Sports
Remco Evenepoel completes Olympic double as Belgian crushes rivals in men’s road race
Remco Evenepoel became the first man in history to claim Olympic road and time trial titles at the same Games as the Belgian conjured a brilliant solo win on the streets of Paris.
The Belgian had to contend with a dramatic late puncture, 3.8km from the finish beneath the Eiffel Tower. But he had enough of a lead that he could afford to sit up and raise his hands as he crossed the finish line in Trocadero, beneath the Eiffel Tower.
France took second and third on the podium, with Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte 1min11sec and 1min16sec back respectively.
Evenepoel has long been touted as the successor to Belgian great Eddy Merckx and the 24-year-old is beginning to fulfil that promise. His win in the time trial last week arguably owed some luck to a puncture suffered by Team GB’s Josh Tarling. But there was nothing lucky about this victory.
Evenepoel, who finished third in last month’s Tour de France, attacked from the group of favourites 38km out, as the peloton were doing laps of the finish circuit around Montmartre, and swiftly caught up to the leaders which included Ireland’s Ben Healy.
Evenepoel then dropped his fellow breakaway riders and took off solo. There was drama with just under 4km remaining as he slowed to a halt with a rear-wheel puncture. Without race radio, he was unsure of the gap to the group behind. Evenepoel gestured frantically at his team car to give him a spare bike and he was soon on his way again. Pre-race favourite Mathieu van der Poel, who had Evenepoel’s team mate Wout van Aert glued to his wheel, was powerless to respond.
Britain’s Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock was in the same group.
Men’s road race: As it happened…
05:32 PM BST
Over and out from us
Thanks for following the live blog. Gold star and energy gels for anyone who’s been here for the entire eight-hour stretch. Evenepoel crushed the rest in Paris this afternoon, but the home nation’s fans can be delighted with silver and bronze from two riders firmly in the outsider category, Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte.
We’ll be back tomorrow to cover the Olympic women’s road race, which gets underway at 14:00 BST. On the 153km route, Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) start as favourites. Can Team GB talents Pfeiffer Georgi, time trial silver medallist Anna Henderson or veteran star Lizzie Deignan surprise them?
In the meantime, you catch up with everything else that’s been happening on day 8 of the Olympics here.
05:26 PM BST
Politt answers call of nature in famous Montmartre cafe
There’s no hiding in this age of camera phones. Apparently Nils Pollitt, the German rider who was in the chase group, stopped at the Amelie cafe in Montmartre for an urgent call of nature.
05:24 PM BST
Remco on the podium
Flanked by Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte, Remco Evenepoel turns to the Belgian flag and sings the national anthem for the second time in a week, shedding a few tears at the end.
Third in his debut Tour de France and now Olympic gold medals in the time trial and road race, what a summer it’s been for the 24-year-old.
05:20 PM BST
Aftermath of cross-country success tired out Pidcock
Pidcock says he felt sluggish and mentally exhausted. “Didn’t really get much sleep after the mountain bike. Too many people gave me birthday cake for my birthday,” he joked. Intriguingly he also said contract talks had left him frazzled.
05:15 PM BST
Evenepoel hangs up on the Paris Olympics in style
05:12 PM BST
Evenepoel was too strong to make the finale enthralling
Some of Eurosport’s pundits were calling it a “classic” race. Not sure about that: it was set up for a more enthralling, tactical race with 35km to go but Remco Evenepoel was too strong. There wasn’t much suspense once it became clear how much superior he was to the rest, burning through the chase group with ease.
Ireland’s Ben Healy deserves a special mention for his manful ride, up the road for the last 85 kilometres and coming within seconds of an Olympic medal.
However, for optics and fans, it’s a 10/10. Those images from Montmartre, the Sacre-Coeur and Evenepoel’s celebration in front of the Eiffel Tower will live long in the memory.
05:08 PM BST
Team GB road race results round-up
Tom Pidcock was best of the Brits, hiding in the bunch well all day and striking hard in the finale to finish 13th. Stephen Williams placed 31st, Fred Wright was 43rd. Josh Tarling finished 47th.
Speaking to Eurosport post-race, Wright said:
“I’m gutted. When Remco came to the group I was in, I just didn’t have it. I was already skipping turns, trying to recover from the effort of getting there. I’m proud of how I put myself there but I just wish I had a bit more.
It was on one of the drags, the lights just went out. I was on the limit. We had a good group. [shrugs] I did what I could.”
05:02 PM BST
Breakaway star Kagimu crosses the finish line
What a brave ride from the Ugandan 25-year-old, who just crossed the line. He was in front for 180 kilometres in the day’s early breakaway, was shelled from the bunch but kept fighting all day and has finished the Olympic road race after almost seven hours in the saddle.
04:59 PM BST
Iconic
04:56 PM BST
Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) didn’t live up to his pre-race tag of favourite
It didn’t work out for the Dutchman, who won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the spring. Speaking to Eurosport, he said:
This was a scenario I feared for a bit. I thought when I attacked first time on Montmartre, the race was done. We were with a really good and strong group, but then it came back. Remco went and I knew it was a really dangerous moment. I’m happy for him.
