Rumours over future leave Tom Pidco*ck ‘frazzled’ as he falls short of medals in Olympics road race (2024)

Tom Pidco*ck admitted speculation about his future had left him feeling “mentally frazzled” after finishing 13th in the Olympic road race on Saturday, adding his mountain bike win on Monday had also taken “a lot out of him” physically.

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel conjured a sensational solo victory around the streets of Paris, attacking with 38km remaining to become the first man in history to claim Olympic road and time trial titles at the same Games.

Everyone knew the Belgian would try to go long, but neither Pidco*ck nor anyone else was able to do anything about it. The Briton crossed the line with the big pre-race favourite, Mathieu van der Poel, 1min 50sec behind Evenepoel.

“Coming into today I was on it, but that mountain bike race took a lot out of me,” Pidco*ck said afterwards. “Today I didn’t have that extra punch, I was kind of sluggish and slow.

“I had no punch. On the last lap I felt a little bit better. But I didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t get much sleep after the mountain bike. Too many people gave me birthday cake on my birthday [on Tuesday].

“I definitely need a few days to switch off. Doing two races is a bigger burden than just saying it. Actually doing it.”

Pidco*ck is contracted to Ineos Grenadiers until 2027, but with the British team in a difficult moment there are rumours other World Tour teams are sniffing around their star rider.

Asked whether the speculation had affected him, Pidco*ck added: “Yeah – that’s why I’m mentally a bit frazzled.”

Evenepoel has long been touted as the successor to Belgian great Eddy Merckx and the 24-year-old is starting to show his talent more consistently now. Evenepoel finished third overall in his maiden Tour de France last month, and then arrived in Paris and promptly won the time trial. That victory arguably owed some luck to a puncture suffered by Team GB’s Josh Tarling. But there was nothing lucky about this win.

Evenepoel attacked the favourites from 38km out, as they were doing laps of the finish circuit around Montmartre, and swiftly passed the few groups still ahead of him on the road.

Britain’s Fred Wright was in one of them. “You suddenly see this bullet Belgian,” Wright said later. “As soon as I saw him coming through I thought ‘UIh oh, this isn’t so good.’”

Evenepoel had to contend with a late puncture, 3.8km from the finish beneath the Eiffel Tower, frantically waving at his support vehicle to give him a spare bike. With no race radio he said he was unsure of the gap to the group behind him.

But he had more than enough in hand. Evenepoel was able to raise his hands as he crossed the finish line in Trocadero, beneath the Eiffel Tower, before cupping his hand to his ear as if he was making a phone call. He said it was to show he was “dialled in”.

France took second and third on the podium, with Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte 1min11sec and 1min16sec back respectively, delighting the huge crowds lining the route.

Men’s road race: As it happened

05:32 PM BST

Over and out from us

Thanks for following the live blog. Gold star and energy gels for anyone who’s been here for the entire eight-hour stretch. Evenepoel crushed the rest in Paris this afternoon, but the home nation’s fans can be delighted with silver and bronze from two riders firmly in the outsider category, Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte.

We’ll be back tomorrow to cover the Olympic women’s road race, which gets underway at 14:00 BST. On the 153km route, Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) start as favourites. Can Team GB talents Pfeiffer Georgi, time trial silver medallist Anna Henderson or veteran star Lizzie Deignan surprise them?

In the meantime, you catch up with everything else that’s been happening on day 8 of the Olympics here.

05:26 PM BST

Politt answers call of nature in famous Montmartre cafe

There’s no hiding in this age of camera phones. Apparently Nils Pollitt, the German rider who was in the chase group, stopped at the Amelie cafe in Montmartre for an urgent call of nature.

05:24 PM BST

Remco on the podium

Flanked by Valentin Madouas and Christophe Laporte, Remco Evenepoel turns to the Belgian flag and sings the national anthem for the second time in a week, shedding a few tears at the end.

Third in his debut Tour de France and now Olympic gold medals in the time trial and road race, what a summer it’s been for the 24-year-old.

05:20 PM BST

Aftermath of cross-country success tired out Pidco*ck

Pidco*ck says he felt sluggish and mentally exhausted. “Didn’t really get much sleep after the mountain bike. Too many people gave me birthday cake for my birthday,” he joked. Intriguingly he also said contract talks had left him frazzled.

05:15 PM BST

Evenepoel hangs up on the Paris Olympics in style

05:12 PM BST

Evenepoel was too strong to make the finale enthralling

Some of Eurosport’s pundits were calling it a “classic” race. Not sure about that: it was set up for a more enthralling, tactical race with 35km to go but Remco Evenepoel was too strong. There wasn’t much suspense once it became clear how much superior he was to the rest, burning through the chase group with ease.

Ireland’s Ben Healy deserves a special mention for his manful ride, up the road for the last 85 kilometres and coming within seconds of an Olympic medal.

However, for optics and fans, it’s a 10/10. Those images from Montmartre, the Sacre-Coeur and Evenepoel’s celebration in front of the Eiffel Tower will live long in the memory.

05:08 PM BST

Team GB road race results round-up

Tom Pidco*ck was best of the Brits, hiding in the bunch well all day and striking hard in the finale to finish 13th. Stephen Williams placed 31st, Fred Wright was 43rd. Josh Tarling finished 47th.

