The Olympic road race in Paris this weekend promises intense competition, with Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert emerging as strong favourites. Evenepoel and his Belgian teammates, including van Aert, Jasper Stuyven, and Tiesj Benoot, conducted a slow recon ride of the Olympic road race course earlier this week. The planned ride through Montmartre, featuring the Sacre Coeur basilica, faced disruptions due to high pedestrian and traffic levels, reducing the ride to a controlled 30 kph pace.
Mathieu van der Poel, tipped as the biggest favourite, skipped the recon ride, opting instead for countryside training. Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad, he said, “I don’t find that very useful. There are plenty of videos of the course.” He considered it unnecessary to spend “an entire afternoon to cycle around at a tourist pace.”
The men’s and women’s road races will finish off the outside Olympic cycling programme, with the men covering 273 kilometres on Saturday and the women 158 kilometres on Sunday. Both races will start at Pont d’Iena near the Eiffel Tower, venture into the French countryside, and return to the city, passing landmarks like the Louvre before entering the finishing circuit at Montmartre for three laps.
The course bears similarities to some spring one-day Classics like Paris-Roubaix, favouring riders with strong bike-handling skills. This suits the Belgian squad, including Evenepoel, van Aert, Stuyven, and Benoot. Evenepoel, reflecting on his recent achievements, said, “Luckily, I’m not the lonely leader in my team, so we have multiple cards to play.”
Other contenders include France’s Julian Alaphilippe, Britain’s Tom Pidcock (fresh from his gold in the Mountain Biking), Denmark’s versatile Mads Pedersen, and Slovenia’s Matej Mohoric, who replaces Tadej Pogacar. The U.S. team features Matteo Jorgenson, Brandon McNulty, and Magnus Sheffield.
Evenepoel and van Aert, recovering from past rivalries, now aim to secure another gold for Belgium. They were pleased with their recent medals from the time trial—gold for Evenepoel and bronze for van Aert. “The experience from Australia has taught us that I have a peak two weeks after a Grand Tour. Let’s hope that’s the case again on Saturday,” Evenepoel mentioned, eager for another peak performance.
Van Aert, recovering from a high-speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen, shifted his focus to peak for the Paris Olympics. His silver in Tokyo and recent form boost his confidence. “I think I’m once again the best Wout I can be on the bike,” he remarked, noting the progress made despite past injuries.
Both riders completed several laps of the Montmartre finishing circuit, acknowledging its selective nature. “Seeing it confirmed what I already suspected. It is a kind of course that suits me, with explosive climbs that are not too long and not too steep either,” van Aert observed. He pointed out the significance of the cobbled climb to Montmartre, highlighting its potential to decide the race.
Evenepoel shared his thoughts: “Montmartre is not the only climb. It’ll be a real elimination race, especially in these temperatures and at the end of the summer block of racing.” He sees the course suiting him, predicting splits during the laps due to accumulated fatigue.
The rivalry with van der Poel remains a focal point. Evenepoel warned, “Mathieu is always dangerous,” while van Aert added, “Just because we didn’t see him in the Tour doesn’t mean we won’t see Mathieu in Paris. He was working towards it one hundred per cent.” Both Belgian riders emphasised the importance of communication and teamwork, hoping to race effectively together against formidable opponents.
