Thomas Pidcock wins the Olympic mountain bike race in 1:25.14 hours and takes gold for Great Britain. Silver goes to Mathias Flückiger from Switzerland and bronze to David Valero from Spain. Schurter finishes in fourth place. The formal race results for the men can be announced quickly and soberly - Please also read our detailed race report.
However, this does not even begin to do justice to the significance of the Olympic MTB race. The men's Olympic competition in Tokyo 2021 has impressively demonstrated the steep development curve that the sport of cross-country has undergone in recent years.
The combination of steep, selective climbs, fast, rhythmic passages, consistently technical descents and spectacular key sections made the Olympic race in Tokyo probably the most thrilling mountain bike race ever broadcast in a livestream.
An excellent course delivers captivating images
The course designers have done a fantastic job of giving the sport the platform it deserves. The many stationary cameras on the rocky descents and jumps captured the toughness of the course in such a way that it gave you an adrenaline rush even in front of your TV at home when the favourites plunged into the daredevil passages.
In contrast to the World Cup course in Leogang, the riders always looked aesthetically pleasing on the descents and key sections thanks to a certain basic speed. This is what mountain biking has to look like if it is to inspire the masses! The interspersed images from the helicopter also provided a comprehensive overview of the racing action.
Only the direction was open to criticism. Neither Pidcock's decisive attack on Flückiger nor Valero's attack on Schurter in the final lap were shown in the live broadcast. A bit of a downer when you consider the euphoria the rest of the TV coverage must have caused worldwide.
It has six Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996; Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2021) to shape the sport of cross-country cycling into what it is today. A versatile, exciting and captivating format that can undoubtedly be described as the supreme discipline of cycling.
The development of MTB racing in pictures
The salt in the soup: human dramas
In addition to the successful route and the spectacular images, the sporting dramas on a human level were of course also made to inspire the fans. Media star Mathieu van der Poel showed true sporting spirit when he fought his way back into the midfield from last position after a spectacular crash on the first lap.
Even the otherwise rather sober ZDF commentator was briefly moved to pity when van der Poel ultimately had to end the race due to an injury. Ondrej Cink's expression of disappointment when he suffered a flat tyre while lying in third position and thus had to retire from the race was more heartbreaking than the tear-jerking scenes from the Titanic film.
When fourth-placed Nino Schurter congratulated 21-year-old Thomas Pidcock on his victory after the race, it was almost symbolic. It was as if the reigning king Schurter was passing on the sceptre to the next generation of young athletes at the age of 35. With his attractive riding style and top sporting performances, Schurter has characterised the sport like no other in recent years.
Bike sport has a great future ahead of it
It is the combination of an excellent course, a successful broadcast, outstanding sporting performances and human drama that made the Olympic race in Tokyo a milestone in mountain bike history. For the first time, a live broadcast of a cross-country race revealed the full potential of the sport. This is how the sport can be marketed in the media.
The fact that racing has reached this stage of development at a time when the whole world has bought new mountain bikes due to the pandemic is a happy coincidence. After all, anyone who watched the race at 08:00 on Monday morning will be all the more excited to get on their bike after work. While racing presents itself from its best side, the sport of biking as a whole is moving further and further into the centre of society. I am certain that the sport of mountain biking has a glorious future ahead of it.
