Final Results from the Women's XC at the Tokyo Olympics

Jul 27, 2021
by James Smurthwaite  


Results


1st. Jolanda Neff 1:15:46
2nd. Sina Frei +1:11
3rd. Linda Indergand +1:16
4th. Kata Blanka Vas +2:09
5th. Anne Terpstra +2:35

6th. Loana Lecomte +2:57
7th. Evie Richards +3:23
8th. Yana Belomoina +3:54
9th. Haley Batten +4:27
10th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot +4:32

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Live Updates

0:17 am PDT

Jolanda Neff wins Olympic gold!


0:10 am PDT

Kata Vas continues her march up the standings and she's now fourth in her first elite level race. Keep an eye out for her as she develops in the sport over the next few years.


0:04 am PDT

Someone at Swiss Cycling is getting a pay rise today. Here are the standings after Lap 4:

1st. Jolanda Neff: 1:01:04
2nd. Linda Indergand: +1:27
3rd. Sina Frei: +1:27
4th. Loana Lecomte +2:15
5th. Anne Terpsta: +2:16
6th. Kata Blanka Vas: +2:20

There's just one lap to go now, the medals look pretty settled but anything can still happen.



0:02 am PDT

Rear wheel puncture for Jenny Rissveds. The reigning Olympic Champion is around five minutes back.


23:54 pm PDT

Ferrand Prevot has slipped out again. It was a replay so we don't know exactly when it was but she takes a while to get going again.


23:48 pm PDT

The current top 8 after Lap 3:

1st. Jolanda Neff: 46:34
2nd. Sina Frei: +1:09
3rd. Linda Indergand: +1:15
4th. Loana Lecomte +1:51
5th. Evie Richards: +1:51
6th. Anne Tauber: +1:52
7th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot: +1:56
8th. Anne Terpstra: +1:56

We didn't see what happened but Prevot has dropped way back on the final third of that lap. Could she be feeling the effects of her first lap crash? Update: She had to change a wheel at the tech zone.



23:47 pm PDT

Laura Stigger has pulled out of the race. She looks like she's breathing heavily in the tech area, attended by the Austrian staff.


23:44 pm PDT

The race finally seems to be settling down now with Neff the sole leader, a group of Frei, Prevot Indergand who all seem to be attacking each other constantly and then another group of Lecomte, Richards, Terpstra and Tauber. 19-year-old Vas from Hungary has battled her way up from the back row to 9th at the moment.


23:39 pm PDT

While the rest of the pack squabble for positions, Neff is continuing to grind out her lead. It's now over a minute at the first Split of Lap 3.


23:34 pm PDT

The current top five after Lap 2:

1st. Jolanda Neff: 32:02
2nd. Pauline Ferrand Prevot: +46
3rd. Sina Frei: +56
4th. Linda Indergand: +56
5th. Evie Richards: +1:06

The next group on the road is the Dutch pair of Anne Tauber and Anne Terpstra at 1:18.



23:30 pm PDT

Loana Lecomte appears to have a mechanical.

Update: Yes, a drivetrain issue. She's dropped back behind the Dutch pair now


23:28 pm PDT

Ferrand Prevot surges forward to join and then drop the group of Richards, Frei and Indergand.



23:26 pm PDT

Frei, Richards and Indergand have pulled away as the second group on the road now. That makes three Swiss riders in the top four as it stands.



23:22 pm PDT

Neff had a small slip but continues to extend her lead, it's up to 28 seconds now. Terpstra and Prevot join the second group on the road that are strung out between 30 and 40 seconds back.



23:20 pm PDT

The current top five after Lap 1:

1st. Jolanda Neff: 17:46
2nd. Evie Richards: +19
3rd. Loana Lecomte: +23
4th. Sina Frei: +23
5th. Linda Indergand: +23

The next group on the road is Pauline Ferrand Prevot and Anne Terpstra at 31 seconds.



23:12 pm PDT

The crash leaves Jolanda Neff out in front on her own 18 seconds ahead of Evie Richards. Neff won the test event here and looks to be thriving on this technical track.



23:10 pm PDT

For anyone following the Van der Poel saga, the training ramp has been re-instated for the women's race. The women get over it safely but Pauline Ferrand Prevot crashes just after while running in second.



23:10 pm PDT

The course is damp today and most of the women are having to dismount on the steeper climbs due to lack of traction.