I knew that Wout [van Aert] was focusing on me, but there’s nothing wrong with that. We went away a few times, the two of us, and I thought we had a chance. I think I was good enough but it was a difficult situation for me.
04:52 PM BST
Post-race reaction from Remco Evenepoel
Speaking to Eurosport, the newly-crowned Olympic road race champion could smile about his mechanical mishap with 4km to go:
“What a place to win this. It was a pretty hard day out there and I’m so proud to win this and be the first ever to take the double. It’s history, no?
I felt that his [Madouas’] legs were getting empty and I felt the kicker where I dropped him really suited the big gear. From there on, it was pushing, pushing, pushing to the line. I really feel sick from the effort, especially that stressy moment with 4km to go.
I got a straight puncture and I had to change bike and I think the car wasn’t ready for that moment but in the end, I had time enough. What a day.
I knew what was in the background so that’s why I wanted to do that [celebration]. I think it’s going to be a great picture.”
04:47 PM BST
All the atmosphere in Montmartre?
It’s surprisingly empty at the Trocadero finish. I’m sitting in the press tribune just beyond the finish line and there are quite a few empty seats opposite me in the grandstands. Maybe they’re all up in Montmartre on the finish circuit, where the crowds look incredible.
Or they are all Valentin Madouas fans and they’ve scarpered. My word, though, the pictures from this finish are going to be good with the Eiffel Tower soaring majestically above us.
04:43 PM BST
Here’s the top 10 from the Olympic men’s road race; Pidcock 13th
Pidcock was one of the best of the rest, finishing on the wheel of Mathieu van der Poel.
1. Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) 6:19:34
2. Valentin Madouas (France) at 1 minute 11 seconds
3. Christophe Laporte (France) at 1:16
4. Attila Valter (Hungary)
5. Toms Skujins (Latvia)
6. Marco Haller (Austria)
7. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland)
8. Jan Tratnik (Slovenia)
9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA)
10. Ben Healy (Ireland) at 1:20
11. Julian Alaphilippe (France) at 1:25
12. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) at 1:49
13. Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) at 1:50
04:35 PM BST
Two in one week for the Belgian prodigy
04:34 PM BST
Alaphilippe congratulates Evenepoel
“La classe,” Alaphilippe says, congratulating winner Remco Evenepoel. No translation needed. He took the Olympic road race by the scruff of the neck.
Rolling in over three minutes down, Wout van Aert just hugged his compatriot too. Team Belgium are on top again.
That mechanic who handed him the spare bike is owed a beer or two for his fast service, mind.
04:31 PM BST
Silver for Madouas, bronze for Laporte
What a gutsy ride from Madouas. He pumps his fist after hanging on for the silver medal. Behind, it’s his team-mate Christophe Laporte sprinting to another medal for France, taking the bronze.
Mathieu van der Poel leads Tom Pidcock over the line about 45 seconds after Madouas. Both have rueful looks on their faces: this is not the result they wanted. I reckon Pidcock will have crossed the line in about 15th place.
04:29 PM BST
Remco Evenepoel takes road race gold
Evenepoel looks behind and puts his left arm in the air, index finger pointed out. He takes a right turn over the Seine by the Eiffel Tower and he can take in the scene, slowly riding the final 200 metres. Over the line, he stops, picks up his Specialized bike and spreads his arms wide before doing the ‘phone down’ celebration popularised by tennis player Ben Shelton.
04:27 PM BST
Evenepoel is still gong to win comfortably
Now,Evenepoel smiles. He has 1.6km to go and a lead of 1:02, even in spite of that nerve-wracking bike change. It’s been an imperious ride from the Belgian, who is about to become a double Olympic champion.
Madouas still has 20 seconds’ lead on the Jorgenson group. They can see him, but the Frenchman ought to hold on for silver here.
04:25 PM BST
Mechanical problem and bike change for Evenepoel!
Oh, he has a problem with his bike and needs a new bike! Remco Evenepoel is shouting, screaming and waving for a new Specialized. He gets it, but he’s lost 20 seconds at least.
His heart will be racing. 3.5km to go.
He gestures angrily at the camera bike asking for the time gap. He’s got no race radio and has no idea that his advantage is still healthy. High drama.
04:24 PM BST
5km to go
Shades of Evenepoel’s 2022 world road title in Australia, where he rode the last 25km solo. This is textbook Remco Evenepoel and his rivals could do nothing about it when push comes to shove, despite expecting that tactic.
It’s not over in the race for silver and bronze. Ben Healy (Ireland) and Marco Haller (Austria) are with Jorgenson and Laporte.
04:21 PM BST
Pidcock in the peloton
I’ve not seen him on the footage, but Team GB’s Tom Pidcock is listed as being part of the 30 riders in the reduced peloton, alongside pre-race favourites Van der Poel and Van Aert. There’s a chance for a top-10 finish there.
04:20 PM BST
8km to go: An Evenepoel exhibition
Sportingly, Evenepoel finally betrayed some signs of difficulty and effort on the final stretches of the Butte Montmartre. He is human, after all.
The Belgian is up and over the final significant test of this urban circuit, with a lead of 56 seconds on Madouas and 1:28 over Jorgenson, Laporte and Healy.
