As it happened: Belgium nets gold in thrilling men's time trial at Paris Olympics
How the world champion added Olympic gold to his palmarès wi൩th a commanding victory in Paris
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the men's i🌱ndividual🌸 time trial at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!
We're just over half a♑n hour away from the start of the men's event, as the women's event draws to a close. The firs🉐t rider down the ramp will be Amir Ansari from the Olympic Refugee Team, at 16:32 local time.
For the final throes of the women's ITT, plus post-race reaction, head to 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:our live page for that event.
The men's field is backloaded with the favourites. Last off is the world champion Remco Evenepoel (Belgium), just after the Hour Record holder and two-time world champ Filippo Ganna (Italy). Just beforehand are Brandon McNulty (USA) and Stefan Küng (Switzerland), but it's the rider before the🐼m that is generating a great deal of excitement: 20-year-old Josh Tarling (Gr🏅eat Britain).
For the full list of start t💙imes, here's the linꦛk you need.
A closer look at the course
For the first time, the men and women are racing on the exact same 32.4km c𓆉ourse, and it's a very flat one, heading out from central Paris for a loop around the Bois de Vincennes before returning to track👍 the left bank of the Seine along to the finish on the Pont Alexandre III bridge.
It's not very technical on paper, but the sodden weather is making it so, making treacherous a numb♎er of corners, while the course as a whole is littered with potholes, bumps, paint, and changes in surface.
The women's event has set the tone, with the wet weather that dogged last night's opening ceremony showing no sign of letting up. There were plenty of crashes, including some of the biggest names, and the favourites in the men's race will have to balance risk and reward. For our full write-up from the women's race, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:head here.
Before we get going�🌞�, here's our deep dive into the medal contenders
Who will win the Paris Olympics individual time trial? Analysing the favourites
We're underway
Amir Ansari, representing the Olympic Refugee Team, rolls down the start ramp, and the men's time t🌸riꦗal at the Paris Olympics has begun!
Jan Tratnik (Slovenia), Gleb Syritsa (Individual Neutrওal Athlete), Alberto Bettiol (Itaꦦly), and Laurence Pithie (New Zealand) are some well-known WorldTour names among the early starters.
In fact, of the 34 starters, only four are non-WorldTour riders. As well as Ansari, we have Achraf ed Doghmy (Morocco), Jambaljamts Sainbayar (Mongolia), and Soerenꦦ Waerenskjold (Norway), who is nevertheless well-known on the pro circuit.
Thꦕe rain is🍌 still coming down and the roads are soaking wet.
Mechanical for Tratnik, who has to st✃op for a bike change.🅠
“Cycling saved my life," says our fir✃st starter Amir Ansari.
He was born in Iran and grew up in Afghanistan, but was forced to flee in 2015, finding refuge in Sweden aft♛er a long and harrowing journey. Joining a cycling club in Stockholm proved to be a lifeline.
“Cycling helped me forget about my depression and fears becausꦓe when I am on the bike, I do not think about anything else. I am just enjoying the moment,” he says in . As for his hopes here: “It is a big honour and responsibility to be partꦑ of the Refugee Olympic Team. I am one of those who made it to safety, but many lost their lives on the way. It feels good that I can represent them, and I hope I can do it in a way that makes them proud."
After Mongolia's Jambaljamts Sainbayar, it's time for Biniam Girmay (Eritrea), who has broken new ground in the sport of cycling, winning three stages ✃and the green jersey at the recent Tour de France.
Our first time check comes after 13.1km and Bet🀅♚tiol leads the way as it stands, nine seconds up on Pithie.
Scare for Bettiol!
The Italian, fastest r🌜ider on course so far♌, sees his bike lock up and twitch momentarily as he hits some painted road markings, which are treacherously slippery out here.
We're moving into the second half of the start🌸ers now and we have some big names and specialists coming up, Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) and Magnus Sheffield (USA) among🅺 the next to get going.
Wout van Aert rolls down the ramp!
The Belgian hasn't been touted ♛among the top favo🔴urites for gold but cannot be counted out. Yes, he's using double disc wheels!
The wind is light so Van Aert must have been convinced of the decision to use a disc wheel up front as well as back,💞 which has aerodynamic advantages but makes the bike🉐 more unstable.