23:05 pm PDT

The current top five after the start loop are:

1st. Loana Lecomte:
2nd. Laura Stigger: +0
3rd. Linda Indergand: +7
4th. Jolanda Neff: +7
5th. Pauline Ferrand Prevot: +7

Jenny Rissveds leads out the rest of the field a further 7 seconds back.



23:03 pm PDT

Lecomte and Stigger form a lead group seven seconds ahead after the opening short lap.



23:01 pm PDT

Racing is now underway for the Tokyo Olympics XC, Loana Lecomte and Laura Stigger lead the pack up the first climb.





Author Info:
jamessmurthwaite avatar

Member since Nov 14, 2018
1,770 articles

199 Comments
  • 171 0
 Why is Swiss national championship happening at Olympics?
  • 3 88
flag DoubleCrownAddict (Jul 27, 2021 at 0:25) (Below Threshold)
 But seems strange that it's the Olympics and yet Pinkbike gives us no clue as to the nationalities of the racers.
  • 8 1
 @DoubleCrownAddict: Swiss was all you needed to know.
  • 16 1
 The real question is, why are they so good at suffering?
  • 64 0
 @DoubleCrownAddict: I thought the flags in the results gave it away but maybe that’s just me.
  • 19 1
 Is there somewhere we can see users overall +/- on comments? I’d love to see where DoubleCrownAddict ranks
  • 6 1
 @DizzyNinja: You have just found a great candidate for a paywall feature, congrats!
  • 8 38
flag DoubleCrownAddict (Jul 27, 2021 at 6:46) (Below Threshold)
 @buckwheat23: Weren't there originally.

@DizzyNinja: My image has been re-formed and I'm getting big props lately.
  • 7 5
 @DoubleCrownAddict: I don't see a single comment you've made recently where you have a positive +/- tally.

Your 'Yuuuge props lately' sounds Trumpian for a SJW like you.....a most peculiar bit of AI.
  • 3 4
 Who knew the Swiss might be good at riding bikes through the mountains?

A couple thoughts:

1. Seemed like a long, grueling race to watch, but a lot of us go out on rides that are just as long and the time passes with the snap of a finger. I’ll bet it didn’t seem quite as long to the riders — the ones at the front of the pack, anyway.

2. I would love to ride that course. It looked like a good time.

Congrats to Neff. She battled through a big, nasty injury a couple years back, and then a more recent one. Well-deserved win here.
  • 1 0
 @lkubica: Practice, practice and more practice...
  • 69 0
 Neff almost did what MVDP did on that drop even with the ramp there (sort of had someone in front and she went off to the side of the ramp) and saved it somehow. Since then she has just decimated the field. Good to see a course that rewards her technical superiority.

Lecomte has looked out of sorts since the start and then dropped a chain.
  • 9 0
 Saw that, but it was even a new line trying to pass - pretty crazy actually.
  • 70 0
 She’s a total nutter. Has that massive moment and instead of chilling out for a minute she goes mental on the duel section and passes Prevot. Easily my favourite rider in all of cycling. So happy for her.
  • 24 1
 That wasn‘t „even with the ramp“, is happend because of the ramp. Pauline slowed down to roll the drop and because of that Jolanda nearly crashed into her.
  • 17 0
 Fortune favours the brave!!

So awesome to see racing that rewards the technically gifted, gutsy riders. Yah Neff!

And huge respect to Catherine Pendrel Smile
  • 11 0
 @UPBike: Ooof not friends it seems!

“Just before that part where she crashed, 20 seconds before, there was the big jump. She was in front of me and we were going at a good decent speed and then she pulled her brakes super hard and I couldn’t do anything,” Neff said. “I couldn’t brake, and I ended up jumping with no speed at all. I was super lucky that I didn’t crash. It was such a stupid move of hers, because it’s really dangerous for the people behind.


“I don’t know if she knew I was right there behind, but after that, I just thought, ‘I have to get away from her.’ It’s scary because you never know what she’s going to do.

“It’s not the first time she does something like that, I’m just glad I wasn’t near her anymore, I was glad I was riding on my own and safe.”

