Did Tom Pidcock win the Men’s Olympic XC? Or Did Nino Schurter? Spoilers!

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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

Chasing through the dust and rocks
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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

Game over

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.

1 – Tom Pidcock
2 – Mathias Flueckiger
3 – David Valero Serrano
4 – Nino Schurter

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Hannah Dobson

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  • This topic has 63 replies, 50 voices, and was last updated 2 years ago by Name.
Viewing 23 posts - 41 through 63 (of 63 total)
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  • Did Tom Pidcock win the Men’s Olympic XC? Or Did Nino Schurter? Spoilers!
  • ell_tell
    Free Member

    All on FS and most with droppers according to this article. Assuming they’ll all be 29ers…

    Bike Radar

    Posted 2 years ago
    benp1
    Full Member

    That course was ace, proper techy sections

    Does anyone have a link to show the various bikes the riders were riding. I’ve seen some sites with generic info but nothing specific about who and what (I know it’s the rider, not the bike, that wins the race but interested nonetheless)

    Posted 2 years ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    Will nearly all (or in fact all) be on 29 for the Men. Might be a few women on 27.5, not many though these days.

    Most use droppers too.

    Posted 2 years ago
    Sandwich
    Full Member

    Jeez, I’m old. And a wuss.

    No you have a functioning self-preservation gene and an (overactive?) imagination.

    Posted 2 years ago
    steve_b77
    Free Member

    Does anyone have a link to show the various bikes the riders were riding.

    Here’s a quick guide

    Posted 2 years ago
    stwhannah
    Full Member

    @jeeble @convert you’re right, sorry 🙄

    Posted 2 years ago
    ooOOoo
    Free Member

    Takes a Brit to nail a proper XC course. 😁 Tom you absolute beauty

    Posted 2 years ago
    tails
    Free Member

    Yeah bit disappointing coverage, but the other Tom has been doing his thing for a long time so guess he’s going to get the front pages. Even if MVDP had stayed upright Pidock was always going to win this, he’s the better mtbr, both going to have great careers.

    Posted 2 years ago
    treyster1
    Free Member

    Great race and disappointing for MVDP, Cink and the other contenders. Had my money on Tom. Also great to note this is more about the rider than the bike. I’m sure it’s an Ineos sponsorship thing but BMC are not shouting about his Fourstroke win. It also looks like he rode without a remote LO for his fork and shock. He’s super light so could probably get away with full sus’, fully open for 7 laps!

    Posted 2 years ago
    granny_ring
    Full Member

    Great ride and great course.
    Well done chap.

    Posted 2 years ago
    brakestoomuch
    Full Member

    Best breakfast viewing in a long time. Congratulations Tom.

    Posted 2 years ago
    ayjaydoubleyou
    Full Member

    I’m sure it’s an Ineos sponsorship thing but BMC are not shouting about his Fourstroke win.

    BMC is odd in that they dont have a “BMC team” as much as I can tell (or if they do, they dont have any top riders), but quite a few teams use BMC bikes quite openly (like absoluteabsalonBMC).

    I’ve never actually seen one in real life, but think they are big in Europe. Are they just a smaller brand happy to have the “frame supplier” role rather than running a pro team?

    Posted 2 years ago
    ayjaydoubleyou
    Full Member

    It also looks like he rode without a remote LO for his fork and shock. He’s super light so could probably get away with full sus’, fully open for 7 laps!

    or…

    shimano athlete I think, could he be on a prototype shi-wireless set up?

    Posted 2 years ago
    kerley
    Free Member

    Will nearly all (or in fact all) be on 29 for the Men

    Yep, even little Tom uses 29″ which is why he looked like he borrowed his dads bike. The wheels look massive as they do on a lot of female riders.

    Posted 2 years ago
    ayjaydoubleyou
    Full Member

    which is why he looked like he borrowed his dads bike.

    you’ve almost certainly been riding since before I was born… is that your genuine opinion that his bike looks too big for him?
    Because I think he looks pretty much ideal on it. Looking at old clips of tiny rigid bikes where the bars are over the fornt axle look ridiculous to me.
    Leconte looks like the bike is too big for her, but I think that is the bar height rather than the wheel size.

    Posted 2 years ago
    treyster1
    Free Member

    BMC are a great brand my point was that they haven’t called out Tom’s bike for the specific reason it may be a contractural either with Ineos or Pinarello. BMC have posted pics of all of their other Olympic bikes… but not the one that won Gold which feels strange. They used to be imported into, the UK, by Evans Cycles and we can see why that ended. My LBS can get hold off them. I’d love the frame only option but looks to be a supply shortage across Europe?

    Posted 2 years ago
    endoverend
    Full Member

    It also looks like he rode without a remote LO for his fork and shock. He’s super light so could probably get away with full sus’, fully open for 7 laps!

    The Fourstrokes I’ve seen a from a few years ago had the operation of the unique integrated dropper linked to the rear shock control. I seem to remember that when the dropper was in the up position the shock ran firm (or maybe reduced travel..or combination of both)- then when the dropper was activated the shock opened up its full capability. The two being linked by a cable, so activated by a single dropper remote lever on the left. Quite an unusual way to do it but makes sense if assuming one only wants plushness on the tech bits, and efficiency everywhere else. Not sure if there was any linking with the fork in Pidcocks case, but that is also possible on a few models to link with the same single lever.

    Posted 2 years ago
    franksinatra
    Full Member

    What an amazing course. Makes you realise just how rubbish the London course was.

    Posted 2 years ago
    schmiken
    Full Member

    Have you ridden the London 2012 course? It’s actually pretty nails considering how close to London it was built. I still have a scar from an off on the boulder garden.

    Posted 2 years ago
    endoverend
    Full Member

    Article on that there Pinkbike site on Tom’s bike setup is implying that SR Suntour may be developing an electronically controlled lockout system for the fork, information is sketchy but they’re saying you can see an electronic cable from the fork disappearing into the frame. My suspicion is that as above the rider control of the whole system of dropper/shock/fork is linked to operate in unison and responds to a single simple left hand lever operation…so dropper up equals firm, and as soon as dropper lowered then shocks fully open. All three parts could be linked by electronic wire instead of by cable pull…and possibly include some sort of Fox Live Valve alike accelerometer varied damping. This sort of system could certainly contribute to how smooth and controlled Pidcock looked on that circuit, no faffing with multi levers just flick between on/off for tech sections, rider concentrating on flow.

    Inspiring ride. Up there with some of the most dominant controlled rides I can remember seeing from a British rider in any discipline.

    Posted 2 years ago
    treyster1
    Free Member

    @endoverend Thanks for the update. It would be great to have an electronic lockout. A simple flick on and off, with settings to lock front/rear independently. Cannondale used to have an ELO set up. I wonder what happened to that? On a side note, I haven’t been aware of Suntour kit. Anybody else have a view on them performance, quality or price vs Fox or Rockshox

    Posted 2 years ago
    b33k34
    Full Member

    Wasn’t the MVDP crash on the 4th lap (or did I read that wrong somewhere else).

    Posted 2 years ago
    endoverend
    Full Member

    I’m ready to take my STW user reward now for total internet guesswork/ quasi soothsaying…BikeRumour Pidcocks XCO bike

    They’re still not releasing full details awaiting patents, but definitely a system that performed well. Must be a battery smuggled somewhere, plus still reckon it could be linked to dropper action.

    Posted 2 years ago
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