The 2020 Olympic Games (reschedule to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic) kick off on Saturday, July 24 with the men's and women's road races two of the first competitions to award medals in Tokyo.
The men's road race begins at Musashinonomori Park to the west of Tokyo for a 234km race to the Fuji International Speedway that goes over three major climbs. While Mount Fuji might be the most iconic, coming after 140km, the much steeper Mikuni Pass, which the men tackle with 34km to go, will undoubtedly prove more decisive. Whoever hasn't been dislodged there will have to hold on over the shorter Kagosaka Pass for the 12km run-in to the finish on the speedway.
The women's race on July 25 is almost 100km shorter and leaves out these two climbs but still includes the Doushi Road and Kagosaka Pass - climbing over 1000m - before the rolling 40km to the finish.
Because of the time difference, Australians will have the prime viewing times, with the men's road race starting on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at noon.
Viewers in Central Europe will need to wake up early to catch the 4 a.m. start, while those in the US east coast can follow the start Friday evening July 23 at 10 p.m. or 7 p.m. on the west coast. The race is expected to last around seven hours, with a finish around 11 a.m. CEDT, 5 a.m. EDT, 2 a.m. PDT.
The women's race begins on Sunday, July 25 at 2 p.m. AEST or 6 a.m. CEDT and finishes about four hours later, taking place in the wee hours of the night for the USA and Canada.
The individual time trial men's and women's medal events will be held on the Fuji International Speedway on July 28 in a similar time slot to the men's road race.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Tokyo Olympic Games Road Cycling Event times
Header Cell - Column 0
AEST
CEDT
EDT
PDT
Men - July 24
12:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.
4 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
July 23 10 p.m. - July 24 5:15 a.m.
July 23 - 7 p.m. - July 24 2:15 a.m.
Women - July 25
2:00 p.m. - 6:35 p.m.
6 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.
12:00 a.m. - 4:35 a.m.
July 24 - 9 p.m. - 1:35 a.m.
Time trial - July 28
12:30 p.m. - 6:40 p.m.
4:30 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.
July 27 10:30 p.m. - July 28 4:40 a.m.
July 27 7:30 p.m. - July 28 1:40 a.m.
Olympic XCO Mountain Bike Events
The men's and women's cross country mountain bike races are the next medal events for cycling, taking place on the 4.1-km Izu Mountain Bike Course, which includes 150m of climbing per lap - one of the tougher courses in Olympic Games history.
The men's event takes place on July 26 at 3 p.m. local time, or 4 p.m. in Sydney, 8 a.m. in Central Europe and again, in the wee hours for North America. The women's event is July 27, with both races taking place in the same two-hour time frame.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Tokyo Olympic Games MTB event times
Header Cell - Column 0
AEST
CEDT
EDT
PDT
Men - July 26
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
8 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
2 a.m. - 4 a.m.
July 25 - 11 p.m. - July 26 - 1 a.m.
Women - July 27
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
8 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
2 a.m. - 4 a.m.
July 26 - 11 p.m. - July 27 - 1 a.m.
Track Cycling Events
2020 Olympic Games rings (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Track cycling events at the Tokyo Olympic Games are spread across seven days, from August 2 to the last day of the Games on August 8 with six sets of medals for men and women.
From August 2 to August 7, the events are all scheduled for the same three-hour time frame: starting at 4:30 p.m. Sydney time, 8:30 a.m. CEDT, 7:30 a.m. BST, 2:30 a.m. EDT, or 11:30 p.m. the previous day PDT. On the final day, the events are earlier to wrap up before the closing ceremonies, and start at 11:00 a.m. Sydney time, 3 a.m. CEDT, 2 a.m. BST and 9 p.m and 6 p.m. on August 7 for the North American east and west coasts, respectively.
Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling. Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell, the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English. The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999, and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling. Since then, major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features, news, results, photos and tech reporting. The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.
