Britain's Tom Pidcock made a spectacular comeback after a puncture to secure his Olympic men's mountain bike title in a gripping duel with France's Victor Koretzky on Monday. The 24-year-old world champion showcased his exceptional bike handling skills to overcome a 40-second gap initially, then managed to fend off Koretzky in an electrifying final lap on the 4.4km Elancourt Hill circuit, navigating through trees and rocks.
As they raced side by side down a steep descent, Pidcock opted for a bolder route through the trees, causing Koretzky to lose speed. Seizing the moment, Pidcock surged ahead, winning the race by nine seconds. However, the victory was met with boos from the French crowd as he crossed the finish line ahead of Koretzky and South Africa's Alan Hatherly, who claimed the bronze.
Pidcock expressed his disappointment with the crowd's reaction, stating, "It's a shame because that's not really the spirit of the Olympics, but I do also understand, they're a passionate French crowd." He humorously added, "But you know they didn't boo the rock that gave me a puncture, did they?" referring to the mishap that occurred on lap four.
Reflecting on the decisive last-lap maneuver, Pidcock defended his actions, saying, "I did nothing wrong. He could have also gone left and I would have had to go right. In this position you don't hesitate. The gap was there so I was going."
The women's race on Sunday was dominated by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, sparking jubilant celebrations among the home crowd. Around 15,000 fans gathered on the sun-drenched circuit near Versailles on Monday, eager to see more French victories. However, Pidcock dashed their hopes.
Pidcock, a road professional who withdrew from this year's Tour de France due to Covid, appeared robust early in the race, attacking on lap three with only Koretzky able to keep up. Disaster struck when his front tyre punctured, necessitating a pit stop to change the wheel—Pidcock calmly drinking from his water bottle while the mechanics worked frantically.
Rejoining the race, Pidcock was significantly behind but remained calm and steadily closed the gap, taking the lead on lap seven as Koretzky seemed to tire. Despite this, the Frenchman and Hatherly kept pace with Pidcock as the final lap began. Loud cheers followed when Koretzky made a move and briefly overtook Pidcock, but the Briton quickly responded and executed his daring maneuver through the trees.
