Pauline Ferrand-Prevot delivered France's second gold medal of the Paris Olympics as she took a high-quality field apart to win the women's cross-country mountain bike race on Sunday.

The 32-year-old produced a devastating acceleration at the start of the second of seven laps around the dusty 4.4 kilometre circuit on Elancourt Hill and rode solo to victory.

Haley Batten of the US and Jenny Rissveds of Sweden were involved in a fierce scrap for silver with Batten bursting clear to finish runner-up.

Young Dutchwoman Puck Pieterse was the only rider who looked capable of making it a race and was alone in second place when she suffered a puncture on lap five and needed a wheel change.

Ferrand-Prevot, who will return to road racing after the Olympics, is a five-times cross-country world champion but suffered heartbreak at the last two Olympics when favourite.

However, in front of thousands of flag-waving French fans in the countryside near Versailles she reigned supreme.

"I still can't believe it, I've worked so hard for this day that I was like a robot today," she said.

"It's so huge that I don't know what to say. In the final lap it was easier to enjoy it." (Reuters)