Paris Olympics: Males’s Mountain Bike Cross Nation – Preview
The cross-country mountain bike competitions on the Paris Olympic Video video games occur on the opening weekend of the worldwide sports activities actions extravaganza, with biking events spanning July 26 to August 11. Elite women begin the XCO competitions on Saturday at Élancourt Hill, located 25km exterior Paris, with the elite males following the next day, July 27.
There are 36 riders on the start guidelines for each contest, balanced fields for women and men. Cross-country mountain biking made its debut inside the Olympic Video video games in 1996 in Atlanta, the place Bart Brentjens of the Netherlands took the first-ever gold medal for males. Only one man has ever gained two gold medals inside the XCO race and Frenchman Julien Absalon went back-to-back in 2004 and 2008.
A 4.4km course awaits the boys at Élancourt Hill, on which riders took robust notes at a Verify Event last September with its groomed gravel paths, a technical rock yard, twisting terrain and one signature, troublesome climb, which is bypassed on the opening 2.2km lap. The first circuit, with 110 metres of elevation obtain, crosses the perfect stage inside the Paris area, offering views inside the distance of the Eiffel Tower.
Two gold medalists are inside the self-discipline for the boys, 2016 Rio winner Nino Schurter (Switzerland) and the Tokyo defending champion Tom Pidcock (Good Britain), along with the silver medalist from 2021 Mathias Flückiger (Switzerland). In precise truth, Flückiger’s analysis of this yr’s battle was easy, “Tom Pidcock is the best gold favorite”.
Should a model new Olympic champion be topped in Paris, there’s a sturdy argument that France’s Victor Koretzky will carry a bonus, significantly after he gained the Mountain Bike Verify Event last yr along with the most recent World Cup spherical in Les Will get.
Moreover inside the mix could be World Cup chief Alan Hatherly of South Africa and a pair of US riders, 22-year-old Riley Amos and fellow Coloradoan Christopher Blevins.
Tom Pidcock comes into Paris as a result of the only option to take a second gold medal, as he isn’t solely the defending cross-country Olympic champion however moreover the reigning XCO world champion, a major for a British male.
He’ll journey double-duty for the UK on the Paris Video video games by competing each week later inside the males’s avenue race. The 24-year-old acknowledged he’s, nonetheless, firmly centered on the MTB repeat.
Driving for Ineos Grenadiers, Pidcock accomplished second on stage 9 of the Tour de France, the rigorous route marked by 14 gravel sections spherical Troyes. Nonetheless mid-way via the Tour’s second week, the Brit suffered from COVID-19 indicators and pulled out for rest at dwelling. His preparations for Paris seem like clear.
His WorldTour avenue schedule didn’t enable many options to compete on the MTB World Cup circuit this season, nevertheless he gained the two races he started – Nové Město and Crans-Montana.
Whereas the Olympic course doesn’t have loads of elevation obtain, it does have an abundance of technical sections that go effectively with Pidcock’s punchy attacking sort.
Switzerland is correctly represented by a pair of mountain bike veterans, Nino Schurter and Mathias Flückiger, the duo every proudly proudly owning Olympic Video video games medals. On a heavy schedule of World Cup races this season, 2023 sequence winner Schurter was second complete inside the current standings after six rounds whereas Flückinger, who was third last yr, was sixth complete.
Schurter has a bunch of all three Olympic medals, incomes the bronze in Beijing in 2008, the silver in London in 2012 after which capturing the gold in Rio 4 years later. He accomplished one spot off the podium in Tokyo. He continues to gentle up the leaderboard inside the World Cup races, establishing momentum with a podium at Nové Město and the win at Val di Sole.
Last yr, Schurter was the lone Swiss marketing consultant on the Mountain Bike Verify Event and accomplished third, merely 4 seconds behind French winner Victor Koretzky. He’ll have one last shot at a win at Elancourt Hill and a fourth Olympic medal, as a result of the 10-time XCO World Champion in XCO makes his closing look inside the Olympics, and maybe his closing season of racing.
It’s the third Olympic Video video games for Flückiger, who was sixth in Rio sooner than driving to silver in Tokyo. The 36-year-old ramped up his well being sooner than Paris with second-place finishes on the ultimate two World Cup events. He offers a second card for the Swiss one-two punch and seems to significantly thrive on technical packages. The Swiss duo could be a fierce pair in Paris, and each may declare the best step of the podium.
