TOM PIDCOCK did much more than overcome a puncture and deflate a home hero as he pulled off ‘one of the greatest Olympic moments ever”.
The Team GB mountain-biker, who will be 25, on Tuesday, raced through the gears of drama to retain his Olympic crown.
Pidcock was tearful and, in one sense, even upset afterwards following arguably the most absorbing event of Paris 2024 so far.
His tears were a mixture of joy and relief – and also perhaps frustration at home fans booing him for beating Frenchman Victor Koretzky, who had been the the other lead performer in a riveting show.
Pidcock felt that reaction was a “shame” – an understandable view, given his extraordinary efforts to triumph.
The Leeds ace began slowly but was at the front when he got his puncture just three laps in.
The wheel change appeared to take longer than expected, leaving Pidcock ninth by the time he pedalled away.
And even more testing for his victory hopes, he was 39 seconds behind leader Koretzky.
Pidcock gradually closed the gap and was back in the chasing pack by the fifth of the eight 4.4km laps.
A medal of some colour now looked possible – and two circuits later he was “only” five seconds behind Koretzky.
By Rob Maul
IT WAS a bland course but not a bland race
That was one of the greatest, most exciting race wins for a British star in Olympic history.
In boiling heat, Pidcock edged out Victor Koretzky on the final metres.
The way he went for the race line as they went opposite sides of a tree was something F1 rider Max Verstappen would have been proud of.
They collided and he was booked by the French fans as their man settled for silver.
If we are making comparisons to F1 then the pitstop midway through was not very good.
The mechanics were a bit slow to deal with Pidcock’s front-wheel puncture but the Leeds cyclist showed his true Yorkshire grit on the gravel.
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Pidcock was right up there with Koretzky as the race entered its final lap.
But the home favourite took the Brit by surprise with a surge to the front as the final descent approached.
The crowd and the knowledge of the golden prize at stake energised Koretzky’s grip on his advantage.
However, as Pidcock veered around the trees he chose an alternative path to his rival.
Spotting his chance, he then conjured a momentous overtaking manoeuvre that showed he’d got his timing and judgement just right.
Pidcock burst clear to finish first, with his arms out wide in delight, a whole nice seconds ahead of Koretzky.
The English ace told the BBC: “I knew that Victor was going to be fast in the last lap even if I couldn’t get rid of him.
“I knew it was going to be a big fight, and he left a gap and I had to take it. That’s racing.”
Respected BBC commentator Hazel Irvine called it “one of the greatest Olympic moments ever”.
And few who saw it would disagree.
