PARIS (AP) — Remco Evenepoel became the first rider to sweep the Olympic road race and time trial on Saturday, relentlessly attacking over three climbs of Montmartre and building such a lead on the run-in to the finish at the Pont d’Iéna that the Belgian rider was able to overcome a mechanical problem in the final kilometers.
He raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the bridge of the Seine, then stopped at the finish line to soak in the cheers at the Paris Games.
Valentin Madouas, who tried to keep pace with Evenepoel late in the race, held on for silver while French countryman Christophe Laporte took bronze from a group that included Matteo Jorgensen of the U.S., Ben Healy of Ireland and Marco Haller of Austria.
The two medals for France were its first in the men’s Olympic road race in 68 years.
Evenepoel, who won the time trial through the rain a week ago, had more than a minute on his pursuers as he was passing in front of the Louvre. The 24-year-old from Flanders suddenly threw up his arm for help, got off his bike and screamed to his team for the spare. They had it ready, Evenepoel got back aboard with only a few seconds lost, and was on his way.
The win capped a spectacular few weeks for Evenepoel that began with his third-place finish in the Tour de France.
The early breakaway of five riders formed quickly Saturday after the neutralized start from the Trocadéro, where fans gathered in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower to see them off. With no real threats among them, the peloton was content allowing the break to build a sizeable gap of more than 14 minutes as the riders headed into the French countryside.
They passed the Palace of Versailles, where the Olympic equestrian competitions are taking place, and the National Velodrome of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, before starting to knock off the 21 punchy climbs dotting the 273-kilometer (170-mile) route.
The narrow roads eventually turned back toward the French capital, and pressure mounted to bring back the break.
What makes that endeavor complex during the Olympic road race is that, unlike most professional races, riders are not allowed to use radios. So the only way the peloton can judge how far behind they are is the updated chalkboard held aloft by the rider of a motorbike, or by dropping back to the team cars and discussing the situation with their coaches.
It was the Dutch, Danish and Belgian teams that took leadership of the peloton on the drive back to Paris.
The field came together about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the finish when Evenepoel made the first real attack, only for the peloton to react quickly to the newly minted Olympic time trial champion. More attacks served to ramp up the tempo, and riders who were unable to keep pace were suddenly shed from the back.
The race favorites, led by Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, attacked on the first of Montmartre climbs, where thousands of flag-waving fans had waited for hours on the steps of the Sacre Coeur to see the defining moment of the race.
Evenepoel gave them a show to remember.
He bridged across to the leading group with an incredible display of power, then worked briefly with Valentin Madouas before leaving the Frenchman behind. Evenepoel quickly opened a gap of nearly a minute by the last of the Montmartre climbs, and the best time trialist in the world simply tucked into an aero mode and rode away to the finish.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