Speaking to Eurosport post-race, Wright said:

05:02 PM BST

Breakaway star Kagimu crosses the finish line

What a brave ride from the Ugandan 25-year-old, who just crossed the line. He was in front for 180 kilometres in the day’s early breakaway, was shelled from the bunch but kept fighting all day and has finished the Olympic road race after almost seven hours in the saddle.

04:59 PM BST

Iconic

04:56 PM BST

Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) didn’t live up to his pre-race tag of favourite

It didn’t work out for the Dutchman, who won the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the spring. Speaking to Eurosport, he said:

04:52 PM BST

Post-race reaction from Remco Evenepoel

Speaking to Eurosport, the newly-crowned Olympic road race champion could smile about his mechanical mishap with 4km to go:

04:47 PM BST

All the atmosphere in Montmartre?

It’s surprisingly empty at the Trocadero finish. I’m sitting in the press tribune just beyond the finish line and there are quite a few empty seats opposite me in the grandstands. Maybe they’re all up in Montmartre on the finish circuit, where thecrowds look incredible.

Or theyare all Valentin Madouas fans and they’ve scarpered. My word, though, the pictures from this finish are going to be good with the Eiffel Tower soaring majestically above us.

04:43 PM BST

Here’s the top 10 from the Olympic men’s road race; Pidco*ck 13th

Pidco*ck was one of the best of the rest, finishing on the wheel of Mathieu van der Poel.

1. Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) 6:19:34
2. Valentin Madouas (France) at 1 minute 11 seconds
3. Christophe Laporte (France) at 1:16
4. Attila Valter (Hungary)
5. Toms Skujins (Latvia)
6. Marco Haller (Austria)
7. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland)
8. Jan Tratnik (Slovenia)
9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA)
10. Ben Healy (Ireland) at 1:20
11. Julian Alaphilippe (France) at 1:25
12. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) at 1:49
13. Tom Pidco*ck (Great Britain) at 1:50

04:35 PM BST

Two in one week for the Belgian prodigy

04:34 PM BST

Alaphilippe congratulates Evenepoel

“La classe,” Alaphilippe says, congratulating winner Remco Evenepoel. No translation needed. He took the Olympic road race by the scruff of the neck.

Rolling in over three minutes down, Wout van Aert just hugged his compatriot too. Team Belgium are on top again.

That mechanic who handed him the spare bike is owed a beer or two for his fast service, mind.

04:31 PM BST

Silver for Madouas, bronze for Laporte

What a gutsy ride from Madouas. He pumps his fist after hanging on for the silver medal. Behind, it’s his team-mate Christophe Laporte sprinting to another medal for France, taking the bronze.

Mathieu van der Poel leads Tom Pidco*ck over the line about 45 seconds after Madouas. Both have rueful looks on their faces: this is not the result they wanted. I reckon Pidco*ck will have crossed the line in about 15th place.

04:29 PM BST

Remco Evenepoel takes road race gold

Evenepoel looks behind and puts his left arm in the air, index finger pointed out. He takes a right turn over the Seine by the Eiffel Tower and he can take in the scene, slowly riding the final 200 metres. Over the line, he stops, picks up his Specialized bike and spreads his arms wide before doing the ‘phone down’ celebration popularised by tennis player Ben Shelton.

04:27 PM BST

Evenepoel is still gong to win comfortably

Now,Evenepoel smiles. He has 1.6km to go and a lead of 1:02, even in spite of that nerve-wracking bike change. It’s been an imperious ride from the Belgian, who is about to become a double Olympic champion.

Madouas still has 20 seconds’ lead on the Jorgenson group. They can see him, but the Frenchman ought to hold on for silver here.

04:25 PM BST

Mechanical problem and bike change for Evenepoel!

Oh, he has a problem with his bike and needs a new bike! Remco Evenepoel is shouting, screaming and waving for a new Specialized. He gets it, but he’s lost 20 seconds at least.

His heart will be racing. 3.5km to go.

He gestures angrily at the camera bike asking for the time gap. He’s got no race radio and has no idea that his advantage is still healthy. High drama.

04:24 PM BST

5km to go

Shades of Evenepoel’s 2022 world road title in Australia, where he rode the last 25km solo. This is textbook Remco Evenepoel and his rivals could do nothing about it when push comes to shove, despite expecting that tactic.

It’s not over in the race for silver and bronze. Ben Healy (Ireland) and Marco Haller (Austria) are with Jorgenson and Laporte.

04:21 PM BST

Pidco*ck in the peloton

I’ve not seen him on the footage, but Team GB’s Tom Pidco*ck is listed as being part of the 30 riders in the reduced peloton, alongside pre-race favourites Van der Poel and Van Aert. There’s a chance for a top-10 finish there.

04:20 PM BST

8km to go: An Evenepoel exhibition

Sportingly, Evenepoel finally betrayed some signs of difficulty and effort on the final stretches of the Butte Montmartre. He is human, after all.

The Belgian is up and over the final significant test of this urban circuit, with a lead of 56 seconds on Madouas and 1:28 over Jorgenson, Laporte and Healy.

