Tom Pidcock overcomes early puncture to win cross-country mountain bike gold at Paris Olympics

Tom Pidcock overcame a puncture before powering to a sensational defence of his mountain biking cross-country Olympic gold medal at Élancourt Hill near Paris. 

The current World Champion was booed as he crossed the finish line after coming into contact with silver medallist Victor Koretzky of France while overtaking on the final corner. He was then booed on the podium by the home crowd. 

Due to the early flat tyre, Pidcock appeared to find himself out of contention as the race neared its finale. However, the Brit rapidly got back on terms and soon caught South Africa’s Alan Hatherly who was in second as the riders began the seventh and penultimate lap of the course.

Pidcock then pushed on with the South African and caught Koretzky who had led the charge for much of the race after his early setback. 

After initially trailing him by 39 seconds, the 24-year-old then won a high octane duel with Koretzky during the final lap to become double Olympic champion after winning in Tokyo in 2021. 

Koretzky was forced to settle for the silver medal with Hatherly securing bronze.

"I think this week, so many things go through your head," Pidcock, who turns 25 on Tuesday, said post-race. "By the time you get on the start line you’re pretty knackered as it is. It was all going pretty well and I knew Victor [Koretzky] would be strong here, I knew it would not be easy today. 

"The puncture happened, Rune wasn’t ready in the pits, but it was a fast change. I knew I had five laps, that’s almost fifty minutes. Anything is possible. I was coming fast back to Victor, but I couldn’t get rid of him. 

"I knew how fast he was on the last lap. In the end I just had to go for a gap. Rubbing’s racing, that’s what I’ve always done. The Olympics is no different. I’m sorry for him, the support for him is incredible, but it’s the Olympics, you’ve got to go all in."

How it happened

The race got off to an explosive start as the riders tore through the first of eight laps of the 35 kilometre Élancourt Hill course. South Africa’s Alan Hatherly was the rider setting a fast and frenetic pace as he led the charge through the earlier sections. 

Charlie Aldridge was at the head of the race for Great Britain as the riders completed the first lap, and had a small gap as he entered the wooded section of the course heading towards the start and finish line. Meanwhile Pidcock sat further back in the main field, keeping one eye on the likes of Switzerland’s Nino Schurter and Mathias Flückiger as well as Victor Koretzky of France. 

Halfway through the second lap, the race began to split as the favourites moved to the front and looked to up the already fast tempo. Flückiger, Koretzky and Schurter led through the switchbacks section with Pidcock attentive to every acceleration from Flückiger. The Swiss rider continued his high speed with the Yorkshireman locked onto his back wheel. 

As the foot of one of the handful of climbs in the course approached, Pidcock opened the taps with a powerful attack which saw him move clear into the rocky downhill section. Koretzky was the only rider who could follow as Pidcock looked to distance the two Swiss riders. The lead duo soon had a gap of around ten seconds as they completed lap three. 

Disaster then struck for Pidcock as he entered the feed zone. A flat front tyre due to a puncture meant that Koretzky was able to push on and rapidly build up an advantage of more than 39 seconds over the Brit. 

Hatherly was hot in pursuit of Koretzky as the Frenchman finished lap four. Meanwhile Pidcock attempted to get himself back into contention for a medal, but had Flückiger tracking his every move. 

Incredibly Pidcock managed to somehow distance the Swiss rider and bridge across to Hatherly as the riders began the seventh and penultimate lap. 

There would then be no stopping Pidcock as he pushed on with the South African rider on his wheel and he soon caught Koretzky at the head of the race. From there it was showtime, with Pidcock and Koretzky moving clear as they looked to contest the finale and secure the gold medal. 

Both riders relentlessly attacked one another, but Pidcock eventually came out on top. The 24-year-old put in the killer move in the final few hundred metres, edging past Koretzky on the inside of his racing line on the final corner before sprinting into the finish to become double Olympic champion. 

Results

Paris Olympics 2024 men’s cross-country mountain bike

1. Tom Pidcock (Gbr) in 01:26:22
2. Victor Koretzky (Fra) +9s
3. Alan Hatherly (Rza) +11s
4. Luca Braidot (Ita) +34s
5. Mathias Flückiger (Sui) +1:20
6. Samuel Gaze (Nz) +1:41
7. Riley Amos (Usa) +1:46
8. Charlie Aldridge (Gbr) +2:10
9. Nino Schurter (Sui) +2:22
10. David Valero Serrano (Esp) +2:27