PARIS, France – There are a whole host of cycling events to look forward to in the 2024 Paris Olympics, from road races to time trials, track cycling to BMX. Nearly every time of cyclist is represented through the games, and that includes mountain bikers, a race that we’re specifically excited for.
Sadly for the downhill/enduro fans, Olympic mountain biking includes just two cross-country races, one for men and one for women. The races will begin at one starting line, with riders taking multiple laps around a mountainous course. The course is mixed with ascents, descents, flats, and rough terrain to test endurance, stamina, and technique.
This summer, the mountain biking events will take place at Elancourt Hill, 41km west of the Olympic Village. The now public park was initially a sandstone quarry, closed in the 19th century and turned into a landfill. In the 1980s, its conversion into a public park began. The venue is quite close to the National Velodrome, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium, Golf National, and the Palace of Versailles.
Team USA brings four mountain bikers to the 2024 Paris Olympics, 2 women and 2 men, the most allowable for the event. 25-year-olds Haley Batten and Savilia Blunk make up the women’s team. Both have multiple World Cup podiums, and Batten took 9th in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The men’s team is made up of Christopher Blevins and Riley Amos. Christopher Blevins came in 14th in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Tom Pidcock, who won men’s gold in the 2020 Olympics, is set to compete once again in Paris. Quite recently, though, Pidcock was forced to leave the Tour de France with Covid. Only time will tell what condition he’ll be in by the race in Paris.
The women’s cross-country race is set to begin at 2:10pm local time on July 28, while the men’s is set at the same time of July 29.
