"I've never been so exhausted after a race" - Tom Pidcock recalls thrilling Olympic Mountain Bike victory in Paris

Winning an Olympic gold medal is something exclusive to the most elite sportsmen and women. Winning back to back Olympic titles, narrows the exclusivity of this field even further, but at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Tom Pidcock managed to join the list, taking his second successive Mountain Bike gold medal. 

The race was an absolute thriller too, bringing plenty of new eyes to the sport. In front of a rabid French crowd in the nation's capital, Pidcock went blow for blow with France's own, Victor Koretzky. Despite an early puncture and Koretzky leading on the final lap, an incredible, last-gasp move by Pidcock up the inside of his rival on the final corner secured the Team GB star victory in the most thrilling of circumstances, as boos from the French support rained down as Pidcock crossed the line with his arms aloft. 

"I thought he was on his last legs, but he had waited and could catch his breath. He made sure I caught him on a single track, which allowed him to recover even more. He had more left than I expected," the 25-year-old recalls of the dramatic race in conversation with the Cyclist Magazine Podcast. 

Although this was a second Olympic title for Pidcock, he admits he didn't enjoy the experience as much in Paris as he did in Tokyo. "At the Olympic Games in Tokyo (in 2021, ed.) I had everything to gain and nothing to lose," he recalls. "That's why I didn't really enjoy the Olympic Games in Paris. I handled the pressure in the wrong way, I put too much pressure on myself. My big goal in 2024 was to defend my Olympic title. I didn't enjoy the race either, with that puncture. It was a bit too much."

"I've never been so exhausted after a race. Normally you finish and you're tired, but when you catch your breath you're okay again. There I was, cooked, feeling sick, leaning over a fence and waiting for the podium ceremony," he concludes. "After big events you feel relief, more than joy. I was the favourite and could only lose. As a big favourite you can't win in terms of expectations. I put too much pressure on myself this time. It was just a bit too much."