Riley Amos (USA) failed to medal in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the Paris Olympics, but his effort among the sport's legends was a legendary game-changer for the 22-year-old.

His seventh-place finish was the best ever by an American male athlete in the 28-year history of the Olympic XCO. Compatriot Haley Batten had won the silver medal in the women's cross country the day before.

Amos said all the emotions came flooding out of him when a USA Cycling representative told him immediately after the finish that he had achieved his country's best Olympic finish as a male athlete in a cross-country race. [Absolute legends of the sport like Todd Wells and Chris Blevins have been my mentors over the past few years, learning from them and moving me forward. I am so thrilled," Amos said, choking back tears of joy.

Amos got a great start and led the race on the opening lap. On the second of seven long laps, he crossed the finish line in ninth place, just four seconds behind the winning trio of Matthias Flückiger (Switzerland), defending Olympic champion Tom Pidcock (GBR), and Victor Koretzky (FRA). Also in the mix were veterans such as current World Cup leader Alan Hatherly (South Africa) and 10-time XCO World Champion Nino Schluter (Switzerland).

On the following circuits, however, Pidcock overtook the Frenchman and closed the gap to become a two-time Olympic champion. Pidcock rode consistently, battling with Samuel Gaze just outside the top five, with Gaze finishing sixth, five seconds behind in the final sprint.

"It was really cool to run with all those guys," Pidcock said. The last two laps I tried to work with Sam [Gaze] to move forward. So I was able to prove that I can compete with them in the future, and to finish in the top 10 in my first race [at the Olympics] was more than I expected."

Despite his first appearance at the Olympics, Amos is no rookie in international competition. Last year he finished fourth at the U23 Mountain Bike World Championships, and this year he rode into Paris on a five-match winning streak at the U23 XCO World Cup. His first win as an elite was at the Pan American Championships in Midway, Utah, in May.

"I think it's really hard to go from under 23 to elite; I think it's really hard to go from U23 to elite; I think it's really hard to go from U23 to elite. So my goal is to be able to jump consistently. Like I said, I got to race with some legends today.

From the start line on Elancourt Hill, there were two turns that led directly to a short, steep climb. Amos set out at a scorching pace to find a good line at the front.

"That start was scary. Those two corners were very loose. I got off the [start] line as fast as I could and then I tried to pace myself," he said later in the mixed zone about his explosive start.

"Yeah, you saw me swarming pretty hard, but I was fine with that. I just needed to race my race and recognize where I was at. So I did the best I could with what I had today. So I didn't listen to the noise around me, I just had to keep moving forward little by little."

By lap 4, he had moved up to 7th overall and was passed by Pidcock. Pidcock was leading the race, but lost a lot of time when he stopped to change a wheel due to a puncture. By the end of that lap, he was 20 seconds ahead of Amos, and the gap between them was 34 seconds.

"He was trying to get on my wheel and get through. I was just like, he'll come when he can come. Yeah, I wasn't trying to follow his wheels. Amos chuckled briefly about being overtaken by Pidcock midway through the race. [He's] an Olympic champion. It's an indescribable feeling trying to climb with him. The moment he gets out of the saddle, he just runs. It's unbelievable."

The 22-year-old lives and trains in Durango, Colorado, with Olympic teammate Christopher Blevins.

"I knew I needed to be ready to make the split when it mattered, hiding from the front as much as possible. As we were going through the feed zone I noticed the tires were getting low and decided to change them. I also had some suspension issues, which threw me off my plan a bit. I tried to keep my rhythm but unfortunately I lost it a little bit. I did my best in the last few laps," he said in a statement to USA Cycling.

At the World Cup, Blevins finished eighth overall and started the season with a win in Mylaporean, Brazil; two XCO World Cup races remain, Lake Placid, New York, in late September and Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, in early October.

"It's different anyway," Amos said of the Olympic course. The course was built on former reclaimed land, with many wide, winding trails through forested areas, some rocks on the descents, and a big climb at the top.

"It doesn't reflect World Cup trends, but it's a challenging course in its own right. It was really fast, and the pedaling was a lot more comfortable and stable than a lot of people think. But I really liked it."

Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 Olympics, including breaking news and analysis from journalists on the ground for all road, mountain bike, track, and BMX races. Details.