The only colour that matters is gold; the only place to be when crossing the finish line is first – and so it proved. The start of the race was a cagey affair. It’s always the way in Mountain Biking, riders will make attacks, but they’ll be ‘soft attacks’, ones without true venom behind them – a feeling out process if you will.
Then the real attacks came, and Team GB’s Tom Pidcock made his move – drawing out Victor Koretzky (FRA) from the group of riders, with Alan Hatherly (RSA) behind and others trailing.
However a puncture followed by a slow wheel change meant Pidcock lost all advantage and Koretzky had the lead thrust upon him, but Pidcock did not seem distressed by the situation, instead taking the opportunity to refresh and rehydrate whilst the mechanics worked their magic. Unbothered, focused, and soon to be flourishing.
When Pidcock re-entered the race he was within the top ten, nowhere close to his desired position but racing against adversity wasn’t unusual for him – his unranked first World Cup meant a 100th place starting position and at the European Championships, an early mistake resulted in racing at the rear, both events requiring him to fight hard.
At the 2022 World Championships, his victory contention was put under threat after requiring mechanical assistance and left chasing the leaders, ultimately finishing fourth. But, it is these experiences which have undoubtably helped shape the racer he is today.
And today, when it really mattered, he delivered.
At first, Pidcock made slow progress against Koretzky, keeping the time gap constant and fans wondering whether he’d get back to the leader and claim the back-to-back golds that are so rare to achieve.
Slowly the 24-year-old passed through rider after rider, with podium contention coming into sight with five laps completed and only three to go.
Soon enough the defending Olympic champion rode past Luca Braidot (ITA) and Matthias Flückiger (SWI) and caught up with Hatherly in second.
Ahead the crowd cheered on their home rider, hoping his name ‘Vic-Tor’ would be prophetic, and with one lap left the podium contenders were together. Pidcock, Koretzky, Hatherly. There would be a breaking point, one rider would drop an almighty load of watts unto the race and destroy the others, but who – and when.
Pidcock increased the pace, sensing his best chance of victory would be to break the others a long way from the finish. Hatherly persisted but eventually the pace was too much. This was now a two-horse race.
If the course went up, so did Pidcock, up and out of his saddle – constantly applying pressure. Gaps would open and daylight protruded through and they threatened to become bike lengths, but the Frenchman continued to endure.
And then the explosion of watts came.
The course went up, Pidcock readied his effort and got out of the saddle for maximum power and Koretzky… well he did the same and blew right past Pidcock – he had saved his one big effort for the last main section of climbing.
A gap was created and the crowd’s favourite looked calm, composed and in control, even during the final descent towards the finish.
It was still technical but Pidcock was running out of chances for a possible overtake. He inched towards the Frenchman and the race looked like it would come down to a sprint finish on the short straight. That was until a move that enraged the French crowd, turning their cheers to boos.
In one section there were two bits of track around some foliage, Koretzky went right down the natural racing line; whilst Pidcock saw his chance and sprinted down the left, merging into the front as the tracks converged. Koretzky stuttered as the bikes came close to one another – for many this was a racing incident and regardless of our opinions the race judges will have the ultimate decision.
Pidcock ultimately took the lead at the right time and claimed the victory, demonstrating a master of composure, to wait for the right moment to return to the leaders after misfortune, pacing it correctly for the best possible race.
He stayed unflustered when Koretzky made his move – I would have sworn would win him the race – and took his one opportunity to regain the lead coming into the finish. With ice in his veins, Pidcock proved for him the only colour is gold and the only place to lead, that matters, is across the finish line.
