'McDreamy' to be honorary captain of US Olympic cycling team

Patrick Dempsey will serve as the honorary captain for the U.S. cycling team at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, part of a unique working relationship between USA Cycling and the actor best known for his role on the TV show "Grey's Anatomy."

The sport's national governing body has been re-positioning itself under new chief executive Rob DeMartini to better serve the needs of recreational riders and with elite athletes. As part of that thrust, USA Cycling reached out to Dempsey — an avid cyclist — to help raise awareness, encourage people to ride and support the U.S. team at the Summer Games.

The partnership is a natural extension of work Dempsey already has been doing within the cycling world. He's been working with former pro Tom Danielson on T20 Cycling, an interactive cycling community that stages events around the country, and his Dempsey Challenge each September in Maine has raised millions of dollars for charitable causes.

The U.S. team performed well at the Rio Olympics in 2016, finishing third on the medal table behind only Great Britain and the Netherlands. Among its five medals were golds won by Kristin Armstrong in the time trial and Connor Fields in BMX.

The strong showing led to increased investment on behalf of the U.S. Olympic Committee in advance of the Tokyo Games, and DeMartini has doubled down on predecessor Derek BouchardHall's goal of seven cycling medals this summer. The U.S. has one of the top women's pursuit squads in the world, the reigning mountain bike World Cup champion in Kate Courtney, gold medal-favorite Chloe Dygart Owen in the time trial and several medal hopefuls in both BMX disciplines.

Hannah Roberts, the 18-year-old reigning BMX freestyle world champion, recently became the first American rider to qualify for the Olympic team by clinching the top spot in USA Cycling's rankings.