When it was announced July 8 that domestic spectators would not be able to attend the Olympic Games, attention immediately shifted to the remaining few events that would be open to the public, including the cycling road race.
One-hundred-and-thirty riders left Tokyo’s Musashinonomori Park at 11 a.m. this morning to compete in the men’s road race. The 234-kilometer-long course ran from the on the western edge of Tokyo to the finish at Fuji International Speedway, with 4,865 metres of climbing en route. At the start line, all eyes were on recent Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, who flew to Tokyo from France following his victory in Paris last Sunday, but it was Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz who eventually took gold in 6:05:26.
The race began with a controlled rolling start, allowing fans to see the cyclists traveling at relatively slow speeds through the Tokyo suburbs and for the racers to take in sites like Fuchu’s Ookunitama Shrine before the action really began. TV coverage showed thousands of fans gathered and cheering along the sides of the road to watch the race in Tokyo’s suburbs, despite the state of emergency.