Packed with incident right from the start, Great Britain's Tom Pidcock has retained his Olympic Mountain Bike title in style after one of the most thrilling and dramatic XCO races in the event's history. The UCI MTB World Champion would be booed across the line, ignoring the crowd's reaction to a controversial clash between him and the second-placed French rider Victor Koretzky. Pidcock put his pre-race criticism of Elancourt Hill XCO track behind him as he secured the win on a course he had called “Just gravel and not really mountain biking”.
Pidcock said that the build-up to the race had "messed with his head", and that having withdrawn from the Tour de France early with Covid-19, he had "felt knackered on the start line." However, Pidcock would look anything but tired as he set light to the afterburners on his Pinarello Dogma XC bike early on. The field would be splintered as leading contenders found the heat and pace at the front too hot to handle, with only Victor Koretzky able to hold the defending champion's wheel. Koretzky, the current number one ranked rider and winner of the Elancourt Hill test was also looking comfortable in the blazing heat as he aimed to emulate his compatriot Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who won the Women's XCO race yesterday.
Gold seemed inevitable for Koretzky after what looked like a fatal puncture for Pidcock, saw the French rider seize his chance and power into a commanding lead. Rider after rider passed the helpless Pidcock as the Team GB mechanics looked unprepared for the front wheel change, frantically running to the pits for a replacement wheel as a calm-looking Pidcock waited for his bike to be made ready. It would leave him with almost 35 seconds to make up with five laps left.
Speaking after the race, Pidcock said: "We are all used to things going well, so even my mechanic wasn't ready for it. He did a fast change in the end, my bike was perfect apart from my mistake of puncturing. I knew I had a few laps to get back to the front and I still knew anything was possible.”
The race drama was just beginning and although Koretzky had a big gap, South African, Alan Hatherly, was still in contention as he too chased the gold medal. But he would soon be looking over his shoulder as a charging Pidcock helped by his fellow Brit, Charlie Aldridge, started to make serious inroads into the time gap.
Pidcock would soon catch and ride straight past Hatherly in his pursuit of Koretzky. Could the attacking British rider catch the Frenchman? Pidcock slowly chipped away at the gap as Hatherly followed his wheel in third. The pursuing pair would catch Koretzky as his 35-second lead disappeared.
Pidcock made a big attack and it looked like the winning move, but there was more to come as Koretzky powered back in front on the final lap – the two riders then duked it out for the lead. There was controversy during what proved to be the final duel of the day. Pidcock attacked on a separate line to Koretzky and the two riders came together as the lines converged. With Pidcock's wheel just in front, Korektzy was forced into taking a foot dab. That was enough to see the Pidcock finally disappear and ride over the line with nine seconds clear to booing from the crowd.
When asked about the final lap incident an emotional PIdcock said: “In the end, he left a gap and I had to go for it. It’s racing, it’s what I’ve always done, the Olympics are no different. I’m sorry for Victor, but it’s the Olympics, you've got to go all in, never give up, give everything, and that is what I had to do. I know people might view it differently and it’s a shame that the French were booing me, but you know."
Celebrating with the Team GB support crew, friends and family before the medal presentation Pidcock said: "I can't thank everyone enough, everyone was around me and we trained perfectly for this.”
Pidcock now has seven days to recover before the chance to secure more Olympic history as he looks to grab the unique double of mountain bike XCO and Road Racing gold. After this tenacious and never-say-die performance, you wouldn't bet against the 'Yorkshire Terrier' doing just that.
