Preview of the 2024 Olympic road race - women | SD Worx together? Not at the Olympics!

The women's Olympic road race has been part of the Games since 1984, but the most surprising winner undoubtedly came in 2021. Austria's Anna Kiesenhofer stayed ahead because the favorites behind her (read: Team NL) didn't realize there was still someone in front. With more competition, particularly from the Belgian and Italian teams, the Dutch will need to be flawless if they want to win gold.

2021 Anna Kiesenhofer
2016 Anna van der Breggen
2012 Marianne Vos
2008 Nicole Cooke
2004 Sara Carrigan
2000 Leontien van Moorsel
1996 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli
1992 Kathryn Watt
1988 Monique Knol
1984 Connie Carpenter-Phinney

The women's road race covers 157.6 kilometers of continuous ups and downs! It's a perfect course for classic specialists, with both the start and finish in Paris, featuring two loops. Early on, riders will tackle the Côte des Gardes, a challenging 1.9-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 6.0%. They'll face this climb again on the return leg.

After passing by Versailles, the course takes a loop through hilly terrain. This is where things could get tricky, as riders will have to navigate the Côte de Port-Royal, Côte de Cernay-la-Villa, Côte de Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, and Côte de Châteaufort on their way back to Paris.

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On the way back, the women will speed over the cobbled side of the Côte des Gardes, racing towards the French capital. Once in Paris, they'll face three local circuits, centered around the climb of the Côte de la Butte Montmartre. This climb is one kilometer long with an average gradient of 5.0%, and the steepest section, over the tough cobblestones, reaches a gradient of 10%!

After the climb to Montmartre, the uncategorized Boulevard Sérurier follows, making the final loop a challenging circuit. It's up and down, with the finish at the Eiffel Tower. A traditional bunch sprint like in the Tour de France is out of the question—this course is tailor-made for classic specialists to shine.

Weather
Just like on Saturday, Sunday is set to be a perfect day for racing. Temperatures will rise to a maximum of 26 degrees Celsius, with a light breeze from the southwest at wind force 2. No wet cobblestones, no scorching heat... Time to race!

Times
Start: 2:10 p.m.
Finish: Approximately 6:15 p.m.

SD Worx-Protime is a dominant force in the women's peloton, but all those team leaders will be separated in Paris, competing against each other instead. Yay! This means that Lotte Kopecky won't be leading out Lorena Wiebes but rather racing against her. The Belgian Kopecky is fast, but she'll need a tough final to drop or at least wear out Wiebes, the fastest woman in the peloton.

SD Worx-Protime also has Demi Vollering, a key contender for the Netherlands. Although the climber isn't typically favored on such a course, we can't rule out a solo move from her. Blanka Vas from Hungary is another dangerous puncher, though she'll have to go it alone. Among the long shots, Luxembourg's Christine Majerus, also from SD Worx, is worth keeping an eye on.

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Team NL not only has Wiebes and Vollering but also another star on board: Marianne Vos, who was once an Olympic champion in 2012 and seems ready for another attempt. Besides Kopecky for Belgium, the Netherlands will have to contend with an incredibly strong Italian team. Giro Donne winner Elisa Longo Borghini will be there, along with Elisa Balsamo and Silvia Persico. Italy always delivers in major tournaments!

With time trial gold already secured, we also expect a strong race from Grace Brown for Australia, while Denmark has Emma Norsgaard, a woman in form. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig is the better climber for Denmark, in the same category as Vollering. In that category, we also have Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland), Juliette Labous (France), Kristen Faulkner (USA), and Arlenis Sierra (Cuba).

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In the classics category, Great Britain stands out with Pfeiffer Georgi and Anna Henderson. We also include Elise Chabbey (Switzerland), Alison Jackson (Canada), Liane Lippert (Germany), and Chloé Dygert (USA) in our predictions!

Top favorite: Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands)
Outsiders:Marianne Vos, Demi Vollering (Netherlands), Elisa Longo Borghini, Elisa Balsamo (Italy), Grace Brown (Australia), Blanka Vas (Hungary) and Emma Norsgaard (Denmark)
Long shots: Silvia Persico (Italy), Elise Chabbey (Switzerland), Pfeiffer Georgi, Anna Henderson (Great Britain), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland), Alison Jackson (Canada), Juliette Labous (France), Liane Lippert (Germany), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Denmark), Kristen Faulkner, Chloé Dygert (America), Arlenis Sierra (Cuba) and Christine Majerus (Luxembourg)

Eurosport will switch from 2 p.m. on Eurosport 1 and the online platforms (Discovery+ and HBO Max). The NOS (NPO1) and Sporza (VRT1) will also televise much of the race live.