Your Australian preview of the Olympic Women’s Road Race

Australia has a successful history in Olympic women’s road race. Out of the 10 times it’s been held at the Games, our women have won it twice: in 1992 (by Kathy Watt) and 2004 (by Sara Carrigan).

After Grace Brown’s perfect start to our road campaign last Saturday, confidence will be sky-high among the team.

Read on to learn about the women’s road race at Paris 2024.

Key details – Women’s Road Race

• Date: Sunday, August 4
• Time: 22:00 AEST (finish expected 02:45 AEST)
• Distance: 158km
• Elevation: 1,700m
• Competitors: 90
• Australians: Grace Brown, Lauretta Hanson, Ruby Roseman-Gannon

How it works

The peloton of 90 riders starts all together. In teams of up to four riders, nations race tactically to get one of their number across the finish line first. The long distance, repeated climbs and tricky corners make it a test of endurance, strength and skill.

The course

The Olympic organisers have served up a rolling, hilly course with no shortage of lumps and bumps. However, there is no single climb that defines the race. This makes it an open contest where the winning move could come at any moment.

The race starts and finishes at the Trocadéro in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The first 110km takes riders to the southwest of Paris, into the wooded Chevreuse Valley. They will tackle six categorised climbs in this section, plus plenty of small rises not marked on the map.

The race will reach its dramatic climax in the final 50km, where, like the men, the women’s peloton will climb three times up the Côte de la Butte Montmarte (1.1km at 5.6%). This cobbled street is part of a technical city circuit that also includes four uncategorised ascents, and is expected to be the decisive part of the race.

Riders crest the Montmarte with 9.5km to go, passing in front of the Basilica of Sacré Coeur one last time before a rapid descent and a flat final stretch.

The route feels a bit like a longer De Brabantse Pijl, the Flemish classic won this year by Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA). The climbs are all shorter than 2km, with none steeper than 6.5% average, but it’s constantly up and down.

It’s a balanced course that suits a wide range of riders who can win in a variety of different scenarios.

Contenders

At the Olympic Games, being a race favourite is no guarantee of success. The small teams and absence of race radios can deliver a surprise winner (just ask Anna Kiesenhofer).

Australia, while not the outright favourites, bring a strong trio who are well-suited to this course.

Grace Brown returns to action after her gold medal in the time trial. She will enjoy this course, although she would probably prefer a little more climbing: another 1,000 metres of vertical gain would bring this road race into Liège-Bastogne-Liège territory. Brown’s best chance at victory will come from breaking away at the end of a hard race.

Fellow Victorian Ruby Roseman-Gannon packs a fast finish. Depending how it’s raced, the Australian champion can certainly get over the climbs and sprint for a medal on Pont d’Iena.

Our final team member, Lauretta Hanson, is one of the peloton’s most reliable domestiques. She can be counted on to work for Brown and Roseman-Gannon as late as possible in the race, controlling or even infiltrating the early moves.

Looking at the competition, the world champion Lotte Kopecky (BEL) is the big favourite. She can climb, attack short hills, descend like a demon and sprint with the best. Her weakness is her Belgian teammates, who aren’t quite up to her (extraordinary) level.

Kopecky will find herself outnumbered by the Netherlands, which has the strongest team on paper. But the Dutch riders have question marks on their heads:

• Lorena Wiebes is the world’s fastest sprinter, but can she stay with the lead group?
• Demi Vollering is the world’s best climber, but are these hills hard enough?
• Marianne Vos can win almost any race, but can she beat Kopecky head-to-head?
• Has Ellen van Dijk, who will need to control the race for the team, overcome her recent injuries?

One thing’s for sure: missing gold in Tokyo was a disappointment, and they will be determined not to repeat it.

Looking elsewhere, Italy is never far from the podium: Elisa Longo Borghini has won bronze at the last two Olympics, and this course suits her. They have Elisa Balsamo for a sprint.

British hopes will rest with Pfeiffer Georgi, who can deliver a podium on her best day. Anna Henderson rode well in the time trial to silver: watch out for a long-range attack from her.

Other strong time-triallists who will aim to get away include Kim Cadzow (NZL) and Kristen Faulkner (USA).

We can never count out the French on home soil, especially with Juliette Labous in good form. However, there probably isn’t enough climbing for her liking, as is the case for Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN).

For punchy riders with a fast finish, look out for Alenis Sierra (CRC), Kimberley Le Court Pienaar (MRI), Alison Jackson (CAN) and Blanka Vas (HUN).

It’s looking like an open race and should make for spectacular viewing.

What they said

Grace Brown: “I don’t think we fear any team. We are quite confident in our own abilities.

“The Dutch are a powerhouse team and probably favourites along with Belgium, and the Italians are always a very united team that comes out strong.

“We are a team that has a real mix of skills and combined strength and we can back each other and trust each other, so we’re looking forward to how we can race together.”

Lauretta Hanson: “There's lots of steep little climbs that eventually accumulate and build on you. It's kind of like a Flanders classic; lots of short little climbs that just accumulate.

“The climb in Paris itself, the Montmartre, [has] quite narrow cobbles, so that will also be quite selective there and quite tough. So even though it's not like it's a 3,000-metre climbing stage, it's definitely going to hurt.”

How to watch

You can watch the Olympic Games road race live and free on the Nine Network – whether on television (Channel 9 and Gem), or live streaming on 9Now.