With the 2024 Paris Olympic games right around the corner, cycling fans are eager to catch all the action. If you’re wondering how to tune in and watch Olympics road cycling, you’re in the right place! This guide will break down your options, covering both cable TV channels and streaming services, and replays, so you won’t miss a minute of bike action from France.
Photos from Peter Burgess and Adam Grieg (via Flickr)
Road cycling takes center stage at the Olympics.
Cycling at the Olympics features four different events: road cycling, track cycling, BMX, and mountain biking. Cycling fans will get to see many scenic and historic regions of France throughout the Olympics, including during the men’s and women’s road race and time trial. These road cycling events will feature routes that go through the center of Paris, bringing the audience right to the heart of the Olympics action. Viewers in the US get full coverage road cycling via NBC, with broadcasts on cable channels and streaming with replays on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.
The 2024 Olympics and Tour de France will share a unique connection this year. The most Grand Tour of the year concludes just days before the Olympics kick off, both taking place in France. This unusual overlap has led to adjustments in the Tour de France route. The final stage moved from Paris to Nice to accommodate the upcoming Games. With the final week of the Tour de France approaching, it’s not too late to catch the last of the racing action before the Olympics arrive!
Read more: How to Watch the 2024 Tour de France in the United States (CyclingScoop)
Embed from Getty Images2024 Olympics coverage, including cycling, is exclusive to NBC in the United States.
Cycling fans are likely familiar with NBC’s cycling coverage. This includes their streaming service Peacock, which hosted the Tour de France this year. The 2024 Olympics games from Paris will be available through Peacock as well, with additional coverage on cable channels such as USA and CNBC.
When and where can I watch the men’s and women’s Olympics time trials and road races?
Both the men’s and women’s time trials will take place on Saturday, July 27th. Coverage begins at 8:30 AM EST on Peacock. The men’s event will also be broadcast on USA starting at 10:45 AM EST.
The men’s road race will be held on Saturday, August 3rd. Coverage on both CNBC and Peacock begins at 5:00 AM EST. The women’s road race will take place the next day, Sunday, August 4th. Viewers can catch this event starting at 8:00 AM EST on both CNBC and Peacock.
Can I watch the other cycling disciplines?
If you’ve never watched track cycling, BMX, or mountain biking, the Olympics is a great time to dive in!
Track cycling events are held sporadically between August 5th-11th. BMX events will take place between July 30th and August 2nd. Note that BMX racing will be held on the first two days of August. Finally, the women’s and men’s cross-country mountain biking competitions will be held on Sunday, July 28th and Monday, July 29th respectively.
Visit NBC’s Olympics broadcast schedule for details of when and where you can see these events.
Read more: Olympic Cycling 2024: Where to Watch, Full Schedule (NBC Insider)
Who does commentary for NBC’s Olympic road cycling coverage?
NBC recently announced who will be providing commentary for the Olympic cycling events in 2024. During the race, “play-by-play” commentary will be provided by Steve Schlanger. He is a career radio and TV announcer hailing from St. Louis, MO. Schlanger initially covered cycling during the 2012 games in London, where he also provided commentary for triathlon, water polo, and open water swimming. He will be joined by Bob Roll and Christian Vande Velde as studio analysts. These voices will be recognizable to Peacock and NBC Sports cycling viewers for their regular season road race commentary. Steve Porino will be the on-the-ground reporter for the road race.
Missing from this lineup is Phil Liggett, who provided commentary for Peacock’s 2024 Tour de France coverage. Regular viewers may miss hearing “the voice of the Tour” during the Olympics races. However, we hope he enjoys a well-earned post-Tour de France vacation!
Where do the road cycling events take place for the 2024 Olympics?
The 2024 marks a historic occasion for the time trial competition. For the first time, men’s and women’s events will use the same parcours. The 32.4km route begins near the Eiffel Tower and finishes near the same location. An out-and-back journey takes riders into the Bois de Vincennes, the largest public park in Paris. Contenders will face sharp turns along the route, but very few climbs or regions of difficult terrain. This route strongly favors pure time trial specialists, including larger contenders who are poorly suited for climbing.
The road race courses, which are 273km for the men and 158km for the women, will feature rolling hills throughout and start and finish near Paris. A climb up the Côte de la butte Montmartre will challenge riders during the closing circuit, with gradients up to 6.5%. This race will likely favor riders with intermediate to advanced climbing strength. True puncheurs may not be able to push the pace on all the uphill sections. The course will be technical in nature, including some cobbled streets and tightly winding sections towards the end of the route. At the end, the peloton will pass through the Trocadéro to cross the finish line. The women’s route differs from the men’s race, diverging at Senlisse to skip the climb there, as well as skipping the Côte de Cernay-la-Ville climb seen in the men’s route.
Both of the routes cover many interesting, historic and beautiful areas of Ile-de-France, the region of France that surrounds Paris. Olympic organizers seem to place a focus on visiting undiscovered gems in this region. The parcours feature many roadways which have not been seen during the standard road cycling season. This will distinguish it from the many road races held in France each year, including the Tour de France.
Top athletes come to perform at the highest level.
The Olympics games are a great chance to see some of the world’s best cyclists in action. Unlike in the standard UCI road racing season, Olympians compete for their home country in the games. Richard Carapaz, the men’s road race winner in Tokyo 2020, will return to defend his title in Paris’s edition. He cites it as a major season goal for him as a second big Olympics victory for his home of Ecuador. Other big stars in attendance include Tadej Pogacar, the Slovenian rider currently leading the Tour de France, and Belgian superstars Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel.
Fans from the United States can also expect to see top US road cyclists at the 2024 games! This includes big stars like Matteo Jorgenson, who is currently riding as a teammate of the defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France. Brandon McNulty and Magnus Sheffield round out the men’s squad. For the women’s team, Chloe Dygert, Taylor Knibb, and Kristen Faulkner come to compete in both the road race and TT efforts.
Read more: Olympics team selections for all competing countries (CyclingNews)
Embed from Getty ImagesCycling has a rich history at the Olympic games.
Road cycling has a long Olympic history, debuting in Athens in 1896. After a brief absence, it returned in 1912 with the time trial. Women joined the competition in 1984. Notably, professional racers were once banned from the Olympics but now compete, elevating the prestige of these races and attracting the world’s top cyclists.
Beyond road racing, the Olympics feature a variety of other cycling disciplines. Track cycling showcases the speed and skill necessary to race in the velodrome with events like sprints, pursuits, and keirins. Like road racing, it joined the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896. Mountain biking and BMX racing feature prominently as off-road cycling events in this year’s games. Mountain biking debuted at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996; this is the same year that professionals were first allowed to compete in road cycling events. BMX racing was also added to the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing. It is the most recently added form of cycling in the games.
How many athletes from the United States have won medals in cycling?
The United States has a strong history in Olympic cycling. American cyclists have collectively won a total of 60 medals across various cycling disciplines. Lance Armstrong won one additional Olympic medal; however, he later lost that medal due to doping violations. With 17 gold, 22 silver, and 21 bronze medals, the U.S. is a competitive force on the Olympic cycling stage.
Ta-da! Save our viewing options infographic for easy reference during the Olympic games:
Are you looking forward to seeing road cycling take center stage at the Paris Olympics? Let us know which event you’re most excited to see in the comments! ★