Pic: Olympics.com

How to watch Olympic mountain biking this Sunday & Monday

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Want to watch Olympic mountain biking but not sure when it’s on and who’s racing? Here’s a brief guide to everything you basically need to know.

Pic: Olympics.com
Tom Pidcock (Pic: Olympics.com)

Women’s Cross-Country

Sunday, July 28

12:10pm (UK)

36 racers

Expected race duration: 1hr 30min – 1hr 45min (the number of laps is decided nearer the time, depending on weather etc)

Men’s Cross-Country

Monday, July 29

12:10pm (UK)

36 racers

Expected race duration: 1hr 30min – 1hr 45min (the number of laps is decided nearer the time, depending on weather etc)

How to watch it

The BBC. The racing will be on the BBC iPlayer‘s Olympics section and possibly even broadcast live on ‘proper’ telly. It will also be on Discovery+/Eurosport.

Who won last time?

Women’s podium: Jolanda Neff won the gold. Sina Frie, silver. Linda Indergand, bronze.

Men’s podium: Tom Pidcock won the gold. Mathias Flueckiger, silver. David Valero Serrano, bronze.

Evie Richards (Pic: British Cycling)

Who are the favourites this time?

Defending champ Jolanda Neff won’t be racing (still recovering from a respiratory problem) so that leaves Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Haley Batten, Jenny Rissveds and Team GB’s Evie Richards.

It’s Pidders all the way. Tom Pidcock that is. The defending champ left The Tour De France midway citing Covid (hmm…) but he’s certain to be the hot favourite in Paris. Who else? Nino Schurter, Chris Blevins, Mathias Fluckiger and – on home soil – Victor Korektzy.

What’s the course like?

Paris and its environs aren’t exactly The Alps. The lack of mountainous terrain is a common issue for mountain biking in the Olympics with the Games typically being based in or around cities.

The location for the mountain biking is an old spoil heap called Élancourt Hill. The summit, such as it is, is 231 metres. The 4.4km lap contains 110 metres of elevation.

Although the course claims to be based almost entirely on existing tracks, you can expect to see the usual level of pretty wide manmade-ness to the course.

Team GB riders

Who is on team GB for Olympic mountain biking?

Men’s:
Charlie Aldridge
Tom Pidcock

Women’s:
Ella Maclean-Howell
Evie Richards

olympics.com (mountain bike events page)

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Home › Forums › How to watch Olympic mountain biking this Sunday & Monday

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Viewing 40 posts - 81 through 120 (of 250 total)
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  • How to watch Olympic mountain biking this Sunday & Monday
  • crazy-legs
    Full Member

    BBC2, they got to the start literally as the horn blew.

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    I had both on, BBC is quite a bit behind.

    Big Charlie Aldridge looking good. Pidcock with a soft start as usual, never seems to go all out from the blocks, rather builds into his race pace.

    Posted 3 months ago
    retrorick
    Full Member

    I’m watching on bbc2.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    snotrag
    Full Member

    Is anyone on a hardtail that we’ve seen? Tends to work better for the slighter/smaller women, be surprising to see any today.

    Also inteesting that the course designers have made the tech zone option slightly shorter than the course – hence the drama with Haley Batten yesterday… Shouldn’t the ‘pit lane’ always be fractioanlly slower than staying out!

    Posted 3 months ago
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Aldridge got a great start. TP in about 11th at the moment.

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    Erm throwing a T Bog in the olympics! Wow!

    Posted 3 months ago
    ThePinkster
    Full Member

    Thank god for iPlayer and being the only one in the office today!

    How does anyone go down that big drop-off with a bottle in their mouth, without losing their front teeth?

    Posted 3 months ago
    pedlad
    Full Member

    There’s not a lot of headroom into that tunnel!!!

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    scaredypants
    Full Member

    Because I prefer the commentators on Discovery that why.

    Fair enough – neither great for me so the adverts is the casting vote

    To see it on discovery I went to the Paris 2024 menu and it was showing Mountain Biking Live

    Ah, thanks – I’ve been looking at their usual road & mtb pages

    Posted 3 months ago
    Kuco
    Full Member

    At least with the Discovery commentators they actually know who the riders are and how well they have been doing this season.