On the Olympic mountain bike cross-country Verify Event in September last yr, Frenchman Victor Koretzky sprinted to victory on dwelling soil ahead of Anton Cooper (New Zealand) and Nino Schurter (Switzerland). Whereas Cooper is just not going to be in France this time and Schurter could be highly effective to drop a second time, seek for Koretzky to shine regardless of the local weather on Sunday.
The 29-year-old competed for quite a few years inside the skilled avenue peloton, profitable a stage on the Alpes Isère Tour in 2022 with B&B Lodging, nevertheless turned his focus to mountain biking to compete in his third Olympic Video video games.
He was principal the XCO World Cup standings earlier this season, nevertheless suffered a crash inside the temporary observe race at Nové Město and had a bout with COVID-19, missing Crans-Montana. Upon his return at Val Di Sole, he took second inside the XCC race nevertheless didn’t perform correctly the next day in XCO. He could be a wildcard in Paris.
Alan Hatherly (South Africa)
The Paris Olympic Video video games could be a third probability for Alan Hatherly to make historic previous for South Africa with a medal of any shade inside the cross-country event. After twenty sixth place in Rio in 2016, he accomplished eighth in Tokyo.
The 28-year-old hasn’t waited for Paris to make some historic previous, as he turned the first South African to win an XCO World Cup race earlier in July. It was a “dream weekend” on the sixth spherical of the sequence at Les Will get, France, Hatherly profitable every the XCO and temporary observe races.
The victory, along with two completely different podiums this yr, gave him a powerful lead inside the World Cup XCO standings, plus an unlimited improve for Sunday’s cross-country contest.
Riley Amos, the 22-year-old from Durango, Colorado, makes his debut on the Olympic Video video games for Crew USA, steamrolling all through the U23 division of the World Cup up to now this yr with 5 consecutive victories.
He gained the XCO title on the Pan-American MTB Championships in Midway, Utah in early May, which helped the US protected two quota spots for Paris, the first time since 2012 that the USA would have a number of man inside the Olympic MTB event. He adopted that effectivity with wins at Nové Město and Crans-Montana and sealed his spot for Paris to race alongside fellow Coloradoan Christopher Blevins.
“It’s in truth unreal – I positively didn’t suppose at first of the yr that one factor like this was attainable, for optimistic,” Amos acknowledged in a Crew USA report after profitable at Crans-Montana. “That’s my fourth season inside the under-23 class, so I’ve had 4 years to develop as an athlete bodily and mentally.”
After the win in Switzerland, Amos returned dwelling to the US to rest for quite a few weeks to be up to date for his journey to France, the place the US males look to realize a medal in mountain biking for the first time.
The 25-year-old Blevins accomplished 14th inside the XCO contest in Tokyo. He’s eighth complete on this yr’s World Cup standings, based largely on his victory in Mairiporã, Brazil in April, nevertheless spent the ultimate two weeks at a training camp in Annecy, France to rearrange for his second Video video games.
When is the Paris Olympics males’s mountain bike cross nation?
The boys’s race begins on July 29 at 14:10 CET or 8:10 EDT. Uncover out learn how to observe biking on the Paris Olympics
Males’s MTB Start Guidelines
- Maximilian Foidl (Austria)
- Pierre de Froidmont (Belgium)
- Jens Schuermans (Belgium)
- Ulan Bastos Galinski (Brazil)
- Gunnar Holmgren (Canada)
- Martin Vidaurre Kossmann (Chile)
- Diego Alfonso Arias Cuervo (Colombia)
- Ondrej Cink (Czechia)
- Simon Andreassen (Denmark)
- Joni Savaste (Finland)
- Victor Koretzky (France)
- Jordan Sarrou (France)
- Julian Schelb (Germany)
- Luca Schwarzbauer (Germany)
- Charlie Aldridge (Good Britain)
- Tom Pidcock (Good Britain)
- Tomer Zaltsman (Israel)
- Simone Avondetto (Italy)
- Luca Braidot (Italy)
- Martins Blums (Latvia)
- Romano Puentener (Liechtenstein)
- Adair Zabdiel Gutierrez Prieto (Mexico)
- Alex Miller (Namibia)
- Samuel Gaze (New Zealand)
- Knut Roehme (Norway)
- Jiujiang Mi (China)
- Krzysztof Lukasik (Poland)
- Ede-Karoly Molnar (Romania)
- Alan Hatherly (South Africa)
- Jofre Cullell Estape (Spain)
- David Valero Serrano (Spain)
- Mathias Flueckiger (Switzerland)
- Nino Schurter (Switzerland)
- Oleksandr Hudyma (Ukraine)
- Riley Amos (United States)
- Christopher Blevins (United States)
