Road racer Peter Sagan bidding for Rio 2016 glory on a mountain bike
Five-time defending Tour de France green jersey winner has swapped the road for the mountain as he attempts to win Olympic Gold
Peter Sagan is used to riding on smooth roads and sprinting towards the finish, but the Slovakian rider will have to conquer unforgiving terrain if he wants to grab his first Olympic medal. (Photo: Getty Images/Chris Graythen)
Road cycling world champion Peter Sagan of Slovakia joins the world's best mountain bikers at the Mountain Bike Centre for two days of racing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ,with the women's race on Saturday 20 August and the men's race on Sunday 21 August.
A junior mountain bike world champion in 2008, Sagan, who won the road race at the 2015 world championships in Richmond, Virginia, in the US, skipped the climb-heavy road race on 6 August to compete in his first major mountain bike race in seven years.
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Established mountain bike stars, such as world champion and London 2012 Olympic Games silver medallist Nino Schurter of Switzerland, and the gold medallist from the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Frenchman Julien Absalon, will not make it easy for Sagan, who, on rankings, will have to begin near the back of the bunch.
Jaroslav Kulhavy of the Czech Republic, who beat Schurter to win gold in London 2012, is another strong chance as he has been showing signs of peak form coming into his medal defence.
In the women's event, reigning world champion Annika Langvad of Denmark, American Lea Davison, Canadian Emily Batty, 2015 world champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot of France, and 2008 gold medallist Sabine Spitz of Germany, a three-time Olympic medallist back for her fifth Games, are among the favourites.
A technically challenging 4.85km loop course will push the cyclists to their limit. A mix of climbing, steep descents and hazards, such as rock gardens, jumps, berms, bridges and wide single-track, will require tactical guile, aerobic fitness and world-class bike-handling skills to strike gold.
Rio 2016 mountain cycling: schedule and results
Thirty women and 50 men will race in the mass start events, with the first three across the line taking the medals. The number of loops will be determined at a a team manager's meeting on Friday, but racing typically lasts about one-and-a-half hours.
Racing both days is scheduled to begin at 12:30pm with warm temperatures forecast for the women's race on Saturday, but rain and wind are possible for the men's race on Sunday.
