Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) running

Sven Nys is keeping alive his dream of racing the 2012 Olympic Games as a mountain biker. It wouldn't be the first Olympic appearance for Nys. The Belgian cyclo-cross superstar raced to a ninth place at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

After the final 'cross race of the season, the GVA Trofee - Internationale Sluitingsprijs Oostmalle on Sunday, February 19, Nys will turn his focus to his mountain bike.

At his Landbouwkrediet-Euphony team's presentation earlier this week, he said the quest to qualify to race the mountain bike event for Belgium would begin with the first World Cup in South Africa in mid-March. Nys needs a top 12 placing in one of the first four World Cups to secure his spot.

Nys said at the beginning of 2011 that he was going to use the summer to qualify, but his efforts did not work out. He ended his mountain bike season early, skipping the final World Cup and the Worlds after injuring his knee earlier in the season.