How to watch Olympic mountain biking this Sunday & Monday

I didn’t realise there was no xcc this time. Also, I get that it’s hard to find a great course close to Paris but it’s a shame the biggest event in the sport is so far removed from the reality of xc.

I’ll have to catch the Sunday race on iPlayer cos I’m out all day.
Should be able to see the Monday event live.

Looks a tough course!

I didn’t realise there was no xcc this time.

XCC has never been in the Olympics.

This gets dragged out at every Olympics. I worked on the London Test Event (for STW actually, did a news story and some pics on it) and that was off the back of long threads on here about how it should be held at Glentress / CyB / Llandegla / insert trail centre of choice, how Essex didn’t have mountains, how it wasn’t “proper XC” (although there was no real agreement about what “proper XC” was and I remember one comment suggesting that if Olympic riders had to stop around a gate and eat pasties every 10 minutes, it’d be just as representative of STW-approved “proper XC” as any other definition…)

There are rules and regulations about the course – width of startline, number and severity of technical sections, amount of climbing per lap, weatherproofing (as near as reasonably possible) plus factors like where do the spectators and TV cameras view it from, pit zones, medical and safety facilities – it basically means that, just as with athletics and swimming, you need to build a facility which encompasses that.

Ideally one which stays in place afterwards and becomes a community cycling centre. Interestingly (in spite of many comments from armchair athletes on here about how they could nail the Olympic course one handed), the Hadleigh Park course had to be substantially dumbed down after the Olympics and that usually happens with every course. You’re right in that respect, they’re not “proper XC”. They’re WAY too hardcore for most riders to attempt.

My cynical side assumed the course would be custom built by the Frenchies to suite PFP so she could win her “missing” medal before bowing out of MTB. Although her recent form suggests she probably doesn’t need much help.

Well, Pidcock doesn’t seem too impressed.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/tom-pidcock-criticises-bland-mountain-bike-course-at-paris-olympics

What happened to Puck Pieterse? Can’t see her in the women’s lis

She’s there:

Rider list

@gavinb. I must have been getting confused with the world champs.

@crazy-legs. In my defence, I never mentioned ‘proper’ xc. I was really comparing with other courses on the world cup circuit rather than my Sunday afternoon ride. Like I say, I understand the reasons behind it but there’s no getting away from the fact that the course isn’t as good as a world cup course.

Looks like a good xc course to me, looking forward to them both.

Argh … I can’t find it on Discovery … what is it titled as?

BBC1 coming up!

It’s about to start on the main iPlayer channel

The rider with the biggest chainring might win?

Looks like a nice course.

Agree the course does look good. I’d have broken a collarbone, wrist etc very early into the first lap.

It looks properly fast.

Were they ice(?) shirts shown being worn by some riders at the start?

BBC 1 don’t have no adverts!

The big rocks and logs look tricky. 5 more paced laps without technical issues for the current leader might be good enough for the win?

I wouldn’t.

Only because I’d have stopped, looked at it and gone “nah”

Estonian rider just gone down hard. 🙁

Yeah, I’m on BBC1 now and the bonus is no Rik on the mic! Ollie wasn’t great either but Isla is good on the beeb.

Agree, that rim looked like it had broken clean through.

The pinarello frame Prevot is riding has a strange seat stay connection.

A mix of FS and hardtail being used as well.