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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. Tom P ...
By ben_haworth
Get the full story here:
https://singletrackworld.com/2024/07/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.
Especially as surfing is being held in Tahiti.
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!
Did the spellchecker not work for riders names?
So much gravel!
What happened to Puck Pieterse? Can't see her in the women's list
it’s a shame the biggest event in the sport is so far removed from the reality of xc.
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.
I will go against the grain of many of the opinions of the course.
Yes, there are a lot of wider sections - but surely that is what needed for a race, where by several orders of magnitude, more people will watch on television. I like the more technical features on an XC course, none of them look worse than what you would find on an XC trail on a black section or loop* - so I am not quite sure how it isn’t representative of modern XC.
I understand it’s not being held in a far more mountainous section of France, but they do a lot with the elevation they have and mountain biking athletes can get to be a part of the Olympic village.
I would definitely ride it - but not make a special trip to visit.
*Although most riders I have encountered at XC trail centres in the UK, usually avoid the more technical routes.
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.
I’ll have to catch the Sunday race on iPlayer cos I’m out all day.
Does anyone know where the Olympics catch up is on iPlayer, cos I can't find it? There's been a few football games I'd like to watch, but nothing appears available on iPlayer not even games that I think had been shown live on the red button.
Well, Pidcock doesn't seem too impressed.
Does anyone know where the Olympics catch up is on iPlayer
BBC is limited in what it can show live and on iPlayer, since the tv rights got sold to discovery.
a subscription to discovery+ is only 3.99 pm at the moment though.
@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.
Is Tom (and Evie) getting the 'reasons' lined up in case they don't win gold already?
Can't argue with the reasons, but this is the Olympics, the course for the Olympics is always heavily man-made as it is meant to be in an accessible place with a lot of factors to consider. Trail centres aren't great places for all the other factors to readily get positioned.
I'm sure both will do very well, would be great for 2 golds, but they are experienced racers, so despite them wanting more technical courses, I'm sure they'll be able to get cracking as soon as the race starts!
Looks like a good xc course to me, looking forward to them both.
Its not being shown on iplayer - you can listen to coverage on radio 5 live. Looks like Discovery is the only way to actually watch the race.
Argh … I can’t find it on Discovery … what is it titled as?
Does anyone know where the Olympics catch up is on iPlayer, cos I can’t find it?
Ditto, just pressed the red button and all it seems to have is swimming and pony club... FFS!
Nothing cycling related on Eurosport either at the minute, even with the extra channels they've laid no.
BBC1 coming up!
Coverage has sort of started just now on Eurosport 2
It’s about to start on the main iPlayer channel
Got it on iPlayer, just started!
The rider with the biggest chainring might win?
Looks like a nice course.
Needs more drone footage!
Good course though, some hardcore technical sections.
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?
I’ve currently got an advert break on the Discovery channel - I thought the big banner on the Home Screen said no adverts?
BBC 1 don't have no adverts!
It's not like one quick advert either. Oh well flick to BBC join the 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?
@lister … I’ve just switched from Discovery over to iPlayer as that first advert break was ridiculously long!
Good course though, some hardcore technical sections.
But then some very very smooth sections where you would want to fully lockout
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.
Could do with some footage of the rear wheel dismantling.
Agree, that rim looked like it had broken clean through.
Feel sorry for Candice Lill, she's been having a great season this year.
The pinarello frame Prevot is riding has a strange seat stay connection.
A mix of FS and hardtail being used as well.
Can see the drone now, it's protected by a little football type wire cage around it, following them through the trees.
Who is this bloke commentating on BBC? he's terrible.
Surprised to see an insert on that destroyed wheel. I figured they would be running such high pressures and insert wouldn't be much use.