Loops in the Seine with return against the current, ascent and descent of the cobblestones of the Champs-Elysées by bike and on foot: this Thursday, Paris 2024 lifted the veil on the triathlon courses of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the French capital.
The routes, between the monuments of the City of Light, right bank as left bank, mark “three major objectives”, listed the president of the organizing committee of the Olympic Games (Cojo), Tony Estanguet. Namely “spectacular dimension”, “requirement (physical) and “heritage” with the reopening of the Seine for swimming announced in 2025.
“The beginning of the reconquest of the Seine”
The routes differ slightly, between the individual Olympic event, the relay and the Paralympic competition, but the fundamentals remain the same with wanderings in front of the Grand Palais, the National Assembly or the Musée d’Orsay.
“These courses are a summary of what the Paris Games are: innovative, iconic, heritage,” added the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Pierre Rabadan. “It’s a significant event, the beginning of the reconquest of the Seine. »
The river has been prohibited for swimming since 1923. The opening of around twenty bathing areas in Ile-de-France is planned in the years following the Games and from the summer of 2025 in the capital.
Difficulties that could widen the gaps
“We will have done in seven years what it would have taken thirty or forty years to do, excluding the organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”, still welcomed Pierre Rabadan.
The individual Olympic event (1,500 m swimming, 40 km cycling and 10 km running) offers two loops in the Seine of 910 meters and 590 meters between the Alexandre III bridge and the Invalides bridge. As well as 32 steps to swallow from the pontoon to the roadway of the bridge where the triathletes must ride their bikes.
“Both the current in the Seine and the cobblestones on the bike will allow the strongest but also the smartest to win the race”, analyzed the French reigning world champion Léo Bergère by videoconference. “You will not only have to press the pedals as hard as possible, but use your brain. The winner will be the one having taken into account all these peculiarities of the course to avoid the pitfalls. »
A test event is scheduled from August 17 to 20 on the courses presented on Thursday. Two weeks after the freestyle, August 5 and 6.