The race sets off from the prosperous neighbourhood of Trocadéro, close to the Eiffel Tower. The riders face a hilly day to the southwest of the French capital. There’s a total of 13 climbs, mostly between 1 and 2 kilometres long and averaging 5 to 6%. So, the Olympic road race resembles the Flemish Classics, especially since several climbs are cobbled.
The hardest part of the route begins a little over 100 kilometres before the finish. The riders tackle six climbs within 40 kilometres – Côte de Senlisse (1.3 kilometesr at 5.3%), Côte d’Herbouvilliers (850 metres at 5.7%), Côte de Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse (1.3 kilometres at 6.3%), Côte de Châteaufort (900 metres at 5.7%), Côte de Bièvres (1.2 kilometres at 6.5%), and Côte du Pavé des Gardes (1.3 kilometres at 6.5%) – before returning to Paris.
The Olympic road race passes the Louvre and continues onto a city circuit of 18.4 kilometres in the hilltop neighbourhood Montmartre. The lap is ridden three times and so the cobbled Butte Montmartre climb, which takes the riders up towards the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, is tackled three times as well. The 1 kilometre drag at 6.5% is followed by a loop around the northeast of the city with a couple of smaller punches.
There’s still 9.5 kilometres left to race after the third and last time over the Butte Montmartre. The riders fly down to the Seine and cross the water for a flat run-in along the river to the finish on the Pont d’Iéna, a bridge connecting the Jardins du Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower.
The race is expected to finish around 18:15 CEST.
Other interesting reads: route and start list road race Summer Olympics, Paris 2024.
Summer Olympics Paris 2024, road race men: routes & profiles
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