Roadside PEZ At The Olympics

The Olympics comes solely as quickly as every 4 years, nevertheless for our man in France, Chris Selden, it solely passes the in-law’s dwelling as quickly as in a lifetime so a correctly timed go to to their place seen him roadside on the Olympic Road Race 2024 in Paris.

I’ve beforehand written in regards to the gorgeous Chevreuse Valley merely outside of Paris proper right here on PEZ and it’s sometimes a fixture of Paris-Good and the ultimate stage of the Tour de France nevertheless this 12 months it was residence to 1 factor way more explicit – the Olympics Road Race. Even increased, the race itself was passing merely metres away from my in-law’s place so a go to with the family was on a regular basis going to happen on the third August 2024.

I decided to succeed in a number of days early to check out the circuit for myself and see a number of the climbs that attribute inside the race that I hadn’t beforehand carried out.



 

The entire villages on the circuit had been having fun with their half with bike and Olympic themed decorations on every roundabout, highway indicators and native squares.

Having merely come off a 7 day bikepacking MTB journey inside the Vosges mountains I was on my MTB which merely occurred to be the correct bike to check out the circuit on. No, there have been no gravel or mud sections on the circuit nevertheless there was a limiteless amount of security and freeway closures and chopping by the use of the forest was my ticket spherical these obstacles. Suppose Tour de France security after which cases it by 10… certain, the French are very, very important about security at these Olympics – and rightly so – nevertheless the freeway closures launched sooner than the race had been excessive to say the least.

Not part of the security ingredient, only a few fascinating roadside decoration on the freeway to Jouy en Josas.

For an occasion of some important security, the precept freeway in my in-law’s metropolis was closed from 8 am by the use of to 6pm with the race anticipated to cross at 1 pm! It’s a huge, 4 lane freeway and it was closed for 10 hours with pedestrians solely (no bikes) allowed to cross the freeway merely up until one hour sooner than the race.

Catching the Olympics race roadside was clearly going to be tougher than the Tour de France or any of the alternative races I’ve seen sooner than. I moreover decided to increase the issue diploma by taking my youngsters alongside – it was in any case merely metres away so as a minimum for the rest of their lifetime they is perhaps able to say that they’d been roadside on the Olympics.

So my plan of the day was to catch the start of the race on the TV, go outside with the youngsters to see the race keep in Montigny (km130) then soar on the MTB and race by the use of the forest to attempt to catch the riders on the Côte de Saint-Rémy-Les-Chevreuse, a reasonably little climb of 1.3 km at 6.3%.

After my reco journey two days earlier, I realised that attending to the tough Côte de Bièvres might be too troublesome with the entire gendarmes and freeway closures so I chosen the climb two climbs earlier which hopefully had less complicated entry for me on an MTB. It meant that I have to do roughly 12 kms of freeway/path driving inside the time that the Olympic peloton would do 50km on the freeway. Race on!

My ‘shortcut’ included gorgeous once more streets by the use of earlier villages and muddy trails by the use of overgrown forest.

Feeling a little bit of careworn about my shortcut and the overzealous gendarmes I headed out the morning of the race to see if all was doable or not and shortly discovered that it was … not. Way more gendarmes, Nationwide Police and native police had been blocking one of the best ways so it was time for a model new plan with way more off-road sections to steer clear of the closures.

With my new route sorted I effectively made it by the use of to the Côte de Saint-Rémy-Les-Chevreuse and seen that many followers had been already lining the route better than six hours ahead of the race. Amongst them was this huge Wout Van Aert fan who travels all through Europe alongside together with his tenting automotive following races. He was moreover amazed on the security measures in place and eventually found a spot on the prime of the climb nevertheless was instructed that he wanted to be better than 4 metres from the freeway.

I hoped to satisfy up with him later nevertheless for now it was time to return to the forest and get once more and seize some lunch with the family sooner than the race obtained right here by the use of my in-law’s village. Moreover heading once more to Montigny was Canadian workers pursuiter and Israel Academy rider, Carsen Mattern. He and the rest of the Canadian workers had been staying just a few minutes down the freeway from my in-law’s so we shared the freeway for a few minutes and had an excellent chat. He was merely out on a easy journey as he prepared for his racing that was starting on Monday.

He’d had dinner with Derek Gee and Michael Woods the night sooner than and instructed me that the boys had been in sort and very motivated for an excellent displaying inside the freeway race.

So after a quick lunch it was time to take the youngsters to a bike race. They used to have a look at me racing as soon as that they had been infants, nevertheless this is ready to be the first time watching a race with out me in it. My French son confirmed the place his true loyalties are though by donning my Australian jersey inside the hopes of seeing Michael Matthews, Ben O’Connor or Simon Clarke select up a medal.

After a half hour wait the break of the day obtained right here by the use of nevertheless with nobody even barely dangerous inside the group…

The peloton had been taking it easy with the Belgians correctly grouped spherical Remco and searching relaxed.

Eventual silver medallist Valentin Madouas stress-free inside the peloton after 130km in Montigny-le-Brettoneux

With the peloton now having handed by the use of it was time to race them! I had 12 km to do (10 on trails) they often had 50km by the use of the Chevreuse Valley. Who would win?

Fortuitously I’m not that sluggish however…

So I’d made it to the Valley and now it was solely a question of discovering a terrific spot on the climb. I seen one different bike proprietor who was moreover looking for a spot and we shortly purchased chatting. Paul was a gravel rider from Fontainebleau south of Paris and being a Frenchie he was supporting Alaphilippe and co. of their quest for an Olympic medal. Paul moreover had keep TV on his cellphone displaying the race so was a unbelievable particular person to hold round with whereas we waited half-hour for the race to succeed in. (I’ll have ridden slower!)

Paul’s money was on an Alaphilippe or a Madouas medal and that ended being an excellent wager definitely.

We didn’t know what was going to happen at the moment though and on the prime of the Côte de Saint-Rémy-Les-Chevreuse the race was on. The distinctive break had been caught by a counter assault of Viviani (Italy) and Mullen (Ireland) they often had been practically to drop the ultimate remaining rider from the early switch in entrance of our eyes.

Within the meantime the peloton had been scorching on their heels and really strung out as Sheffield (USA) and Healy (Ireland) had been inserting on the stress. The race had lastly started!

It was now time for my ultimate race of the day – heading residence to catch the ultimate 50kms on the TV. So it was time to saddle up and hit the paths as soon as extra to work my technique throughout the freeway closures.

I made it once more with loads of time and was able to see Remco destroy all people one after the opposite whereas stress-free on my couch.

An excellent outing for me (and Remco) and an just about glorious day for the French workers too taking silver and bronze. A superb freeway racing circuit, deserving medal winners and an unimaginable ambiance – whatever the strict security. Paris 2024 undoubtedly delivered a unbelievable males’s race, I’m merely disillusioned that I’ve to drive once more to the South of France on Sunday or I’d have carried out some further race chasing to catch the women’s race.

Cheers,
Chris