The men’s Olympic mountain bike race threw up more than a few surprises. Van der Poel crashed and Pidcock started 4th row back on the grid. The usual suspects Schurter and Flueckiger formed a small group up front with Pidcock, and Cink chasing.
Screenshot Images: BBC
Pidcock applied some pressure and Schurter nearly lost his rear wheel in the dry and dusty conditions, but it took a couple more shots of stretching the elastic before Pidcock could shake off the group. A Swiss rider did go with him, but it wasn’t Schurter – Flueckiger hung on to Pidcock and even looked like he might start to close the gap. But the worst timed slip and unclip ever saw Flueckiger running and pushing his bike before being able to get going again, and the deal was all but sealed for Pidcock. Cink’s hopes of making the podium went up in a puddle of sealant as he punctured
Tom Pidcock took the gold in his first ever Olympics, while Schurter failed to get a medal for the first time in four Olympic cycles.
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1 – Tom Pidcock
2 – Mathias Flueckiger
3 – David Valero Serrano
4 – Nino Schurter
