'It just exploded' - Rider suffers freak wheel break during Olympic mountain bike race

One rider's hopes for a medal in the Olympic mountain bike race were dashed after she suffered a freak incident, shattering her rear wheel on a rock. 

South African rider Candice Lill broke the rim of her wheel in two places during the opening laps of the event in Élancourt, and rode on to finish 20th overall. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly after the event, Lill said she was "disappointed" with how the race played out. 

"I rolled down one of the steep roll-offs, and my back wheel hit a rock at the bottom, I think, and it just exploded," she explained. "I honestly don't know [the state of the wheel now]. The rim is completely cracked, so the wheel is not round anymore. I blew the tyre wall off the rim and everything."

"At first it was a shock. There was a big, loud noise, as well. I then had to get off my bike and start running," Lill continued. "I had to run down to the tech zone to change the wheel. It was not actually too far, but it takes time to change the wheel and everything and get going."

By the time the 32-year-old got back on her bike, she had lost crucial minutes to the front of the race, and was out of the running for the medals. The event was won by Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, a five-time cross-country mountain bike world champion, who added a first Olympic gold medal to her achievements on her fourth participation in the Games. 

Lill, too, had hoped to be on the podium at the end of the day. "I wanted to shoot for a medal, for sure," the South African said. "I had a really good season coming into this with the mountain bike World Cups. It's a really disappointing day, a disappointing result, but I think, in a way, I know I did my best. I know I was here to fight for a medal, and I had the shape to do it, but it just didn't work out."

This year, Lill claimed two podiums at UCI World Cup events, finishing second at Les Gets and third at Val di Sole. Only once had she seen a wheel crack like hers did on Sunday. 

"In the past, I was racing Cape Epic with a teammate that had happened to, so I have seen it before," she said. "It's really unusual. It’s just bad luck."