“All the pieces of the puzzle have to come together that day, but we are leaving with one goal: gold and a third consecutive title,” announced coach Loes Gunnewijk when presenting the Dutch armada. And the Netherlands’ selection must frighten many competitors: Annemiek van Vleuten, Marianne Vos and Demi Vollering, who won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and in the Course by Le Tour de France, are due to be at the start. Ultra domineering on the roads of the Giro Rosa, the Dutchwoman is a favourite on such a course. 2020 UCI World Champion Anna van der Breggen dreams of scoring a historic double after adorning herself with Olympic gold in Rio. The women’s race also promises a great spectacle. A total of 130 riders will take to the start, including the Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, who made his Olympic debut in Athens, 2004. Also among the favourites, the British will line up brothers Adam and Simon Yates as well as Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart. The Colombians can also hope for an Olympic medal with Sergio Higuita, Rigoberto Uran, Esteban Chaves and Dani Martinez. On the Belgian team, veteran Van Avermaet returns with the very young Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert, an expert in one-day races and recent winner over Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France. A medal means a lot to me,” said the winner of La Vuelta 20. “I have always dreamed of participating in the Games. This time his compatriot Tadej Pogačar will be at his side. Some have even anticipated the trip during which they hope to succeed the Belgian Greg van Avermaet, crowned in Rio in 2016.įorced to retire from the Tour de France, Primoz Roglič decided to make Tokyo 2020 a major objective.
The goal: to recover as quickly as possible and acclimatise to the heat and humidity in Japan before 24 July. When the Tour de France wraps up on Sunday 18 July, many riders will fly directly to Tokyo. The men will complete two laps (44.2km), and the women one. The time trials are scheduled for 28 July, again at Fuji International Speedway, with a leg-sapping circuit featuring 450m of elevation over 21.2km. Its summit will be located about 40km from the finish, which could give the teams a chance to organise the pursuit in the finale. The next day, the women will compete for Olympic glory over a 137km course, also including Doshi Road and the Kagosaka Pass.
The peloton will cross the finish line twice then take the dantesque Mikuni Pass: its 10km has an average of 10.6% with sections at more than 20%. They will continue with the climb of the Kagosaka Pass and then dive into a long descent to Fuji Sanroku (14.3km at 6%). After an almost flat start, the riders will gradually change gear in the 40km of ascent leading to Doshi Road. Five climbs are on the programme, adding up to 4865 metres of elevation gain - more demanding than the major mountain stages of the 2021 Tour de France. Starting from Tokyo the peloton will race over 234km around Mount Fuji. The men will face the first Olympic cycling challenge on Saturday 24 July.
Mount Fuji – at 3,776m above sea level, the highest point in Japan - will offer a majestic background for the demanding road race course, suited to the peloton’s best climber-puncheurs, with a circuit drawn between Tokyo’s Musashinonomori Park and the famous Fuji International Speedway racing circuit. The women’s road race will follow the next day (25 July) with the men’s and women’s time trials taking place on 28 July. With the men’s road race the day after the Opening Ceremony, cycling will be among the first sports to crown an Olympic Champion in the Japanese capital. Postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will take place from 23 July to 8 August 2021.