Who Won the Women’s Olympic XC MTB?

There were quietly high hopes that Britain’s Evie Richards would manage to grab a podium place. Taking advantage of a few literal slip ups on the course – it had rained overnight and changed the conditions significantly from the men’s race the day before – Richards did manage to get near the front of the race, but never went past leader Jolanda Neff.

Screenshot credits: BBC

Even racing legend Pauline Ferrand-Prevot came a cropper on the slippery course, having a nasty time sucking tumble on a rocky incline and seeing her bike fall back down the hill. Prevot put in a very impressive effort to catch back up with the chase groups, but couldn’t catch the Swiss one-two-three of Jolanda Neff, Sina Frei and Linda Indergand.

Neff’s technical skills – and perhaps wise choice of dropper post – saw her out in front and dominant, with team mates Frei and Indergand battling it out for the silver and bronze medals. All the way round the final lap they swapped places, but in the end it was Frei that took the silver. Evie Richards finished in 7th place, off the podium, but still an excellent result, Ferrand-Prevot was 10th.

The Swiss 1-2-3 should certainly help the Swiss disappointment with yesterday’s results in the men’s race.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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