Your Australian preview of the Olympic Men’s Road Race

It only rolls around once every four years, and it’s drastically different from any other race, making the Olympic Road Race cycling’s rarest prize.

In the men’s road race, Australia’s best result ever is a silver medal, won by Clyde Sefton at Munich 1972. Could this weekend spell the end of a 50-year drought?

Read on to learn all about the men’s road race at Paris 2024.

Key details – Men’s Road Race

• Date: Saturday, August 3
• Time: 19:00 AEST (finish approximately 02:15 AEST)
• Distance: 273km
• Elevation: 2,800m
• Competitors: 90
• Australians: Simon Clarke, Michael Matthews, Ben O’Connor

How it works

The full field of 90 riders starts together in a large group, called the ‘peloton’. Teams of up to four riders work tactically to enable one of their riders to cross the finish line first. The long distance, climbs and descents make it a test of endurance, strength and skill.

The course

The Paris Olympics will serve up a challenging, but well-balanced course.

There are plenty of rolling hills – you almost need a magnifying glass to spot the flat sections on the profile – but there is no one major climb that stands out. Instead, it’s going to be a battle of attrition, with each drag sapping a little more energy out of the legs.

The road race starts and finishes at the Trocadéro, virtually under the Eiffel Tower. The greater part of the course is a 225km loop west of Paris, taking in historic monuments (like the Palace of Versailles) and a variety of landscapes (like the wooded Chevreuse Valley) before heading back into the city. This main loop is lumpy, with 10 marked climbs and just as many uncategorised ones.

All that serves as an extended entrée to the final 50km, which will take place on a tough and twisty city circuit. It includes three ascents of Cote de la Butte Montmarte, a cobbled climb of 1.1km at 5.6%. There are also four unmarked climbs on this sawtooth profile of a finish, so there’s little doubt that the decisive action will take place on this circuit.

The last summit of Montmarte comes with 9.5km to go. Then, it’s a fast descent and a flat 7km along the Seine to the finish.

The route reminds you of the Flemish Ardennes: think De Brabantse Pijl, but longer. The categorised climbs are all shorter than 2km, with none steeper than 6.5% average: nothing insanely hard, but constantly up and down. It suits a lot of different riders.

Contenders

One of those well-suited riders is Australia’s own Michael Matthews, who is making his Olympic debut. This amount of climbing is right in his wheelhouse, and he will fancy himself in a reduced sprint against almost anyone in this field.

This road race will have been a big target for the Canberran. ‘Bling’ Matthews looked back to his best in the Spring Classics, crossing the line second at Milan-San Remo and in the Ronde van Vlaanderen (although he was relegated). Those performance bode well for a top result on Saturday,

Matthews will be joined by Simon Clarke, who is also a strong one-day rider (see, eg, the famous 2019 Amstel Gold Race). If anything, this parcours is a little too easy for Clarke, and we can expect to see him supporting Matthews – or perhaps going up the road in a breakaway.

The Australians will miss Lucas Plapp, who has withdrawn after crashing in the time trial. Plapp will be replaced by West Australian climber Ben O’Connor. O’Connor’s strengths lie in the high mountains, so expect him to play a similar team role to Clarke.

(L-R) Australia will be represented by Michael Matthews, Ben O'Connor and Simon Clarke.

Looking at their opposition, it’s a wide-open race. The Olympic Games, with small teams of up to four riders, tends towards a surprise winner. The race is always chaotic; impossible to control, and the favourite rarely wins gold.

Having said that, this year’s favourite is Mathieu van der Poel (NED). The world champion has based his season around the Olympics, and only gold will be enough for him. He will surely attack on the Montmarte, and it’s up to everyone to anticipate or respond.

Belgium has two outstanding options in time trial medallists Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. You might expect Evenepoel to attack from distance, while van Aert saves himself for a later move or a reduced sprint.

Denmark brings Mads Pedersen, a strong rider who can get over these climbs and outsprint anyone on his day. Matthias Skjelmose gives them a two-pronged attack.

But really, take your pick at a winner: Britain with Tom Pidcock, aiming for an unprecedented mountain bike–road race double. The USA with Brandon McNulty and Matteo Jorgenson. France on home soil, with Julian Alaphilippe and Kevin Vauquelin in winning form. Ecuador’s Jhonathan Narvaez. Binian Girmay (ERI), revelation of the Tour de France. Switzerland’s Marc Hirschi. Or any number of smaller names who might get their own shot at Olympic glory, if the cards fall their way.

It’s anyone’s race, and anything can happen.

What they said

Michael Matthews: "It’s been a big build up to this race, obviously it’s the Olympics and it’s been a dream of ours to be here and have a course like we have this year in Paris.

"It’s my first Olympics and something I’ve dreamed about as a kid, and I think the course really suits our team so I’m really looking forward to it."

Ben O'Connor: "I was ready to take it up, I’d been preparing at home for other objectives in cycling itself and can be confident we’ll still do our best job nonetheless. It’s a shame for Plappy, I hope he can get back on the bike soon.

"Simon and Michael were here for a couple of days before I came. It’s an interesting course and super open, which makes it really aggressive. I’m not sure it’s going to be made on the final laps the way the course plays out, but we are all going to be here fighting and racing once we get to the finish circuit in Paris .

"We have a really good chance with Bling at the final to go for a medal, hopefully."

How to watch

You can watch the Olympic Games road race live and free on the Nine Network – whether on television (Channel 9 and Gem), or live streaming on 9Now.