Tom Pidcock overcame a punctured tyre to secure his second consecutive Olympic mountain bike gold medal on Monday. He displayed remarkable determination on the final lap, fending off Viktor Koretzky and preventing a French domination in both the men’s and women’s races at Elancourt Hill.

Pidcock initially took the lead on the eighth lap, but he lost it while engaging in a fierce battle with Koretzky during the last stretch of the race. The decisive moment occurred in a wooded area of the course, where the path split around a tree. Pidcock opted for the left side, while Koretzky went to the right. When they converged again, the two riders made contact. However, Pidcock managed to maintain his lead and triumphantly crossed the finish line, unleashing a victorious roar.

The British rider, who withdrew from the Tour de France approximately two weeks ago after contracting COVID-19, now joins Paola Pezzo and Julien Absalon as one of the few riders to have earned two mountain bike gold medals in the Summer Games.

Koretzky finished in second place, just one day after Pauline Ferrand-Prevot brought home a long-awaited gold medal for France in the women’s race. Alan Hatherly secured the bronze medal, achieving the best finish ever for South Africa.

The weather created challenging conditions at Elancourt Hill, a man-made course situated at the site of a regenerated park that was once a sandstone quarry from the 1800s, just outside of Paris. Although a gentle breeze at the highest point of the course caused the flags to flutter, it was barely noticeable anywhere else. Additionally, the cloudless sky allowed the sun to mercilessly beat down on both riders and spectators. Thankfully, the riders were equipped with cooling vests, which they wore until they reached the starting line.

Riley Amos, the 22-year-old American who has dominated the under-23 World Cup circuit, went right to the front on the first lap on the 4.4-km course. But he soon began to fade. By the second lap, a select group of 14 riders — among them Olympic silver medalist Mathias Flueckiger, three-time Olympic medal-winner Nino Schurter, and World Cup standouts Koretzky and Hatherly — had distanced from the rest of the field.

By the third lap, it was down to Pidcock and Koretzky, who doggedly clung to the Briton’s rear wheel. Then misfortune struck Pidcock on Lap 4, when he suddenly pulled into the pits. The front tyre on his Pinarello was losing air. His team quickly replaced it while Pidcock calmly took on water, remaining stoic as he went back to work.

Pidcock soon joined a group with British teammate Charlie Aldridge, shaving away at Koretzky’s advantage. He surged ahead to track down Hatherly, eventually working with the South African in an attempt to chase down the leader. Once they reached Koretzky, the confident — brash, even — rider from Leeds immediately attacked for the lead, ultimately securing his victory on the final lap.