04:18 PM BST
Jorgenson leads chasers onto Butte Montmartre
Matteo Jorgenson (USA) and Christophe Laporte (France) break away on the climb and eat into the lead of Madouas. Silver could still be in play if the Frenchman blows up.
Even the tens of thousands of cheers from Parisian fans can’t help Madouas go much faster.
04:15 PM BST
Evenepoel riding to gold
Evenepoel had to angrily gesture to the nearby TV camera to give him some space. That would have been a palaver if the runaway leader was fetched off in that manner…
As he turns past the Moulin Rouge and onto the cobbled Butte Montmartre climb, this circuit’s fan-thronged centrepiece, for the last time, Evenepoel has already put 30 seconds into Madouas.
The chasers are 1:15 down, but they’re likely to be hoovered up by an attack from Van der Poel or Van Aert on that climb.
04:12 PM BST
15km to go: Evenepoel attacks and drops Madouas
After six hours of racing, Remco Evenepoel gets out of the saddle on a drag and leaves Valentin Madouas behind. Barring a crash or mechanical problem, he is going to win Olympic gold.
This young Belgian was compared to Eddy Merckx endlessly as a junior rider. This is Merckx-esque, a star in a state of grace. He accelerated across to the chase group with frightening ease and power.
04:08 PM BST
The race for bronze
58 seconds behind the two leaders, Matteo Jorgenson and Christophe Laporte have caught Healy, Kueng and Haller. This is looking like a race for the bronze medal now.
Valentin Madouas shakes his head when Evenepoel gestures to come through. Unless he’s the world’s best bluffer, this is about hanging onto the Evenepoel express for as long as possible and securing a silver medal on home soil.
04:05 PM BST
What a shot
04:04 PM BST
You don’t need to be a body language expert here
20km to go, the lead 53 seconds.
In front, Valentin Madouas is struggling to hold Evenepoel’s wheel. He’s not playing games; he can hardly come through to do his turn on the front. It feels like the Belgian is waiting for the final ascent of the Butte Montmartre to turn the screw one more time and ride off alone for the gold medal.
Incidentally, both are from cycling families: Evenepoel’s father Patrick and Madouas’s dad Laurent were both professional riders in the 1980s and 1990s.
04:02 PM BST
43 seconds advantage for Evenepoel and Madouas
There’s little cohesive chase in the truncated third chase group. Just attacks going over attacks. Christophe Laporte (France) and Matteo Jorgenson (USA) – trade team-mates at Visma-Lease a Bike – try to combine to get away from their rivals, but nothing doing.
03:59 PM BST
25km to go: Evenepoel and Madouas drop Healy
Then there were two. After putting in many brave, hard kilometres in front, Ben Healy has dropped off the front group. Now it’s just the charging Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Valentin Madouas (France).
Madouas isn’t doing much work with Evenepoel. Well, he’s not going to foolishly put himself even more into the red behind this in-form prodigy.
The Belgian won the Olympic time trial and he has put himself in a prime position to add the road race title too.
20 seconds back to Kueng, Healy and Haller, 45 seconds back to the Van der Poel and Van Aert chase group.
03:54 PM BST
Van der Poel charges on Butte Montmartre
Evenepoel is hammering away from the turn onto Rue Lepic past the Moulin Rouge. This test is 1.1km at 5.5% average. Kueng and Haller are jettisoned, with Madouas and Healy hanging on. The Belgian is riding away with this.
45 seconds behind in the bunch, Van der Poel hits the front, with Alaphilippe, Pedersen and Van Aert on his wheel. Then he accelerates hard and Wout van Aert jumps onto his wheel again!
03:49 PM BST
30km to go
Evenepoel’s attack has transformed the race. He is in the lead group, 35 seconds up, with Valentin Madouas (France), Marco Haller (Austria), Ben Healy (Ireland) and Stefan Kueng (Switzerland).
If Van der Poel, Pidcock or Pedersen want gold, they – or their team-mates – have to chase hard and take the risk of letting Wout van Aert sit in. He doesn’t have to lift a finger in the chase with his Belgian team-mate there.
03:47 PM BST
GB’s Wright dropped from lead group and Healy is caught
Remco Evenepoel’s pace is relentless. Behind, they are grimacing and straining out of the saddle. He hardly seems to be breathing. And he catches Healy! The 24-year-old is the clear favourite.
Fred Wright is dropped from the chase group, while Nils Politt slinks back to the bunch, 39 seconds down.
03:44 PM BST
35km to go: Healy leads Evenepoel group by 21 seconds
Ireland’s Ben Healy lives for against-the-odds rides like this. Usually in the pink kit of EF Education-EasyPost, he did a similar ride in the Giro d’Italia last year, riding solo for 55km to a stage victory. He gets aero and uses his time trial engine to stave off te chasers. It will benefit him if there is looking around or hesitation behind.
However, Evenepoel has gone to the front of the chase group and is slashing his lead down. The Belgian looks full of riding.
03:41 PM BST
Evenepoel attacks!
The impetus has gone out of the Van der Poel-Van Aert group and Team GB’s Stephen Williams leads a small group back up to them. Remco Evenepoel takes advantage of a lull, attacks hard and catches everyone’s nappy. In a matter of minutes, he’s up to the chase group.
