Paris 2024 Olympic road cycling events committee revealed that from its start at the Trocadéro in Paris, the road race route takes the men's and women's pelotons through the Chevreuse Valley before a final climb on the Butte Montmartre.

On the sidelines of Stage 4 of the Tour de France, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, on behalf of the organising committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, has unveiled the final routes of the Olympic road cycling time trial and road race events.

At a press conference yesterday, the organisers announced that from its start at the Trocadéro in Paris, the road race route will take the men’s and women’s pelotons through the Chevreuse Valley before a final climb on the Butte Montmartre. For the first time in Olympic history, women and men will share the same course for the time trial.

The organisers say that courses are also special insofar as they bring the Games to the newer places in the Ile-de-France: the Val-de-Marne département for the time trials and the Essonne département for the road races.

Both the road races and the time trials will feature a wide variety of landscapes, switching between wooded areas such as the Chevreuse Valley, Vincennes Woods, etc., and more urban segments as well as France’s world-famous monuments in the likes of Château de Versailles, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Garnier Opera House, Place de la Bastille, etc.

The organisers add that the routes will feature challenging courses distinctive for their length, precisely 273 km for the men and 158 km for the women, their rolling profile, their final climb up Montmartre and their technical nature, with cobbled streets and tightly winding sections to negotiate on the last part of the course before returning to the Trocadéro.

“The Paris 2024 road cycling courses are a concentrated example of our ambitions for the Games. First and foremost, they will be spectacular, passing through magnificent sites such as the Château de Versailles, the Vallée de Chevreuse, the Bois de Vincennes, Les Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower. The courses will also offer a fantastic sporting experience, with the Butte Montmartre serving as the decisive factor in the road races, which promise to be both challenging and technical. Additionally, we are proud that the road cycling events will introduce the Games to new regions such as Val-de-Marne and Essonne, while also providing equal recognition to women cyclists with, for the first time in the Games, an identical time trial course for both the men’s and women’s races. Every summer, road cycling proves that it is one of the most popular sports in France, and the summer of 2024 will be no different!,” says Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024.

From the first loops to the Chevreuse Valley

The organisers say that on August 3-4, 2024, starting from the Trocadéro, the men’s and women’s pelotons will go on a 5-kilometre procession to take in the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, Les Invalides and the Latin Quarter before the start proper of the race on Rue Gay-Lussac in the 5th arrondissement. They will then leave Paris, to return later in the afternoon.

For the first time in the history of the Games there will be an equal number of men and women participants with 90 men and 90 women racers going through the Hauts-de-Seine département via the Côte des Gardes hill in Meudon, they add.

The Butte Montmartre

The organisers say that the return into the capital, which goes past the Louvre, its Pyramid and the Opéra Garnier, heralds the final 50 kilometres of the race. This time the men’s and women’s pelotons will head to the north-east of Paris where they will find a final segment of 18.4 km, with technical bends and a tough cobbled climb on the Butte Montmartre.

After two laps, the leading contenders will wage their final battle on the third ascent of the Butte Montmartre up towards the Sacré Coeur basilica, the last ramp before their downhill finale, they add.

“The routes of the road cycling time trials and road races at the Olympic Games are great taste of flavour of Paris 2024 Games while perfectly exemplifying the values that these Games intend to convey. These include equality, because this will be the first time in an Olympic time trial that both women and men will use the same course. It will be accessible and free for all spectators along the majority of the course, showcasing a breathtaking display of our great heritage and monuments together with the sporting challenge of a demanding circuit. These events will enable thousands of fans to witness incredible sporting performances up close and allow those fans to participate in the popular and festive events associated with such performances.” says Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Men and women athletes on the same course in the time trials

The organisers say that the road cycling time trials will be held one week before the first road race and also offer a host of new features. For the first time in the history of the Games, the 35 men and 35 women riders will be presented with the same course and the same distance. On July 27, 2024, the athletes set off one by one from the Esplanade des Invalides for 32.4 km of virtually incline-free terrain.

“When Paris was chosen as the host city of the 2024 Olympic Games, we already knew that the routes for the road cycling events would be undoubtedly spectacular. The routes unveiled today exceed our expectations. Showcasing the iconic landmarks of the French capital, the road races will provide riders and spectators with an opportunity to explore the must-see locations in and around Paris, offering breathtaking and challenging routes. I am also delighted that both men and women will be competing on the same time trial course for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, two years after we achieved the same milestone at the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia. Gender parity in cycling continues to progress.” says David Lappartient, President of the International Cycling Union.

“The routes of the Olympic Road cycling and time trial events will showcase the beauty of Paris in the most captivating way! Trocadéro, Montmartre, Bois de Vincennes, Pont Alexandre III, some of the capital’s most beautiful sites, will serve as the backdrop for exciting races, bringing joy to cyclists and spectators alike. And for the first time in the history of the Games, women and men will finally share the same course for the time trial event: This is the spirit of the Paris 2024 Games.” says Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris.

“The Île-de-France Region has adopted a Bicycle Plan to encourage people to cycle on a daily basis, by developing infrastructure, parking facilities and services for cyclists. With this Bicycle Plan established in 2016, the launch of subsidies for the purchase of electric and other bicycles, and the creation of the Vélo Île-de-France network, the Île-de-France Region and Île-de-France Mobilités are encouraging everyday cycling for all Ile-de-France residents. Cycling is and will remain at the heart of the transport revolution.” adds Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France Region.

“The Grand Paris metropolitan area is committed to the daily pursuit of balanced and sustainable development across its 131 communes. In this regard, the Paris 2024 Games provide a tremendous boost to the metropolitan area, particularly as the sporting events highlight its strengths. We are very proud to host the cyclists who will traverse multiple municipalities within the Metropolitan area, allowing local spectators to fully experience the Games.” says Patrick Ollier, President of the Greater Paris Metropolitan Area.

“I really like this individual time trial route! I particularly like the profile, because lately we’ve been seeing a lot of time trials that are a bit hilly. I think this one reflects the main objective of the time trial, which is to go fast. I believe that this is a right course for an Olympic Game. There are long straigts where you can push hard, and a few corners where you can perhaps recover a little. It’s a godd balance between some technical sections and straigts lines!” adds Vittoria Guazzini, Italian cyclist, two-time U23 time trial world champion (2021, 2022).