Paris 2024: Your guide to the Olympic cycling events

Ever wondered what the difference is between the keirin, omnium and madison, or how BMX freestyle is judged?

Read on to find out all about the cycling events at Paris 2024, and click here to view the schedule.

BMX Freestyle

Logan Martin won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in BMX Fresstyle. Photo: Getty

What is BMX Freestyle?

BMX Freestyle made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, with Australian Logan Martin winning the first gold medal in the men’s event.

This extreme sport sees riders perform gravity-defying tricks such as backflips, front flips, jumps and spins on a course that is made up of a variety of box jumps, hips, spines and quarter pipes.

How do you win?

There are two rounds of competition: qualification and the final.

In qualification, each rider performs two 60-second runs. They are ranked by the average score of their two runs. The top nine riders will progress to the final.

In the final, each rider performs another two runs. This time, they are ranked by their best score: the score for their worst run is ignored.

How does scoring work?

Five judges will give each run a score between 0.00 and 99.99, taking into account factors such as the difficulty of tricks, (ie height gained on the jumps), flow and use of different elements of the course.

Those five scores are averaged to give the rider’s score for that run.

A great BMX Freestyle Park run should consist of a creative line around the course, a variety of difficult, progressive tricks performed at height, with good execution and clean landings, using all the available time.

Where will it be held? The Place de la Concorde in the centre of Paris
When? Late at night on July 30–31 (AEST)
How many will compete? 12 riders each in the men’s and women’s events
Who is competing for Australia? Natalya Diehm and Logan Martin

BMX Racing

Saya Sakakibara will make her second appearance the Olympics for Australia in BMX Racing. Photo: Getty

What is BMX Racing?

BMX Racing is fast and furious – with races typically taking between 30-50 seconds. Riders launch themselves from a gate atop an eight-metre hill and often reach speeds of up to 60km/h. This discipline is all about explosive power and skill to hold speed around the track over alternating jumps and berms (banked corners) to be the first across the line. Each race is contested by a maximum of eight riders.

How do you win?

BMX Racing at the Olympics will start with three quarterfinal races. Riders are assigned points after each race based on their finishing order: one point for first place, two points for second place, and so on.

After the third run, a rider's points are added together to give a combined score. Riders are then ranked by their combined scores. The fewer points a rider has, the better their ranking.

The 12 top-ranked riders will automatically qualify for the semifinals. But that’s not all: there is a Last Chance Race for the riders who finished in positions 13^th to 20^th. The top four finishers in the Last Chance Race will also advance to the semifinals.

After three semifinal runs, with the same ranking system outlined above, the top eight riders qualify for the final. The final will be a single, winner-takes-all race for the medals.

Where will it be held? Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium in the west of Paris.
When? Early in the morning on August 2–3 (AEST)
How many will compete? 24 riders each in the men's and women's events
Who is competing for Australia? Saya Sakakibara, Lauren Reynolds and Izaac Kennedy

Road Cycling: Road Race

90 riders will compete in the road race at Paris.

How do you win?

A road race is a mass-start event with 90 riders lining up on the start line in a big pack called the ‘peloton’. Teams consist of up to four riders who work together strategically to enable one of their riders to cross the finish line first.

In Paris, the men’s race covers 273km and the women’s race is 158km. This makes it a true test of endurance: races can last around six hours for men and four hours for women.

The course at Paris 2024 has many short hills and tight, winding sections. It’s not a flat course, nor are there long, alpine climbs. It suits an explosive, punchy rider who can tackle short, steep climbs and has strong technical skills through twisty corners.

Depending on the strengths of the riders, the team’s strategy might be to escape up the road in an early breakaway, or to stay in the peloton and sprint at the end, or attack on a climb and try to hold off the chasing peloton.

Where will it be held? On a road course starting and finishing from the Trocadéro, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
When? In the evening on August 3 (men) and August 4 (women). The races are expected to finish around 2:00am AEST.
How many will compete? 90 men and 90 women
Who is competing for Australia?

Women: Grace Brown, Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Lauretta Hanson

Men: Michael Matthews, Luke Plapp and Simon Clarke

Road Cycling: Individual Time Trial

Grace Brown is set to line up for her second Olympics to race the time trial.

How do you win?

As the name suggests, this event is an individual, all-out effort against the clock. Setting off one by one, the goal for each rider is to complete the course as fast as possible, with no drafting or teamwork allowed.

Each rider gets one chance to complete the course, with the fastest time winning.

Aerodynamic equipment and positioning on the bike play a vital role in this discipline. Riders will use specific time-trial bicycles and wear specially-shaped helmets and skinsuits to cheat the wind as much as possible.

It’s also important to pace your effort well so you don’t run out of energy before the finish.
At Paris 2024, the course is 32.4km long and relatively flat. It’s mainly on wide, smooth roads with just a few technical sections. The time trial will be the first cycling event at Paris 2024.

Where will it be held? On a road course starting and finishing near Invalides in central Paris.
When? July 27 at night, going into the early morning (AEST).
How many will compete? 35 men and 35 women
Who is competing for Australia? Grace Brown and Lucas Plapp

Mountain Bike Cross-country

Rebecca Henderson is set to compete in her fourth Olympic Games in mountain bike.

What is cross-country?

A cross-country mountain bike race is held on undulating courses made up of singletrack, forest trails, rocky paths and obstacles that push a rider’s fitness and technical skills to their limit.

How to win?

Following a mass start, riders will fight for position at the front of the race. This is key: the track can be as narrow as one metre in some places, making it difficult to pass other riders.