Pidcock may be hiding, but there’s no sign of him. Meanwhile, Fred Wright is hanging tough in the chase group, 32 seconds down on Healy.
03:39 PM BST
The two pre-race favourites aren’t messing about
03:35 PM BST
Healy alone in the lead
Van der Poel and Van Aert have been joined by Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Toms Skujins (Latvia) and Julian Alaphilippe (France). That’s valuable firepower in their pursuit, 40 seconds down on the lone leader.
In front, Ben Healy (Ireland) has dropped Lutsenko and leads Valentin Madouas (France), Fred Wright (Great Britain), Michael Woods (Canada), Nils Politt (Germany, Stefan Kueng (Switzerland), Marco Haller (Austria) and Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan) by 20 seconds.
03:32 PM BST
45km to go: Van der Poel and Van Aert attack
Halfway up the first of three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, Mathieu van der Poel puts in a huge attack. Only Wout van Aert can respond, hanging onto his wheel. They’ve cut 30 seconds off the deficit to the chase group already.
It’s an incredible scene in Montmartre, with tens of thousands of spectators screaming and waving their national flags. Goosebumps-inducing stuff.
03:24 PM BST
50km to go: puncture for contender Pedersen
Oddly, the Dane has a wheel change rather than getting a new bike, which would have been considerably quicker. Matej Mohoric (Slovenia) also has a flat and chases like the clappers in the convoy to get back to the bunch.
The peloton hits the River Seine in central Paris past crowds packed six deep. They will take on the first climb of the Butte Montmartre in 3km. Amelie cutesiness, it ain’t: the road is steep, cobbled and narrow, and it will likely whittle down the race further.
03:21 PM BST
“Total chaos” in the peloton
Doing comms for Eurosport, Robbie McEwen finds it incredible that Belgium and the Netherlands missed that move of strongmen.
“They’re staring at each other and the race is riding off into the distance,” he says.
Tiesj Benoot is tapping out a pace, with Ryan Mullen in his wheel, which shows it’s not full-on. They’re 1:16 down on Healy and Lutsenko and a minute behind the chasing group.
03:15 PM BST
Team GB’s Wright attacks
The tempo has lulled and Team GB racer Fred Wright jumps across to Woods and Politt. Clever racing from the Londoner.
Valentin Madouas (France) is also there, with Stefan Kueng (Switzerland), Marco Haller (Austria) and Jambaljants Sainbayar (Mongolia). They are only 17 seconds down on Healy and Lutsenko.
Big guns Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands have all missed out, but they won’t commit a man in the chase. They’re 53 seconds behind the duo in front.
03:12 PM BST
60km to go: Pidcock in the mix
Pidcock is spotted in the third row of riders: close enough to the front to see who is attacking, far enough away from taking any wind. He’s biding his time, saving his best for the cobbles of Butte Montmartre.
Nils Politt (Germany) shows his blindingly-white teeth as he launches an attack, followed by Canadian veteran Michael Woods.
03:07 PM BST
Stefan Kueng (Switzerland) sets off a speed camera
That sums it up: the bunch is not hanging around. With 210 kilometres in everyone’s legs, attack will soon be the best form of defence for most contenders.
The leaders are only ten kilometres from entering the finishing circuit in Paris. The rain is staying away for now, happily.
03:04 PM BST
Healy and Lutsenko lead by 27 seconds
Mullen drops back to the bunch after giving everything to increase his team-mate’s advantage.
Evenepoel accelerates again through the feed zone, with Matteo Jorgenson (USA) and Mads Pedersen (Denmark) following him. Little chance to grab a water bottle there for anybody, maybe not the most popular place to attack…
03:01 PM BST
72km to go: Evenepoel attacks
Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) surges, making the race hard for team-mate Wout van Aert. There’s no way his rivals are giving him an inch. The Dutch only have three riders here and Mathieu van der Poel is about twenty riders down.
Mullen is turning himself inside out to give Healy a chance, with Lutsenko in tow. Helped by a lull following Evenepoel’s move, their lead is up to 30 seconds
Onto the Côte du Pave des Gardes, then we’re back in the Parisian suburbs. It’s a molehill at 1.5km at 4.4% and shouldn’t trouble the bunch much.
02:56 PM BST
Montmartre is packed with fans
02:53 PM BST
Benoot injects pace as Irishmen team up
On the next Chevreuse hill, Tiesj Benoot sets a wicked pace in the peloton with Remco Evenepoel poised to strike on his wheel. He has whittled it down to a lead group of 35 or so riders.
In front, Mullen has dropped Viviani. He has waited to link up with Ben Healy to set the pace for him and Lutsenko. However, their lead is little more than 15 seconds.
02:47 PM BST
80km to go
The remaining distance in this race will be ticked off in under two hours. Experienced racers Ryan Mullen (Ireland) and Elia Viviani (Italy) are in the breakaway, after joining the original escapees in a mid-race move.
They are 50 seconds ahead of Ben Healy (Ireland) and Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan), with the peloton 1:15 behind them. It’s going to be full-on racing all the way to the finish line by the Eiffel Tower.
The race enters the finishing circuit in the French capital with 54km to go. The punchy, picturesque cobbled climb through Montmartre will likely decide the medals.
