Tokyo Olympic Games individual time trial routes

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The UCI announced Wednesday the routes for the elite men's and women's individual time trials at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The elite men will race 44.2km and the elite women will race 21.1km on July 29.

The time trials will start and finish on the Fuji Speedway motor racing circuit, which is also the finish location of the road races. Riders will compete along an undulating 21.1km loop in and around the speedway, with Mount Fuji set as the backdrop for the events.

The elite men will race two laps of the circuit for a total of 44.2km and an elevation gain of approximately 846m. The elite women will complete one loop for a total of 21.1km and an elevation gain of 423m.

Thomas Rohregger, former Olympic road cyclist and UCI technical advisor, said that the athletes wishing to perform well in the Olympic time trial will need to “pull out all the stops”.

“The course along the Fuji Speedway area is a challenging one, combining long straights and undulating terrain. It will also offer a unique setting with its fan-packed motor racing circuit and the spectacular Mount Fuji as a backdrop.”

The UCI also announced the routes for the Paralympic road race, individual time trial and team relay.

“The UCI has been working in close collaboration with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee to design the courses of the Olympic Individual Time Trial and the Paralympic Road Race, Individual Time Trial and Team Relay events,” UCI President David Lappartient said in a press release.

“With the Olympic Road Race routes already revealed, all road cycling events have now been unveiled. The combination of the stunning scenery of the Mount Fuji region and the stern challenge that the Olympic and Paralympic courses will deliver a fantastic spectacle for cycling fans in Japan and across the world, and we’re looking forward with anticipation and excitement to the start of the Tokyo 2020 Games.”

The UCI announced the elite men’s and women’s road race courses for the 2020 Olympic Games in August. The men race 234km with 4,865 metres of elevation gain over five climbs, including part of the iconic Mount Fuji. The women race 137km, with 2,692 metres of elevation gain over two climbs.

The routes caused mixed reactions among the cycling community, which claimed the women’s route was a watered-down version of the men’s course. Some expressed disappointment over the women not being given the same opportunity to compete on the Fuji Sanroku ascent on the outer slopes of Mount Fuji. The Fuji Sanroku ascent is the iconic climb in the men’s race.