The showcase of the Tour It was the occasion to raise the curtain on the competitions of Paris 2024 revealing the Olympic routes. After many hypotheses, now there is certain data available to the various cities, to understand how to set the path towards the most difficult race of the entire four-year period., to be run in conditions completely different from any other (maximum 5 riders for very few national teams, the best in the ranking), but which is worth an entire career.
Everyone had ideas that were ultimately completely disproved: An Olympic route similar to the final stage of the Tour, the Champs Elysées event? Nothing could be more wrong.The riders competing in the road race will face a 273-kilometer route with a significant elevation gain, 2.800 meters, and above all a long initial stretch in a single-pitch race, before entering the finale on a circuit with the steep Montmartre climb as a selection criterium. A final sprint? No, more likely a power-packed finish for a very few, the strongest. At least at the men's level, as the Tokyo 2020 experience (opening photo Getty Images) teaches…
Montmartre for climbers
There's still more than a year to go and our technicians have already started thinking about the five-ring adventure. Most likely At the end of the season we will go to Paris for an initial inspection, to study the most difficult points.
Daniele Bennati was perhaps the least surprised by the decisions of the organizing committee: «I know the final stage of the Tour well, I even won there. I imagined that the route would be different, but I believed that the purely Parisian part would be greaterIt's not an easy path, for many reasons."
Do you think the climb up Montmartre will be decisive?
Perhaps. It's a 900-meter climb entirely on cobblestones, but we'll also find cobblestones in other sections of the final circuit. Various factors will play a major role: the length of the course, which is unusual for an Olympic race; the August heat; the extremely small group of riders competing with very few personnel at their disposal; also the fact that there will be at least 225 kilometers in line before entering the circuit, there will certainly be selection already there.
What kind of riders do you need?
They're definitely people accustomed to racing and excelling in the classics, long-distance riders who are ready to relaunch after every turn. Before even checking out the course, I had an idea: To be competitive in Paris we will have to race the Tour and on this basis I will contact all the possible candidates and make my decisions..
Women's cycling: Sprint to be discarded
The women's race will also be extremely long: 158 kilometers with a transfer for a difference in altitude of 1.700 metersA very similar course to the men's (only the distance changes, but the finishing circuit is identical), but perhaps it's precisely for the women that the announcement held surprises. The idea was for a sprint finish, perhaps with an Italian national team based on the Balsamo sprint. And now? Paolo takes the floor. Sangalli...
«The inclusion of the Montmartre climb – he says – didn't surprise me that much, but it certainly changes the whole setup of the race. The problem with Olympic running is that you can't control it, the epilogue of the Tokyo test proves itThere will be five not-so-long hills to tackle, but they will make themselves felt in the long run before entering Paris, then the final circuit as already defined. In short, it's a true classic route."
What are your thoughts so far?
We will have 4 athletes available and they will all have to be able to run for the others and finish. I want 4 captains and 4 gregarious at the same timeFrom what I remember, you'll need to be very careful on the final circuit, because without a large group, gaining just 10 seconds risks losing sight of the person ahead.
When there was talk of a track for sprinters, everyone thought of the possibilities of the Balsamo…
Elisa is a sprinter, but I remind everyone that on the climbs she is also one of those who breaks away later than the others, on that route she can have her say, then there is the Longo Borghini which is impossible to give up in an Olympic competition, then the Perch , agree who are classic athletes, but we are over a year away, we have all the time in the world to study the route and choose the best team.
One last provocation: given the route, do you think Van Vleuten will really retire?
It's not a track for her, I think Holland will focus on Wiebes, which holds up very well on climbs when the distance is less than 5 kilometers. She is a transformed athlete, I think the oranges will run for her this time, without forgetting the others though.
Chrono for specialists
The time trials are a different story. Compared to Tokyo 2020, they're a completely different story: 32,4 kilometers with 600 meters of elevation gain, and long straights to tackle in position. Velo he is visibly satisfied.
«It's finally a path for specialists "Unlike the one in Tokyo," she says. "The distance is long but not prohibitive, perhaps more pronounced for the girls who are less accustomed to time trials of this magnitude."
A track suited to our riders, not just Ganna...
Yes, it is suitable for Philip as well as for the others, but also for the Guazzini, which favors these routes. One problem could be having a clear idea of the trajectories; we'll only be able to understand those once the route is ready, in the final days, with the barriers already in place. However, we will have the opportunity to study it thoroughly on electronic devices, for the children I don't think an inspection is necessary. For me, of course, yes…
The time trials will be set up on the first day, traditionally the most important day, because each delegation wants to start their Olympics well. Do you think our athletes will experience an emotional overload?
Our people are used to experiencing these tensions and, in fact, they get excited. We will probably have to forgo, as usual, the inaugural ceremony, but the fact of being able to be a good omen for the entire Italian expedition is an extra incentiveWe'll play our cards, and we have some…