02:41 PM BST
Ben Healy (Ireland) gets up the road
Raised in the Midlands town of Stourbridge, racing for Ireland, Ben Healy has made an attack stick. He is working hard with Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan), 15 seconds up on the bunch.
In front, Mullen theoretically should ease up and help his team-mate… but does he know that he’s there yet? There are no race radios being used in this event, something to which these seasoned pro riders are accustomed.
His compatriot Alexandre Vinokourov won the Olympic road race at London 2012, outsprinting Rigoberto Uran. “Vino” was in the feed zone, holding out bidons earlier in the race.
02:36 PM BST
90km to go: more attacks in the peloton
Without any joy, Healy gives it another dig, but he is marked by rivals. Team GB’s Fred Wright briefly appears on the front, marshalling affairs. The bunch is strung out over the top of the climb, with no country in control. It could be surges and counter-surges all the way into Paris now.
Up the road, it’s survival of the fittest. Ryan Mullen and Elia Viviani have dropped Rougier-Lagane and Kagimu. The pair of minnows can be proud of their rides after 180km in front though. They’ve not just followed at the Olympics, they’ve helped to make the race.
02:30 PM BST
Bouglas drops back, making it four in front
On the Côte de Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, Mullen inadvertently puts a few metres into the rest of the break. Viviani is contributing to the pace, but the rest are just sitting on the wheel, trying to stay out in front for as long as possible.
Georgios Bouglas (Greece) falls off the pace and Charles Kagimu (Uganda) has to dig deep to stay on Rougier-Lagane’s wheel.
Behind, attack in the bunch: Valentin Madouas of France accelerates, and he is marked by Ben Healy (Ireland), Stefan Kueng (Switzerland) and Jasper Stuyven (Belgium).
02:24 PM BST
100 kilometres to go
We’re heading towards the business end of the race, with the five-man breakaway two minutes up on the peloton.
We haven’t seen much of contender Tom Pidcock on camera so far, but that is no bad thing: he has been safely sat in the bunch, protected from the wind by his GB team-mates and saving his energy for the final hour of gung-ho racing.
02:16 PM BST
Novak attacks – briefly
Domen Novak (Slovenia) surges at the front on the Côte de Senlisse, but he only has 30 seconds of freedom before Belgian rider Tiesj Benoot brings him back.
With Tadej Pogacar on holiday, their hopes will likely rest on Matej Mohoric. One of the smartest riders in the bunch, the breakaway artist might fancy the tough finale and technical descent off the Butte Montmartre.
There are five short, sharp climbs in the Chevreuse valley coming in quick succession before the peloton races back to central Paris. They’re hardly Alpine giants, but they will add to the cumulative fatigue.
02:04 PM BST
Down to five leaders in front
Mullen isn’t messing about. He has injected pace and urgency into the group, and several riders are wilting. Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda) is dropped, as are Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco) and Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand).
The leaders are now Ryan Mullen (Ireland), Elia Viviani (Italy), Georgios Bouglas (Greece), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).
Daan Hoole (Netherlands) is still doing manful work in the bunch, 2:45 in arrears. Pre-race favourite Mathieu van der Poel pops out of the slipstream, 20 wheels back, with Julian Alaphilippe (France) on his wheel.
01:57 PM BST
Into the Chevreuse valley, territory of a bygone bike race
We’re into the rolling hills of the Chevreuse valley, heading to the Côte de Senlisse. Few professional bike races come through here these days, but the now-defunct marathon event Bordeaux-Paris used to pass very close by there.
Yes: that’s right, a non-stop race over 557 kilometres between the two cities. The competitors would leave Bordeaux at three in the morning and ride behind derny motorbikes during the event. These punchy hills of the Chevreuse sometimes proved decisive after 15 hours of racing.
The great British champion Tom Simpson won Bordeaux-Paris in 1963.
01:53 PM BST
Mullen, Viviani and Bouglas catch leaders
There are now eight men in front, as broad-shouldered Ryan Mullen (Ireland), a time trial specialist, tears past the escapees who have been out there from the gun. He did much of the grunt work in the chase.
Back in the bunch, his compatriot Ben Healy has his aero helmet on and is an outside bet for a medal. Given his proclivity for attacking and shaking races up, I’d expect Midlands-born Healy to give it a go on the final circuit in Paris.
01:48 PM BST
Lunch time: bunch heads through the feed zone
Riders galore slow to take musettes and bidons, with 125km left to go. I don’t think they’ll be having smoked salmon sandwiches, as I just did on my lunch break, to get their precious energy in though…
Mullen, Viviani and Bouglas are only 35 seconds behind the five leaders, who are tiring after nearly four hours of hard riding out in front. The bunch is making inroads too, only 3:20 in arrears.
01:30 PM BST
Race situation at the halfway mark: 136km raced, 136km to go.
Five riders are up front in the breakaway formed from the gun: Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda), Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).
They’re 3 minutes up on a chase group consisting of Ryan Mullen (Ireland), Elia Viviani (Italy) and Georgios Bouglas (Greece). Previous fellow escapee Gleb Syritsa (Individual Neutral Athletes) has dropped back to the bunch.
