Date: Saturday August 3, 2024
Distance: 272.1km
Riders: 90
Start: Trocadéro, Paris
Finish: Trocadéro, Paris
Start time: 11:00am CET
Expected finish time: 18:15pm CET
The men’s Olympic road race will take place on Saturday August 3, 2024, and those who are on the start line for this prestigious race will face 272.1 kilometres of challenging terrain as the race is characterised by its punchy, Classics-style climbs. Across the route, there are 14 climbs that total 2,800 metres of elevation, with some cobbled, similar to those found in the Flemish Classics.
The Tour de France’s traditional final parade on the Champs-Élysées was moved to Nice this year due to the Olympics and, for those who opted to ride the Tour before going to the Olympics, it will only have been two weeks since the Grand Tour concluded. For some, this might have provided the perfect preparation for the hilly parcours, but for others, fatigue from the three-week race might potentially hinder their performance. Either way, there will be a star-studded line up, all with a gold medal in their sights.
Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Great Britain and France will have a maximum of four riders for the men’s race. Other nations will have three, two or even one rider in the team. With such small teams, it often makes for unpredictable racing, and we expect the men’s road race for this year to be no different, especially with the repeated efforts on small, steep climbs – it’ll be a race of attrition.
2024 Paris Olympics men's route:
The men’s race starts in the neighbourhood of Trocadéro, with the city’s famous Eiffel Tower providing a picture-perfect backdrop. The peloton will roll along the Seine for the naturalised start until they reach kilometre zero on Rue Gay-Lussac. From there, the peloton will head southwest out of the city towards the Chevreuse valley, where the riders will face the first of 14 climbs – the Côte des Gardes, a 1.9km climb at 6%, which comes after just 14km of racing.
Profile map sourced via Paris Olympics website
The route then heads towards Château de Versailles before heading north, where it reaches the second climb – the Côte de Saint-Germain-en-Laye at 1km and 5.5%. The route continues to undulate as it passes through Plaine de Versailles and Vallée de la Mauldre before looping back up and down towards the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Montigny-le-Bretonneux.
Just over halfway, the peloton will tackle the Côte de Port-Royal – a 1km climb at 5.5% – before climbing the Côte de Senlisse, which stands at 1.3 kilometres at 5.3%. The course is then taken up a notch with a number of short, punchy climbs in quick succession. The Côte d’Herbouvilliers, Côte de Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, Côte de Châteaufort, and Côte de Bièvres all come within 16km, with the Bièvres' 9% pitches being a prime opportunity for anyone to make an attack before the race reaches the city for the final kilometres.
Map sourced via Paris Olympics website
As the route takes the peloton back to Paris, they’ll climb the Côte du Pavé des Gardes again from the other side. The riders will then cross the river and pass the famous Louvre museum, where they’ll then start the 18.4km finishing circuit, which will see them conquer the Côte de la butte Montmartre (1km at 6.5%) three times. The third and final ascent comes 10km before the finishing line, so once they are up and over, it’s only a flat, straight road along the river to Trocadéro, where the finish line awaits its 2024 Olympic champion.
Contenders
Belgium goes into this race with one of the strongest line ups – Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert, Jasper Stuyven and Tiesj Benoot. Such a stacked team could be a help or a hindrance with a number of the riders wanting their own shot at a gold Olympic medal. However, Evenepoel is coming off the back of a successful Tour de France, where he placed third overall, and will still be on a high after winning an Olympic gold medal in the individual time trial last weekend. He could look to make a race-winning attack on one of the later climbs to take the victory – becoming a double Olympic champion. Van Aert could also provide a good chance for the team if the race boils down to a sprint, as could Stuyven.
Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert celebrating after the 2024 Olympic individual time trial
The current world champion Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), on paper, could have the perfect opportunity at this race with this being the type of terrain in which he excels. The World Championship course last year in Glasgow featured similar punchy terrain in which he soloed to victory in a dominant display of strength. He also won Paris-Roubaix earlier this year, as well as E3 Saxo Classics and the Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel’s most recent race was the Tour de France, where he was on lead-out duties for his team’s sprinter, but also had the opportunities to go for his own glory. However, he did not achieve a stage victory and therefore, may go into this race with a question mark over where his winning form that was so evident at the start of the season has gone. He only has one chance at becoming an Olympic champion after crashing out of the mountain bike race, and will look to use his Dutch squad of Dylan van Baarle and Daan Hoole to Olympic success.
Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) will turn his attention to the road after defending his Olympic gold medal in the mountain bike race. He boasts the prowess to dominate on a long course that features punchy terrain and therefore will be determined to see whether he can bring home another gold for Team GB. He’ll be supported by a strong field of riders, including Josh Tarling, Stephen Williams and Fred Wright. From across the Irish Sea, Ben Healy (Ireland) will be holding out hopes for a podium position. He was one of the most active riders in the recent Tour, attacking at any given opportunity – something we expect to see him try and do again in Paris. Another rider on a high from the Tour is Biniam Girmay (Eritrea), who won the green jersey and three stage victories. He is a strong sprinter and therefore will be a favourite if the race comes down to a bunch kick, but he also does boast good climbing legs – perhaps a winning combination for a parcours like this.
Ben Healy was one of the most active riders during the Tour de France 2024
Speaking of sprinters with powerful legs, Mads Pedersen (Denmark) is a name to mark in this the race. However, his crash out of the Tour leaves questions around his form and whether he is fully back up to fitness after having to withdraw from the three-week race. Michael Matthews (Australia) is a rider of Pedersen's class also, so he’ll be another one to watch in this race.
Racing on home soil is Julian Alaphilippe (France), who chose not to ride this year’s Tour in order to be fully prepared for his home Olympics. He looked in good form during this year’s Giro d’Italia, taking a stage win and two top-10 stage finishes. The French team also features Christophe Laporte, Valentin Madouas, and Kévin Vauquelin.
The USA line up includes Matteo Jorgenson, a rider who has impressed this season with his wins at Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen. He just missed out on a stage win at the Tour and will be hungry to secure a podium position in Paris. He’ll be supported by Brandon McNulty and Magnus Sheffield. Other riders who could crown themselves Olympic champion will be Matej Mohorič (Slovenia), Marc Hirschi (Switzerland), or Alberto Bettiol (Italy).
Prediction
We think Mathieu van der Poel will win the men's Olympic road race. While he didn't secure any stage victories at the Tour, he had stellar start to the season on the cobbles and is known to excel at championship events.
