Australia is sending a team of six riders to tackle the men's and women's road race and individual time trials which will be held a week apart in Paris. The men's road race course features 2800m of climbing and the women 1700m, and both pass by several iconic sites throughout the city.
Overview
Australia's medal hopes in the men's road race will largely rest on the shoulders of Michael Matthews and how he recovers from riding the Tour de France in the lead up.
Matthews is an all-rounder and one-day specialist who is making his Olympic debut at the age of 33 and should be well-suited to the challenging 273km course.
As a three-time stage winner and overall green jersey winner at the Tour de France, Matthews will be well supported by experienced workhorse Simon Clarke and young gun Luke Plapp who won a bronze medal on the track in Tokyo in 2021, and is now a time trial specialist on the road.
Ones to Watch
After finishing fourth in the women's time trial in Tokyo, Grace Brown has her sights set on the podium in Paris and has plenty of big-race experience to lean on.
Brown is a three-time national champion in the time trial and two-time silver medallilst at the world championships in 2022 and 2023.
Her teammates for the road race include Ruby Roseman-Gannon - who is the current national road race and criterium champion - and Lauretta Hanson.
Three-time national road race champion and two-time national time trial champion Luke Plapp will be the one to watch in the men's race against the clock.
Sport Format
Both men's and women's individual time trials will be held over a 32.4km course from Invalides to the finish at Pont Alexandre III.
The course is predominantly flat with some technical sections and passes by iconic sites in Paris including Place de la Bastille and the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighbourhood.
The men's (272.1km) and women's (157.2km) road races vary in length but both start and finish by the Eiffel Tower and take in various loops of the city.
They both include three separate ascents of Montmarte Hill - the last of which is 9.5km from the finish line which promises to produce an exciting finale.
Competition Schedule
- July 27, 10pm: Women's Individual Time Trial.
- July 28, 12.04am: Men's Individual Time Trial.
- August 3, 6.30pm: Men's Road Race.
- August 4, 9.30pm: Women's Road Race.
