Paris 2024 cycling: All results, as Remco Evenepoel of Belgium wins gold in historic men’s road race
Remco Evenepoel destroyed the peloton and rode to victory in the men’s cycling road race, claiming the gold medal in the heart of Paris at the Trocadero on 3 August.
It was a moment worthy of being hung in the Louvre, as the 24-year-old Belgian cyclist free-wheeled across the finish line, arms outstretched in front of the Eiffel Tower, embracing his historic achievement of becoming the first male cyclist to win the road race and time trial at the same edition of the Olympic Games.
“I achieved everything I wanted to achieve this month: Tour [de France] and double gold is... my season, I cannot describe it,” said cycling’s newest Olympic champion.
He sat in the peloton for much of the race, enjoying a leisurely ride through the centre and suburbs of Paris. However, Evenepoel was not in the French capital to sightsee; he was there to conquer.
As the peloton approached 100km to go, the crouching tiger became a hidden dragon. Evenepoel made his presence known, chasing down attacks and launching a few of his own off the front of the peloton.
None of those moves would prove decisive, however, and he retreated back into the mass of riders to lie in wait for the perfect moment to commence his own cycling revolution in the centre of Paris.
It was on the first climb of the Côte de la Butte Montmartre that the peloton splintered, with world champion Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands and medal favourite Wout van Aert of Belgium leading the charge. Evenepoel was able to catch up to the pair on the descent afterwards, launching a ferocious attack that caught the remaining members of the peloton off guard.
Free to fly, the Belgian cyclist put his time-trial skills to use, catching the leading group of breakaway riders before the second climb of the Côte de la Butte Montmartre. He used the climb to drop the weakest riders from the leading group, leaving himself and France’s Valentin Madouas at the front of the race.
The pair rode quickly around the centre of Paris, with dreams of medals becoming more realistic. They approached the cobbled Côte de la Butte Montmartre for the final time, and it was on the climb that Evenepoel made the winning move.
He dropped Madouas and rode free towards the finish. He cranked his pedals with the maximum amount of power possible, establishing a minute gap on the French rider.
His gap was so large that even a flat tyre in front of the Louvre couldn’t stop him from a date with destiny. He crossed the finish line in a time of 6:19.34, completing the 273km course more than a minute faster than his nearest rival.
“Being almost sure with 4k to go and then having a flat with 4k to go doesn’t help the stress and the excitement in the moment,” said Evenepoel. “But it’s a dream coming true once again.”
France’s Valentin Madouas held off the remnants of the peloton to claim a popular silver medal. He crossed the line in a time of 6:20.45 to claim his nation’s first medal in the men’s road race since Melbourne 1956.
He was joined on the podium by fellow Frenchman Christophe Laporte, who rode away from the rest of the peloton in the final 300m to claim the bronze medal in front of thousands of screaming fans.
Road Cycling: Men’s road race podium
Gold: Remco Evenepoel, Belgium
Silver: Valentin Madouas, France
Bronze: Christophe Laporte, France
See all the results on Olympics.com.