Tom Pidock hits back at French boos in emotional interview after securing Team GB gold | Other | Sport

“It wasn’t easy but yeah, I am keeping my glasses on for a reasons,” an emotional Pidcock told the BBC. “I think the Olympics is so special and…you never give up so you give everything, that’s what I had to do.

“I knew that Victor was going to be super fast on the last lap and I couldn’t get rid of him so I knew it was going to be a big, big fight. Then he left a gap and I had to go for it so yeah that’s racing, some people might view it differently and I wanted to show what sport is – not giving up. It’s a shame that the French were booing me but you know…”

British team-mate Charlie Aldridge, the under-23 world champion, finished eighth on his Olympic debut. And Pidcock may have to brace himself for a hostile reception on Saturday, when the Ineos Grenadier doubles up to contest the road race.

Pidcock led in the early stages before the puncture, eventually rejoining the race in ninth place. And he not only praised his mechanic, but also thanked his team for their work in the build-up to Paris.

“You are used to things going well so even my mechanic wasn’t ready for it,” he added. “He did a super-fast change in the end, my bike was perfect apart from my mistake of puncturing.

“I can’t thank everyone enough. From being on tour and then Covid too, everyone was around me and we have trained perfectly for this.”

Pidcock’s win signified a second Olympic gold medal for the star, defending the title he won in Tokyp three years ago. That win marked the first ever Olympic medal for a British rider in mountain biking.

At just 20, it also made him the youngest rider to win an Olympic mountain bike title. He’s since become a European champion and two-time world champion.