The second🙈 checkpoint comes after 22km and Ryan Mullen (Ireland) has just knocked off Bettiol as the fastest r꧑ider out on the road at the moment.
Tobias Foss (Norway) rolls down ♚the ramp. He shocked the world by winning the world title two years ago. Can he pull another one of nowhere?
Our first finisher is Amir Ansari, who sprints to ⛎the line a෴nd stops the clock on 40:26.
Bettiol take💙s 90 seconds out of Ansari's time, but the benchmark is going to be lowered💙 in the coming minutes.
Josh ൲Tarli🎉ng (Great Britain), the favourite in the eyes of many, gets underway. We're heading into the favourites now at the bottom of the order.
Stefan Küng (Switzerland) has been the nearly-man of major international time🐈 trials in recent yea🔯rs. Will the gods smile on him today?
M🤡agnus Sheffield is flying around the course and his US compatriot Brandon McNulty sets off now as another medal contender.
Filipp💜o Ganna (Italy) sets off now! The two-time world champion is among the very top favourites. Can he add to his palౠmarès here?
Van Aert is quickest through the first checkpoint, three seconds up on Sheffield. ♛;
Mullen hits the lin𒐪e and heads into the hotseat, nine secon🎀ds up on Bettiol.
Rem⛎co Evenepoel (Belgium) rolls down the ramp, and that is🐎 our final starter!
The former world champion recently won a time trial at t🍷he Tour de France, where he finished third overall.🐻 Can he fend off fatigue for a shot at gold here.
Problem for Tarling!
TV cameras didn't catch it but the British rider has 𝐆been ꦫheld up by something.
It was a front wheel puncture for Tarling, who had to sto💎p for a bike change.
Crash for Sheffield!
It wasn't shown but his shorts are ripped. The 🐽same thing happe🧔ned in Tokyo last time.
Mathias Vacek (Czechia)🎃 has edged Mullen ou✅t of the hotseat.
Here's a shot of♏ Van Aert with those double discs.
Tarling comes to the fir🌃st intermediate checkpoint, and he's three seconds down on Van Aert. We'll see the real damage when Ganna and Evenepoel get there but that mechanical could cost him dearly.
A shot of Tarling pre-puncture.
It's not K&uuꦅml;ng's day. He's 22 seconds down on Van Aert's༒ benchmark at the first checkpoint.
Kevin Vauquelin (France) and Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark) nar𓂃rowly miss out on🏅 the top finishing time which is still held by Vacek.
Ganna quickest at the first checkpoint!
H𒆙e's two and a half seconds up on Van Aert. ꦫEvenepoel coming shortly...
Evenepoel leads!
The world champ hits the first checkpoint (13.1km) and heཧ's seven seconds up on Ganna! Wow
It's advantage Evenepoel but it's still tight, and pacing strategies remain to be seen. Evenepoel 💧and Ganna lead the way while Tarling would likely have been among them were it not for his puncture, but he's 𝔉not out of it. Van Aert eyeing a medal, too.
New leader
TT specialist Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) takes 17 secondsℱ out of Vacek's time.
Tarling reaches the second checkpoint and he's six seconds down on Van Aert's benchmark there. 🔯He was three seconds down on the Belgian at the first checkpoint, so he's not making up the ground he needs.
Wout Van Aert into the lead!
He knocks 𒁏a huge minute out of Bissegger's time. Big ride.
Ganna is coming to the second checkpoint and he might well be losing time to Van Aert here💫.
Ganna off the mark!
He's four seconds down on Van Aert aꦗt the second checkpo💮int. He was two seconds up at the first...
Here com💧es Evenepoel... has he held his early pace?
He has!
Remco Evenepoel fastest at the second checkpoint, almost 12 seconds up on Van Aertಌ. This looks commanding.
Mishap for Ganna! He almꦜost crashes as he overcooks a corner and heads towards the barriers.
After the se💖cond checkpoint, there are only fou🤪r riders left in the battle for the medals.
- Evenepoel - virtual leader
- Van Aert at 11 seconds
- Ganna at 16 seconds
- Tarling at 18 seconds
The gold is Evenepoel's to lose at this point, but he still needs ꧒to have kept something in the tank for the final kilometres, not to mention avoid the sort of mishaps that have already befallen Tarling and Ganna.
Tarling is𒉰 six seconds down on Van Aert with 2.5km to go, according to live timings. He's holding pace but he needs more. Still, without the pu🌳ncture he'd be a good 10 seconds up.
