Road to Paris: Paved with Gold

This year, all trails led to Paris. Every UCI World Series event, training camp, and every second of every day brought elite athletes from around the world closer to the small Parisian suburb of Élancourt, where history was to be made. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tom Pidcock, friends from the school of INEOS Grenadiers, reigned supreme. With Jenny Rissveds and Alan Hatherly making the podium.

This is their story.

The 4.4-kilometer track was fast and physical, with 110m of elevation gain per lap. Along with sharp switchback singletrack and thrilling descents, the course included several technical elements, such as rock gardens and jumps, proving crucial in the quest for gold.

The track was designed by Nick Floros, who also created the XCO courses at the Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020) Olympic Games and at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow. His creation at Élancourt proved to be something truly special. A two-hour journey through hardpack gravel, with shorter sections of root-strewn, mulchy forest, gave way to a straight finish—with multiple lines offering faster, more challenging options.

Her time was 1:26:02. Her joy after was timeless. Pauline has been riding her entire life. Born into a cycling family, the multi-disciplinarian found herself at her first Olympic Games in 2012, representing her native France. She finished eight. In the twelve years that followed, Pauline went on to make cycling history by claiming World Championship titles across all disciplines within a single year: Cyclocross, Road, and MTB.

At the course in Élancourt, Pauline managed to distance herself from the pack. Initially battling the fierce competition of Puck Pieterse, the Dutch rider was struck by ill fortune and a flat tire, leaving no other contenders for the gold medal. All alone, Pauline appeared on the flat final meters of the track, arms raised, cheered on by an enormous and enormously proud home crowd.

Representing Sweden, Jenny Rissveds first gold medal came in Rio de Janeiro, at the Olympic Cross-Country event in 2016. A monumental victory for Jenny, only 22 years old at the time. Following her victory in Brazil, the Swedish superstar worked through a series of personal challenges to come full circle in Paris. Jenny has inspired us all at Shimano, her bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games may stand as a testament to her ability to overcome and flourish like the true champion she is.

“It’s the Olympics, you’ve got to go all in.” – Tom Pidcock, 2024.

Indeed. Tom Pidcock had a flat tire during his epic Olympic run to gold at the 2024 Games. But even before that, Tom dropped out at the 2024 Tour de France due to illness. In the spirit of true champions, however, Tom managed to turn adversity into a never-say-die mantra that would lead to greatness.

Between Tom’s gold medal performance at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and the 2024 Olympics in Paris, a mountain of victories at the UCI World Series and tremendous effort both in road racing and MTB paved the way to a second consecutive gold medal.

The world and the French audience watched as the British athlete fought back to overtake Victor Koretzky in the final forest area, skillfully selecting a line that would drive him onwards to the clear section. The response was stunned silence, with sparse British fans in the audience cheering and Tom, relieved, coming in for a much-deserved victory.

The South African bronze medal winner Alan Hatherly reflected on his day at the Cross-Country event in Paris. He told reporters the sun was sharp and hard to handle. He got within two seconds of the silver medal and even had Pidcock in his sights. “It was a super tactical race and I think it was really hard to manage the heat. For me I got really hot when the race started to split and I was just managing that.

And then it was all out and whatever you had left.”

Hatherly, who had come in 42nd in Rio and eight in Tokyo, was all smiles after the tough bronze-medal race in Paris. A brilliant effort, truly.

This is their story. Alan’s. Pauline’s. Jenny’s. And Tom’s. These athletes showed great ambition, talent, and perseverance. Achieving the pinnacle of your sport requires components you can trust to get you there. XTR is designed for just that. The choice of champions in Enduro and XCO, the XTR M9100 groupset is known for its legendary precision, braking power, and speed.

Turning dreams into gold medals.