-Neff on PFP
  • 1 0
 Why should women have the ramp there if men did not have it? Yolanda deserves her win even more
  • 1 0
 @donpinpon29: Rain and lots of it earlier in the day.
  • 47 0
 what a ride from Kata Balanka Vas!
  • 18 0
 Totally! She started 33rd or something - made Hungary proud
  • 10 0
 @suspended-flesh: And she crashed in the first lap... She showed flashes of brilliance way beyond her age in CX and something tells me this is going to be another athlete competitive in a lot of disciplines.
  • 27 0
 What an overtake by Neff! She knew the course and her rival and took a chance with the line-choice and it really paid off!
  • 21 1
 Neff tried to pass PFP on the big drop and nearly went OTB. Should be on Sunday Saves. Neff is charging so hard on the downhills and features.
  • 6 5
 @tacklingdummy: That was Indergand, no? That was a brave attempt as well.
This is the pass I'm talking about: twitter.com/Cyclingtimenews/status/1419904605383806976
  • 5 0
 @Sylesej: That was a sick pass too, but it was Neff who nearly MVDP'd taking the Alt line on the rock drop.
  • 19 2
 @Sylesej: Neff is the rider who pulled that insane pass on PVP down the drop, saved a terrible landing, then blew PVP off the side of the rock wall.


thats how I hope my kids ride one day
  • 17 3
 @tacklingdummy: she didn‘t try to pass Pauline, she nearly crashed into her because Pauline slowed down to roll the drop. The ramp made it more dangerous in the beginning when everyone was still together
  • 11 13
 @tacklingdummy: She's been training with Luca it seems
  • 3 8
flag tacklingdummy (Jul 27, 2021 at 7:13) (Below Threshold)
 @PTyliszczak: Luca telling her to send it, every chance she gets. Lol.
  • 24 1
 @tacklingdummy: she has sent it on every occasion for many years now quite happily without her boyfriend having to tell her!
  • 6 4
 @Cleveruplink: Yeah, she has always been charging the downhills, but he probably has teaching her a few things about downhill.
  • 3 0
 @tacklingdummy: or maybe she's been giving him tips!
  • 2 0
 @Cleveruplink: Of course. I'm sure she is giving Luca Shaw XC tips as well.
  • 20 1
 Work Hard In Silence tup

Be Cool Jolanda! Olympic Champion! Salute

• Jolanda had a metacarpal base fracture in June, takes gold in July.
• Tom breaks collarbone in June, takes gold in July.
• Blanka Kata Vas is a cyclocross rider and last year she started racing MTB world cups. This year she joined SD Worx on a two year contract (road racing).
  • 9 0
 Holy Swiss Chocolate Batman!
Jolanda owned the muddy day.
Sina had the ride of her life. Mighty Mouse Indeed!
Indergand hung tough.

U23 Rider K. Vas started in the last row. What a ride.
Haley top 10;s... Best US finisher.
Jenny doesn't like the mud and had a puncture. Just not her day.
Rebecca was the last to finish???
  • 1 0
 Really good race from Jolanda, she even did technical features to look easy. Congrats
  • 1 0
 I thought that was going to be "Everybody be cool Jolanda be cool" for a moment...
  • 24 0
 Blanka!!!
  • 8 2
 i guess we can be a little bit proud before they kick us out of the EU
  • 7 1
 @lorantd: I'm quite sure 'murica isn't in the EU anyways Razz
  • 21 0
 Ok, Jolanda mission accomplished. Time to race a bit of EWS and DH!
  • 18 0
 Neff rides like it's 2018
  • 16 0
 Delighted for her! I don’t know much about XC, but every time I see Jolanda interviewed she seems like a great person.
  • 17 36
flag eugen-fried (Jul 27, 2021 at 2:36) (Below Threshold)
 And objectivity she is one the most beautiful women I've ever seen on earth :-D
  • 12 0
 On Swiss TV they were half way through interviewing her and another rider came up to congratulate her and Neff turned around to have a chat Big Grin
  • 8 9
 @eugen-fried: To whoever voted this down, why?
  • 22 10
 @sonuvagun: Because this a XC race, not a beauty contest. It's 2021, wake up !
  • 21 23
 @sonuvagun: because in the western world seen an individual (and especially women) as "beautiful" or "attractive" is considered unacceptable. There are two reasons for that
1. Imposing beauty standards is not fair to other people who are not born with this appearance. That's hypocrisy, because we do admire some other people's genetic features like body's reaction to training (average Joe might train as hard as MvP but it's very doubtfully he ever get a yellow jersey).
2. Admiration of woman appearance automatically (in the eyes of the progressive western community) "objectifies" her, reducing any of her other achievements in favor of her looks. That's why I could get away with saying that Gee Atherton is handsome, but God forbid to mention something like that on Jolanda. This is also hypocrisy because I never said that I don't admire her focus on target and hard work to get to the top of this sport.