04:18 PM BST

Jorgenson leads chasers onto Butte Montmartre

Matteo Jorgenson (USA) and Christophe Laporte (France) break away on the climb and eat into the lead of Madouas. Silver could still be in play if the Frenchman blows up.

Even the tens of thousands of cheers from Parisian fans can’t help Madouas go much faster.

04:15 PM BST

Evenepoel riding to gold

Evenepoel had to angrily gesture to the nearby TV camera to give him some space. That would have been a palaver if the runaway leader was fetched off in that manner...

As he turns past the Moulin Rouge and onto the cobbled Butte Montmartre climb, this circuit’s fan-thronged centrepiece, for the last time, Evenepoel has already put 30 seconds into Madouas.

The chasers are 1:15 down, but they’re likely to be hoovered up by an attack from Van der Poel or Van Aert on that climb.

04:12 PM BST

15km to go: Evenepoel attacks and drops Madouas

After six hours of racing, Remco Evenepoel gets out of the saddle on a drag and leaves Valentin Madouas behind. Barring a crash or mechanical problem, he is going to win Olympic gold.

This young Belgian was compared to Eddy Merckx endlessly as a junior rider. This is Merckx-esque, a star in a state of grace. He accelerated across to the chase group with frightening ease and power.

04:08 PM BST

The race for bronze

58 seconds behind the two leaders, Matteo Jorgenson and Christophe Laporte have caught Healy, Kueng and Haller. This is looking like a race for the bronze medal now.

Valentin Madouas shakes his head when Evenepoel gestures to come through. Unless he’s the world’s best bluffer, this is about hanging onto the Evenepoel express for as long as possible and securing a silver medal on home soil.

04:05 PM BST

What a shot

04:04 PM BST

You don’t need to be a body language expert here

20km to go, the lead 53 seconds.

In front, Valentin Madouas is struggling to hold Evenepoel’s wheel. He’s not playing games; he can hardly come through to do his turn on the front. It feels like the Belgian is waiting for the final ascent of the Butte Montmartre to turn the screw one more time and ride off alone for the gold medal.

Incidentally, both are from cycling families: Evenepoel’s father Patrick and Madouas’s dad Laurent were both professional riders in the 1980s and 1990s.

04:02 PM BST

43 seconds advantage for Evenepoel and Madouas

There’s little cohesive chase in the truncated third chase group. Just attacks going over attacks. Christophe Laporte (France) and Matteo Jorgenson (USA) - trade team-mates at Visma-Lease a Bike - try to combine to get away from their rivals, but nothing doing.

03:59 PM BST

25km to go: Evenepoel and Madouas drop Healy

Then there were two. After putting in many brave, hard kilometres in front, Ben Healy has dropped off the front group. Now it’s just the charging Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Valentin Madouas (France).

Madouas isn’t doing much work with Evenepoel. Well, he’s not going to foolishly put himself even more into the red behind this in-form prodigy.

The Belgian won the Olympic time trial and he has put himself in a prime position to add the road race title too.

20 seconds back to Kueng, Healy and Haller, 45 seconds back to the Van der Poel and Van Aert chase group.

03:54 PM BST

Van der Poel charges on Butte Montmartre

Evenepoel is hammering away from the turn onto Rue Lepic past the Moulin Rouge. This test is 1.1km at 5.5% average. Kueng and Haller are jettisoned, with Madouas and Healy hanging on. The Belgian is riding away with this.

45 seconds behind in the bunch, Van der Poel hits the front, with Alaphilippe, Pedersen and Van Aert on his wheel. Then he accelerates hard and Wout van Aert jumps onto his wheel again!

03:49 PM BST

30km to go

Evenepoel’s attack has transformed the race. He is in the lead group, 35 seconds up, with Valentin Madouas (France), Marco Haller (Austria), Ben Healy (Ireland) and Stefan Kueng (Switzerland).

If Van der Poel, Pidco*ck or Pedersen want gold, they - or their team-mates - have to chase hard and take the risk of letting Wout van Aert sit in. He doesn’t have to lift a finger in the chase with his Belgian team-mate there.

03:47 PM BST

GB’s Wright dropped from lead group and Healy is caught

Remco Evenepoel’s pace is relentless. Behind, they are grimacing and straining out of the saddle. He hardly seems to be breathing. And he catches Healy! The 24-year-old is the clear favourite.

Fred Wright is dropped from the chase group, while Nils Politt slinks back to the bunch, 39 seconds down.

03:44 PM BST

35km to go: Healy leads Evenepoel group by 21 seconds

Ireland’s Ben Healy lives for against-the-odds rides like this. Usually in the pink kit of EF Education-EasyPost, he did a similar ride in the Giro d’Italia last year, riding solo for 55km to a stage victory. He gets aero and uses his time trial engine to stave off te chasers. It will benefit him if there is looking around or hesitation behind.

However, Evenepoel has gone to the front of the chase group and is slashing his lead down. The Belgian looks full of riding.

03:41 PM BST

Evenepoel attacks!

