Decision time for Clara
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- When Clara Hughes completes these Pan-Am Games, she's going to make up her mind.
Cycling or speed skating.
The only Canadian ever to win medals at both an Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games, Hughes says she's got to make up her mind here.
"I'm trying to figure out what I want to commit to. If I decide to go for Athens and the Olympics, then I can't skate this year.
"If I'm not 100% committed to the Olympics, I don't want to go. So when I go away from here, I have to decide if I'm going for the Olympics in cycling or if I'm just a speed skater.''
Winning a silver medal here yesterday didn't help in the decision-making process.
Hughes, who almost didn't come to the XIV Pan-Am Games because of a bad back, won the silver in the individual road time trial.
Having won two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and a bronze in speed skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, she came to her fourth Pan-Am Games here not knowing how it would go.
"I couldn't be more pleased with this. I had a bumpy summer and a pretty bad back injury. A couple of weeks ago I wasn't even sure if I was going to come.
"I'm just so happy. So pleased. And I can't complain losing to Kim Bruckner,'' she said of the American who turned in a time of 41.11 to her 41.49, which left Kristin Armstrong of the U.S. third at 42.43.
"Kim's been incredible this year winning races left, right and centre.''
Hughes certainly pedalled faster than she tinkled after it was over, having spent 90 minutes trying to piddle for the drug testing people.
"I was competely dehydrated,'' she said. "It was so hot out there today. It was a roaster. At the end, I was so wasted, I almost fell over.
"It was one of those days. I felt horrible the whole time. And it was like racing into a big blow-dryer. There was a real hot wind out there.''
Not to mention the garbage.
"Garbage was all over the place. I kept having to dodge plastic bottles and plastic bags. It was pretty gross," she said. "The first part was through a city park, which was nice. But then it went out onto the streets and there was trash spilling out onto the streets.''
On the positive side, she didn't get hit by a car. Canada's Jean-Francois Laroche, who survived with scrapes and bruises to finish 15th in the men's event, can't say the same.
"In practice, at the last minute, a car turned right out in front of him,'' she said.
"Can you imagine being at the Pan-Am Games and getting hit by a car when you are riding the course?''
Here? With the way they drive? Yes.
And the race didn't start on time. Surprise. Surprise.
"It was supposed to start at 9 a.m. and we're out there and it's 9:15 and we don't know what's going to happen. Not only that, they changed the course in the morning. But I came here prepared for anything that could happen.
"I knew this wasn't going to be like Winnipeg,'' said the native of the Manitoba capital which played host to the 1999 Pan-Ams.
"I kept it in my head that this isn't Canada, this isn't a rich country where everything is clean. Sure makes me appreciate what a great job Winnipeg did organizing the last Pan-Ams, though.''
Hughes is trying four events here and won't make up her mind about Athens until they're all done.
But I think she telegraphed it to me after her experience yesterday.
"Speed skating is where my Olympic dream started. And I think speedskating is the way I was born to move. On skates is where I'm meant to be. I've never felt as natural on the bike as I do on the blades.''
And there's very little garbage to dodge at the oval where she trains in Calgary. Not to mention much concern about a reckless Zamboni driver racing in front of you and cutting you off when you're on a practice lap.
