2024 Olympics: All the info on the MTB favourites and our cycling live blog

The BIKE live blog on the 2024 Olympics

Together with our sister magazine TOUR, we are offering this live blog on all cycling events at the Olympic Games. Because mountain bikers might also find road races exciting, or XC riders might have a soft spot for track cycling... Have fun!

Mountain bike XCO (Cross Country Olympic race)

The good news for Team Germany: the men have actually qualified for a second Olympic ticket. In addition to the already seeded Luca Schwarzbauer (world no. 4), Julian Schelb will now be travelling to Paris. For a long time it was not clear whether the Lexware rider David List, who has also been strong recently, would be nominated. However, at the beginning of July, the German NOC decided in favour of the super-strong and consistent performances of 31-year-old Schelb from South Baden (currently ranked 18th in the world).

Unfortunately, the German women only managed one ticket for Paris in the qualifying period of the last two years and this was presented to Nina Benz from Freiburg at the beginning of July. The 25-year-old returned in top form after an ankle injury and won the bronze medal at the European Championships last May. As the best German rider in the UCI world rankings, she is currently in 36th place. She will probably not be competing for the gold medal in Paris, but Nina is certainly capable of finishing in the top 15.

TV dates of the Olympic competitions

To be seen on free TV and in live streams from ARD/ ZDF and Eurosport

The men's top favourites

It is not the 36 best riders in the world rankings who compete at the Olympics, but the best riders from a country, who can qualify for one or two tickets in a complicated two-year process. In the end, the best eight countries receive two starting places for the Olympics and the countries in places 9 to 19 are allowed to nominate one rider. Nevertheless, the NOCs naturally send their best riders into the race. And these are the top favourites for the 2024 Olympics:

Tom Pidcock

Unlike Mathieu van der Poel, the Briton will be competing in the cross-country race in Paris. After all, the Tokyo 2021 Olympic champion has a title to defend. The competition can only hope that Tom's legs are not yet fully recovered after the Tour de France that just ended in Nice. Otherwise, the road rider with his exceptional riding technique skills will probably be very difficult to beat again.

The Swiss: Schurter and Flückiger

The restriction to two tickets each is of course particularly unfortunate for Switzerland, which could send various title contenders into the Olympic race in both the men's and women's events. But they had to decide in favour of two athletes each. In the men's event, there are two athletes who have clashed during a World Cup race and are therefore not considered the best of friends:

Nino Schurter: "The GOAT" (Greatest of all times), as the now 38-year-old is known on the World Cup circuit. Has he been holding back in recent World Cup races or is his fitness curve pointing slightly downwards? Anyone who knows Nino knows that the Swiss athlete trains with focus. When he has his sights set on the Olympics, everything else takes a back seat. He will be in top form at the start next Monday.

Mathias Flückiger: The 35-year-old was recently cleared of suspicion of doping and now wants to give it another go. Hardly any other rider has been able to stick to Thomas Pidcock's back wheel like him in recent World Cup races.

The French: Koretzky and Sarrou

As the organising country, the French are definitely entitled to two starting places. But these two would also have made it through the normal qualification procedure: Victor Koretzky (world no. 7) and Jordan Sarrou (world no. 10). Both are likely to win a medal in Paris. Like Nino Schurter, they have focussed specifically on the Olympic Games this year. Of course, after all, it should be a big home game.

South Africa: Alan Heatherly

South African Heatherly, who currently leads the world rankings and has recently shown strong racing form, is also hotly tipped.

Germany: Luca Schwarzbauer

Unfortunately, his favourite discipline, short track, is not an Olympic event. But Luca has also been among the front runners in cross-country competitions. He is currently ranked 4th in the world rankings and, if he has a really good day, could actually make it into the top 5.

Olympic starting list of the 36 men

Aldridge, Charlie (GBR)
Amos, Riley (USA)
Andreassen, Simon (DEN)
Arias Cuervo, Diego Alfonso (COL)
Avondetto, Simone (ITA)
Bastos Galinski, Ulan (BRA)
Blevins, Christopher (USA)
Blums, Martins (LVA)
Braidot, Luca (ITA)
Cink, Ondrej (CZE)
Cullell Estape, Jofre (SPA)
de Froidmont, Pierre (BEL)
Flückiger, Mathias (CH)
Foidl, Maximilian (AUT)
Gaze, Samuel (NZL)
Gutierrez Prieto, Adair Zabdiel (MEX)
Hatherly, Alan (SA)
Holmgren, Gunnar (CAN)
Hudyma, Oleksandr (UKR)
Koretzky, Victor (FRA)
Lukasik, Krzysztof (POL)
Mi, Jiujiang (CHN)
Miller, Alex (NAM)
Molnar, Ede-Karoly (RUM)
Pidcock, Thomas (GBR)
Püntener, Romano (LIE)
Røhme, Knut (NOR)
Sarrou, Jordan (FRA)
Savaste, Joni (FIN)
Schelb, Julian (GER)
Schuermans, Jens (BEL)
Schurter, Nino (CH)
Schwarzbauer, Luca (GER)
Valero Serrano, David (SPA)
Vidaurre Kossmann, Martin (CHL)
Zaltsman, Tomer (ISR)

