Evie Richards took a fantastic fifth place in the women’s mountain bike cross-country race on the second day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at Elancourt Hill as Ella Maclean-Howell finished 23rd on her Olympic debut.
Richards fired off the start line from the second row and was within the top 10 up the first climb of the day, nailing the drop offs in a composed, powerful start.
The 27-year-old sat comfortably in ninth place at the first split as the front of the race continued to put the power down. A group of three leaders pulled clear as the riders came into the second lap, featuring big-hitters Loana Lecomte (France), Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France), while Richards followed in the chasing group 13 seconds back.
As Ferrand-Prevot went clear in the second lap, Richards was about a minute and 20 seconds back in the chasing pack. The British rider continued to ride within herself and came into the fourth lap in seventh place with about 45 minutes of racing gone, as Jenny Rissveds (Sweden) was just 20 seconds ahead in third.
A puncture for Pieterse saw her drop from the silver medal position into the chasing group of four, while Richards was just 15 seconds behind in sixth with two laps remaining.
Hayley Batten (USA) and Rissveds pushed on to escape off the front, riding into the silver and bronze positions as Ferrand-Prevot continued to extend her lead. Richards closed the gap on the Swiss rider Alessandra Keller with one lap remaining to sit in fifth place.
Richards continued to put the hammer down and get into fourth position before Pieterse pulled back from her puncture to get on the British riders wheel, with the duo 20 seconds back on the medal positions.
As French rider Ferrand-Prevot crossed the line for the final time with her arms aloft, winning by three minutes, Richards fought all the way to the end. The British rider crossed the line with a huge smile on her face to finish in fifth position, two places better than her result at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and a brilliant result after battling with concussion this season.
Richards said:
“I’m super happy. I had a plan to start off in the top 10 and push up and finish strong. I definitely felt like I finished strongly and that’s all I could do. It was a really, really fast race and from concussion, I’m so happy. To finish fifth at the Olympic Games is insane - I’m stoked! Super happy.
“I was just crying to my mum because everyone’s so proud - it’s not just my dream, it’s everyone dream and I’m just so proud to have raced my second Olympics. I can’t quite believe it.”
On her Olympic debut, Ella Maclean-Howell rode incredibly well to stay within the top 20 at the start of the race and finished in 23rd position – a fantastic ride for the 19-year-old against the biggest names in mountain biking.
Speaking after the race, Maclean Howell said:
“It’s just so incredible. The crowds have been insane with so many Brits cheering us on and just such an incredible atmosphere and such a good experience. I loved every second.
“I didn’t really go in with a plan to be honest, so I just wanted to give it my all and finish empty, and that’s what I did. I was riding really, really well in the first few laps. Normally, I don’t race for this length of time, so I fell back a bit near the end but I’m super proud of how I did.
“Being with Evie, Tom [Pidcock] and Charlie [Aldridge], it’s been such a good atmosphere as Team GB and I’ve loved this week.”
We stay at Elancourt Hill tomorrow where current Olympic champion Tom Pidcock and Charlie Aldridge compete in the men’s mountain bike cross-country race. You can watch on Discovery+ or BBC from 13:00 BST and follow the results on the British Cycling social media channels.