The impetus has gone out of the Van der Poel-Van Aert group and Team GB’s Stephen Williams leads a small group back up to them. Remco Evenepoel takes advantage of a lull, attacks hard and catches everyone’s nappy. In a matter of minutes, he’s up to the chase group.

Pidco*ck may be hiding, but there’s no sign of him. Meanwhile, Fred Wright is hanging tough in the chase group, 32 seconds down on Healy.

03:39 PM BST

The two pre-race favourites aren’t messing about

03:35 PM BST

Healy alone in the lead

Van der Poel and Van Aert have been joined by Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Toms Skujins (Latvia) and Julian Alaphilippe (France). That’s valuable firepower in their pursuit, 40 seconds down on the lone leader.

In front, Ben Healy (Ireland) has dropped Lutsenko and leads Valentin Madouas (France), Fred Wright (Great Britain), Michael Woods (Canada), Nils Politt (Germany, Stefan Kueng (Switzerland), Marco Haller (Austria) and Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan) by 20 seconds.

03:32 PM BST

45km to go: Van der Poel and Van Aert attack

Halfway up the first of three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, Mathieu van der Poel puts in a huge attack. Only Wout van Aert can respond, hanging onto his wheel. They’ve cut 30 seconds off the deficit to the chase group already.

It’s an incredible scene in Montmartre, with tens of thousands of spectators screaming and waving their national flags. Goosebumps-inducing stuff.

03:24 PM BST

50km to go: puncture for contender Pedersen

Oddly, the Dane has a wheel change rather than getting a new bike, which would have been considerably quicker. Matej Mohoric (Slovenia) also has a flat and chases like the clappers in the convoy to get back to the bunch.

The peloton hits the River Seine in central Paris past crowds packed six deep. They will take on the first climb of the Butte Montmartre in 3km. Amelie cutesiness, it ain’t: the road is steep, cobbled and narrow, and it will likely whittle down the race further.

03:21 PM BST

“Total chaos” in the peloton

Doing comms for Eurosport, Robbie McEwen finds it incredible that Belgium and the Netherlands missed that move of strongmen.

“They’re staring at each other and the race is riding off into the distance,” he says.

Tiesj Benoot is tapping out a pace, with Ryan Mullen in his wheel, which shows it’s not full-on. They’re 1:16 down on Healy and Lutsenko and a minute behind the chasing group.

03:15 PM BST

Team GB’s Wright attacks

The tempo has lulled and Team GB racer Fred Wright jumps across to Woods and Politt. Clever racing from the Londoner.

Valentin Madouas (France) is also there, with Stefan Kueng (Switzerland), Marco Haller (Austria) and Jambaljants Sainbayar (Mongolia). They are only 17 seconds down on Healy and Lutsenko.

Big guns Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands have all missed out, but they won’t commit a man in the chase. They’re 53 seconds behind the duo in front.

03:12 PM BST

60km to go: Pidco*ck in the mix

Pidco*ck is spotted in the third row of riders: close enough to the front to see who is attacking, far enough away from taking any wind. He’s biding his time, saving his best for the cobbles of Butte Montmartre.

Nils Politt (Germany) shows his blindingly-white teeth as he launches an attack, followed by Canadian veteran Michael Woods.

03:07 PM BST

Stefan Kueng (Switzerland) sets off a speed camera

That sums it up: the bunch is not hanging around. With 210 kilometres in everyone’s legs, attack will soon be the best form of defence for most contenders.

The leaders are only ten kilometres from entering the finishing circuit in Paris. The rain is staying away for now, happily.

03:04 PM BST

Healy and Lutsenko lead by 27 seconds

Mullen drops back to the bunch after giving everything to increase his team-mate’s advantage.

Evenepoel accelerates again through the feed zone, with Matteo Jorgenson (USA) and Mads Pedersen (Denmark) following him. Little chance to grab a water bottle there for anybody, maybe not the most popular place to attack...

03:01 PM BST

72km to go: Evenepoel attacks

Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) surges, making the race hard for team-mate Wout van Aert. There’s no way his rivals are giving him an inch. The Dutch only have three riders here and Mathieu van der Poel is about twenty riders down.

Mullen is turning himself inside out to give Healy a chance, with Lutsenko in tow. Helped by a lull following Evenepoel’s move, their lead is up to 30 seconds

Onto the Côte du Pave des Gardes, then we’re back in the Parisian suburbs. It’s a molehill at 1.5km at 4.4% and shouldn’t trouble the bunch much.

02:56 PM BST

Montmartre is packed with fans

02:53 PM BST

Benoot injects pace as Irishmen team up

On the next Chevreuse hill, Tiesj Benoot sets a wicked pace in the peloton with Remco Evenepoel poised to strike on his wheel. He has whittled it down to a lead group of 35 or so riders.

In front, Mullen has dropped Viviani. He has waited to link up with Ben Healy to set the pace for him and Lutsenko. However, their lead is little more than 15 seconds.

02:47 PM BST

80km to go

The remaining distance in this race will be ticked off in under two hours. Experienced racers Ryan Mullen (Ireland) and Elia Viviani (Italy) are in the breakaway, after joining the original escapees in a mid-race move.

They are 50 seconds ahead of Ben Healy (Ireland) and Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan), with the peloton 1:15 behind them. It’s going to be full-on racing all the way to the finish line by the Eiffel Tower.

