Analyst Jose De Cauwer defends Tom Pidcock's 'move' against Victor Koretzky: "I wouldn't call it a racing incident, but a well-thought-out maneuver"

The men at the start of the Olympic mountain bike event provided for a spectacle you don't see very often. The extremely technical course didn't offer too many options to make a difference and so unlike in the women's race where Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won by more than three minutes, we have seen three men enter the final lap together.

After Tom Pidcock punctured at the end of the fourth lap, the Frenchman Victor Koretzky spent much of the race alone in the lead, fighting off Alan Hatherly who was chasing behind. However the Brit haven't said his last word, as he was able to bridge a 40-second gap in the penultimate lap to join Koretzky at the front, together with Hatherly, who didn't seem very fresh at the point anymore.

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In the final lap, Koretzky chose to attack Pidcock on the longest climb of the course, creating a short advantage over the defending Olympic champion, who was able to catch back up in the descent. Then it seemed like we would see a sprint between the two for victory. However Pidcock wasn't going to wait for the final stretch and attacked on a road split near the finish, coming into contact with the Frenchman which created a lot of controversy and received Pidcock a lot of 'booing' in the finish.

Analyst Jose De Cauwer gives his opinon at Sporza: "It was a maneuver that ultimately decides the championship, whether it changes the outcome, you don't know of course. But I wouldn't call it a racing incident, but a well-thought-out maneuver."

De Cauwer believes that Pidcock's vast cyclocross experience paid off there against the mountain bike specialist Koretzky. "Yes, what we had already been aiming for towards the end: that could be a dangerous stretch for a Pidcock. It happens in mass sprints, that riders get underneath. That happens and that is using your skills and your possibilities. And the nice thing is that Koretzky himself actually says after the race, when everything has calmed down a little bit: 'I made the mistake myself by leaving the door open'. He was already preparing for the sprint, while Pidcock had already started the sprint there and Koretzky lost the moment."

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Yes @tompidcock, you’ve just won Gold at #Paris2024!!!!!

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