Tom Pidcock is a rider who can handle both road and off-road, and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is very similar. Perhaps that's the reason why both of them have triumphed in the mountain bike events at Paris 2024. The Briton repeated her Tokyo 2020 success and did so in championship style with a memorable comeback. Meanwhile, the Frenchwoman had the luxury of giving her fans a masterclass on Ellancourt Hill, where the Eiffel Tower is visible and the mountain meets the sky.

If Pidcock is a road cyclist capable of winning the mountain bike world championships and Olympics, as well as cyclocross, Ferrand-Prevot is his counterpart.And as if Olympic glory weren't enough, she has just signed with Visma E Bike, one of the strongest road cycling teams. Their aim is to win the Tour de France in 2025. These are two geniuses.

The Ellancourt circuit brought together the 36 best riders of the moment. Riley Amos was the first leader of the day, followed by Alan Hatherly. The race continued to get twisted and turned.

All eyes were on Tom Pidcock, but his compatriot Charlie Aldridge was on the move. He was trying to spring a surprise, but it never materialised. Mathias Fluckiger was also trying to make his mark, but the real action began when the British whiz kid moved into second position on lap three.

Pidcock pushed hard, but Fluckiger and Koretzky were close behind. However, Pidcock suffered a puncture and had to come into the pits. It was a moment of nerves, though the Brit handled it masterly. The best was yet to come, though he lost 36 seconds. 

He changed his wheel and shot forward to catch up with all the riders, and he did. It was a spectacular comeback. It was his last remaining rival, Koretzky, who posed Pidcock's final challenge. It was a nail-biting finish, but the Briton found the perfect gap. Victor Koretzky had to settle for silver and Alan Hatherly was third.

In the women's race, Ferrand-Prevot was the star in front of her home crowd. She launched a long-distance attack that proved impossible for the rest of the field to follow. Silver went to Batten and bronze to Rissveds. It was an epic victory in front of a capacity crowd at the Ellancourt Hill circuit. Thirty-six riders battled it out for the final victory. Two favourites started the race: Ferrand-Prevot and Pieterse.

There were many changes at the front of the race, but only until Ferrand-Prevot decided to take control. The Frenchwoman launched a devastating attack and broke away solo. The reigning world champion had no rivals and the race was reduced to applauding the Frenchwoman and finding out who would take silver and bronze. 

Behind her, the group of Stigger, Batten, Keller and Richards battled it out for a place on the podium. The other favourite, Pieterse, faded away without hope. Lecomte crashed in one of the defining moments of the Olympic race. He was lying on the Ellancourt circuit. Batten held off Rissveds and both crossed the line almost together to take silver and bronze respectively.

Olympic MTB Results - Women

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) 1h 26'02" 

Haley Batten (USA) +2'57".

Jenny Rissveds (Sweden) +3'02".

Olympic Games MTB Paris 2024 Results - Men

Thomas Pidcock (Great Britain) 1h 26' 22"

Victor Koretzky (France) +9".

Alan Hatherly (South Africa) +11".