The race enters the finishing circuit in the French capital with 54km to go. The punchy, picturesque cobbled climb through Montmartre will likely decide the medals.

02:41 PM BST

Ben Healy (Ireland) gets up the road

Raised in the Midlands town of Stourbridge, racing for Ireland, Ben Healy has made an attack stick. He is working hard with Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan), 15 seconds up on the bunch.

In front, Mullen theoretically should ease up and help his team-mate... but does he know that he’s there yet? There are no race radios being used in this event, something to which these seasoned pro riders are accustomed.

His compatriot Alexandre Vinokourov won the Olympic road race at London 2012, outsprinting Rigoberto Uran. “Vino” was in the feed zone, holding out bidons earlier in the race.

02:36 PM BST

90km to go: more attacks in the peloton

Without any joy, Healy gives it another dig, but he is marked by rivals. Team GB’s Fred Wright briefly appears on the front, marshalling affairs. The bunch is strung out over the top of the climb, with no country in control. It could be surges and counter-surges all the way into Paris now.

Up the road, it’s survival of the fittest. Ryan Mullen and Elia Viviani have dropped Rougier-Lagane and Kagimu. The pair of minnows can be proud of their rides after 180km in front though. They’ve not just followed at the Olympics, they’ve helped to make the race.

02:30 PM BST

Bouglas drops back, making it four in front

On the Côte de Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, Mullen inadvertently puts a few metres into the rest of the break. Viviani is contributing to the pace, but the rest are just sitting on the wheel, trying to stay out in front for as long as possible.

Georgios Bouglas (Greece) falls off the pace and Charles Kagimu (Uganda) has to dig deep to stay on Rougier-Lagane’s wheel.

Behind, attack in the bunch: Valentin Madouas of France accelerates, and he is marked by Ben Healy (Ireland), Stefan Kueng (Switzerland) and Jasper Stuyven (Belgium).

02:24 PM BST

100 kilometres to go

We’re heading towards the business end of the race, with the five-man breakaway two minutes up on the peloton.

We haven’t seen much of contender Tom Pidco*ck on camera so far, but that is no bad thing: he has been safely sat in the bunch, protected from the wind by his GB team-mates and saving his energy for the final hour of gung-ho racing.

02:16 PM BST

Novak attacks - briefly

Domen Novak (Slovenia) surges at the front on the Côte de Senlisse, but he only has 30 seconds of freedom before Belgian rider Tiesj Benoot brings him back.

With Tadej Pogacar on holiday, their hopes will likely rest on Matej Mohoric. One of the smartest riders in the bunch, the breakaway artist might fancy the tough finale and technical descent off the Butte Montmartre.

There are five short, sharp climbs in the Chevreuse valley coming in quick succession before the peloton races back to central Paris. They’re hardly Alpine giants, but they will add to the cumulative fatigue.

02:04 PM BST

Down to five leaders in front

Mullen isn’t messing about. He has injected pace and urgency into the group, and several riders are wilting. Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda) is dropped, as are Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco) and Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand).

The leaders are now Ryan Mullen (Ireland), Elia Viviani (Italy), Georgios Bouglas (Greece), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).

Daan Hoole (Netherlands) is still doing manful work in the bunch, 2:45 in arrears. Pre-race favourite Mathieu van der Poel pops out of the slipstream, 20 wheels back, with Julian Alaphilippe (France) on his wheel.

01:57 PM BST

Into the Chevreuse valley, territory of a bygone bike race

We’re into the rolling hills of the Chevreuse valley, heading to the Côte de Senlisse. Few professional bike races come through here these days, but the now-defunct marathon event Bordeaux-Paris used to pass very close by there.

Yes: that’s right, a non-stop race over 557 kilometres between the two cities. The competitors would leave Bordeaux at three in the morning and ride behind derny motorbikes during the event. These punchy hills of the Chevreuse sometimes proved decisive after 15 hours of racing.

The great British champion Tom Simpson won Bordeaux-Paris in 1963.

01:53 PM BST

Mullen, Viviani and Bouglas catch leaders

There are now eight men in front, as broad-shouldered Ryan Mullen (Ireland), a time trial specialist, tears past the escapees who have been out there from the gun. He did much of the grunt work in the chase.

Back in the bunch, his compatriot Ben Healy has his aero helmet on and is an outside bet for a medal. Given his proclivity for attacking and shaking races up, I’d expect Midlands-born Healy to give it a go on the final circuit in Paris.

01:48 PM BST

Lunch time: bunch heads through the feed zone

Riders galore slow to take musettes and bidons, with 125km left to go. I don’t think they’ll be having smoked salmon sandwiches, as I just did on my lunch break, to get their precious energy in though...

Mullen, Viviani and Bouglas are only 35 seconds behind the five leaders, who are tiring after nearly four hours of hard riding out in front. The bunch is making inroads too, only 3:20 in arrears.

01:30 PM BST

Race situation at the halfway mark: 136km raced, 136km to go.

Five riders are up front in the breakaway formed from the gun: Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda), Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).

