“Brutal sport”: Shocking scenes as ill pro cyclist collapses on side of the road during race after suffering in heat; “Rubbing’s racing, go all in”: Tom Pidcock wins Olympic mountain bike epic – and is booed by angry French crowd + more on the live blog

Now that was something else.

In arguably the most thrilling, nail-biting, and intense hour-and-a-half of the entire cycling season, Tom Pidcock recovered from a mid-race puncture to claw back a 40-second deficit on home favourite Victor Koretzky, before bursting past the Frenchman through an impossible gap in the dying seconds to win his second consecutive Olympic mountain bike cross-country gold.

(Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)

After a relatively steady start, the multi-disciplinary British star had begun to stamp his authority on the race by the third lap when, in the company of Koretzky, he suffered an untimely puncture, albeit within metres of the pits.

However, by the time the admittedly dithering British mechanics had swapped out his front wheel, Pidcock was 36 seconds behind, a deficit that grew over the next lap as the 24-year-old regained his composure.

But, instead of one all-out concerted effort to claw his way back to the front, the defending champion remained calm, slowly working his way through the field as Koretzky kept his own composure while being roared on by a raucous home crowd, eager to see a French gold double following Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s win in Élancourt Hill yesterday.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

As 30 seconds ticked down to 15, and then to 10, Pidcock finally bridged across to Koretzky on the penultimate lap, followed by Alan Hatherly, aiming to become Africa’s first Olympic mountain bike medallist.

Never one to bide his time in the wheels, Pidcock immediately drove it on the front, launching a series of accelerations in a bid to dislodge his unmoving French rival.

After these probing moves failed, and with Pidcock aiming to capitalise on his uphill strength, all eyes turned to the final steep climbing section before the swift drop to the line. But as the world waited for the inevitable Pidcock acceleration, it was the cunning Koretzky, in a sensational display of strength and tactics, who instead launched on the sharp rise, opening a small gap to the Ineos man.

Desperately clinging on as they plummeted towards the line, Pidcock clawed his way back again following a small hiccup by the Frenchman, setting up a scintillating sprint for gold.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

And then, with the finish line almost in sight as they made their way through the trees on Élancourt Hill’s rare natural section, Pidcock dive bombed Koretzky around a tree, nudging his wheel in front as the pair made contact.

That brief contact was enough to unclip and unsettle the Frenchman, who was forced to watch in agony as Pidcock celebrated across the line mere metres ahead to a chorus of jeers from a home crowd equally devastated by the shocking twist which came at the end of one of cycling’s great thrillers.

A hostile, booing crowd may not have been the soundtrack Pidcock expected to hear as he won his second Olympic gold at the age of 24 – but I doubt he’ll care much.

Alright, I still haven’t got over that thriller on Élancourt Hill yet (I know, I may actually be a mountain bike convert now, the horror), capped off by Tom Pidcock winning in the most Tom Pidcock way ever, so decided to put the following question to you lovely live blog readers:

Did we just see the most exciting, intense, brilliant bit of bike racing all year?

Poll Maker

Let us know what you think, and we can discuss why mountain biking is the great sport in the world tomorrow morning (Disclaimer: I may completely disavow everything I just said and return to being a road purist within 24 hours).

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking was inaugurated for the new Parliament last week, with Jesse Norman – who had two stints in the Department for Transport during the Conservatives’ 14-year spell in government – named as one of the group’s co-chairs, alongside Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, who continues in the role.

Norman, who was responsible for walking and cycling during his tenure in the DfT, will take up the role on an interim basis, replacing Selaine Saxby after lost her seat at the General Election.

> Yes, Minister! Jesse Norman confirms government has no plans for cyclists to be registered and insured

Andy McNae, the Labour MP for Rossendale and Darwen, will become Treasurer, while Lib Dem Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, becomes the group’s Vice-Chair.

The group’s plans for the months ahead include meetings on the subject of e-bike batteries, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and a major new report with British Cycling and Leigh Day.

‘’I am delighted to continue in my role as co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking. We will continue to work both inside and outside of Parliament to promote all forms of cycling and walking,” Hamilton said in a statement today.

‘’A new government provides new opportunities to ensure that as many people as possible are enabled to experience the many benefits of active travel. We look forward to an ambitious programme of work this year, and engaging with many of the new Members of Parliament elected in July.’’ 

In case you missed this while the BBC was flipping channels…

It was all going so smoothly for Tom Pidcock, whose attack on the third lap of today’s Olympic cross-country mountain bike race had left only Victor Koretzky in his wheel – until, that is, the defending champion suffered a front puncture just as he was turning the screw on the French favourite.