    Posted 3 months ago
    2
    J-R
    Full Member

    I think the drone footage has been a game changer for this sort of event.

    Posted 3 months ago
    thecaptain
    Free Member

    So which way round are they? BBC has Pidcock at the front, Discovery says it’s Aldridge….

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    So which way round are they? BBC has Pidcock at the front, Discovery says it’s Aldridge….

    Not sure the coverage is entirely 100% live, the different feeds seem to have different delays.

    I’m currently (on BBC2) 25 mins into the race and it’s 13.35 UK time now. Pidcock in 2nd.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    Kuco
    Full Member

    Pidcock in front.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Yep, he’s made the move!

    French rider just about managing to stay with him, this should be a great battle!

    Posted 3 months ago
    J-R
    Full Member

    BBC 2 on iPlayer seems about a minute or so behind the broadcast version.

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    I’ve flicked back and forth a little and Ric and Oli are far, far preferable to the BBC coverage!

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    retrorick
    Full Member

    Off to bbc1

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    WTF?! BBC2 just said “right, that’s it for coverage, swap to BBC1 to carry on watching” and now we’re back into Olympics intro shite.

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    Flat for pidcock!

    Posted 3 months ago
    ThePinkster
    Full Member

    AarrrrrrGggghhhh – iplayer has just died!!!!!

    Posted 3 months ago
    Kuco
    Full Member

    Slow pit stop. I did wonder why Puck Pieterse team didn’t use a drill for her wheel removal yesterday.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    imnotverygood
    Full Member

    Come on BBC. If you are going to switch channels, make it seamless. So we miss Pidcock having a problem so that we can watch some adverts. Fantastic broadcasting!

    Posted 3 months ago
    J-R
    Full Member

    Off to bbc1

    For a crap intro cartoon and a crap chat from a presenter while we missed all the sudden drama.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    retrorick
    Full Member

    At least the mechanics had power tools.

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    This front group has some big, big hitters now. This is gonna get good.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Puncture for TP, literally as the coverage cut from BBC2 to BBC1. He’s now 35″ down in 9th place.

    Posted 3 months ago
    ThePinkster
    Full Member

    and it’s back….

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    Ouch, What a crap place to get a flat just as he rolls up to the big-ish drop off.

     

    He will be fuming with the pit crew…. Are they Ineos Grenadiers staff, or Team GB Staff?

    Posted 3 months ago
    2
    snotrag
    Full Member

    Charie Aldridge is hanging on, having a great ride.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    abingham
    Full Member

    Was it a flat before the drop, or was it that he got chopped on the inside into it and then punctured on the landing? The replay showed what looked like a fairly nasty move by Koretzky…

    Posted 3 months ago
    Kuco
    Full Member

    Flat before the drop.

    Posted 3 months ago
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    3 laps to go, TP up into 3rd at +36″

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    https://thumbsnap.com/vomGdLiD

     

     

    Charlie sending it earlier.

     

    That’s a win for me. He’s doing great!

    Posted 3 months ago
    abingham
    Full Member

    Pidders with the bit between his teeth now – seems like a big ask to pull back nearly 40secs in 3 laps but if anyone can it’s him!

    Posted 3 months ago
    fossy
    Full Member

    Down to 25 seconds behind

    Posted 3 months ago
    snotrag
    Full Member

    This is gonna come together, Pidcock is leading that little group back on. Shame Charlie has dropped off the back now.

    Posted 3 months ago
    abingham
    Full Member

    He can see Hatherly now – won’t be long until he’s caught.

    Posted 3 months ago
    2
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    Getting close – the TP-led train of 3 is only 10″ off 2nd place now! Going to be a nail-biting final couple of laps.

    Posted 3 months ago
    1
    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    That said, I would not be disappointed if Koretzky won this, he’s done a flawless ride and a Frenchy winning on home soil would be great for the crowd.

    Posted 3 months ago
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