrets about his 19th place finish in the cross country mountain biking at the 2004 Olympic Games.

``I always like to do better, but it was all I had today,'' said Wells, who finished 19th out of 49 racers Saturday at the Parnitha Olympic Mountain Bike Venue.

Wells, from Ulster Park, N.Y., finished the six-lap, 26.9-mile course in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 37 seconds. He was 9 ½ minutes behind gold-medal winner Julien Absalon of France, who finished in 2:15.02.

Spain's Jose Antonio Hermida finished second at 2:16.02 and the Netherland's Bart Brentjens was third at 2:17.05.

Wells' performance tied USA's David Juarez (1996) for its all-time best performance.

Wells, 28, said he encountered no personal road problems and no bike problems, but like many he was behind a crash at the race's start.

``I got stuck behind that big crash and it was real hectic,'' said Wells, a University of Arizona graduate. ``I didn't try to sit back, but I did try to conserve (energy) at the end of the race when people were tired.''Although he couldn't make up ground on the top five, he went from 30th after the first lap to 22nd after the second. He moved up as high as 18th before finishing 19th. U.S. teammate Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski finished 21st.``I think my spot is all right, considering it's against all the best in the world,'' said Wells, dripping with sweat and covered in dust.

There will be little rest for Wells, who said he'll participate in the World Championships in France in two weeks.

``The course there is cold and muddy,'' he said. ``There's a lot of climbing, so I'll have to prepare for that.''

Between now and then, he'll make a brief trip home to Durango, Colo., savoring his time as an Olympian.

``It's been pretty amazing,'' he said.

Will he attempt to return to the Beijing Olympics in 2008?

``I'd like to be still riding then, so hopefully,'' he said.

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