The Olympic Games are back this week in Paris, France, putting cross country mountain biking further into the public eye as the best 36 men and women compete for one of the biggest prizes in cycling. The Olympics helped launch cycling into the broader public consciousness when they were first included in 1996. Since then, they have crowed the best riders and made careers for a select few elite racers.
This year’s races are promising fierce competition as established greats go up against the next generation of XC racers. Both men’s and women’s competitions are full of favourites as all riders approach the peak of their quadrennial. Here are a few of the favourites and storylines to watch when the Olympic mountain bike races take place on July 28 and 29th.
Women’s Olympic cross country race
The women’s field is, as ever, crowded with potential winners. Looming above the rest, though, is the figure of multi-time world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.
The French
The Paris Games promise the opportunity for a homecoming, a long-awaited coronation and, as far as the Frenchwoman’s mountain bike career goes, a glorious exit. Ferrand-Prevot’s past Olympics have been full of frustration. Most recently, in Tokyo, PFP was duelling with eventual winner Jolanda Neff before fading off the podium entirely. Ferrand-Prevot has spent the last three years preparing to avenge that loss. She’s been nothing but clear that her only goal is the Olympic games which, in a storybook fashion, are in her home country. If she succeeds, it will be glorious. The only alternative is heartbreak. No other rider has as much on the line, as much to lose and as much to gain as Ferrand-Prevot. She’s also been clear that, whatever happens, she’s moving on from mountain biking after this season, eyeing a return to the road.
Unfortunately for Ferrand-Prevot, her path to the podium is far from clear. Another French woman, Loana Lecomte, is looking to be back on form just on time for Paris. Lecomte won a World Cup round in Switzerland, putting her back on the pace that saw her dominate in season’s past.
The contenders
Puck Pieterse, though, looks set to spoil the French party. The young Dutch racer stormed into the elite ranks in 2023, winning the World Cup overall. She’s been just off…
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