ELANCOURT, France, (Reuters) – Britain’s Tom Pidcock roared back after suffering a puncture to retain his Olympic men’s mountain bike title following a thrilling battle with France’s Victor Koretzky yesterday.

The 24-year-old world champion needed all his renowned bike handling skills to first claw back a 40-second deficit and then hold off Koretzky in a barnstorming last-lap battle through the trees and rocks of the 4.4km Elancourt Hill circuit.

As they went wheel-to-wheel down a narrow descent, Pidcock chose a more aggressive line through the trees and the two riders almost came together with Koretzky losing momentum.

That proved pivotal as Pidcock powered to victory in an epic race by nine seconds, although angry rang out from the partisan French crowd as he crossed the line ahead of the Frenchman.

Alan Hatherly took the bronze in what was South Africa’s first Olympic cycling medal since the country’s re-admission.

“It’s a shame (about the angry) because that’s not really the spirit of the Olympics, but I do also understand, they’re a passionate French crowd,” an exhausted Pidcock said after a race run in sweltering heat.

“But you know, they didn’t boo the rock that gave me a puncture did they,” he said, referring to the misfortune he suffered on lap four.

Asked about the last-lap maneuver that almost certainly won him the race, Pidcock said. “I did nothing wrong. He could have also gone left (around the tree) and I would have had to go right. In this position you don’t hesitate.

“The gap was there, so I was going.”