We’ve got a week to go before the best cross-country mountain bike riders in the world all meet at Elancourt Hill on the outskirts of Paris. Well, not all together, but rather, in two separate events over two days – the men’s and women’s. We’ve covered the course preview, we’ve told you where and when to watch the XC, and now, it’s time to look at who might be in with a chance of winning the medals at the 2024 Olympics.

Tokyo Gold medallist Jolanda Neff won’t be lining up to defend her title, as she’s currently out of action. And Tokyo Gold medallist Tom Pidcock may also be doubtful after leaving the Tour de France last week due to Covid. But let’s take a look at who the possible contenders are in the men’s and women’s races, and feel free to watch this back after the event and laugh at our terrible, terrible predictions.

Longtime fan-favourite Nino Schurter is set to line up for his 5th Olympics

The men’s race

With Mathieu Van Der Poel not racing the Olympics this year, and Tom Pidcock reportedly suffering from Covid, the men’s XCO race is about to get blown wide open with possibilities. We’ve still got the usual suspects, with Nino Schurter racing his 5th Olympic Games – he won gold in Rio 2016, but failed to match that in Tokyo after Pidcock flew onto the scene and set the field alight. But with Schurter now 38, and Pidcock potentially suffering from Covid, who are our top contenders for this year’s Olympics?

Tom Pidcock, Great Britain

Not the home favourite, for obvious, not-being-French reasons, but definitely one of the bookies’ favourites. The only question mark for young Tom will be just how fast he can recover from the bout of Covid that ended his Tour de France. But, even when he’s not at 100% we still think he’s got a chance of putting the rest of the field to shame. Don’t discount him, his famously-hard-to-ride Pinarello Dogma we tested earlier this year notwithstanding.

Nino Schurter, Switzerland

Yes, he’s still here. And yes, he’s still at the top of his game. How? We want whatever he’s eating for breakfast, and we’ll also have one of his Scott Spark RC’s. But seriously, he has been building up to the Games for a while, and recently re-found his form, winning in Val Di Sole, and finishing second in Nové Město. He might not be our top pick but his legacy alone is worth a punt and he’s still up there regularly with the younger riders.

Victor Koretzky was pretty unbeatable in the first part of the season. Copyright Bartek Wolinski

Victor Koretsky, France

Home favourite and winner of the 2023 test event, Koretsky hasn’t had the best season build up to the Olympics. He won at Nové Město, beating Schurter, and at Minais Gerais, but since then he’s been suffering from Covid and had a crash that’s kept him away from the World Cup circuit for a few rounds. His form will be something of a question mark, but the home crowds might just spur him on.

Alan Hatherly, South Africa

Hatherly is currently the leader of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series rankings, having had a pretty consistent season so far. He won both the XCO and XCC races in Les Gets, finished second in Val Di Sole, and third and Minas Gerais.

Staff predictions:

Danny: Tom Pidcock

Jamie: Nino Schurter

Rebecca: Tom Pidcock

Guy: Tom Pidcock

Puck Pieterse winning the XCO race in Les Gets. Copyright Karolina Krasinska

The women’s race

Reigning Gold medallist Jolanda Neff of Switzerland is out after being sidelined with breathing issues earlier this season. But there are plenty of willing participants ready to take her place with blinged out gold bikes for the next few years. We’d love to see Olympic hopeful Evie Richards up there and fighting for a medal but she is a bit of an unknown after a concussion put her out for part of the season. So who else is there to keep your eyes on?

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, France

One of whom is home favourite Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. Not only is she French, (big bonus points there as we know), but she’s the reigning World Champion. She’s also been focusing on this race for a while, openly saying so on her Instagram account. This is her last chance at winning the Olympics as a mountain biker, as she’s retiring from knobbly tyres at the end of the year to focus on her road career, so we fancy her chances of giving it her all and getting the last victory she’s not already sealed.

Puck Pieterse, Netherlands

At just 22, this is Pieterse’s first Olympics. Since bursting onto the scene a few years ago, she’s been right up there and most recently, challenging some of the more experienced riders for wins. She’s one of our top contenders, thanks to her aggressive style of racing and absolute speed she’s developed. She’s already won in Les Gets and Crans-Montana this year, and currently sits second in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series rankings.

Haley won both the XCO and XCC races in Brasil earlier this year. Copyright Bartek Wolinski

Haley Batten, USA

She’s taken the baton of promising USA rider from Kate Courtney, and already won once this year, and been on the podium twice more. She’s got excellent technical skills, although they likely won’t help her here – this course is set to be pretty fast with few places to catch your breath. But we wouldn’t count her out, as she’s got more than enough tenacity and sheer will to create a gap and ride away into the Gold medal position if she’s feeling good on the day. She’s also on one of the most high tech bikes out there, check out our guide to what mountain bikes the top XC racers are riding at the Olympics.

Alessandra Keller, Switzerland

With Neff not starting, all Swiss eyes are on Alessandra Keller. Well not all, there are other Swiss riders going, but she’s currently leading the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series rankings, and has been impressive this year, particularly on the XCC (short-track) races.

Staff predictions:

Danny: Puck Pieterse

Jamie: Haley Batten

Rebecca: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

Guy: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot