Preview: Individual Time Trial at Paris 2024

The time trial will raise the curtain on these Olympic Games as the first cycling event on the program.

Australia has a genuine medal contender to cheer for as the road cyclists battle the clock in this ‘race of truth’.

Read on to learn all about the individual time trial at Paris 2024.

Key details

• Date: Saturday, July 27
• Time: 22:30 AEST (women), 00:34 AEST (men)
• Distance: 32.4km
• Elevation: 150m
• Competitors: 35 women, 35 men
• Australians:
• • Grace Brown (starts 23:19 AEST)
  • Lucas Plapp (starts 01:09 AEST)

How it works

Setting off one by one, the goal for each rider is to complete the course as fast as possible, with no drafting or teamwork. The fastest time wins.

The course

Flat: it’s a power course for time trial specialists.

The 32.4-kilometre route has a negligible amount of climbing as it takes in the historic sites of eastern Paris. Starting and finishing at Invalides, the first and last 10 kilometres are largely straight and fast.

There are a few corners to negotiate in the middle third, including a near-180° turn outside the Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil (home of track cycling at the 1924 Paris Games).

But pure power and aerodynamics will decide the winners after they speed back towards the finish on the Pont Alexandre III bridge, just around the corner from the Champs-Élysées.

Note that this will be the first Olympic Games where men and women race the same course and distance in the time trial.

Women’s contenders

Australia’s Grace Brown is one of the top favourites for a medal, if not the win.

The Victorian finished fourth at the Tokyo Games – just seven seconds off the podium – and was the back-to-back silver medallist at the last two World Championships.

Her biggest rivals will be Chloe Dygert (USA) and Ellen van Dijk (NED), the riders who beat her at those World Championships. However, both are returning from significant injuries, and the Paris time trial will be their first race in months. This might give the edge to Brown, who is in great form after placing second in the Giro d’Italia time trial.

Fourth last time around, Grace Brown is determined to reach the podium (Photo: Getty Images).

Other contenders include Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA), who won that Giro time trial; Demi Vollering (NED), winner of the Tour de France Femmes; and road race world champion Lotte Kopecky (BEL).

Swiss rider Marlen Reusser would ordinarily be a favourite, but she will miss the Games due to illness.

Men’s contenders

The big favourites for the men’s time trial are 20-year-old youngster Josh Tarling (GBR), reigning world champion Remco Evenepoel (BEL), and Italian powerhouse Filippo Ganna (ITA).

These are strong, pure-power riders who are suited to the flat Paris course.

Australia will be represented by 23-year-old Melburnian Lucas Plapp, who is already an Olympic medallist on the track. Plapp has put in some great performances this year, finishing fifth and seventh in the time trials at the Giro d’Italia, but a medal this weekend would be a pleasant surprise.

What they said

Grace Brown: “The goal is to win it. There’s maybe four time-triallists including myself that are capable of winning the race. It’s going to be a bit of a surprise who actually comes out on top and who misses the podium. It’s hard to put a definite bet on who.

“I’m aiming for that gold medal, and if I fall short and land on the podium, I’m still going to be really happy with that, but hopefully not fourth.”

Luke Plapp is a multiple national champion in the time trial. (Photo: Josh Chadwick)

Luke Plapp: “I’ve always struggled with time trials in Europe one way or another, and I was never able to pinpoint exactly what it was. To get the monkey off my back and get a couple of good TTs in Europe gave me a lot of belief moving forward.

“The team I’ve got in place around me in Australia, and also with the team in Marco Pinotti [sport engineering director for Plapp’s professional team, GreenEDGE Cycling]; we’re doing great things and it gives me a lot of confidence going into time trials now.”

How to watch

You’ll be able to watch the Olympic Games time trial live and free on the Nine Network.

Racing starts late on Saturday night and continues into the early hours of the morning.

Feature photo: Getty Images