Actually my post was a bit of social experiment, which did prove we are getting closer and closer to the world Mr Orwell described in his 1984 book.
Great job people, let's continue this way!
  • 10 14
flag Ricolaburle (Jul 27, 2021 at 6:54) (Below Threshold)
 @eugen-fried: The guy get on his high horse ! You should give Mr Orwell's 1984 book a second try I guess... And yes, your comment objectifies her, you like her, good for you, we don't care, why writing it when we're celebrating her sports achievement, what's the point ? And look at history, women have suffered and are suffering from being objectified, so dude,give us a break !

Go objectify Gee...or not !
  • 5 3
 @Ricolaburle: But why did it bother you?
  • 7 10
 @eugen-fried: And yes we'll continue this way because women have never been as free and equal as in the West nowadays. And I hope that's just the beginning of the story. Sorry for Neanderthal, lack of information...
  • 4 1
 Yolanda and Evie are my two favorite female riders because they seem like such fun and down to earth people.
  • 14 0
 @eugen-fried: ah yes, 1984 a book famously written about the dangers of living in a woke society where commenting on sexy women leads you direct to having your face chewed off by a rat.
  • 5 8
 @sonuvagun: Because if you want things to change well... you have to change things ! Sorry for the truism...
  • 2 6
flag sonuvagun (Jul 27, 2021 at 7:06) (Below Threshold)
 @Ricolaburle: You could have answered "Just because" and communicated nothing different.
  • 3 3
 @sonuvagun: Well... no.
  • 7 1
 @eugen-fried: I don't think there's anything wrong with what you said. So long as it's in the right spirit. This politally correct nonsense is so out of hand.

I saw a female acquaintance the other day and I said she looked fabulous. She didn't get offended.

Golly, if we can't pay someone a genuine compliment without getting crucified, what's on earth is happening to our freedom of speech?
Goodness knows the planet needs more kindness.
  • 11 3
 @Madfella: Careful. The Woke crowd will cancel everything about you.. To the woke crowd, you know who you are... Why do we still have a men's and women's race? by doing that we are saying they are not equal and have to be separated by gender. and to that point, are there not like 600 genders now. so it makes it even more a case for a single "they" race group. everyone races against everyone, all equal, no one called a man or woman, etc.. This is the way of the future, as the WOKE would like to see it.

And yes Yolanda is very attractive, and I'm sure she is not the pussy most of you are in here, and she would actually take that as a compliment...
Downvotes expected.....
  • 2 0
 @Three6ty: You're getting at least one upvote, you viking!
  • 2 0
 @sonuvagun: Thanks, good to know I'll get at least one.. haha..
  • 13 0
 Jolanda was superb there, ballsy and brave in the tech sections early on, and what a result for the Swiss overall! Dissapointing for France, i reckon they have underperfomed. Lecomente clearly out of comfort zone when following others! Shocker of a start for Kate Courtney who was bang last at one point but came back - i guess its that darn 'mud'. And super happy of course for Evie - she had a great, aggressive start, right to the front three or foure before that nasty climb that causes all the chaos, hung out not far off the front pack for most of the race. 7th is a super result, really chuffed, bet she will be too.
  • 4 6
 Loana went from consistently beating everyone by 2 minutes to being 3 minutes behind.
A few things are possible:
1) She had some physical deficiency that was kept secret
2) This track was much more technical for her, but not for the other top riders.
3) Stricter Olympic testing
4) She wasn't able to adjust well to the time change.
  • 3 12
flag Narro2 (Jul 27, 2021 at 6:39) (Below Threshold)
 @sonuvagun: none of the 4, she had a chaindrop
  • 4 0
 @Narro2: didn't account for her loss of form. The chain drop cost her maybe 30 seconds to a minute. She finished this a couple of minutes down after winning all the world cups by well over a minute.
  • 1 1
 @Narro2: What he said^
  • 2 4
 @Cleveruplink: having a mechanical does a lot to the mind during a race, regaining pace is no easy task. I havent watched the race yet, but reading about how Neff bullied PVP and how technical the track was, definitely added to the pressure. You were right on your 2nd point tbf.
  • 2 2
 @sonuvagun: I see what you are trying to insinuate there...clever to slip it in #3 of 4. I was getting mildly annoyed with her XCO win streak but she's innocent til proven guilty.
  • 2 1
 @suspended-flesh: nothing gets by you! Big Grin
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: to be fair to you, #3 is so outside the others that it certainly could look like insinuation. It might be #2, like the Swiss girls might be that much better technically than everyone else.
Have you heard what the riders (men or women) had to say about the course?
  • 2 0
 @Narro2: yeah I watched the race and it didn't cost her that much at all. She'd lost the headgame already. As for "Neff bullying PFP", I don't know what race they were watching!
  • 17 1
 Don't forget about the ramp!
  • 1 1
 Hahahaha
  • 9 1
 Somebody put it back in its place at 4 a.m.
  • 4 4
 Why the f*ck did they installed the ramp again?
  • 3 0
 Looks like it was put in place just for the womens race. Jolanda still gapped it though - well done team Swiss!!
  • 3 1
 Yeah, puttend it back nearly took Jolanda out.
  • 7 1
 @Serpentras: Because they were afraid of the rain. There's a chicken line on the left so that's a bit stupid in my opinion but we saw that almost every rider did the jump. It seems that the ramp was only here to help PFP.
  • 3 5
 The ramp was back, so it didn't make sense for Huck to feature in the race.