The women's top favourites

As the host country, France has also been guaranteed two places in the women's race - which would not have been necessary, as the French racers are among the top favourites anyway:

France: Ferrand-Prévot/Lecomte

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Loana Lecomte: The reigning world champion and super all-rounder Pauline has been battling it out with her team-mate Loana Lecomte from time to time in recent years. For one season, Loana was in the lead, then Pauline again. It will be super exciting to see which of the two Frenchwomen holds the stronger nerves for this home race. Loana won the test race on the planned Olympic course (autumn 2023). However, there were no obstacles in place at the time.

Switzerland: Keller/Frei

Alessandra Keller: Over the last few years, the world number one has blossomed into the best rider in the Swiss team. It is not only her powerful start, but above all her mental strength that is feared by the competition.

Sina Frei: The nominee for the second Swiss ticket was actually the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo, Jolanda Neff. However, as she is still struggling with lung problems following several Covid infections, she gave way to one of the other strong riders in the team: Sina Frei. The 27-year-old is also likely to finish in the top ten.

Netherlands: Pieterse/Terpstra

Puck Pieterse: The 22-year-old road cyclist is considered the top favourite alongside the French. Her strength is her likeable, easy-going manner with which she enters a race. This has already won her many a World Cup race. This could also happen on the Elancourt course, where the two Frenchwomen are guaranteed to be highly nervous at the start in front of their home crowd.

Anne Terpstra: The Dutchwoman won the Cap Epic race this spring, so was already in top form, but then had bad luck with injuries. However, she will be healthy again at the start on Sunday and will hopefully be able to build on her spring form.

Sweden: Jenny Rissveds

At the age of 30, the 2016 Olympic champion is still highly motivated at the start in Paris. Although she is no longer one of the absolute top favourites, she surprisingly won a World Cup race in Brazil this year. The fast Swede is therefore a force to be reckoned with.

Germany: Nina Benz

The 25-year-old from Freiburg will most likely not be able to repeat Sabine Spitz's Olympic successes. But she has already proven her physical and mental strength: After her injury break, she fought her way out of her slump bit by bit and is now back at the top of the German women's rankings. We're keeping our fingers crossed, Nina!

The complete women's start list:

Batten, Haley (USA)
Belomoina, Yana (UKR)
Benz, Nina (GER)
Berta, Martina (ITA)
Blunk, Savilia (USA)
Bohé, Caroline (DEN)
Detilleux, Emeline (BEL)
Ferrand-Prévot, Pauline (FRA)
Frei, Sina (CH)
Gorycka, Paula (POL)
Goulao Henrique, Raiza (BRA)
Halbwachs, Aurelie (Mauritius)
Henderson, Rebecca (AUS)
Holmgren, Isabella (CAN)
Holubova, Adela (CZE)
Kawaguchi, Urara (JAP)
Keller, Alessandra (CH)
Lecomte, Loana (FRA)
Lill, Candice (SA)
Loiv, Janika (EST)
Maclean-Howell, Ella (GBR)
Maxwell, Samara (NZL)
Mitterwallner, Mona (AUT)
Mwamikazi, Jazilla (RUA)
Pedersen, Sofie Heby (DEN)
Pieterse, Puck (NED)
Queiros, Raquel (POR)
Richards, Evie (GBR)
Rissveds, Jenny (SWE)
Rodriguez Suarez, Erika Monserrath (MEX)
Stigger, Laura (AUT)
Teocchi, Chiara (ITA)
Terpstra, Anne (NED)
Vas, Blanka (HUN)
Wu, Zhifan (CHN)
Zakelj, Tanja (SLO)

The Olympic race course in Paris

The venue for the Olympic cross-country races will be the 231-metre-high Élancourt hill near the town of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 40 kilometres south-west of Paris. It is the highest elevation in the region. On a clear day, you can see over the Palace of Versailles to the Eiffel Tower from up there. Anneke Beerten took part in the test race in autumn 2023 and filmed the new course with her GoPro. However, without the built-in obstacles that will now make the course more challenging for the Olympics.

After an initial test race last autumn, Nino Schurter was less than enthusiastic about the course, 98 per cent of which runs on existing footpaths: "I hope it doesn't remain a gravel course." However, Nick Floros has reportedly been flown in from South Africa to give the course the necessary polish for a real cross-country race. The course designer was also responsible for the spectacular Olympic courses in Tokyo and Rio.