Then there’s the bunch, containing contenders like Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), Wout van Aert (Belgium) and Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock. They are 6 minutes behind the lead quintet.
01:24 PM BST
Mads Pedersen, Denmark’s medal prospect
Mads Pedersen has had a race against time to be fit and on form for this Olympics road race. He crashed at the end of stage 5 of the Tour de France almost four weeks ago and was forced to quit the race two days later after fighting through the pain.
The Dane, a world champion in 2019 when the road race was held in Harrogate, is a big character who leads by example and has a history of performing on the biggest days. A handy bunch sprinter, he might lack the punchiness of Van der Poel and Van Aert on that finishing circuit, with three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, but don’t underestimate his climbing ability. His Danish team-mates clearly have faith in his ability, as Mikkel Bjerg rides third wheel, bringing down the breakaway’s lead.
01:16 PM BST
Belgian fans dreaming
A pair of boisterous, optimistic Belgian fans in Montmartre interviewed on Eurosport’s coverage predict a Wout van Aert win and a Belgian one-two-three-four: “Remco will be second, so it’s ok.”
01:12 PM BST
It’s three hours since the start – and what a location
01:08 PM BST
Explaining the Individual Neutral Athletes distinction
Gleb Syritsa, a team-mate of Mark Cavendish at Astana Qazaqstan Team, is also in the chasing group with Ryan Mullen.
He’s in a plain white jersey, racing for Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) here. Of course, you won’t find that country on a map. Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing under that banner.
That’s because Russia and Belarus were banned from sending teams to the 2024 Olympics after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was backed by neighbours Belarus.
Instead, individual athletes from the countries can take part, as long as they meet certain conditions outlined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
For example, all AIN athletes here in Paris have been checked by a panel to make sure that they have not endorsed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
01:00 PM BST
Hoole working hard for Van der Poel
Diligent Dutch racer Daan Hoole has had his Weetabix this morning. Probably tallest man in the 90-strong field, a 198cm (6’6”) strongman who races for Lidl-Trek the rest of the year, he’s putting in a shift on the front. He finds time to wave at some oranje-clad Dutch fans as he leads the bunch around a turn.
Working hard with Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark), the pair have combined to bring the bunch’s deficit down to 9 minutes 20 seconds on the leading quintet. Meanwhile, the four-man group containing Ireland’s Ryan Mullen, is 6:25 down on the frontmen.
12:50 PM BST
Van Aert and Evenepoel: Belgian beef buried?
With the strongest nations only fielding four-man teams, every single individual has to pull their weight. Belgium have one of the strongest teams on paper. Milan-Sanremo winner Jasper Stuyven is another possible dark horse who was climbing strongly in the last week of the recent Tour de France.
But it’s likely that fast-finishing king of versatility Wout van Aert will be their frontman. It could be a showdown between fellow “van man” Mathieu van der Poel, reprising some of their past showdowns on the road or in the cyclo-cross mud.
However, Remco Evenepoel could also grab more glory after his impressive Olympic time trial win. Give him a metre and he’ll take a mile; he has won a fair few races with unlikely 50km solo breakaways. He could force the other nations to chase hard by going on the warpath early. And they still might not catch him: that’s how he won the 2022 World Championships road race title, for example.
But it’s no guarantee that the Belgium team will work in harmony. After a poor showing at the 2021 World Championships, Evenepoel bemoaned the fact the Belgian team had stuck to its plan of riding for Van Aert, saying it was a wasted opportunity for other riders in the team. He believed he could have won the race.
Meanwhile, Van Aert claimed the younger man didn’t follow their agreed pre-race tactics, joining early attacks, and criticised him for adding “fuel to the fire” with his public comments.
12:36 PM BST
The race situation with 100km raced, 172km to go
Achraf Ed Doghmy has been up and down from the front group like a yo-yo today. After a long, lonely chase, he is back with the leaders and it’s five in front. He is accompanied by Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda). The quintet attacked from the gun.
They have a 9-minute lead on four chasers: Ryan Mullen (Ireland), Gleb Syritsa (Individual Neutral Athletes), Georgios Bouglas (Greece) and Elia Viviani (Italy).
The bunch is organised and riding hard again. Daan Hoole (Netherlands), Tiesj Benoot (Belgium) and Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark) are taking turns, 13 minutes behind the leaders.
12:30 PM BST
Mark Cavendish reckons “maturing” Pidcock can win
Legendary sprinter Mark Cavendish has written a piece for us, assessing Tom Pidcock’s chances, the booing he received at the cross-country and analysing what makes the Olympic road race such a different course.
Few professional cyclists out there are more canny, prolific or experienced than the Manxman. You can read it in full here, a snippet below. Fast rider, good writer – a possible alternative career path after his impending retirement:
Anything can happen. Tom does not win a lot of races, but when he does, it tends to be a memorable one where he has risen to the occasion. He will be one of a number of opportunists, like home favourite Julian Alaphilippe, trying to sniff out the right move. And come to think of it, the men’s Olympic Road Race has historically provided a winner who was not an out-and-out favourite.
People say Tom can be a bit cocky but most of us were when we were young, particularly if we have been surrounded by people telling us how great we are. I am actually very impressed with how he is maturing. The way he raced on Monday, staying so calm, particularly during the wheel change when they were not ready for him. It would have been so easy to lose his head.