Bad joke? Sorry... bad joke.
  • 12 0
 So stoked for Yolanda. Seems like such a cool lady, Announcers might have done a bit more research, were dumbfounded that she was leading this race on such a technical track. Should have known more about her Ninja like bike handling. Bravo!
  • 15 0
 Trek Supercalliber designer vindicated.
  • 14 0
 Time for another Jolandaland video on pinkbike. Also, she’s got
Pisgah Laps in the tank, she knows how to ride tech!
  • 4 0
 not to mention windrock too
  • 14 0
 Tacky dirt?!?!

*Stares in confused Californian*
  • 4 0
 Try western Humboldt County yo
  • 3 0
 There is a few trail networks in Santa Cruz and SF Bay Area that has some very tacky dirt under right conditions.
  • 3 0
 @tacklingdummy: I concur, being a resident of the area myself. Been in the 60's and moist at the coast for the last month while the 'US West Withers under a Blistering Heatwave'. Actually made me happy to be living in this hellhole. We were 68' while my daughter was 108' 70 miles away in Davis.....F that.
  • 12 0
 Big difference in the post race celebration compared to the women’s road race.
  • 7 0
 Because.... mountain bike
  • 13 0
 Great race from Evie, nice to see her smiling when she crossed the line.
  • 9 0
 She always smiles - it's her trademark!!
  • 1 0
 Hi James. Can you explain what the times, or lack there of, mean after 20th place? Did those riders DNF or pull out of the race on a certain lap? Thanks.
  • 2 0
 @zwa2: they probably got lapped
  • 2 0
 @zwa2: Basically, if you get too far behind and are about to get lapped you get yanked off the track.
It keeps the leaders from running up the rear of back markers.
Their Result will show how many laps from the finish they got pulled.
Look up the "80% Rule" for more details.
  • 11 0
 Yääääääääääs. Absolut verdient. Crazy crazy.
  • 3 0
 A shame that Pidcock slightli ruined the party for the Swiss in the men's field - 1st & 3rd yesterday and all three podium spots today would have been pure dominance in XC.
  • 11 0
 Thank you oh thank you James. Keep it rolling mate.
  • 9 0
 jolanda gapped the "chicken-ramp" and made MVDP look like a total roadie-beginner. LOL. well done jolanda, well done switzerland!
  • 8 0
 Quote from Bronze medal winner Linda Indergand regarding the conditions and race: ''Everyone else made mistakes, and we stayed cool.'