They’re 3 minutes up on a chase group consisting of Ryan Mullen (Ireland), Elia Viviani (Italy) and Georgios Bouglas (Greece). Previous fellow escapee Gleb Syritsa (Individual Neutral Athletes) has dropped back to the bunch.

Then there’s the bunch, containing contenders like Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), Wout van Aert (Belgium) and Great Britain’s Tom Pidco*ck. They are 6 minutes behind the lead quintet.

01:24 PM BST

Mads Pedersen, Denmark’s medal prospect

Mads Pedersen has had a race against time to be fit and on form for this Olympics road race. He crashed at the end of stage 5 of the Tour de France almost four weeks ago and was forced to quit the race two days later after fighting through the pain.

The Dane, a world champion in 2019 when the road race was held in Harrogate, is a big character who leads by example and has a history of performing on the biggest days. A handy bunch sprinter, he might lack the punchiness of Van der Poel and Van Aert on that finishing circuit, with three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, but don’t underestimate his climbing ability. His Danish team-mates clearly have faith in his ability, as Mikkel Bjerg rides third wheel, bringing down the breakaway’s lead.

01:16 PM BST

Belgian fans dreaming

A pair of boisterous, optimistic Belgian fans in Montmartre interviewed on Eurosport’s coverage predict a Wout van Aert win and a Belgian one-two-three-four: “Remco will be second, so it’s ok.”

01:12 PM BST

It’s three hours since the start - and what a location

01:08 PM BST

Explaining the Individual Neutral Athletes distinction

Gleb Syritsa, a team-mate of Mark Cavendish at Astana Qazaqstan Team, is also in the chasing group with Ryan Mullen.

He’s in a plain white jersey, racing for Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) here. Of course, you won’t find that country on a map. Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing under that banner.

That’s because Russia and Belarus were banned from sending teams to the 2024 Olympics after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was backed by neighbours Belarus.

Instead, individual athletes from the countries can take part, as long as they meet certain conditions outlined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

For example, all AIN athletes here in Paris have been checked by a panel to make sure that they have not endorsed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

01:00 PM BST

Hoole working hard for Van der Poel

Diligent Dutch racer Daan Hoole has had his Weetabix this morning. Probably tallest man in the 90-strong field, a 198cm (6’6”) strongman who races for Lidl-Trek the rest of the year, he’s putting in a shift on the front. He finds time to wave at some oranje-clad Dutch fans as he leads the bunch around a turn.

Working hard with Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark), the pair have combined to bring the bunch’s deficit down to 9 minutes 20 seconds on the leading quintet. Meanwhile, the four-man group containing Ireland’s Ryan Mullen, is 6:25 down on the frontmen.

12:50 PM BST

Van Aert and Evenepoel: Belgian beef buried?

With the strongest nations only fielding four-man teams, every single individual has to pull their weight. Belgium have one of the strongest teams on paper. Milan-Sanremo winner Jasper Stuyven is another possible dark horse who was climbing strongly in the last week of the recent Tour de France.

But it’s likely that fast-finishing king of versatility Wout van Aert will be their frontman. It could be a showdown between fellow “van man” Mathieu van der Poel, reprising some of their past showdowns on the road or in the cyclo-cross mud.

However, Remco Evenepoel could also grab more glory after his impressive Olympic time trial win. Give him a metre and he’ll take a mile; he has won a fair few races with unlikely 50km solo breakaways. He could force the other nations to chase hard by going on the warpath early. And they still might not catch him: that’s how he won the 2022 World Championships road race title, for example.

But it’s no guarantee that the Belgium team will work in harmony. After a poor showing at the 2021 World Championships, Evenepoel bemoaned the fact the Belgian team had stuck to its plan of riding for Van Aert, saying it was a wasted opportunity for other riders in the team. He believed he could have won the race.

Meanwhile, Van Aert claimed the younger man didn’t follow their agreed pre-race tactics, joining early attacks, and criticised him for adding “fuel to the fire” with his public comments.

12:36 PM BST

The race situation with 100km raced, 172km to go

Achraf Ed Doghmy has been up and down from the front group like a yo-yo today. After a long, lonely chase, he is back with the leaders and it’s five in front. He is accompanied by Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda). The quintet attacked from the gun.

They have a 9-minute lead on four chasers: Ryan Mullen (Ireland), Gleb Syritsa (Individual Neutral Athletes), Georgios Bouglas (Greece) and Elia Viviani (Italy).

The bunch is organised and riding hard again. Daan Hoole (Netherlands), Tiesj Benoot (Belgium) and Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark) are taking turns, 13 minutes behind the leaders.

12:30 PM BST

Mark Cavendish reckons “maturing” Pidco*ck can win

Legendary sprinter Mark Cavendish has written a piece for us, assessing Tom Pidco*ck’s chances, the booing he received at the cross-country and analysing what makes the Olympic road race such a different course.

Few professional cyclists out there are more canny, prolific or experienced than the Manxman. You can read it in full here, a snippet below. Fast rider, good writer - a possible alternative career path after his impending retirement:

12:22 PM BST

Bike change for GB’s Josh Tarling

Looks like a jammed chain for Team GB’s Josh Tarling. He puts his hand up, waits for the Team GB bike and they give him a new bike. The tall Welshman is no doubt sick of mechanical misfortune after the puncture which put him out of medal contention in last week’s time trial.

