Massive, roaring crowds, emotional wins and storylines an Olympic redemption a decade in the making: Paris Olympics delivered a sensational two days of mountain bike racing at Elancourt Hill.
From Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s homecoming (and Olympic finale) to Pidcock’s comeback win and a Canadian debut, our photographer Nick Iwanyshyn was there to capture it in all its glory. Here’s 10 of our favourite shots from two days in France.
Riley Amos was all focus during his warm up for the men’s cross country race. The U.S. racers, and organizers, put a huge effort into earning a second qualifying spot of the men’s race. Amos, who has been nearly unstoppable in the under-23 World Cup races this year, got the nod to take that spot alongside Christopher Blevins. Amos repaid that support in spades, putting in a stellar effort to finish seventh. That’s the best U.S. men’s Olympic XCO result since mountain biking was included in the Games in 1996.
Another young athlete making an impressive debut in Paris was Orillia, Ont.’s Isabella Holmgren. After winning junior XCO world championships last year (and cyclocross worlds, too), the Canadian made her Olympic debut in 17th in the women’s XCO race. Holmgren mixes mountain biking with ‘cross and road, where she races for Lidl-Trek with her sister, Ava Holmgren.
The women’s cross country race, though, was all about Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. After three Olympics with no medal and 12 world championships to her name, the iconic French woman declared Paris would be her last Games and last year racing mountain bikes full time. That put all the pressure on her to perform. And perform she did. Buoyed by a deafening, bike-mad French crowd, PFP won the women’s XCO by a stunning three-minute margin, finally winning the gold medal she’s chased for over 10 years. It’s a storybook ending to the mountain bike chapter of her career.
Another rider for whom gold was the only acceptable result was Tom Pidcock. The defending Olympic champion from the Tokyo Games, Pidcock’s sacrificed focus from his equally remarkable road career to defend his cross country title. With all that he’s given up in the world of drop-bar racing, the Brit was clear coming into the Games that only gold would satisfy his…
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