While French athletes will of course be trying their hardest to score some gold medals in the cycling, Paris itself is also going for victory when it comes to two-wheeling it.
That’s because the city has just unveiled a new network of bike lanes that will connect the various venues of the 2024 Olympic Games. Mayor Anne Hidalgo sees the project as ‘a grand celebration of cycling and a catalyst for ecological transition.’
Spanning a total of 60 kilometres, the Olympic bike lane network will be evenly split between Paris and its neighbouring areas. Picture this: you could cycle safely to Roland-Garros to watch some tennis, then pedal all the way over to the newly renovated Grand Palais to hear ‘La Marseillaise’ during a fencing match, before heading north to catch some slam dunks in Seine-Saint-Denis.
Sounds pretty convenient, right? The best part is the new cycling network won’t only be around for the Olympics – these lanes are here to stay post-Games.
And more lanes means more cyclists, obvs. So, to keep up with demand, the city will install 10,000 temporary bike parking spots around the venues, which will be relocated after the Games, and 3,000 new Vélib bikes will be added to the current fleet.
Sounds like a pretty aesthetic, summery way to shoot around Paris to us.
More on the Paris Olympics 2024
From guides on the opening ceremony and the schedule and how to watch from all over Paris and London, we’ve got answers to every question you could possibly have in our Olympics 2024 guide.
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