This Olympic Road Race might actually be worth watching
Cyclist UK|September 2024 - Issue 155
A punchy finale around Paris's Butte de Montmartre will bring the excitement usually missing from the Olympic Road Race, says Felix Lowe
Felix Lowe
This Olympic Road Race might actually be worth watching

What do Jan Ullrich, Greg Van Avermaet and Richard Carapaz have in common?

Yes, they’ve all worn the yellow jersey and won Grand Tour stages, but more importantly – at least for the purposes of this piece – they’re all Olympic Road Race champions. It’s a strange sort of accolade, because while in most sports an Olympic gold medal would be the peak of achievement, in cycling it’s met by fans with little more than a shrug.

All too often an Olympic Road Race course is a dull procession designed to show off tourist sites rather than promote exciting racing, and the standard of an Olympic peloton is usually so low that the outcome can (allegedly and wholly indemonstrably) be decided by a simple chat, handshake and promise of a bottle of vino on the way to The Mall.

Just look at the women’s road race in Tokyo 2021, when nobody – not least Annemiek van Vleuten – seemed to appreciate that there was still one plucky escapee up the road. Take nothing away from Austria’s Anna Kiesenhofer, a worthy champion who had the guts to attack early and the strength to hold on, but the whole event reeked of the amateurism for which the Games were once fabled.

Esta historia es de la edición September 2024 - Issue 155 de Cyclist UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 2024 - Issue 155 de Cyclist UK.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE CYCLIST UKVer todo
Best of both worlds
Cyclist UK

Best of both worlds

The new Trek Madone blends the speed of the brand's quickest superbike with the lightness of its mountain-crushing Émonda to become the ultimate race bike

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Eddy Merckx Pévèle Carbon
Cyclist UK

Eddy Merckx Pévèle Carbon

A versatile design that shows the pros and cons of flexible build options

time-read
5 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Gravel ride: Girona Welcome to Cycling Central
Cyclist UK

Gravel ride: Girona Welcome to Cycling Central

Girona in Catalonia has become one of Europe's most popular cycling venues thanks to its weather, roads and culture. But it's still possible to leave the hordes behind by going off-tarmac

time-read
6 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Revolutions and evolutions
Cyclist UK

Revolutions and evolutions

The wheel may be a 5,000-year-old invention but designers are still finding ways to make it lighter, faster, safer and more stable.

time-read
6 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Kitzbüheler Horn
Cyclist UK

Kitzbüheler Horn

The Austrian climb that dishes out pain

time-read
5 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Cycling history in six items
Cyclist UK

Cycling history in six items

In the first of a series on cyling's historical artefacts, Cyclist visits the KOERS Museum in Belgium to discover the pick of the exhibits.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Different times
Cyclist UK

Different times

What was the cycling world like 75 years ago? Now in his midnineties, Scottish former champion Ramsay Mackay remembers those times like they were yesterday

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Big Ride: Alpe d'Huez - Climb and a half
Cyclist UK

Big Ride: Alpe d'Huez - Climb and a half

No climb is as emblematic of the Tour de France as Alpe d'Huez. Ahead of its first appearance at the women's Tour, Cyclist takes a ride around it and up it. And then up it again

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
This Olympic Road Race might actually be worth watching
Cyclist UK

This Olympic Road Race might actually be worth watching

A punchy finale around Paris's Butte de Montmartre will bring the excitement usually missing from the Olympic Road Race, says Felix Lowe

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155
Beryl Burton wins her first road Worlds
Cyclist UK

Beryl Burton wins her first road Worlds

Beryl Burton claimed the first of two World Championships Road Race titles in 1960, becoming the first rider to win pursuit and road world titles in the same year

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 2024 - Issue 155