awesome.
  • 8 0
 Pendrel! Has a baby 6 months ago and gets 18th in a stacked field at the Olympics. Boss status. Fun race to watch and happy to see Neff win it! Well deserved.
  • 5 0
 Looks like they've changed parts of the course due to heavy rains earlier on. Looks like the ramps is back too. Very muddy in spots. Lots of Hike-a-Bike going on... PFP had a crash, Jolanda's Tech skills are shining in the slick conditions....
  • 2 0
 @dolores: Good run down of the changes and why. Looks like they adjusted the Lap Count after that was published.
  • 7 3
 Rootin for Neff now that she's gapped all those agro Frenchies! These announcers are pretty lame - just going on and on about Jolanda's "Sublime Skills"......Just saying 'Neff....' every so often cuz they got no fillier to add. Reece Wilson would be so much better.
  • 7 0
 Honestly anyone who knew more about mountain biking would be better. Granted they didn't have much to play with, since the feed focused on Neff and PFP for a good chunk. But their comments were really basic... Desperately needed Warner or another World Cup associate.
  • 7 1
 I was strongly rooting for Kate but definitely stoked for Jolanda. She’s a total badass and extremely kind in general. Nicely done!
  • 3 0
 @Ricolaburle: What about Annika Langvad? While she was at the peak of her sports career, a lot of people (media included) have mentioned her academic achievements (qualified dentist), which, I would say, is not related to her achievements in MTB. He didn't say that Jolanda won the gold medal because of her physical appearance, he just stated his opinion in a non-offending way.

My wife is a scientist (molecular biology), she has published more than 30 scientific papers, and she says that if somebody says she looks good, she will take that compliment Smile .
  • 2 1
 Do people post on molecular biology forums involving your wife’s research and scientific papers that she’s also attractive? Stating your opinion or giving a compliment is as much about when and where you say something than what you say.
  • 6 0
 Looked like some riders had their Problems with the weather and Humidity Conditions...Stigger had such a good start Frown
  • 4 0
 She looked like she was in a world of hurt when she pulled out. Frown
She's had some ups and downs with her health this year.
Hope she bounces back.
  • 5 0
 Vas coming for Elite next season?
  • 5 0
 Good question, she's 19, and still races U23 in both XCO & Cyclocross World Cups....This was her first Elite race in XCO; incredible.
  • 5 0
 @Starch-Anton: She races the Cyclocross World Cups with the Elites too, because in CX there isn't a separate race for Women U23 and Women Elite.

She even finished the Overall Elite World Cup ranking in the 5th place, last season.
  • 5 0
 ok, what happened to Kate the Shark?
  • 3 0
 An Orca named Izu got her.
  • 16 1
 not enough bike skills compared to the others in conditions like this....
  • 5 0
 Jolanda dropped a Neff bomb. Boom.
  • 4 0
 Linda Indergand. What a ride. No one mentions her, well done to the unsung heroine!
  • 4 0
 What’s on Jolanda’s down tube?
  • 6 4
 Mud thang like on chainstays for sound reduction
  • 10 1
 It's against the mud so it won't stick. nothing to do with sound
  • 6 2
 Kate Courtney 15th place, wuuut? lol
  • 17 3
 Her luggage got lost on the way to Japan.....apparantly her race legs were in the suitcase.
  • 5 1
 Not enough French lines I guess.
  • 3 0
 No commentary on german tv!
  • 15 2
 The US coverage has Bob Roll, who's kind of a doofus even when covering road cycling. :-/

I wish we had Bart Brentjens talking about the "murd".
  • 5 0
 Never mind, this commentator doesn´t even know the riders names.... Pauline was crossing the finish and he still said that this was Loana^^ Great work ZDF!
  • 3 0
 it was better to watch without the guy who jumped in later... so...many...wrong...facts Frown
  • 6 0
 Eurosport paid 940million for the Olympics and I cant believe how bad the commentary is - its shocking. I muted the TV. You might get the odd poor presenter but they all seem to be terrible - I am quite shocked by it.
  • 5 0
 @MtbSince84: Bob Roll is a fvcking legend. Straight up working class hobo road race savage! Oakland CA & 7-11 Team!

But yeah, he is touched. Wish I heard him instead of the NBC team on the streaming app.
  • 4 1
 preferable to the cringey chauvinist swiss (srf) commentary ^^
  • 8 1
 @Prof: Why didn't they get actual MTB experts? Any of the GMBN guys would have been better.
  • 3 1
 @dtheio: yep, that one was specially bad today
  • 3 0
 @MtbSince84: Bart was on Dutch TV, which I thought he did well. Good insights, objective, even when talking about girls from his own team, concise.
His less than optimal English hurts him a bit on Red Bull TV I think.Kind of funny though - even when Warner uses correct pronounciations, he doesn't quite catch on to the example. That said, I'd rather have someone from the sport on there than some hired clown.
  • 1 0
 @jetos: yeah, incredible. took pauline for lecompte so many times, sina frei racing for ghost, jolanda choosing the right "damping" for the course. what an idiot!!!
  • 2 0
 Well, the German commentary was eventually turned on. But the guy was so bad. He mistook PFP for Loana for a whole freaking lap. Even as PFP was in full format when passing the start/finish line he said: Here you can see Loana very cleary, great camera angle.

