In this article we will explore everything related to Road race at the Olympics, from its origin and evolution to its impact today. Road race at the Olympics is a topic that has aroused great interest in different areas, generating debate and controversy among experts and the general public. Over the years, Road race at the Olympics has become increasingly relevant, influencing not only society, but also culture and the economy. Through this detailed analysis, we will examine the most relevant aspects of Road race at the Olympics, providing the reader with a comprehensive and updated view of this phenomenon.
Road race at the Olympic Games | |
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Overview | |
Sport | Cycling |
Gender | Men and women |
Years held | Men: 1896, 1936–2020 Women: 1984–2020 |
Reigning champion | |
Men | Richard Carapaz (ECU) |
Women | Anna Kiesenhofer (AUT) |
The road race is one of two road bicycle racing events held at the Summer Olympics, the other being the time trial. The road race is a mass start, distinguished from the separate starts of the time trial. The men's road race was first held at the 1896, was not held again for 40 years, then has been held every Summer Games since the 1936 Summer Olympics. The women's event was first contested at the 1984 Summer Olympics, being the first women's cycling event (track events were added in 1988).
A team event, with the results of the individual event being used to place the teams, was held from 1936 to 1956 (4 times).
Rank | Cyclist | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alexander Vinokourov | Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 2000–2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Italy (ITA) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
2 | Belgium (BEL) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
3 | France (FRA) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
4 | Soviet Union (URS) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
5 | Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
6 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
7 | Switzerland (SUI) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
8 | Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
9 | Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
10 | East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Greece (GRE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Spain (ESP) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
United States (USA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Ecuador (ECU) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
15 | Denmark (DEN) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
16 | Poland (POL) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
17 | West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
18 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Canada (CAN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Colombia (COL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Portugal (POR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
22 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
23 | Norway (NOR) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
24 | Latvia (LAT) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Slovenia (SLO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jeannie Longo | France (FRA) | 1992–1996 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
2 | Monique Knol | Netherlands (NED) | 1988–1992 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
3 | Emma Johansson | Sweden (SWE) | 2008–2016 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Elisa Longo Borghini | Italy (ITA) | 2016-2020 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Netherlands (NED) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
2 | Australia (AUS) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
3 | France (FRA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
United States (USA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
6 | Austria (AUT) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
7 | Germany (GER) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
9 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
10 | West Germany (FRG) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
11 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
12 | Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Lithuania (LTU) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Soviet Union (URS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
A men's team event was held for four Games—1936, 1948, 1952, and 1956. It was not a separate competition, but an event that involved the results of the individual road race. The Belgian team, winners in 1948, were unaware that there was a team competition and left London without receiving their medals. For the first three editions of the event, the times of the fastest three cyclists (out of a maximum four individual competitors) for each nation were summed. In the final edition in 1956, a point-for-place system was used instead. In 1936 and 1948, only the top three cyclists for each team were awarded medals. In 1952 and 1956, all members of the team—including the cyclist whose score did not count—were medalists.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | France (FRA) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
2 | Belgium (BEL) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
3 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
6 | United Team of Germany (EUA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.
Fernand Vast won the 1906 title, with France sweeping the medals as Maurice Bardonneau finished second and Edmond Luguet third.
Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
---|---|---|---|
1906 Athens |
Fernand Vast (FRA) | Maurice Bardonneau (FRA) | Edmond Luguet (FRA) |