Mountain Biking at the Olympics
The Mountain biking event for both men and women was added into the Olympics program for both men and women for the 1996 Atlanta Games. The sport is contested as a part of the Cycling discipline, and the cross-country format (MTB Cross-Country) is the only discipline conducted for the event.
The cross-country mountain bike races require multiple circuits of a course covering undulating terrain, and require great strength, endurance and skill. The course is comprises a total of four to six kilometers of mostly narrow dirt single-track trails, with steep ascents and descents and rocky sections, which takes the riders between 90–105 minutes to complete.
Olympic mountain bikingNotable Performances
- In the women's event, Paola Pezzo of Italy has won the gold medal in two consecutive Olympics, 1996 and 2000. Sabine Spits of Germany has won medals in three consecutive Olympics, a bronze medal in 2004, a gold medal in 2008, and a silver in 2012.
- Among the men, Julien Absalon of France is the only person to have won the gold medal twice, back-to-back in 2004 and 2008.
Trivia
- At the Tokyo 2020 women's mountain bike cross-country event, the first three place-getters were from Switzerland.
Related Pages
- More about Olympic Cycling Events
- There is more information about the sport of Cycling
- See more on the Greatest Cyclist at the Olympics.
- List of Olympic Sports
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