"The greatest honour of my career to date" - Ryan Mullen & Ben Healy carry Irish hopes into Paris Olympics road race

The road races at the Olympic Games are always a chaotic and hard to control affair. With only a select few nations having the maximum four men teams, the number of domestiques are limited and as such, the chance for a surprise winner is much increased.

Two of those riders hoping to capitalise on the chaos and pull off something of a shock, will be the Republic of Ireland's dual representatives, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's Ryan Mullen and EF Education-EasyPost's Ben Healy.

"It is a huge privilege and the greatest honour of my career to date to represent Ireland at the Paris Olympics," says the 29-year-old Mullen, who finished 12th in the individual time-trial last weekend in Paris as Remco Evenepoel took home the Olympic gold medal in quotes collected by Inside the Games. "I've worn the green and blue of Ireland for fifteen years so this opportunity has been long awaited and I'm more than ready to take it."

"The road cycling events in Paris will be spectacular, set against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful cities in the world! They are a key event in the 'Games Wide Open' theme of the Olympic Games," adds Gavin Noble, Chef de Mission of the Olympic Association of Ireland for Paris 2024.

"The road races will be relentless, with a reduced peloton compared to most professional races, smaller team sizes and no radios, creating a different dynamic to most championship races. We believe this will play to the strengths and racing instincts of our riders," concludes Neill Delahaye, Cycling Ireland's National Head Coach.