Tarling comes to the line...
He gets out of the saddle and sprints...
2 seconds down on Van Aert.
Big finish from Tarling. Gold wo🍨n't be his, bu💧t he might still snatch a medal.
Evenepoel is still well up on Van Aert, and gaining, it sꦜeems. Gold is pretty꧂ much in the locker...
Küng finishes well over a minute down on Van Aert.ꦛ Fifth place and 🎐not his day.
Ganna heads into the final kilometre. It looks like he has edg☂ed back in front of Van Aert.
Here comes Ganna to the line, and he has pulled back bags ✱of time!
10 seconds up on Van Aert!
Where did that come from?
Ganna pulled back a quarter of a minute on Van Aert on the last portio𓆏n of that cou♑rse.
But here comes Eve💦nepoel☂, and he's got bags of time to spare...
Remco Evenepoel cr𒅌osses the line 15 seconds up on Ganna!
Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) is the new Olympic time trial champion
Evenepoel punches the air as he crosses the line. He knows, he can see it, he's celebrating another huge moment in his🌊 young career.
Evenepoel gets a hug from Ganna, and soon after he breaks down in tears, the enorm🧸ity of it sinking in.
THE MEDALS
Gold: Remco Evenepoel (Belgium
Silver: Filippo Ganna (Italy)
Bronze: Wout van Aert (Belgium)
Results
Tarling reacts
"My stars were miles apaꦏrt," the Welshman tells the BBC.
"Front puncture, I knew I had change it before that corner🉐, there was no other choice but c♏hange then try my best.
"[There was] a lot of swearing but there's not a lot I can do. A bit of luck. We move on to t🥀he road race."
The one consolation for Tarling will be that the puncture probably didn't cost him the gold medal, given the big gap to Evenepoel. But it more than likely cost him a silver or bronze, which will still sting badly. He does, th🍷ough, have more opportunities ahead of him, being just 20 years of age.
The finish line shot
Our full race report and results ♚are available at the link b♔elow.
Paris Olympics: Remco Evenepoel roars to gold medal for Belgium in men's time trial ahead of Ganna
Here was Evenepoel in full flight
The podium shot
That's it from us here on the live blog. Keep an eye on Cyclingnews for all the reaction from👍 our reporters in Paris!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Amazon Prime Day bike deals: The sale is almost finished, this is your last chance to grab yourself a deal
Don't hang around, Amazon Prime Day is coming to an end but there are still some great deals available -
Where's the beef? The UAE-Visma Tour de France rivalry is intense but respectful so far
"UAE and Visma are perhaps the strongest teams but only one can win," says Mauro Gianetti -
'I wonder how they recover like that every day' – Mathieu van der Poel loses yellow jersey at Tour de France as Grand Tour fatigue sets in
Dutchman more than satisfied with performance in first seven stages despite getting dropped on return to Mûr-de-Bretagne
-
'I don't know if I'm getting any closer to that win' – Oscar Onley best of the rest behind Pogačar and Vingegaard on Tour de France stage 7
World champion says young Scot has 'showed in the past already how a superb rider he is, with a punchy kick' after third place at Mûr-de-Bretagne -
'I have a bit of a fractured rib but should be OK' - João Almeida hopes to race on and help Tadej Pogačar in Tour de France despite high-speed crash
Key UAE mountain domestique suffering from injuries to ribs, finger, elbow and multiple road rash -
'It was just lambs to the slaughter' - Geraint Thomas rolls the dice with breakaway in his final Tour de France
Ineos Grenadiers team captain dropped from breakaway close to Mûr-de-Bretagne finish
-
How to watch the Tour de France 2025: TV, Streaming, official broadcasters
Where to watch the biggest race in the world this July -
'I made a few mistakes' – Jonas Vingegaard admits timing error after Tour de France defeat to Tadej Pogačar at Mûr-de-Bretagne
Dane looks ahead to the mountains on stage 10 and into the second and third week, as he sits fourth on GC 1:17 behind close rival -
'I just wish that he is OK' - Tadej Pogačar's lieutenant João Almeida injured in high-speed Tour de France crash, Jack Haig abandons as leader Santiago Buitrago also hurt
Tour de France stage 7 winner and overall leader Pogačar dedicates victory to injured Almeida