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Even if you are not a cyclist – or even a cycling fan – you will probably have heard of one of the grand tours. The Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España are three of the biggest events in the sport and have now transcended cycling to become a cultural phenomenon in their own right.

The beauty of the three main countries those tours take in might be one reason why millions tune in to watch the weeks-long events each year. Another reason is that cycling as a sport is hugely popular and that is why many will be eagerly awaiting the cycling events in this summer’s Olympics.

With two of the three tours having already taken place by the time the Olympics begins in Paris in July, cycling fans have already enjoyed some incredible competition. Now all the attention turns to Paris and the cycling betting markets will be of major interest. But if you are not up-to-date with all the latest news ahead of the games, here’s a quick guide to cycling’s place at the Summer Olympics.

One of the Original Olympic Sports

The art of cycling has obviously been around for a very long time and the sport was one of the originals at the very first Olympics in the modern era. That was way back in 1896 in Athens when there were five track events and just one road race – an 87-mile trip from Athens to Marathon and back.

Somewhat surprisingly, road cycling was left out of the next three games, returning in 1912, but there were still some cycling events in the years in between – and in every single Olympic Games since. In a way, cycling is the quintessential Olympic sport, combining perfectly the original amateur ethos of the event with the professionalism of today.

Equality

Like many other sports, cycling has not always offered a sense of equality at the Summer Olympics. It wasn’t until 1984 that women’s road events were included and it took another four years, until the 1988 Olympiad in South Korea, that women’s track events made their debut.

Both women’s road and track events have been included at every games since 1988 and in 2012 cycling landed a huge blow for equality by announcing that there would be exactly the same number of events in all cycling disciplines for both men and women. Some of the distances in the women’s races were still shorter though.

Freestyle Makes an Entrance

Although there have been huge technological advancements in cycling, as in all sports, the basics of most events at the Olympics are much the same as they were in the late 19th century. Competitors race around a track – or along a road course – and the first to cross the finishing line is the winner.

But in keeping up with the times, cycling events have changed a little too.
As far back as 1996, mountain biking was introduced, with BMX racing arriving in 2008. But in 2020, cycling came even more up-to-date by introducing the first-ever freestyle event. Before then, all events had been speed races but the new discipline introduced style and merit as key determiners.

Top Athletes

One of the great early ideals of the Olympic Games was that it was for amateurs. As some sports readily accepted the new professional outlook during the 20th century, the Olympics steadfastly hung onto its original beliefs. But this meant that some sports would not feature the very best athletes as their professional status excluded them from entering.

In fact, it was almost the beginning of the 21st century before professional cyclists were allowed to compete at the Olympics. Until the games in Atlanta in 1996, they were strictly prohibited. Now, we get to enjoy all of the top cyclists in all events, making the Olympics one of the major events in the cycling world.

Paris 2024

As befits one of the most popular Olympic sports, cycling events will take place every single day of the games between the opening and closing ceremonies. There will be slightly fewer athletes than in Tokyo four years ago but there will still be the same number of medals handed out over the same number of disciplines and there will also be as many female athletes as there are male.

In all, there will be 22 gold medals in five disciplines with cycling taking place at four different venues. The road and time trials will be held in Pont d’léna in Paris while the track cycling and BMX racing will be at the Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in the north of the country. The mountain biking will be at Élancourt Hill in the western suburbs of the French capital and the BMX Freestyle will be right in the center of Paris at the Place de la Concorde.

Participation Boost

The 2024 Summer Olympics cycling events are set to be some of the most exciting in the history of the games. Most of the best cyclists in the world will be competing for a gold medal that is only available every four years and accepts the winner into a very select club.

But, as enthralling as this year’s cycling events promise to be, the main winner from the games will be the sport of cycling itself. With such a high profile – and events taking place every single day – the sport reaches millions of people who would not normally think of watching cycling. That, in turn, inspires many to find a bike and get into cycling themselves. And surely that is the true spirit of the Olympic Games, after all.