12:22 PM BST
Bike change for GB’s Josh Tarling
Looks like a jammed chain for Team GB’s Josh Tarling. He puts his hand up, waits for the Team GB bike and they give him a new bike. The tall Welshman is no doubt sick of mechanical misfortune after the puncture which put him out of medal contention in last week’s time trial.
12:20 PM BST
Four in front as Ed Doghmy drops back
The man in red, Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco), suffered a mechanical issue and he’s dropped 30 seconds off the front group, making it four in front. Here are some images from the morning’s racing.
12:11 PM BST
Ireland’s Mullen leads chase group away
The go-slow is a memory, as accelerations come thick and fast from attackers in the bunch. Santiago Buitrago (Colombia), Ryan Mullen (Ireland) and Domen Novak (Slovenia) – a late replacement for Pogacar – give it a go. Fred Wright turns his hand round on the front of the bunch, the universal signal for “can we stop messing about incohesively and work together?”
Mullen is dragging a chase group away from a disinterested bunch. He’s joined by Elia Viviani (Italy), Gleb Syritsa (Individual Neutral Athletes) and Georgios Bouglas (Greece), and they’ve quickly taken a minute on the bunch. Just 12 to chase down on the leaders…
We’re still in the early phases of the race, so this is nothing to overly worry the stars yet.
12:00 PM BST
The break’s lead shoots up to 12 minutes
The peloton is going slow.
No country is willing to commit a man on the front to set a decent pace anymore and they’re rolling along, chatting, taking on food and spread out at the front like it’s a leisurely Sunday cycling club ride. In a matter of a few kilometres, the advantage of the breakaway has doubled from six to a dozen minutes.
Fancied French hope Julian Alaphilippe stops for a bike change. It’s the perfect time to do it.
11:35 AM BST
Pidcock well-placed near the front
Team GB’s big medal hope is sitting about a dozen riders back, vigilantly keeping an eye on things. His Pinarello Dogma bike has a gold paint job fade on it, breaking up the black. Very nsnazzy.
Mikkel Bjerg of Denmark is tapping out a steady pace, replicating the job he does for UAE Team Emirates leader Tadej Pogacar during big races of the year, lining out this unusually-small bunch. With 90 starters and 273km on the menu, it’s both the longest Olympic men’s road race in history and the one with the smallest field.
11:23 AM BST
50km done, six-minute lead for the breakaway
Moroccan rider Achraf Ed Doghmy is back with the breakaway after a short period in no man’s land.
Just to recap, his four fellow fugitives are Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).
Kagimu is the reigning African continental time trial champion, while Rougier-Lagane won a Tour of Algeria stage this spring. For all of them, the level of competition is a cut above what they’re used, but they’re giving it a good go.
11:14 AM BST
Netherlands working for Van der Poel
The bunch is passing through Saint-Germain-en-Laye, birthplace to Louis XIV, composer Claude Debussy and former tennis star Amelie Mauresmo.
It’s already interesting to see who is doing the early tempo-setting: Denmark have done a few turns and Daan Hoole (Netherlands) is keeping the gap down for team leader Mathieu van der Poel. Without race radio communication, it’s a little trickier to know how close the breakaway is, but these five unfancied riders shouldn’t cause too much concern for the big hitters.
11:05 AM BST
Pin it to win it
Thanakhan Chaiyasombat shows his Thai pin to the camera, as the escape’s lead ticks over seven minutes. It’s no surprise to even see it being carried during a race: athletes and fans alike go crazy to collect these colourful badges.
Andy Murray has over 70 already, tracking down a Liechtenstein competitor to get his rare one. It’s a craze loved by Simone Biles and Snoop Dogg too, as Simon Briggs reported, meeting some pin-gathering fanatics.
10:54 AM BST
Biniam Girmay: long shot or not?
“Girmay to be filed as an outsider? Have you seen the parcours? Absolutely less than zero chance,” says one commenter.
Well, Girmay isn’t a pure sprinter – he can get over some hills – and the route isn’t that tricky until it returns to central Paris.
He won a couple of stages in the Tour de France with 2,300m of climbing over much shorter distance. That said, he has no team-mates and that will count against him. I think he’d need incredible legs and poor tactics from rivals to win because they absolutely won’t want to drag the green jersey winner to a finish and risk being beaten in a sprint.
If Van der Poel and Pidcock hit warp speed on the Butte Montmartre, he may be found wanting. Not one to be totally discounted though. Peter Sagan of Slovakia won three world titles with little help from team-mates in the finale, after all.
10:47 AM BST
The breakaway leads by 6 minutes
This spellcheck-bothering quintet making a quixotic break for victory are six minutes up on the bunch and over the Côte des Gardes, the day’s first climb. The crowds have been vast, waving flags and cheering the 90 riders out into the Paris suburbs. This kind of race is pain et beurre for a country which annually hosts road cycling’s flagship event.
Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco) took himself out of the breakaway. He seemed to have a mechanical issue, but it might have just been a loose cycling computer head unit. Got to make sure you’re able to see the power numbers you’re putting out and make sure it’s on Strava afterwards, I suppose.
25km done, 247km to race.
