Olympic road races and time trials preview: Everything you need to know at Tokyo 2020

The men’s and women’s Olympic road races will be followed by the time trials a few days later

Women’s road race and time trial

• Women’s road race - Sunday 25 July 5am BST.
• Women’s time trial - Wednesday 28 July 3.30am BST.

Britain’s big road cycling hope at the Tokyo Olympics is Lizzie Deignan. The former world champion took the silver medal at the 2012 Games in London but could not live with the sprint finish from Marianne Vos as she narrowly missed out on gold.

Four years later she finished fifth in what turned out to be a disappointing race. But since returning from giving birth to her daughter in 2018, Deignan has been focused on the Tokyo Games and securing that elusive gold medal on a tough 134 kilometre course that will suit the strongest riders in the world.

Women’s road race and time trial courses (Olympic website)

Van der Breggen is the defending Olympic road race champion (Getty Images)

In order to do that, she will have to overcome the ever-present Dutch trio that have thwarted her numerous times before. They are 2016 Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen, 2012 winner Vos and 2019 world champion Annemiek van Vleuten.

Another rider to watch out for in the road race is Deignan’s Trek-Segafredo teammate Elisa Longo Borghini, who will be representing Italy in Japan.

Meanwhile, in the 22.1km time trial American Chloe Dygert will be the rider to beat. The 2019 world champion lost the title in 2020 after crashing as Van der Breggen took the win. It will likely be between those two in a race against the clock.

Men’s road race and time trial

• Men’s road race - Saturday 24 July 3am BST.
• Men’s time trial - Wednesday 28 July 6am BST.

Coming off the back of the Tour de France, the favourites for the men’s Olympic road race are the same riders that excelled over the three weeks on their way to Paris. Tour champion Tadej Pogacar and Champs-Elysees winner Wout van Aert stand out as the obvious candidates.

If Slovenian Pogacar can make the race tough enough from early in the 234km race then he has a terrific chance of going solo and winning it as nobody can live with him on the toughest climbs. But Belgian Van Aert has prove he is capable of anything, becoming the first man at the Tour since 1979 to win a mountain stage, time trial and bunch sprint in the same edition. If he is able to crest the final climb with the leaders, he is a nailed on winner.

Men’s road race and time trial course (Olympic website)

(AFP via Getty Images)

Primoz Roglic abandoned the Tour following a crash, so we will have to wait to see whether he has recovered enough to compete. Remco Evenepoel is another potential contender, although he has stated he will be riding for Van Aert as part of the Belgium team.

British hopes lie with the Yates brothers Adam and Simon, but they will need to execute the perfect race strategy if they are to distance the likes of Pogacar on the climbs.

The 44.2km time trial will be fascinating. Van Aert won the final TT of the Tour but that was without the presence of world champion Filippo Ganna. The Italian will be seen as the man to beat, although Van Aert’s recent form has led to many backing him to do something special in Tokyo.

Again, Roglic’s chances will depend on his level of fitness, with Evenepoel and Australian Rohan Dennis also outside bets for the victory.