OLYMPICS’24 Males’s Avenue Race Preview: Can Van der Poel Beat the Belgians?

2024 Olympic Video video games Males’s Avenue Race: The Olympic Video video games avenue race is way extra important throughout the biking world than it was and now many excessive riders have made it a critical goal of the season. World champion Mathieu van der Poel, World and Olympic TT champion Remco Evenepoel and his countryman Wout van Aert will in all probability be on the start line in Paris on Saturday along with a excessive line-up. Proper right here is the PEZ rundown on the course and the favourites for Gold.

Richard Carapaz gained solo in Tokyo in 2021

The Course
Saturday 3 August: Paris – Paris (273km)
Start: 11:00am (CET)
Finish: between 18:00pm and 18:30pm (CET)

The course of the Olympic avenue race seems to be based mostly totally on a Flemish spring Fundamental. There are a great deal of transient climbs and the final word rise moreover has cobbles. The 273-kilometre Olympic race in Paris does have additional climbing than the Tour of Flanders: 2,800 metres compared with 2,200 metres. Nonetheless throughout the De Ronde, the entire climbing comes throughout the remaining 150 kilometres, whereas throughout the Paris Olympic race, there could also be climbing all day.

Olympic males’s avenue race map

The start is throughout the Trocadéro district, near the Eiffel Tower. After a neutralised half alongside the Seine, the riders will start appropriately in Paris. First there’s a circuit of 200 kilometres, primarily throughout the southwest of the city. This big lap comprises 10 categorised climbs. These often aren’t too steep or very prolonged, nonetheless there’ll in all probability be a carrying down course of.

Between 165 and 205 kilometres, the movement ought to start. In 40 kilometres the riders will cope with 6 climbs: The Côte de Senlisse (1.3km at 5.3%), Côte d’Herbouvilliers (850m at 5.7%), Côte de Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (1.3km at 6.3%), Côte de Châteaufort (900m at 5.7%), Côte de Bièvres (1.2km at 6.5%) and Côte du Pavé des Gardes (1.3km at 6.5%). From there the peloton will head once more to Paris.

Olympic males’s avenue race profile

The finale takes place throughout the Montmartre district, the place the great painters lived. The 18.4 kilometre metropolis circuit, to be ridden two and a half events, includes various climbs, nonetheless the worthwhile switch is predicted on the Butte Montmartre. This cobbled climb to the Sacré-Cœur is 1 kilometre prolonged and has a imply gradient of 6.5%. When the peloton summits the Butte Montmartre for the third and remaining time, there are 9.5 kilometres to the tip line. The course descends to the Seine, then follows the river to the Pont d’Iéna, which is close to the underside ofMontmartre the Eiffel Tower. The top line is on the bridge.

The battle will in all probability be on the Butte Montmartre

Favourites
Mathieu van der Poel personally had a disappointing Tour de France, although he did some lead-out work for Jasper Philipsen and rode laborious up the Col du Tourmalet. Nonetheless there was no stage win or maybe a shut identify from the World champion. That talked about, Van der Poel should be one in every of many big favourites for the Olympic avenue race. There isn’t a such factor as a secret that he made the Olympic Video video games a large goal for the 2024 season. The Dutchman wished to do greater throughout the Tour, however it was on a regular basis deliberate as teaching for the Olympics Video video games in Paris. The World champion had picked positive ranges that he would journey laborious and totally different days he would ease once more to stay as latest as attainable. He had the an identical plan in 2023, that labored successfully as he took the rainbow jersey, with a gift of domination in Glasgow, fourteen days after the Tour.

The plan labored for van der Poel in Glasgow remaining yr

In spite of everything that doesn’t indicate the plan will work this time, however it does current that Van der Poel can peak when he wants one factor big. This spring he gained the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, two races he had set his sights on. That was his third victory in de Ronda and the Olympic avenue race course may very well be very associated, nonetheless is he the very best favourite?

Evenepoel and Van Aert already have Olympic medals from the time trial

The Belgian employees will in all probability be out to beat the World champion with two leaders who can each win in Paris: Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. Evenepoel will in all probability be making an attempt to win with an prolonged assault, in all probability from the final word climb, similar to his win throughout the World championships in Wollongong, the place he gained after a 25 kilometre solo. Paris could go the an identical technique and you’d argue that he has matured as a rider since then. He could very nicely be on for a second Gold medal. Van der Poel will solely have Dylan van Baarle and Daan Hoole as teammates, so the Dutch employees might have concern controlling a two-pronged assault for the Belgian employees. Evenepoel talked about he was drained after the Tour de France, nonetheless he appeared good throughout the Olympic time trial, although 32 kilometres are hundreds fully totally different from 273 kilometres.

A repeat of the 2022 Worlds for Evenepoel?