And then there were so many riders that he didn't know. A bunch of wrong facts and overall no connection to the sport.

To me it is totally embarrassing how the commentators perform during these Olympic Games. It is probably the same in other disciplines that I am not that familiar with...
  • 2 0
 Did anyone else have the bloody chopper noise going on in their broadcast? I could barely hear the Aussie commentators!
  • 4 1
 @BorisBC35: What's that? Can you speak up mate?
  • 1 0
 @jeroenk: I like Bart. He's a good commentator, obviously knowledgeable, and yes, balanced. I make gentle fun of his accent, but it doesn't really hold him back. In truth, Warner's accent bugs me more. :-)
  • 2 1
 @jeroenk: His English definitely has some entertainment value. Got so used to him talking about bömpy root trees that it sounds wrong when someone calls them tree roots Big Grin
  • 6 4
 Ramp is in place for the women's race which explains why it was there when riders were pre-riding.
  • 1 2
 Na , makes no sense
  • 6 0
 The ramp was always there but it was communicated that it would not be there in the race. It's now only in the womens race because of the weather change.
  • 5 0
 @bikefan88: and the winner of the womens race didnt use it....
  • 5 0
 @thedirtyburritto: yep I counted 8 out of 9 leaders sending it on the second lap, think only PFP rolled it
  • 3 0
 Check out how low Jolanda’s tire pressures look. Inserts?
  • 18 0
 there was a 5 minute long presentation on Swiss TV yesterday with the national sports university explaining the science behind the low pressures we are seeing. It was very well explained, and they had tons of data to back up their arguements. I know its nothing new for us here, but was really cool to see on national TV, and also shows why Switzerland is such an MTB powerhouse....its a huge part of the culture.
  • 5 0
 @thedirtyburritto: They only really focus on the XC though, although after Leogang last year they started noticing DH a bit too for some reason...
  • 4 0
 Yeeesssssss!
  • 3 0
 Bell Lap`!


SWITZERLAND!
  • 3 0
 Swiss precision runs like clockwork
  • 1 0
 Bummed for Loana. She has been murdering the field all year and is clearly the top female XC talent, but today was not her day.
  • 1 0
 Did NBC just blow off creating a highlight video for this event for the US market??
Their coverage has been bad, but it IS slightly better than nothing.
  • 2 0
 Great job James! You are even faster than my live stream
  • 2 0
 I guess that swiss team had lower tire pressure than rest of field.
  • 3 0
 Good job Sina!
  • 1 0
 Anyone have a link to the replay of the womens event? I can't find one that's not geoblocked for the US...
  • 2 0
 Hell yea!! Congrats Jolanda!
  • 2 0
 See what happens when your bike gets a snazzy paint job!
  • 2 0
 Yeah and the old Giant Anthem/Liv Pique coming 3rd. It's not the bike....
  • 1 0
 Congrats Jolanda, but i"m super disappointed for Pauline
  • 1 0
 Jolanda was flying! Easily the fastest woman in the world!
  • 1 0
 Well on an XC bikes anyways. I believe Rachel Atherton owns the fastest mountain biker title...all depends on what you mean by "fastest"
  • 1 1
 Goddamn my tinnitus had to come back right now? I haven't been to a live music show in 18 months, either!!
  • 1 0
 Noooo, not the ramp again!
  • 3 0
 It's all good, no one used it anyway except for PFP
  • 1 1
 The Swiss female XC racers must be taking notes from the French DH racers. A Swiss Sweep
  • 1 0
 Neff dominates! I wonder where Teisha Black placed from Compton CA?
  • 2 1
 Where was Emily Batty?
  • 2 0
 Not racing
  • 36 1
 At home reading Pinkbike's comments section.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh:

did she not qualify
  • 2 1
 @XacciX: I am the farthest thing from Olympic XC expert - sorry. Didn't see her name on the start list tho....
  • 15 0
 At home taking glorious selfies.
  • 4 1
 @mtb1101: So salty. The dead sea could learn a thing or two from that comment. I love it.
  • 2 3
 @XacciX: This astonishes me as I think she would have performed better than the other Canadian ladies at 2021 Olympics.
  • 3 0
 @SuperHighBeam: She may have, we won't know. But in the two World Cup XC races this season, both Catharine Pendrel and Sandra Walter performed better than Emily Batty:

