Last summer, a place in GB’s team for the Paris Olympics seemed such a remote possibility for Charlie Aldridge that he hadn’t even considered it.
But a year on, the 23-year-old mountain biker from Perth is on the verge of making his Olympic debut.
Aldridge has long been recognised as a precocious talent – he was crowned junior world champion in 2019 and under-23 world champion last year – but even he didn’t foresee himself making his Olympic debut quite this early in his career.
However, despite the transition from under-23 racing to elite being notoriously tricky, Aldridge has navigated the path almost seamlessly, with the Scot managing to compete admirably the world’s very best in his first season as an elite rider.
His most notable result of 2024 is his podium place in the Mountain Bike World Cup event in Nové Mĕsto in the Czech Republic in May which, admits Aldridge, was hugely significant not only for his Olympic qualification hopes but also for his self-belief.
“My first World Cup podium was pretty big for me. This year I came in hoping for some better results than last season when my best elite finish was seventh so to get onto the podium was massive and a huge confidence boost for me," he says.
“It was also really important because it made sure GB got two spots at the Olympics – there’d been pressure to get that but despite that pressure, I managed to pull it off and that gave me the chance to be at this point now.”
At Paris 2024, which begins on Friday, Aldridge will contest the cross-country mountain bike event alongside his GB teammate, current Olympic and World Champion Tom Pidcock, and with the Scot somewhat surprised by his rapid rise to Olympic team status, he goes into the Olympics with relatively little pressure upon his shoulders, particularly as all eyes will be on Pidcock as the primary British medal hope.
That underdog status will, hopes Aldridge, be of benefit to him but that doesn’t mean the Perth rider will be taking things easy once he’s on the start line.
“With this Olympics never having been in the plan, it feels like an exciting bonus more than anything,” he says.
“I don’t feel like there’s pressure on me and I’m not really setting many targets for myself, I just want to have the best race I can and then see what happens.
“Getting on the podium would be amazing but that’s everyone’s goal so that’ll be very tough. You always race for the win but I’ll also just enjoy being part of the Olympics.”
Ironically, given the sport’s biggest prize is on the line in Paris, the Olympic mountain bike event is likely to be somewhat less frantic an occasion than the regular World Cup events, with the Olympic field consisting of significantly fewer riders.
Aldridge is under no illusions, however, that the energy he’ll have to exert over the 90 minutes-or-so of his race - which takes place on the first Monday of the Games - will be just as considerable as always which, he admits, will ensure there's a few butterflies in his stomach as he’s waiting for the gun to go.
“In the Olympics, there’s only 40 riders rather than 140 in the World Cups so it’ll still be as hard physically as every race is but with fewer riders, there’ll probably be less carnage," he says.
“On the line in Paris, I think I’ll just feel so excited to be there. I always try to smile on the start line because that really helps me control my feelings.
“The nerves are more because I know it’s going to really hurt physically rather than any fear of getting injured. You push so hard during races – my heart rate will be around 190 for the entire race, so it’s very tough.”
Aldridge will go into Paris with few tactics other than to ensure he gives everything he’s got on his Olympic debut.
And that, he hopes, will be enough to put him towards the front of the pack for as long as possible.
“Pacing yourself is a massive thing in these big races – it’s not a sprint, it’s an hour and a half of racing so it’s easy to go too hard and blow up. And you really don’t want that to happen,” he says.
“I do set out quite fast in races and sometimes I last and sometimes I don’t so hopefully in Paris, I’ll be able to stay at the front for as long as possible.”