Evenepoel should assault for his win, whereas Van Aert can sit up for a touch. Van Aert hasn’t had his best season, after his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen, nonetheless a Gold medal on the Olympic Video video games could change all that. The course suites him, the one question is his kind. In the middle of the Tour he was bettering as a result of the race went on, nonetheless Van Aert was not his outdated self. He did take an Olympic Bronze medal throughout the time trial remaining Saturday, nonetheless an prolonged avenue race…. Belgium has the good thing about getting 4 riders. Evenepoel and Van Aert will in all probability be backed-up by Jasper Stuyven and Ties Benoot. Stuyven is in good kind, throughout the Tour he solely merely missed out on a stage win. The Belgian employees may want a shock on their fingers and Stuyven could pull it off.

Van Aert if it comes all the way in which right down to a touch

Mads Pedersen crashed on stage 5 of the Tour de France and gave up a few days later with a small fracture of his shoulder blade. The Dane launched that he would think about the Olympic Video video games and he’s one different rider that the route must swimsuit. The winner of Gent-Wevelgem, the place Pedersen beat Van der Poel, comes into his private after prolonged, strong races and Saturday will in all probability be a battle of attrition. Pedersen has a sturdy sprint on the end of a race, nonetheless he’s not the one one.

Pedersen – World champion to Olympic champion?

Biniam Girmay gained three ranges throughout the Tour de France, all from a bunch sprint, nonetheless as we seen throughout the 2022 Gent-Wevelgem, he might also win kind a small group. The Paris Olympic Video video games route is a bit more durable, nonetheless Girmay has the form and the boldness to win from a gaggle, each large or small.

Biniam Girmay’s confidence will in all probability be sky extreme

Michael Matthews is a rider who will in all probability be at home on this course. His Tour de France was similar to Van der Poel’s, nonetheless within the case of the large events it’s possible you’ll’t write Matthews off. With two third places and one second, plus an U23 rainbow jersey, he can perform on the massive championships. Matthews had good kind this spring this spring, he was second in Milano-Sanremo and third throughout the Ronde van Vlaanderen, although he was relegated to eleventh place because of a manoeuvre throughout the sprint. Matthews is one different rider with a sturdy finish the highest of a difficult race. Ben O’Connor will fly to Paris to interchange Luke Plapp throughout the Australian employees. Plapp crashed after the first intermediate time stage throughout the TT. He wanted to desert and endure stomach surgical process that night time.

Matthews isn’t earlier his best

France moreover has a few riders who could maintain the Gold at home. First Julian Alaphilippe, the two-time World champion, has had a great deal of unhealthy luck since his rainbow run, nonetheless the 32-year-old rider gave the impression to be getting his outdated kind once more throughout the Giro d’Italia. Loulou was once more to his outdated attacking self and took the stage victory in Fano. Alaphilippe will in all probability be motivated by racing in his private nation and he missed out the Tour de France to be in excessive kind for the road race in Paris. Throughout the Czech Tour, his remaining preparation race, he gained the final word stage. The French employees moreover has Valentin Madouas, Kévin Vauquelin and Christophe Laporte on the start line. Laporte gained the European championship on the VAM mountain remaining yr and was second throughout the World championship in Wollongong the sooner yr. 2024 has not beet good for Laporte, primarily because of unhealthy luck. If that’s all behind him, then he could have race in Paris.

A medal for Alaphilippe?

We’ll’t miss out double mountain bike Olympic champion Tom Pidcock. The 24-year-old accomplished second throughout the gravel stage of the Tour, nonetheless didn’t do quite a bit else. He abandoned the French Grand Tour after two weeks with covid. Pidcock appeared to have bounced once more successfully, as he gained the mountain bike race on Monday. Can he win a second gold medal throughout the avenue race? The winner of the 2024 Amstel Gold Race is definitely a rider to look at.

One different Olympic Gold for Tom Pidcock?

Marc Hirschi was not initially meant to be utilizing, nonetheless he’ll now journey to Paris as a remaining minute substitute for Stefan Bissegger. Hirschi not too way back gained the Czech Tour and is no doubt one of many many outsiders who could do one factor.

Marc Hirschi has merely gained the Czech Tour

Totally different riders to maintain watch over are; Jonathan Narvaéz (Ecuador), Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark), Toms Skujiņš (Latvia), Matej Mohorič (Slovenia), Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Alberto Bettiol (Italy), Oier Lazkano (Spain), Ben Healy (Ireland) and Rui Costa (Portugal).

Jonathan Narvaéz could shock

Probably there are additional big names missing than on the start line: Tadej Pogačar, each too drained after the Giro-Tour double, or for love. Jonas Vingegaard, Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie, Primoz Roglič and reigning Olympic champion, Richard Carapaz are moreover not in Paris.

No Pogi in Paris

Favourites
Prime: Remco Evenepoel
Very Doable: Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert
Probably: Mads Pedersen, Biniam Girmay and Jasper Stuyven
Exterior: Julian Alaphilippe, Michael Matthews, Christophe Laporte and Tom Pidcock.

Remco Evenepoel – The PEZ choice

Protect it PEZ for the Olympic Avenue Race report on Saturday and the entire data in EUROTRASH Monday.

# Due to ProCyclingStats and WielerFlits for particulars and figures. #

The 2021 Olympic Video video games avenue race in Tokyo