At the Paris Olympic Games, riders will complete multiple laps of a 4.4-kilometre course. Depending on track conditions, officials will determine the number of laps to ensure the winning time will be between 1hr 20min and 1hr 40min. The number of laps may be changed up to two hours before the start of the race.

The winner is simply the first rider across the finish line. To achieve this, you’ll need supreme aerobic fitness, strong power up the climbs, and excellent technical skills on tricky terrain – plus some luck to avoid mechanical troubles.

Where will it be held? Élancourt Hill, the highest point of the Paris region, located in the city’s west.
When? July 28 (women) and July 29 (men) starting just after 10:00pm AEST.
How many will compete? 36 men and 36 women
Who is competing for Australia? Rebecca Henderson

Track Cycling

Matthew Glaetzer will compete at his fourth Olympics in Paris.

What is track cycling?

Track cycling takes place on an indoor velodrome: a 250-metre oval track with a smooth timber surface and steeply banked curves. Track bicycles are designed for maximum efficiency and aerodynamics, with a fixed gear (so the pedals are in constant motion when the bike is moving – no coasting!) and no brakes.

How to win?

At Paris 2024, medals will be awarded in six different events within track cycling.

1. Team sprint: This is a timed event over three laps contested by teams of three riders.

All three set off at the same time and form a line. The first rider will lead the team around the entire first lap before peeling off and allowing the next rider to take up the pace. This process happens again at the end of the second lap with just one rider crossing the line on the final lap to record the team’s time. The fastest team wins.

At the Olympic Games, there are three rounds: qualifying (where the goal is to set the best time), first round and finals (where the goal is to ride faster than the team on the opposite side of the track).

2. Sprint: The sprint sees two riders battle against each other over three laps. The riders start side-by-side and try to manoeuvre themselves tactically. Sometimes, they will ride slowly or weave up and down the banking as they try to pressure their opponent into making a mistake, or to gain their preferred position (whether that be leading or following). Eventually, they will start sprinting and the first rider over the finish line is the winner.

At the Olympics, the event starts with a 200-metre qualifying run against the clock to rank the riders according to speed. The fastest 32 riders will then contest one-versus-one match sprints in an elimination format until just two are left to fight for gold and silver.

3. Keirin: The keirin sees up to seven riders follow a derny (motorbike) as it gradually speeds up from 30km/h to 50km/h before leaving the track with three laps remaining. Riders then contest a hectic sprint over the last three laps. First across the line wins.

At the Olympics, keirin riders have to progress through multiple rounds in order to reach the gold-medal final.

4. Madison: This is a ‘tag-team’ race for teams of two riders competing over 50km (200 laps) for men and 30km (120 laps) for women.

While one team member is actively racing, the other circles around the upper part of the track, resting and waiting. To swap in and out of the race, the active rider grabs their partner’s hand and slings them forward.

Teams score points in sprints held every 10 laps. The first rider in each sprint is awarded 5 points, second 3 points, third 2 points and fourth 1 point. The final sprint is worth double points. Teams also score 20 points for gaining a lap on the main field and lose 20 points for losing a lap. The winning team is the one with the most points at the end.

5. Team pursuit: Two teams of four riders start from opposite sides of the track, aiming to complete the 4,000 metres (16 laps) as quickly as possible.

Riders follow each other closely in a line (ie drafting) to minimise aerodynamic drag and save energy. They will share the workload by taking turns at the front of the line, where there is the most air resistance.

The team’s time is recorded when their third rider crosses the finish line, so teams will often make a tactical choice to sacrifice one of their riders and finish with just three.

You win by completing your laps faster than your opponent. You can also win by overtaking the other team.

At the Olympics, teams start with a Qualifying round where they simply aim to set the fastest time. They will then be matched against another team in the First Round and, if successful, progress to the Final.

6. Omnium: The omnium is a combined competition in which riders compete in four races in the following order: Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race and Points Race.

For the first three races, the winner scores 40 points, second place 38, and so on. Riders start the Points Race with all the points they’ve accrued over the first three events (ie a maximum of 120 points). The winner of the omnium is the rider who finishes the Points Race with the most points.

Scratch Race: A simple bunch race over 10km for men and 7.5km for women. First across the line wins.

Tempo Race: The aim is to score the most points, which can be done in two ways:

On each lap (except the first four laps), the first rider across the line gains 1 point.
Any rider that gains a lap on the main bunch gains 20 points.

Also, any rider that loses a lap on the main bunch loses 20 points. If any riders are tied on points, their placing in the Tempo Race is decided by their place in the final sprint.

Elimination Race: On every second lap, the last rider across the finish line is removed from the race. The aim is to eliminate all your rivals and be the last rider standing.

Points Race: Men cover 25km and women cover 20km. The aim is to accumulate the most points, which can be done in two ways:

At the intermediate sprints, which occur every 10 laps. Riders gain 5 points for being first across the line, 3 points for second, 2 points for third and 1 point for fourth. The last sprint awards double points.
By gaining a lap on the main field, which gives the rider 20 points.

Also, any rider that loses a lap on the main field will lose 20 points.

Where will it be held? Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines National Velodrome in the west of Paris
When? August 6–11. Most of the medal races will be in the early hours of the morning.
Who is competing for Australia?

Men: Matthew Glaetzer, Leigh Hoffman, Matthew Richardson, Oliver Bleddyn, Kelland O'Brien, Conor Leahy and Samuel Welsford

Women: Kristina Clonan, Georgia Baker, Sophie Edwards, Alexandra Manly, Chloe Moran and Maeve Plouffe