Muddy day takes Marin’s Courtney out of running
It wasn’t talent that spoiled Kate Courtney’s Olympic debut in mountain biking.
It was a tropical cyclone that turned the Izu City mountain bike course into a muddy, slick mess that made it difficult for Courtney on Tuesday.
Courtney of Kentfield and Haley Batten of Santa Cruz got caught in the middle of the pack after the first lap and that’s where they stayed on a disappointing day for the U.S. team.
Courtney, one of the favorites to medal, finished 15th out of 38 riders. The Stanford alum was 6 minutes 33 seconds behind gold medalist Jolando Neff, who won in 1 hour 15.46 seconds. Neff led a Swiss sweep as her red-jersey teammates dominated the technical course that had to be modified just before the race because
of the weather.
Batten, who lives in Santa Cruz and often trains with Courtney, finished ninth, 4.27 minutes behind the winner.
“Sometimes the course just throws a curveball,” Batten told reporters.
The conditions impacted the riders throughout the event as some parts of the course dried out whereas others remained muddy.
“It’s tough to understand how much it changed,” said Courtney, who lives on the Peninsula. “They were making changes to the course up until the moment we started.”
Courtney, 25, is not known as an expert rider on muddy courses. So the 2019 overall World Cup champion probably had less of a chance to win a medal than she had hoped.
“It wasn’t my best race, but I think there’s no other event where you cross the line in a less than ideal position, and still feel really honored and humbled to be here representing your country,” she told reporters.
A fast start on the 20.55-kilometer race was needed on a course with few passing chances because of the weather conditions and the course layout.
“Some of the climbs had some really steep corners that, after this rain, were really slick,” Batten told reporters. “I think it was hard to know if I should get off and run, or if I should try and ride it.”
Batten added that little rocks caused problems for the racers. She said the sections were so steep that it was difficult to stay on the bike.
“You’re trying to just give your all and dig in and then all of a sudden you just slide out and you’re just trying to stay on your bike,” she said.