12:20 PM BST

Four in front as Ed Doghmy drops back

The man in red, Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco), suffered a mechanical issue and he’s dropped 30 seconds off the front group, making it four in front. Here are some images from the morning’s racing.

12:11 PM BST

Ireland’s Mullen leads chase group away

The go-slow is a memory, as accelerations come thick and fast from attackers in the bunch. Santiago Buitrago (Colombia), Ryan Mullen (Ireland) and Domen Novak (Slovenia) - a late replacement for Pogacar - give it a go. Fred Wright turns his hand round on the front of the bunch, the universal signal for “can we stop messing about incohesively and work together?”

Mullen is dragging a chase group away from a disinterested bunch. He’s joined by Elia Viviani (Italy), Gleb Syritsa (Individual Neutral Athletes) and Georgios Bouglas (Greece), and they’ve quickly taken a minute on the bunch. Just 12 to chase down on the leaders...

We’re still in the early phases of the race, so this is nothing to overly worry the stars yet.

12:00 PM BST

The break’s lead shoots up to 12 minutes

The peloton is going slow.

No country is willing to commit a man on the front to set a decent pace anymore and they’re rolling along, chatting, taking on food and spread out at the front like it’s a leisurely Sunday cycling club ride. In a matter of a few kilometres, the advantage of the breakaway has doubled from six to a dozen minutes.

Fancied French hope Julian Alaphilippe stops for a bike change. It’s the perfect time to do it.

11:35 AM BST

Pidco*ck well-placed near the front

Team GB’s big medal hope is sitting about a dozen riders back, vigilantly keeping an eye on things. His Pinarello Dogma bike has a gold paint job fade on it, breaking up the black. Very nsnazzy.

Mikkel Bjerg of Denmark is tapping out a steady pace, replicating the job he does for UAE Team Emirates leader Tadej Pogacar during big races of the year, lining out this unusually-small bunch. With 90 starters and 273km on the menu, it’s both the longest Olympic men’s road race in history and the one with the smallest field.

11:23 AM BST

50km done, six-minute lead for the breakaway

Moroccan rider Achraf Ed Doghmy is back with the breakaway after a short period in no man’s land.

Just to recap, his four fellow fugitives are Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).

Kagimu is the reigning African continental time trial champion, while Rougier-Lagane won a Tour of Algeria stage this spring. For all of them, the level of competition is a cut above what they’re used, but they’re giving it a good go.

11:14 AM BST

Netherlands working for Van der Poel

The bunch is passing through Saint-Germain-en-Laye, birthplace to Louis XIV, composer Claude Debussy and former tennis star Amelie Mauresmo.

It’s already interesting to see who is doing the early tempo-setting: Denmark have done a few turns and Daan Hoole (Netherlands) is keeping the gap down for team leader Mathieu van der Poel. Without race radio communication, it’s a little trickier to know how close the breakaway is, but these five unfancied riders shouldn’t cause too much concern for the big hitters.

11:05 AM BST

Pin it to win it

Thanakhan Chaiyasombat shows his Thai pin to the camera, as the escape’s lead ticks over seven minutes. It’s no surprise to even see it being carried during a race: athletes and fans alike go crazy to collect these colourful badges.

Andy Murray has over 70 already, tracking down a Liechtenstein competitor to get his rare one. It’s a craze loved by Simone Biles and Snoop Dogg too, as Simon Briggs reported, meeting some pin-gathering fanatics.

10:54 AM BST

Biniam Girmay: long shot or not?

“Girmay to be filed as an outsider? Have you seen the parcours? Absolutely less than zero chance,” says one commenter.

Well, Girmay isn’t a pure sprinter - he can get over some hills - and the route isn’t that tricky until it returns to central Paris.

He won a couple of stages in the Tour de France with 2,300m of climbing over much shorter distance. That said, he has no team-mates and that will count against him. I think he’d need incredible legs and poor tactics from rivals to win because they absolutely won’t want to drag the green jersey winner to a finish and risk being beaten in a sprint.

If Van der Poel and Pidco*ck hit warp speed on the Butte Montmartre, he may be found wanting. Not one to be totally discounted though. Peter Sagan of Slovakia won three world titles with little help from team-mates in the finale, after all.

10:47 AM BST

The breakaway leads by 6 minutes

This spellcheck-bothering quintet making a quixotic break for victory are six minutes up on the bunch and over the Côte des Gardes, the day’s first climb. The crowds have been vast, waving flags and cheering the 90 riders out into the Paris suburbs. This kind of race is pain et beurre for a country which annually hosts road cycling’s flagship event.

Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco) took himself out of the breakaway. He seemed to have a mechanical issue, but it might have just been a loose cycling computer head unit. Got to make sure you’re able to see the power numbers you’re putting out and make sure it’s on Strava afterwards, I suppose.

25km done, 247km to race.

10:32 AM BST

Can Tarling spring a surprise?

