Sportsman Bush mountain bikes, soaks up Olympics while monitoring ...

Tag : sports t-shirt

Yet there were reminders that the world's troubles follow whereverBush goes.

He received regular updates after Russia sent columns of tanks andreportedly bombed Georgian air bases Friday. That came afterGeorgia launched a military offensive to retake the breakawayprovince of South Ossetia. The fast-changing hostilities threatento ignite a broader conflict in the region.

"I'm deeply concerned about the situation in Georgia," Bush toldreporters. He said he worried about "a dangerous escalation in thecrisis" because attacks have spread beyond the main conflict zone."We have urged an immediate halt to the violence and a stand-downby all troops," he said.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush had spoken withRussian President Dmitry Medvedev and Georgian President MikhailSaakashvili and "reiterated the United States position to bothleaders."

Violence intruded on the games themselves when a knife-wieldingChinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. men'svolleyball team at a tourist site, killing one and injuring theother. Bush said his thoughts and prayers were with the victims andtheir families, and that the U.S. government has offered to provideany assistance the family needed.

Bush had official business on his agenda Sunday: meetings withChinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders of the country;attending church; speaking about religious freedom. That is asensitive matter in China, where the government allows worship onlyin officially approved churches.

But mostly this was a day for athletics.

After an early wake-up call, the president headed straight to theLaoshan Olympic mountain-biking course, passing Tiananmen Squarealong the way. His wife, Laura, went on a tour of the ForbiddenCity.

Bush, a regular biker, had been itching to get back to the coursethat he tried out with Chinese Olympic hopefuls in 2005 during hislast visit to Beijing.

In a green T-shirt and black shorts, the president biked more thanan hour on the course on a warm, muggy, hazy day, accompanied bysecret service agents and aides. He dabbed at his face with a towelas he left, then called the course "really, really difficult."

"That's why I'm an amateur and they're Olympians," Bush added.

After slipping into dry clothes, the president headed for the beachvolleyball at Chaoyang Park, getting sandy with defending goldmedalist Misty May-Treanor on the practice courts during ahalf-hour stop.

Bush posed for pictures with the U.S. players and staff.May-Treanor and her partner Kerri Walsh, took a break in practiceso Bush could try out a few bumps himself.

The president needs some work on his passing, mis-hitting a pairoff his knuckles. When May-Treanor passed the ball back to him, heacted like he was going to dive after it but decided to stay on hisfeet.

Then May-Treanor turned her back to the president, offering herbikinied rear for one of the traditional slaps that volleyballplayers frequently give each other.

"Mr. President, want to?" she asked, repeating an offer she madewhen Bush gave a pep talk to the U.S. athletes before Friday'sopening ceremonies.