The public in Izu, this small mountainous corner of Japan at a 2.5 hour drive from Tokyo where mountain biking has taken up residence for these two days of competition during these Olympic Games, are doubly lucky.
One, it benefits from one of the few sites, because not affected by the state of health emergency in force in the capital region, to be able to welcome the public.
Two, these 3400 lucky ones were able to attend the Olympic advent which the bike is likely to supper for the next few years: the Briton Tom Pidcock.
Soon to be 22 years old - he will celebrate them on July 30 - the young man has made everyone agree on the demanding Japanese course.
The pure specialists, like his Swiss dolphin Mathias Flückiger, the man in shape of the World Cup unable ever to fill the hole left by the thighs of the phenomenon during the fourth round.
But also the other talented all-rounder of the lot, the recent yellow jersey of the last Tour de France Mathieu Van der Poel.
Author of a nice sun, because deceived by the absence of a board yet present during training, the Dutchman was never able to catch up and ended up throwing in the towel to leave the scene to the master of the day.
"Physically, he is monstrous"
“Physically, he's monstrous,” said Frenchman Victor Koretzky, fifth after having been in the game for a long time to scratch the bronze medal.
Technically, he surprised me because it is really a typical mountain biking circuit.
If he is at our level on this level, he quickly makes the difference with his qualities.
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And the worst part is that there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Pidcock is one of those phenomena capable of shining when they pass a saddle under the buttocks.
Vice-champion of the cyclo-cross world last year behind ... Mathieu van der Poel, the courier of his glorious Majesty had an impressive start to the road season for his first year in the prestigious Ineos-Grenadiers jersey , who smelled it good by hiring him last year.
A sixth place on the Flèche Wallonne won by Julien Alaphilippe, another second on a classic (the Amstel Gold Race) and a strong victory on the Flèche Brabant in the face of a monster of the current circuit, the Belgian Wout Van Aert . A great series stopped by a broken collarbone during a fall during training in May. Suffering since, the Briton has managed to recover for the D-day. As a boss.
“He's a phenomenon, he knows how to do everything, blows the double Olympic mountain bike champion and Julien Absalon, present in Izu to comment on the race for France Télévisions. Despite his small size, I think he will be able to shine almost everywhere on the road because he knows how to sprint. Afterwards, we have not yet seen him on Grand Tours calibrate himself over a three-week race. But he's still young. »That's what worries everyone