Tom Pidco*ck isn’t the only challenger on the Great Britain team. It will be curious to see how 20-year-old Josh Tarling fares after his fourth place in the time trial, cruelly denied a medal by a puncture which forced him to change his bike midrace. He hasn’t got much of a pedigree in one-day races, but then the second-year Ineos Grenadiers pro hasn’t done so many. His engine isn’t in question, but has he got the endurance and climbing chops for this puncheur’s delight?

Former British champion Fred Wright can also handle a fair few climbs and sprint at the end, while Stephen Williams is a strong climber too. But if Team GB are riding cohesively, you’d think they will have to sacrifice some personal ambition to protect and help out Pidco*ck.

10:19 AM BST

Five riders have broken away

Pretty much as soon as the neutralised zone ended, Eric Manizabayo (Rwanda) shot up off the road, wearing a big smile. He was followed by Achraf Ed Doghmy (Morocco), Thanakhan Chaiyasombat (Thailand), Christopher Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) and Charles Kagimu (Uganda).

They’ve quickly taken 90 seconds’ lead on the bunch. With none of those riders a professional cyclist, not on the WorldTour, this is the race of their lives and they’re making the most of it.

The peloton is not fussed in the slightest, certain they’ll be seeing them again in several hours’ time. It’s a long race and the favourites will spend the opening hours taking on food and saving their energy.

10:14 AM BST

Outsiders to watch out for

Olympic road races throw up a totally different racing dynamic: small teams, difficult to communicate without race radios, quickly-shifting plans, hard to police. It can often yield unexpected winners and peculiar podium finishers (here’s looking at you Sergio Paulinho, Athens 2004), favouring opportunists. Carapaz certainly was not the prime candidate for gold in Tokyo three years ago.

Julian Alaphilippe will be leading the four-man French team. In truth, he’s a few years past his irresistible, buccaneering pomp so a medal would be a fine result.

He’s one to be filed in the outsider category, along with team-mate Christophe Laporte, Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecuador), Biniam Girmay (Eritrea), Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Alberto Bettiol (Italy), Matej Mohoric (Slovenia) and Alex Aranburu (Spain).

10:05 AM BST

The race starts

Passing by the Eiffel Tower, the riders roll out from the Pont d’Iena and start the 5km neutralised zone. It’s sunglasses and T-shirt weather, there is thankfully none of the rotten weather experienced for the time trial and triathlon in recent days. Highs of 25C are expected today.

Ben O’Connor (Australia) chats to Nils Politt (Germany) at the back of the bunch. His team-mate Michael Matthews is an outside bet for a medal, a dab hand at this kind of profile.

09:58 AM BST

Who isn’t here?

We’re missing a few big beasts of the bunch too. After winning the Tour de France in dominant fashion, Tadej Pogacar opted to go on holiday than chase Olympic glory, citing fatigue. No doubt his decision wasn’t helped by the Slovenian federation’s decision to not pick his girlfriend, reigning national champion, Urska Zigart in the team.

The defending champion isn’t in Paris either. Richard Carapaz of Ecuador was overlooked for the South American country’s sole spot, with Jhonatan Narvaez preferred instead.

09:48 AM BST

Men’s road race preview

Good morning and welcome to our live rolling text coverage of the Olympic men’s cycling road race.

The 273km event gives Tom Pidco*ck an opportunity to add another gong to his crowded mantlepiece of silverware and world titles after his dramatic ride to gold in the mountain bike cross-country race, returning from a puncture and executing a last-gasp overtake (which didn’t make him very popular with French fans).

“I think winning will give him a huge amount of confidence for the road race,” British Cycling performance director Stephen Park said in the aftermath of his triumph. “There’s no doubt that we need to ride well as a team, and everyone else will be motivated. Tom’s got the legs, and he’s up for the race, so they’ll be keen to ride for him.”

The long, lumpy course suits him well. Leaving the centre from Trocadero at 10:00 (BST), the riders embark on two big loops in the Chevreuse valley, passing the Palace of Versailles. There are no mountains or sizeable challenges, but 14 punchy hills and a twisting, rolling profile with little flat respite. The action to decide the medal winners will likely be saved for the final 52km and three laps of a circuit around central Paris. The focal point will be the cobbled climb of the Butte Montmartre, 1km at an average of 6.5%. It’s the last significant challenge of the race, crested 9km from a finish in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, expected around 16:30 BST.

Part of a four-strong Great Britain team, Pidco*ck will have plenty of rivals relishing this challenge. Reigning world road race champion Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands) is the pre-race favourite and has tailored his summer around peaking for today.

Other contenders include Mads Pedersen (Denmark) and the Belgian pair of Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, fresh from their Olympic bronze and gold respectively in the time trial last weekend.

It’s likely to be an exciting race, taken on early by some of the favourites to whittle down the bunch. With only 90 riders in the race, no race radios being used and even powerhouse nations only having four competitors, it’ll be very difficult to control. Attack will be the best form of defence.

“It’s no secret, I like it when races open up from quite far out. I’m expecting this kind of scenario,” Van der Poel said pre-race. “It’ll be a difficult race. It could maybe already be played out and whittled down before even the first climb of the Butte Montmartre.”

Keep your comments coming in. With seven hours of racing ahead, there’s ample time to have some Test Match Special-esque tangents and interesting discussions on here.

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