Tom Pidcock stamped his authority on the Olympic mountain bike race and claimed a second-consecutive gold medal in the event for Great Britain. The race came down to the closest finish of the season, spoiling the French dreams of Victor Koretzky and the crowd chanting his name.
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How it happened
- Riley Amos (United States) took the holeshot as one of the youngest riders in the race and was tailed by the likes of Alan Hatherly (South Africa) and Switzerland’s Mathias Flückiger and Nino Schurter. Hatherly took the lead during the lap with Great Britain’s Charlie Aldridge slotting into second wheel.
- After the first lap, the Swiss hit the front followed closely by the home country hope of Koretzky in third wheel. Pidcock, who started relatively poorly, tacked on near the back of a 14-strong front group. Pidcock fired his first warning shot during lap three, chased by Koretzky and Flückiger. The Frenchman kept Pidcock in check on the downhill and Flückiger dangled a few seconds back.
- At the bottom of the downhill, Pidcock suffered a front wheel flat tire. He was forced to jump off for one of the large drops. Luckily he could ride it into the tech zone, but the Great Britain team was not ready for him and stalled a bit. The wheel change, once it finally got started, went relatively smoothly, but Pidcock would lose more than 30 seconds to the leaders.
- This gave Koretzky the lead, riding with a nine-second gap back to Hatherly and Flückiger a few seconds behind in third position. The group chasers included New Zealand’s Sam Gaze, Aldridge, Flückiger, and Italy’s Luca Braidot. Amos dangled off the back of that group. Pidcock caught the group and continued his pursuit of the medals.
- Rio gold medalist Schurter nearly crashed in the big rock garden, sandwiching himself between his rear wheel and seat post but he didn’t hit the deck.
- Pidcock caught Hatherly with two laps to go and continued his mission to catch Koretzky, who was 17 seconds ahead. Pidcock closed the gap to Koretzky and pulled Hatherly along on his wheel. At the top of Elancourt Hill, the Briton attacked but Koretzky kept him in check on the following descent. Then the trio came back together in time for a final lap showdown.
- Pidcock put in another dig but Koretzky was glued to his wheel. As the course neared the crest of the hill, Koretzky threw down an attack and got a couple of bike lengths on the Tokyo gold medalist.
- Off camera, Koretzky bobbled on a loose left-hander, losing his front wheel over the edge and briefly hanging up on a tree. The gap closed again.
- In the final woods section, the course split into two lines, offering a momentary chance to pass. Pidcock took this shot, inching just ahead of Koretzky with a hard acceleration. The Frenchman’s front wheel made contact with Pidcock, and Koretzky dabbed his foot on the ground, stalling and yielding time to Pidcock, who rode to the line with nine seconds to spare.
Brief analysis
- Pidcock has already cemented himself as one of the best mountain bikers in the world, with multiple World Cup wins, a world championship win, and the gold medal from Tokyo. His performance Monday in Paris further solidifies this legacy, made even more impressive by his mixed schedule of road and cyclocross racing. Two weeks ago, he pulled out of the Tour de France with Covid, but the illness clearly did not hinder him.
- Rubbing’s racing, as they say. Pidcock’s last lap pass on Koretzky was legal in mountain biking since he was in front of the Frenchman by the time the two lines converged into one. Koretzky’s dab is unfortunate, but a part of racing.
- Just like in the women’s race, mechanicals caused by the sharp rock gardens impacted the race.
- At times, Pidcock seems unbeatable. But Koretzky’s last lap attack shows that, on his day, he has the strength to challenge Pidcock. Both riders are decent sprinters, but we will never know what would have happened if they came to the line together.
- The youngsters of Amos and Aldridge put on a show. In Amos’ case, the debut Olympian from Durango, Colorado went on a red-hot winning streak in the U23 World Cup field this spring, earning him Olympic selection. He’ll be one of the most hyped riders to enter the elite field in recent years. Aldridge has been racing the elites and looks poised for big results as well.
- On the other end of the spectrum, the experience of Nino Schurter and David Valero Serrano placed both riders in the top 10. At 38 years old, this is likely Schurter’s last Olympics, but he hasn’t said the R(etirement) word quite yet.
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