Tom Pidcock has referred to the mountain biking course for the Paris 2024 Olympics as “uninspired” and remarked that the event organizers “could have improved the course to better reflect ‘mountain biking’.”
Pidcock, who secured a gold medal for Team GB three years ago in Tokyo and clinched the UCI world cross-country title in Glasgow last year, characterized the cross-country route in suburban Élancourt, located to the west of Paris, as “not the most exciting course in the world, but it’s uniform for all competitors.”
In a media briefing on Friday morning, the 24-year-old noted: “Our passion for mountain biking stems from the unique courses and locations we get to experience. Simply laying gravel over a nice hillside doesn’t embody the true spirit of mountain biking.”
Pidcock’s sentiments were shared by his teammate Evie Richards, who is set to participate in the women’s race on Sunday, just one day prior to Pidcock’s event.
“I would prefer a more natural setting with a greater number of organic features as opposed to constructed ones,” the former world champion commented. “Typically, Olympic courses do feature those natural elements. In World Cup events, we often race in the Alps or picturesque ski resorts. This location is extremely close to the city’s heart.”
As the cycling events kick off on Saturday afternoon, Josh Tarling will begin his run from the start ramp at Les Invalides, highly favored to win the gold medal in the men’s time trial. The 20-year-old from Aberaeron is racing as the favorite for the 32.4km course, which includes sections of Parisian cobblestones.
The British national time trial champion, who also claimed bronze at last year’s world championships, has unsurprisingly been chosen by Pidcock as a frontrunner. Similarly, the French sports newspaper L’Équipe also ranks him ahead of Italy’s Filippo Ganna and Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, the reigning world time trial champion.
This week, Tarling expressed that his name tends to “fly under the radar,” but he believes it won’t during the competition in Paris. “I know I’ve prepared thoroughly,” he said. “As long as I am satisfied with my performance, I will find joy in it. While I am considered a favorite, Remco has been exceptional during the Tour [de France] and won the first time trial.”
Anna Henderson could secure Great Britain’s first cycling medal of the Games in the women’s road race on Saturday. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Evenepoel, who finished third overall to Tadej Pogacar in the Tour, has voiced concerns regarding the quality of the road surfaces in Paris. “There are numerous holes in the asphalt,” the Belgian noted, “making it challenging for a time trial bike.”
Tarling also expressed that he wasn’t particularly fond of the city center course, labeling both the initial and final kilometers as “uneven.” “To be perfect, I would prefer more twists and turns,” he mentioned. “The start and finish roads are fairly bumpy due to resurfacing and potholes, but overall, it should be an enjoyable experience.”
Whether Evenepoel, who admitted to difficulties getting out of bed the Monday following the Tour, will be in the running for the gold medal could hinge on his recovery from three weeks of intense racing through the Pyrenees and the Alps.
However, Team GB’s first chance at a medal may arrive earlier on Saturday afternoon when Anna Henderson competes on the women’s time trial course, which is the same as the men’s for the first time in Olympic history. Henderson, a two-time national time trial champion, has a noteworthy background in time trials and secured a silver medal at last year’s European championships. The 25-year-old also finished second in this year’s Tour of Britain and merely two seconds shy of a medal, placing fourth in last year’s world championships.
Henderson has long harbored Olympic ambitions, initially dreaming of competing as a British junior slalom champion in the Winter Games. Her primary competitors for a medal include Chloé Dygert, the highly-decorated American and multiple world champion; Demi Vollering, the champion of the Tour de France Femmes; and Lotte Kopecky of Belgium, who recently won the Tour of Britain.
In the meantime, Vollering’s compatriot, 37-year-old Ellen van Dijk from the Netherlands, may require assistance getting on and off her bike, as she has stated that she is unable to “unclip” her racing shoes from her pedals following a fractured ankle six weeks ago. “My ankle lacks mobility,” she mentioned, “But that’s not an issue while riding.”