On the plus side for Pidcock, he managed to flat just before the pits.

On the negative side, however, was the extremely slow change by the seemingly unsuspecting Team GB mechanics, forced to run back into the tents to find a new wheel as the British star, who remained remarkably calm, lost a number of places and 36 seconds to a flying Koretzky.

But with over half the race remaining, there’s still plenty of time for another come-from-behind Pidcock masterclass…

Cyclists have slammed Torbay council for scrapping plans for a long-awaited bike lane in Torquay after last-minute changes to move a line of trees closer to the roadside kerb, despite every illustration and plan regarding the scheme clearly showing a segregated cycling path until now.

Speaking to road.cc, one local cyclist accused the council of being “very sneaky” and hiding the news in a press release. However, a Conservative councillor has claimed that “cyclists will be pleased with what they see when the scheme is finished”.

Read more: > “Is this what anyone wants?” Council goes back on promise and scraps cycle lane plans without any consultation to move “line of trees closer to kerb”

Away from the Olympics for a second and over to Worcester, where cyclists have praised the local county council’s decision to install bollards on the A449 to ensure people on bikes can get around safely, as work begins to repair a historic bridge used by pedestrians and cyclists.

In February, part of the supporting wingwall of Powick Old Bridge – built in the 15th century and the sight of the opening skirmish of the First English Civil War in 1642, and now a commonly used route for walkers and cyclists – collapsed into the River Teme, the result of flooding and build-up of debris.

Following this initial collapse, Worcestershire County Council cut back on vegetation on the side of the A449 to ensure pedestrians and cyclists could use the footway safely while the bridge was being assessed, while cones were put in place on the carriageway “to protect pedestrians and cyclists from large vehicles”.

And now, as work begins to fix the bridge, the council has confirmed that the cones will be replaced by more permanent milestone bollards, which will be installed at the end of August, along with a temporary 30mph speed limit during the works.

“These new measures will ensure that cyclists and pedestrians will be able to continue to use the pedestrian and cycle route that Powick Old Bridge falls on whilst the repair works are being undertaken,” Marc Bayliss, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Worcestershire County Council, said in a statement.

“The temporary measures worked well during the assessment phase so I’m pleased that a more permanent measure will be put in place.”

Meanwhile, Bike Worcester’s chair Dan Brothwell said the “cycling community are very pleased to see this improvement to the temporary diversion”.

“It’s fantastic that officers have engaged collaboratively with us throughout the process since the bridge collapse to provide a workable solution for all users,” he said.

Before we turn our attentions to knobbly tyres and Tom Pidcock, let’s have one last look at that unbelievable bit of bike handling from Filippo Ganna on Saturday:

Como que Ganna não caiu aqui?#paris2024 pic.twitter.com/nvRMA2RgKN

— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) July 27, 2024

Peter Schmeichel would have been proud of that save…

In the women’s cross-country race in Elancourt yesterday, home hero Pauline Ferrand-Prévot bid a fitting farewell to the mountain bike scene before her eagerly anticipated return to the road with Visma-Lease a Bike, the 15-time world champion pulling off a storming solo ride to win her first ever Olympic gold medal in front of an ecstatic French crowd.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

However, behind the French superstar’s blistering long-range move, thoughts turned to Ferrand-Prévot’s compatriot Loana Lecomte, who crashed heavily and lost consciousness on a rock garden section of the course.

Lecomte, who also entered yesterday’s race as one of the favourites for a medal, was riding in a chase group containing eventual silver and bronze medallists Haley Batten and Jenny Rissveds when she crashed while descending on the rocks, staying on the ground before being quickly treated by medical staff, who stretchered her off the course.

However, despite the apparent severity of the fall, the 24-year-old was pictured smiling after the race, albeit with bandages on her chin and elbow, as the French Cycling Federation confirmed that Lecomte was “fine”.

🇫🇷 Des nouvelles rassurantes pour Loana Lecomte ❤️

Tu reviendras plus forte championne.

📸 FFC pic.twitter.com/u6G3PeNdS7

— SPORTRICOLORE (@sportricolore) July 28, 2024

“She lost consciousness for a short while but now she is conscious, she is with the medical staff. She is fine,” the FCF told France 3.

Meanwhile, France’s mountain bike coach Yvan Clolus also told L’Equipe: “Loana has a facial trauma that will not be serious in the end, she will recover and come back stronger.

“We can imagine her pain. We saw her ready too today, in the first two laps. Loana is instinctive. She comes from alpine skiing. She is not afraid of commitment at all. She rides at 100 kph, she jumps.

“As she is young, we will be able to correct that. We will surround her and be there as we were with Pauline after Rio.”