Biniam Girmay will be the flag bearer for Eritrea at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Friday but most of the contenders for the cycling medals will be absent from the spectacular four-hour parade down the river Seine. Race schedules for the 16 days of competition mean that many riders have still to arrive in Paris or are prioritising rest and preparation rather than joining the 6,500 athletes for the opening ceremony. The women’s and men’s time trials kick off the cycling events on Saturday afternoon, with the women’s mountain bike race on Sunday and the men’s mountain bike race on Monday.
Most cycling medal contenders are not staying in the official Olympic Village on the west side of Paris but have opted to stay in their nation's performance centres in quiet but luxurious hotels outside of the French capital. Medal favourites such as Great Britain's Josh Tarling , Italy's Filippa Ganna and Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini and Ellen Van Dijk will not participate in Friday’s four-hour opening ceremony that comes less than 24 hours before the race. Ganna will race the time trial and then return to Italy to rest up and prepare for the team pursuit on the track.
Many of the road race teams are still at home, with French team leader Julian Alaphillipe still racing the Czech Tour. “I don't know what time the ceremony is exactly but I'll give it a watch,” Tarling said, understandably putting a shot at a gold medal on his Olympic debut ahead of the.