Leogang:
Pendrel #26
Walter #27
Batty #32

Les Gets:
Pendrel #21
Walter #28
Batty #33
  • 1 0
 @atomicspike: How many races did they evaluate for determining qualification? Surely not just 2. I would like to think that the 2019 and 2020 seasons were a factor as well. I've only watched the Olympics develop from a far distance and was just of the general impression that there would be a face off between Yolanda Neff, Emily Batty, and Kate Courtney...quite bummed that Olympic contest did not materialize. That said, it could still happen in 4 years but it seems somewhat unlikely.
  • 1 0
 @SuperHighBeam: Yes, from what I understand qualification was based on races from May 2018 to May 2021 - so neither of these races likely factored in. The qualification process seems a bit complicated - so I'm not 100% certain of anything.

My main point was that the hope that Batty was going to do better than Pendrel (who placed 18th) at the Olympics was likely low based on the most recent racing results. I actually think that a better argument would be in seeing how Walter would have done, considering her most recent results and her skills (like Batty) would have likely suited the technical and wet Olympic course.

Lots of interesting fallout though from this - Yolanda apparently does not do weight training, Courtney does a lot of weight training. Swiss teams worked on their skills and did a lot of course prep - other teams did not. Injuries may have factored in. It'll be pretty interesting to see how everyone adapts over the next 4 years.
  • 1 0
 @atomicspike: So taking a look a race results as posted on Root-n-Rain as well as mtbcrosscountry.com, Emily Batty looks like a much more accomplished rider than Sandra Walter. Looking at the results for Pendrel for comparison it get much more difficult to discern who the preferred rider ought to have been. 2018 was a better year for Batty than Pendrel, but 2019 was much better for Pendrel than Batty. I cannot tell if Pendrel competed at all in 2020, Batty had a modest performance in 2020. In 2021 Batty has done only slightly better than Pendrel but both were at the top of the field. My that insight who the preferred rider should have been is nearly a toss up. Perhaps the results would have been no different had Batty raced in Pendrels place.I'm not familiar enought with either riders style and strengths to ascertain if the Tokyo course favored one or the others skills. At 33years old presently, I'd be surprised if Batty tried again for Olympics in 2024 but who knows.
  • 1 0
 @atomicspike: This article sheds a lot of light on the selection process. cyclingmagazine.ca/mtb/who-is-going-to-the-olympics-for-canada-in-mountain-bikes. Excluding 2016 Olympics it sure looks like Batty was more qualified, and yet, Pendrel was sent seemingly because she medaled in 2016 and Batty didn't and possibly because Pendrel said 2021 would be her last attempt at Olympics. It is not clear if Batty will try again or not. I was rather surprised by the relatively few events evaluated for qualification/ selection.
  • 1 3
 What happened to Emily batty?
  • 5 1
 Beat out by fellow Canadian Catherine Pendrell for the Bronze in 2016 Brazil.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: That seems irrrelevant given how long ago that was.
  • 1 0
 @SuperHighBeam: Well that's what happened to Emily Batty in the Olympics - just answering the question best I could.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: I don't know that former Olympic performance necessarily has a huge bearing on future year selection. I'm pretty sure other elite level race results assessed over a few seasons is the deciding factor for qualification for each Olympics. You can just win a medal, slack off for four years, and expect to be reinvited again. You have to keep competing and sustaining a record of achievement to be invited to the Olympics. What the details for qualification are, exactly, I do not know.
  • 1 0
 @SuperHighBeam: I don't either and I was being a little flip. What happened was that she wasn't in this Olympics but I have no idea why or anything about selection criteria.
  • 2 0
 @suspended-flesh: I actually dug a litte deeper into this and replied to another comment on this same thread. Search for my tag name and you'll see why they picked Pendrel over Batty. This was a weird Olympics to qualify for with race seasons being thrown all out of whack. Bottom line is that in the qualifying period Batty actually appears to have done better overall than Pendrel, but because Pendrel succeeded in the last Olympics and possibly because she announced she would not try again, she was favored. Batty barely missed medaling in Rio where she took 4th place.
  • 1 4
 Wow the Swiss women cleaned house. Canada, clearly, really should have sent Emily Batty.
  • 1 1
 Why the down votes?...people have something against Emily, or is it just because I wasn't as big a fan as the other Canadian riders.







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