Today (August 2) officially marks one week since the Paris 2024 Olympics kicked off with a bang and a trip down the Seine, and they’ve been going pretty well for us here in Great Britain. So far we’ve bagged over 20 medals (discover what they’re for in full here), putting us in 6th place overall – and we’re only half way through.
We’ve already triumphed in several events including rowing, triathlon, and more, but cycling has always been a strong point for Team GB. From Chris Hoy to Bradley Wiggins, we’ve turned out some of the greatest ever athletes in the sport, and if all goes well for Tom Pidcock in the coming days, his name will soon be added to the list.
The Leeds athlete has already won a gold medal in mountain biking, but now he’s back to fight for a second in the road race. The event, which sees the cyclists through a 273km long tour of Paris and beyond, is one of 22 different bike-based competitions at the Olympics, and the finals are pretty soon. Here’s how to watch the races if you’re lucky enough to be in Paris for them.
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When are the men’s and women’s cycling road race finals?
The road race, you’ll be surprised to know, takes place on the road. This year, the planned route is a pretty scenic one, taking the sportsmen and women paast Paris landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre before sending them all the way to the Palace of Versaille, through the Chevreuse Valley, then back again.
The men’s finals will be taking place on August 3, with the women competing the following day on August 4.
Start time and how to watch the women’s cycling road race final
The women’s road race, which is over faster due to its shorter length, will likely take just over four hours. It’s due to begin at 1pm BST, and you can see highlights on BBC One and iPlayer, or find full coverage on streaming platform Discovery+.
You can read more about how to catch every event here.
Start time and how to watch the men’s cycling road race final
The men’s race will take just over six hours for the fastest to complete and will begin at 10am BST. As above, you’ll be able to catch highlights on BBC One and iPlayer, but if you don’t want to miss a moment make sure to tune into the coverage on Discovery+. Here is all the info on coverage.
Who are the cyclists to watch and who are the global favourites?
Current champion Lotte Kopecky, who will be competing for Belgium, is slated as the bookies choice for the women's road race. Off the back of her win last year in the cycling world championships, she’ll essentially be defending her title in Monday’s race. Other women who could pull it out of the bag include the Dutch duo of Lorena Wiebes and Demi Vollering, the latter of whom actually won last year’s Tour de France Femmes. Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini is also amongst those to watch, while the GB fave is Lizzie Deignan.
As for the boys, current world champ Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands will be looking to take the gold and remain at the top of the international leaderboards, but he’ll face fierce challenge from Michael Matthews of Australia, Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who won gold in the time trials event, and even our very own Tom Pidcock.
It’s set to be a pretty tight race, which makes it awfully nerve-wracking for the competitors, but exciting for us watching at home.
Who will be representing Team GB?
In 2016, Bradley Wiggins took home a gold for team GB in the road race, a feat which Tom Pidcock will be trying to recreate. As well as Tom, we’re taking a solid team of long-distance cyclists this year.
Josh Tarling, Stevie Williams and Fred Wright will represent us in the men’s event, with Lizzie Deignan, Pfeiffer Georgi, Anna Henderson, and Anna Morris fighting for us amongst the women.
You can learn more about the entire Team GB cycling team, including for the track and road events, here.
When are the Paris 2024 track cycling events?
Track cycling is entirely different to the road cycling events, and as such isn’t taking place until next week. There are also a lot of track events to get through, and they will be ongoing throughout the day from August 5-11.
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