Date: Sunday August 4, 2024
Distance: 157.6km
Riders: 90
Start: Trocadéro, Paris
Finish: Trocadéro, Paris
Start time: 2:00pm CET
Expected finish time: 6:45pm CET
On Sunday August 4, the best female cyclists in the world will fight it out for one of the most coveted prizes in sport: an Olympic medal. The streets of Paris will be home to a spectacular display where nations like the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy are expected to attack each other until the very end of the attritional 157km route. With 1,700 metres of climbing and nine named ascents, the 2024 Women’s Olympic road race is going to suit the puncheurs of the peloton. There will be those hoping to use the climbs as springboards for attacks and faster finishers who want to keep things together for a reduced bunch sprint to the line.
The last time we saw the Women’s WorldTour peloton race was in the Giro d’Italia Donne a few weeks ago, where Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) and Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) had a close-fought battle for the maglia rosa. Longo Borghini came out on top at her home Grand Tour, which could mean Kopecky is even more fired up to get her own back at the Olympics. The likes of Demi Vollering (Netherlands) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) opted to skip the Giro to have long training camps at altitude ahead of the Olympics and the Tour de France Femmes, which starts just one week after the road race in Paris. It’s going to be intriguing to see which approach pays off.
History will be made at these Games, too, because for the first time, there will be equal numbers of male and female competitors – 90 riders in each road race. This should make the women’s race even more hotly contested, with Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Great Britain all qualifying the maximum number of four riders in their teams. This will undoubtedly give these nations an advantage over those with fewer riders, but we all remember Anna Kiesenhofer’s surprise win in the last Olympic Road Race where the Austrian rider rode away solo; anything can happen in bike racing.
Women’s Olympic road race 2024 route:
While it is around 115 kilometres shorter than the route for the men’s Olympic road race, the women’s race features climbs which are more densely centred. In total, there are nine climbs in the race (only four less than in the men’s race.) The women’s peloton will be using the same run-out and finishing circuits as the men's race and only one loop outside the city centre, through the Vallée de Chevreuse.
Profile map sourced via Paris Olympics website
The race sets off from Jardins du Trocadéro and the riders head out of the city, towards the first climb of the day: the Côte des Gardes, which is 1.9 kilometres at 6%. After 48 kilometres, the riders face another short steep ascent before the route reaches its most western point in Auffargis after just over 60 kilometres of racing. It is then time for the peloton to start heading back towards Paris where the climbs come thick and fast. On the way back to the city, the riders will tackle four climbs within 30 kilometres, so we can expect this to be a crucial part in the race.
Once they arrive back in Paris, the riders race past the Louvre and complete a circuit of 18.4 kilometres. The lap is ridden three times and each circuit will include an ascent of the cobbled Butte Montmartre climb. It is a one kilometre climb at 6.5%, but the entire lap features small punches as the riders skirt through the northeast of the city.
Map sourced via Paris Olympics website
After the final time up the Butte Montmartre, there will be 9.5 kilometres of racing left to decide which rider takes home Olympic gold. The peloton will descend down towards the river Seine and cross the water for a flat run-in along the river to the finish on the Pont d’Iéna, a bridge connecting the Jardins du Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower.
Women’s Olympic road race 2024 contenders:
The standout favourite for the 2024 women’s Olympic road race is Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky. As the current world champion (a title she won on a similarly attritional city-centre circuit in Glasgow last year), Kopecky has repeatedly proven her ability in one-day races and will be a marked rider in Paris on Sunday. The only 28-year-old’s only real weakness which her rivals will look to exploit is the fact she has a slightly weaker team around her than nations like the Netherlands and Italy. Justine Ghekiere and Julie Van de Velde haven’t historically had as much success as Kopecky in one-day races and the Belgian could be isolated if her teammates are distanced early on.
One nation who will certainly not struggle with having a weak team is the Netherlands. The orange squad brings a star sprinter in Lorena Wiebes who is known to be unbeatable if she can make it over the climbs and have a shot at the finish line. Defending Tour de France Femmes champion Demi Vollering also forms part of the Dutch line-up and the 27-year-old has a plethora of podium finishes in punchy one-day Classics already this season. This year’s Amstel Gold Race winner Marianne Vos is another potential medallist in the team, with Ellen van Dijk the only rider who we can expect to see in a predetermined support role. While the strength of their team collectively is breathtaking, the problem for the Netherlands is going to be how to balance a team of winners. We’ve seen them struggle in the past to work cohesively in the national set-up with each rider having individual ambitions, which could end up being their downfall when compared to Belgium who have a clear, singular leader in Kopecky. On the other hand, their strength in numbers could be crucial when it comes to controlling attacks during the race.
Another powerhouse nation for the women’s Olympic road race is Italy. The squadra azzurra have a potential winner in Elisa Balsamo, one of the few riders who has been able to outsprint Wiebes this season. If the climbs prove too difficult for Balsamo, however, Elisa Longo Borghini and Silvia Persico are two riders who also could be in with a shot at victory from a breakaway or solo attack. Elena Cecchini completes the Italian team’s line-up and she will be an experienced road captain and reliable domestique.
Alongside Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, Great Britain also has a full quota of riders for the Olympic road race and their team will be led by former world champion Lizzie Deignan. While the British woman is yet to secure a victory this season, she is known to perform well in championship events and should not be underestimated on a technical and tough course like the one in Paris. Pfeiffer Georgi and Anna Henderson (who finished second in the Olympic individual time trial last week) are also riders who will have a part to play in this race – we can expect aggressive racing from the British team.
Another rider who will hope for a hard, attacking race is Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma. The 29-year-old beat both Vollering and Longo Borghini at La Flèche Wallonne earlier this season and has been training hard at altitude ahead of the Olympics. Niewiadoma doesn’t have the strongest team around her but is no stranger to fighting for her position at the front of a bike race. Similarly, this year’s individual time trial winner Grace Brown of Australia will hope to make attacks and drop the sprinters on the course around Paris (though Ruby Roseman-Gannon is a fast finisher for the Australian team if it does come down to a bunch kick.)
France bring a strong line-up with Juliette Labous and Audrey Cordon-Ragot at the helm – both of these riders will be especially motivated to be competing in their home Olympics and won’t be intimidated by the powerhouse nations they are up against. An eye should be kept on Germany’s Liane Lippert who performs well on punchy, rolling courses. The same could be said for Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Emma Norsgaard of Denmark, as well as Alison Jackson of Canada and Kristen Faulkner from the United States.
Women’s Olympic road race 2024 prediction:
We’re expecting the Netherlands to keep the race controlled and together for a reduced bunch kick where Lorena Wiebes will sprint to victory. The Dutch team have the strength to mark all the attacks and Wiebes is the fastest finisher in the peloton, she has also been climbing especially well this season.
