I chose the photo because no only was PFP the winner, granted it’s from the World Championships, but the other two ladies were supposed to be the best and most likely to compete for the Gold medal. We now know that didn’t happen, as Loana crashed so hard she actually lay unconscious for a few minutes while they loaded her on a stretcher. It was very, very scary watching her immobile. It was such a relief to see her walking around all bandaged up, but otherwise okay. And of course Puck got close, but couldn’t pull off a medal this time.
I think her team protesting Haley Batten’s trip through the tech/feed zone without taking either was a terrible idea. Winning a medal because they relegated the true silver medalist who technically didn’t break any real rules (she was fined a few hundred bucks, but that’s it), would not be a great idea. She lost and that’s that. The fastest three women won the medals.
But overall, the womens race was the least great of the two mountain bike events. Anyone, and I mean anyone who doubted PFP’s ability to wipe the floor at this race was delusional. She has proven again and again that it would take a true catastrophe to keep her off the top step. She was a solid three minutes ahead of silver. That’s insane.
And with that, she’s off to be a roadie. What she didn’t say is whether she’ll be at the World Champs? No one seems to mention it, but she’s not quitting mtb right now. She’s done at the end of this season. Otherwise she’d follow Puck and race what is her next goal at the Tour de France Femmes coming up in a few weeks. It’s a 6 day stage race, so it would give her a chance to get a feel for her competitors.
So one last world champ jersey? I think that’s a given at this point.