CW editor Lee Mack catches up with Olympic gold medalist Gunn-Rita Dahle as she prepares to brave the Beijing traffic once again

Mountain biker Gunn-Rita Dahle is one of the hardest-working athletes in the business. Since capturing her first world title in 2002, this self-described “24-hour athlete” seems invincible, winning 11 World Cup races before striking gold at Athens in 2004. So what does a woman do after conquering her sport? She heads to China of course.

Merida, her cycling team (originally a Taiwanese company), is heavily involved in developing the sport in China and was instrumental in bringing her over to take part in the 2005 Great Wall Bike Festival. The experience obviously agreed with Dahle, as she heads back to Beijing for the third GWBF at the end of September.

Dahle is, as usual, optimistic about her chances at the 2008 Olympics (she just pocketed yet another world title in France last month), yet humble when looking back on her incredible run. “It seems strange to me even now,” she says recalling darker days –  how she burnt out in 2000, how her body completely collapsed from overtraining in preparation for the Sydney Games. “At that time, Merida was the only team that had any interest in me.” It wasn’t long before that investment paid off in a big way. Since the World Championship in 2002, out of 48 championship races, she’s NOT finished first just eight times.

Coming to China for what amounts to little more than a promotional appearance seems strange on the surface. The GWBF isn’t a sanctioned race, there’s nothing on the line. Dahle is candid about it, saying, “It's a chance to get acquainted with Beijing and with the track which will be used for the Olympics in 2008.” The international cycling governing body recently paid a visit to the site, which had drawn criticism last year for not being up to Olympic snuff, and gave it their official seal of approval.

Aside from concerns about the course, Dahle was impressed by the capital her first time around. China is, after all, the land of the bicycle. “Waking up everyday, seeing all those people on bikes, going in every direction....” She just laughs. The woman whose job requires her to elbow through hairpin turns on narrow mountain trails on a daily basis readily admits, “I don’t think I could ride in Beijing. It seems like there are unwritten rules for cars and bikes.”

Bicycling may be part of the DNA here, but mountain biking is only now catching on. Even though Merida recently put together a cycling team on the mainland, Chinese riders have yet to build a critical mass of talent and hard currency to compete on the international circuit. But what they lack in experience and funding, they make up for in unadulterated eagerness. “You’ve got to see these girls! So much potential,” says Dahle. “No one knows how good they will be in two years. Their passion alone gives them an extra 10 to 20 percent energy [boost].”

Coming to Asia has been a rich experience for Dahle. She recalls her first visit to Taiwan after pulling gold in Athens. “It was amazing. There were mobs of people. Middle-aged women jumping and crying and screaming. In Europe you have to win five gold medals before you get that reaction.”

The hype never goes to her head though. She focuses on the road ahead and keeps pedaling hard. For Dahle, races may end, but there is no finish line. She talks vaguely about scaling back her cycling commitments after 2008, maybe doing some journalism, possible book-writing. She has a lot to say about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, about biking as a way of life, and she wants to stop and enjoy the scenery more.

“When I ride we try to stop and rest a bit. When you do, it’s unbelievable what you can see.”

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Sleep with Your Bike

I n May, mountain biker Gunn-Rita Dahle and her trainer/husband were in Madrid for the World Cup, the tools of their trade packed away in a minivan outside the hotel. They were inside for less than 30 minutes, but an organized band of bike thieves needs only seconds to rob you blind. “It’s so common now,” says Dahle, exasperated, adding that at a recent World Cup event, 40 bikes were stolen in one weekend. “They know exactly what they are going for,” she says. “They are very well organized.”

It is somewhat comforting to know that getting your bike ripped off isn’t just a China thing. The National Bike Registry estimates that 1.5 million bikes are stolen annually in the US. Theft stats are hard to come by in China, but anecdotal evidence is ample. Who hasn’t had their bike stolen?

Yan Haoxue, manager of the Windspeed Bike Shop, actually believes the problem has peaked in Beijing. But he adds that there's no foolproof method for thwarting thieves. High-end, low-end, they’re all fair game. The problem is so endemic that the Beijing PSB recently announced criminal penalties against people who buy second-hand bikes in Beijing, the theory being that second-hand bike markets feed the thieving problem.

Dahle’s solution? “It’s kind of ridiculous, but on the tour we all sleep with our bikes!”