Silence on the Hill
The quiet suddenly falls on an otherwise bustling afternoon perfect for French mountain biking in Elancourt (Yvelines). Pauline Ferrand-Prévot soars towards her Olympic dream as the screen captures Loana Lecomte’s fall in the fourth lap of the race on Sunday, July 28. The silence and anxiety follow a “sun” in a descent. The French rider doesn’t move. The TV production then shifts back to the race, refraining from showing the evacuation of the 24-year-old cyclist on a stretcher. Fortunately, the initial updates bring reassurance, although the assessment is serious for the reigning world vice-champion. “Loana still needs to undergo further examinations, but she is suffering from facial trauma,” explains the national coach, Yvan Clolus. “She took a hard hit to the face. A concussion protocol has been implemented. But we are rather reassured.”
A Disappointing Turn of Events
In addition to the pain, there is disappointment. Loana Lecomte was riding to support Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on the podium before her fall. After a fast start, she may have seen the American Haley Batten and the Swedish Jenny Rissveds catching up with her in a three-way battle for the bronze medal. But in mountain biking, even one of the best “riders” on the circuit is not immune to a misjudged turn. “When we saw that they were closing in on her for the bronze medal, we advised her to tuck in to recover because it’s possible on this course,” continues Yvan Clolus. “She fell in the first descent after the merge. Perhaps she had too much commitment on that section.”
The Road Ahead for Loana Lecomte
Loana Lecomte still has a bright future ahead of her. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has proven in the most beautiful way that the curse of the Olympic Games does not exist. However, for Loana Lecomte, it may feel a bit like that for now. In 2021, the Frenchwoman arrived in Tokyo with four World Cup victories under her belt. The role of favorite might have been a little too big, as she herself will admit. While her sixth-place finish may be seen as a disappointment, she will take it as an opportunity for reflection. “If I had won, I don’t know if I would have found the motivation to continue mountain biking today,” she described in a press conference last week.
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