On the 27th of July both men and women tackle one of the most important races of the year. The Olympic Games begin and on this Saturday the best time-trialists go head to head in Paris to fight for the Olympic title. We preview the race ahead.
The course in Paris is rather simple. Both men and women will race on the exact same roads which will make for an interesting watch, and the race against the clock has been built in a way that will test out the riders' pure abilities to race on flat roads.
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There will be no climbing involved and the course is not technical at all. The 32.5 kilometers should see speeds of around 53Km/h average in the men's field and 48Km/h in the women's field. Every second may count and every detail will matter in anticipation for this race. In it's middle section there are a few corners to be tackled but the reality is that almost the entirety of the time-trial is straightforward, non-technical and will allow the specialists to make good use of their abilities.
The Weather
Rain, rain, rain... Yes there is forecast of virtually certain rain and this could really change things up. Let's be clear this is by far not a technical course, so even if the water affects riders differently, it may not decide the race, but it will make a difference. But likely it will affect everyone rather equally as the forecast points towards stable rain throughout the afternoon in Paris. If anything, it could lower throughout the afternoon which could potentially benefit the final starters - which should be the main favourites. There is a slight northern breeze as well which will come as a small crosswind throughout the day, but likely not strong enough to affect the riders.
The Favourites
Filippo Ganna - The two-time World Champion is a heavyweight and well suited to this course. The long distance should not be an issue. The Italian has beaten Tadej Pogacar in the Giro's flat time-trial which is something very few can say this year. Away from the Tour he prepared for the Olympics specifically; he did lose the Tour of Austria's prologue to a Continental team rider but that was to be fair anything but a regular time-trial. He won the national championships and the final stage of the Austrian race in a hilltop finish so it's safe to say he's got good form coming in.
Joshua Tarling - The Briton stormed through the pro ranks last year, winning the European time-trial title at 19, beating Remco Evenepoel at the Chrono des Nations and finishing second between his two main rivals in the World Championships. He certainly took a step evolving outside of the time-trials this year whilst against the clock he won at O Gran Camiño and the national championships. He was narrowly beaten by Evenepoel at the Dauphiné and hasn't raced since the nationals, but should be in prime form for what could be a career-changing performance.
Remco Evenepoel - Just off the Tour de France, you could argue Evenepoel has 'Tour legs', which in the past always proved key for the riders fighting for the Clásica San Sebastián following the Tour. Could this give Evenepoel an edge? I wouldn't say so, but he does not particularly need it. The World Champion is a tremendous machine against the clock and is in incredible form, but his aero skills will have to be good enough to balance out a fight he will have against two riders who are pretty much 20Kg heavier than him. He won the flat time-trials in the Algarve, Dauphiné and Tour.
The field is so incredibly strong here... You could certainly have about a dozen contenders for a podium if only the top riders weren't so strong. But a few can certainly put up the challenge. These three nations for example all have great secondary cards in Wout van Aert (Belgium); Alberto Bettiol (Italy) and Ethan Hayter (Great Britain).
The Americans last year won the women's race and in the men's event at the World Championships saw Brandon McNulty ride to a brilliant fourth place. You can bet your chips that the American has focused specifically for the Olympics and will have his best legs here to try and make it to the podium - and he has won several time-trials this year. One was against American teammate Magnus Sheffield who is also a force to be reckoned with. The Swiss should also love this route, having two absolute powerhouses in Stefan Küng and Stefan Bissegger who usually perform at their best when there is no climbing on the time-trials.
The Danes have Mikkel Bjerg and Mattias Skjelmose who are fitting riders for a Top10; and we've got plenty more outsiders in the likes of Jan Tratnik (Slovenia); Kévin Vauquelin (France); Oier Lazkano (Spain); Mathias Vacek (Czech Republic); Luke Plapp (Australia); Nelson Oliveira (Portugal); Felix Grossschartner (Austria); Norway who has Soren Waerenskjold as their main weapon but former World Champion Tobias Foss as well; Derek Gee of Canada and Germany's Nils Politt who was incredibly strong throughout the Tour de France.
Prediction 2024 Paris Olympic Games men's time-trial:
*** Remco Evenepoel, Joshua Tarling, Filippo Ganna
** Brandon McNulty, Mikkel Bjerg
* Wout van Aert, Ethan Hayter, Stefan Küng, Magnus Sheffield, Mattias Skjelmose, Kévin Vauquelin, Nelson Oliveira, Soren Waerenskjold, Derek Gee, Nils Politt
Pick: Remco Evenepoel
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