‘It’s bigger than cycling’: Tom Pidcock defies puncture to claim Olympic gold

• Team GB mountain biker makes stunning comeback
• ‘I knew I was going to be racing for the gold’

Tom Pidcock blew away his rivals with a virtuoso performance on the rough gravel of Elancourt Hill to take back-to-back gold medals in Olympic mountain biking. In an epic battle with France’s Victor Koretzky, Pidcock pulled off the performance of his career, ­fighting back from a puncture and a clumsy wheel change to snatch gold at the very last.

“This is what makes the Olympics to me, the fact that it’s bigger than cycling,” Pidcock said, three years after winning his first gold in Tokyo. “People back home, they get into the Olympic spirit, they celebrate every gold medal but the biggest thing is to inspire people. That is what I love to do. Hopefully I did that today.”