Thomas Pidcock does the impossible to win the gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Thomas Pidcock takes the victory at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Rider recovered from a puncture with a comeback that culminated before starting the last lap. Pidcock and Koretzky fought for the victory until a final move by the British rider caused contact between the two and ultimately tipped the balance definitively.

Pidcock wins in an epic race: puncture, comeback, and agonizing battle with Koretzky

The Elancourt circuit welcomed the 36 riders called to battle for the gold medal under a partially cloudy sky. The race started with strict punctuality and the multicolored peloton began to pedal. The start was clean and, after dealing with the banking of the first curve, the pedaling headed towards the inside of the Parisian artificial hill. Riley Amos was the first leader of the day, although Alan Hatherly revealed himself shortly after.

The South African hardened the race from the start and, despite the intensity imposed, the group remained together. Hostilities took time to arrive; a moment to study and sharpen the quadriceps to put them to work when the real fire started.

 

Hatherly's reign continued without any opposition ready to overthrow the South African leadership. Charlie Aldridge showed his personality by taking the lead, while his compatriot and top contender Tom Pidcock chose to play a secondary role.

The race entered a phase of tense silent procedure, only broken by the Romanian Ede-Karoly Molnar's derailment. Mathias Fluckiger ended the wait and took the lead to further tighten the race. The Swiss's move translated into an even faster pace, forcing the main candidates to show themselves in the noble positions.

The third lap activated Pidcock's wattage machine and lifted him to second place. The British rider's strategy - an open secret - was to launch an attack and escape solo, although Fluckiger's insistence on tightening the race helped him detach some units. Calm gave way to nerves just before David Valero crashed in a gravel corner.

Pidcock took the lead and executed the plan: he only needed a few pedal strokes to open some gaps. The move shook up the group's status quo, and only Fluckiger and Koretzky were able to respond to the British rider's pace. The Rider continued with the effort, and Koretzky understood that he had to overtake a Fluckiger who showed signs of having spent too much energy and closed the gap.

The Frenchman's effort paid off, and he joined Pidcock. The dance between the two continued until Pidcock punctured and had to go through the assistance area. The incident turned into drama when no one seemed prepared to change the wheel; eternal moments that sank Pidcock 36 seconds behind Koretzky.

The British rider got to work from the start and quickly passed Braidot, Schurter, and Amos. The comeback slowed down until coming to a halt; it was necessary to catch one's breath for a while and prepare to attack the group of Fluckiger, Gaze, and Aldridge.

Pidcock, with Braidot glued to his wheel, managed to connect with the chasing group. The Rider's self-imposed truce ended, and he spurred on after a brief rest. Only Fluckiger and Braidot articulated the response. Although Koretzky apparently rode placidly in first position, Pidcock began a time cut that was uninterrupted. 30 seconds. 25 seconds. 20 seconds.

Meanwhile, Valero continued to gain positions and placed fourteenth, while Schurter stumbled without consequences in a technical section.

Pidcock's charge was successful, and he caught Hatherly, who was pedaling in no man's land in second place. With no time to speculate, Pidcock raised the stakes and sustained the attack. The move brought him closer to Koreztky, but he took behind him the white and green jersey of Hatherly.

The race went completely crazy just before the final lap, when Koretzky, Pidcock, and Hatherly formed a trio at the front. Pidcock attacked tirelessly. Koretzky responded; Hatherly gave up and revived to be back with them. Last lap. Pidcock tried in various ways, but everything ended in nothing, neutralized by the effective responses of his two travel companions.

And when all eyes were fixed on Pidcock, waiting for the winning move, Koretzky found strength from nowhere to go on the offensive. A bold move by the Frenchman, spurred on by the cheers of his compatriots. Pidcock suffered; Hatherly said goodbye to the gold. Pidcock showed his determination to recover the lost ground. He succeeded and overtook Koretzky.

 

Koretzky immediately returned the move to confirm that the finish was going to be agonizing. And then came the play of the day. Pidcock changed his line to go inside and reach the apex of the corner parallel to Koretzky's handlebar; the British rider found the right gap to squeeze in and touched the Frenchman, destabilizing him and forcing him to take a foot off the pedal.

The race ended there. Pidcock headed to the finish line and raised his arms to certify his victory at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Second gold for The Rider after the one he won in Tokyo 2020. Victor Koretzky arrived behind him crestfallen and had to settle for the silver, while Alan Hatherly finished third to take the bronze.

Olympic Games MTB Paris 2024 Results - Men's

1. Thomas Pidcock (United Kingdom) 1h 26' 22"
2. Victor Koretzky (France) +9"
3. Alan Hatherly (South Africa) +11"
4. Luca Braidot (Italy) +34"
5. Mathias Fluckiger (Switzerland) +1'20"
6. Sam Gaze (New Zealand) +1'41"
7. Riley Amos (United Kingdom) +1'46"
8. Charlie Aldridge (United Kingdom) +2'10"
9. Nino Schurter (Switzerland) +2'22"
10. David Valero (Spain) +2'27"