10:32 AM BST
Can Tarling spring a surprise?
Tom Pidcock isn’t the only challenger on the Great Britain team. It will be curious to see how 20-year-old Josh Tarling fares after his fourth place in the time trial, cruelly denied a medal by a puncture which forced him to change his bike midrace. He hasn’t got much of a pedigree in one-day races, but then the second-year Ineos Grenadiers pro hasn’t done so many. His engine isn’t in question, but has he got the endurance and climbing chops for this puncheur’s delight?
Former British champion Fred Wright can also handle a fair few climbs and sprint at the end, while Stephen Williams is a strong climber too. But if Team GB are riding cohesively, you’d think they will have to sacrifice some personal ambition to protect and help out Pidcock.
10:19 AM BST
Five riders have broken away
Pretty much as soon as the neutralised zone ended, Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda) shot up off the road, wearing a big smile. He was followed by Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).
They’ve quickly taken 90 seconds’ lead on the bunch. With none of those riders a professional cyclist, not on the WorldTour, this is the race of their lives and they’re making the most of it.
The peloton is not fussed in the slightest, certain they’ll be seeing them again in several hours’ time. It’s a long race and the favourites will spend the opening hours taking on food and saving their energy.
10:14 AM BST
Outsiders to watch out for
Olympic road races throw up a totally different racing dynamic: small teams, difficult to communicate without race radios, quickly-shifting plans, hard to police. It can often yield unexpected winners and peculiar podium finishers (here’s looking at you Sergio Paulinho, Athens 2004), favouring opportunists. Carapaz certainly was not the prime candidate for gold in Tokyo three years ago.
Julian Alaphilippe will be leading the four-man French team. In truth, he’s a few years past his irresistible, buccaneering pomp so a medal would be a fine result.
He’s one to be filed in the outsider category, along with team-mate Christophe Laporte, Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecuador), Biniam Girmay (Eritrea), Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Alberto Bettiol (Italy), Matej Mohoric (Slovenia) and Alex Aranburu (Spain).
10:05 AM BST
The race starts
Passing by the Eiffel Tower, the riders roll out from the Pont d’Iena and start the 5km neutralised zone. It’s sunglasses and T-shirt weather, there is thankfully none of the rotten weather experienced for the time trial and triathlon in recent days. Highs of 25C are expected today.
Ben O’Connor (Australia) chats to Nils Politt (Germany) at the back of the bunch. His team-mate Michael Matthews is an outside bet for a medal, a dab hand at this kind of profile.
09:58 AM BST
Who isn’t here?
We’re missing a few big beasts of the bunch too. After winning the Tour de France in dominant fashion, Tadej Pogacar opted to go on holiday than chase Olympic glory, citing fatigue. No doubt his decision wasn’t helped by the Slovenian federation’s decision to not pick his girlfriend, reigning national champion, Urska Zigart in the team.
The defending champion isn’t in Paris either. Richard Carapaz of Ecuador was overlooked for the South American country’s sole spot, with Jhonatan Narvaez preferred instead.
09:48 AM BST
Men’s road race preview
Good morning and welcome to our live rolling text coverage of the Olympic men’s cycling road race.
The 273km event gives Tom Pidcock an opportunity to add another gong to his crowded mantlepiece of silverware and world titles after his dramatic ride to gold in the mountain bike cross-country race, returning from a puncture and executing a last-gasp overtake (which didn’t make him very popular with French fans).
“I think winning will give him a huge amount of confidence for the road race,” British Cycling performance director Stephen Park said in the aftermath of his triumph. “There’s no doubt that we need to ride well as a team, and everyone else will be motivated. Tom’s got the legs, and he’s up for the race, so they’ll be keen to ride for him.”
The long, lumpy course suits him well. Leaving the centre from Trocadero at 10:00 (BST), the riders embark on two big loops in the Chevreuse valley, passing the Palace of Versailles. There are no mountains or sizeable challenges, but 14 punchy hills and a twisting, rolling profile with little flat respite. The action to decide the medal winners will likely be saved for the final 52km and three laps of a circuit around central Paris. The focal point will be the cobbled climb of the Butte Montmartre, 1km at an average of 6.5%. It’s the last significant challenge of the race, crested 9km from a finish in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, expected around 16:30 BST.
Part of a four-strong Great Britain team, Pidcock will have plenty of rivals relishing this challenge. Reigning world road race champion Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands) is the pre-race favourite and has tailored his summer around peaking for today.
Other contenders include Mads Pedersen (Denmark) and the Belgian pair of Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, fresh from their Olympic bronze and gold respectively in the time trial last weekend.
It’s likely to be an exciting race, taken on early by some of the favourites to whittle down the bunch. With only 90 riders in the race, no race radios being used and even powerhouse nations only having four competitors, it’ll be very difficult to control. Attack will be the best form of defence.
“It’s no secret, I like it when races open up from quite far out. I’m expecting this kind of scenario,” Van der Poel said pre-race. “It’ll be a difficult race. It could maybe already be played out and whittled down before even the first climb of the Butte Montmartre.”
Keep your comments coming in. With seven hours of racing ahead, there’s ample time to have some Test Match Special-esque tangents and interesting discussions on here.
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