What were the fastest tires in Paris?

Tires are always an interesting choice for cross country mountain bike racing. There is always a compromise between traction on technical sections and rolling speed everywhere else. Rider’s have to choose what they’re comfortable risking in the tech to gain an advantage on the faster sections of course.

Paris provided an unique challenge. It was a fast course but with so much gravel that it was, in places, loose in its own way. In the men’s race, Pidcock flatted and Koretzky had a critical washout on the last lap. In the women’s, Batten flatted on her way to silver and Puck Pieterse flatted out podium contention. Numerous others struggled with the need for speed on the flat-out Elancourt course and the need to keep air in their tires over the punishing man-made features that punctuated the hillside.

Here are what the fastest tire combinations were in the cross country mountain bike races (though several were fastest with the mid-race assist of a mechanic…) at Elancourt Hills, for the top three men and women.

Pidcock. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Race winner, Race Kings. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot takes flight on her Berd-laced wheels in Paris. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

PFP wasn't holding back. Full aero-booties for the French gold medallist. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Gold: Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot both race for INEOS (for now), and were both on very similar set-ups in Paris. Ferrand-Prévot opted for a hardtail while Pidcock raced the Dogma FS full suspension bike. For tires, both were on Continental’s fastest XC tire, the Race King, front and rear. Fast rolling with some semblance of cornering traction, it’s a classic straightforward XC design.

Batten with some very low pressure in her Specialized tires. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Unmarked, but Specialized. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Victor Koretzky with an unmarked / Captain combo. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

You can just see "The Captain," if you look past that 50th anniversary S-Works Epic World Cup paint job. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Silver: Victor Koretzky and Haley Batten

In and interesting twist, which makes this list less interesting, both the men’s and women’s gold medallists were on the same team and the silver medallists were also on the same team. While INEOS took gold (for France and Great Britain) Specialized takes both silvers (for the U.S.A. and France). Victor Koretzky and Haley Batten at least raced different tire combos, though, and on some still-secret treads. Koretzky was on an unreleased front tire, which looks like a cross between a Renegade and a Fast Trak, but with lower-profile centre knobs. Out back, he had “The Captain.” Named for Ned Overend and apparently returning to the Specialized line, it is faster rolling with a low profile and wider spacing. Batten rode the same front tire as Koretzky, but had that both front and rear for the slightly wetter, but very hot conditions during the women’s race.

Jenny Rissveds. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Race Kings, again. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Alan Hatherly put Schwalbe on the podium. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

A Ralph/Burt combo. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Bronze: Jenny Rissveds and Alan Hatherly

In third spot, we finally get a split in teams. Jenny Rissveds rode dual Continental Race Kings. She makes that the most successful tire in Paris with a full half of the podiums running the same tread. Alan Hatherly mixes it up, putting Schwalbe on the podium. The South African ran a combo of Racing Ralph up front and Thunder Burt out back. The Thunder Burt is Schwalbe’s fastest tread while Ralph adds a bit of safety, and traction in the loose conditions. Interestingly, Hatherly’s Cannondale teammate ran Schwalbe’s Rick XC, which sits halfway between the Ralph and Burt. But he crashed, so…

Gunnar Holmgren. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

Isabella Holmgren. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn

The Canadians: Gunnar and Isabella Holmgren

Canada’s two entries to the mountain bike event may be from the same family, but they ride for different teams. That means different tires. Isabella Holmgren, who races for Lidl-Trek on the road and is working in with Trek Factory Racing off road, lined up on Pirelli Scorpions. Since all Pirelli mountain bike tires are called Scorpion, we’ll narrow it down a little further. Holmgren raced on the XC RC, the brand’s fastest.

Gunnar, who races with KMC Ridley, looks like he’s on an unmarked version of Vittoria’s Peyote XC Race tire.