With five disciplines on the Olympic programme, cycling will feature on 15 consecutive days in Tokyo, starting with the men’s road race on 24 July and finishing with the final day of track cycling on 8 August.
It will be a feast of cycling entertainment, which fans can watch from wherever they are.
Here is a recap of the history, the dates, the venues and where to watch.
Joined the Olympics: Athens 1896 for men, Los Angeles 1984 for women
Tokyo dates: 24-25, 28 July
Both the men’s and women’s road races (24-25 July) will start in the Tokyo metropolitan area and route west through scenic landscapes towards the Mount Fuji region, finishing at the Fuji International Speedway circuit. The athletes will be put to the test with technically challenging courses including significant elevation gain: 137km and 2692 metres of elevation for the women and 234km for a total of 4865 metres elevation for the men.
The time trials three days later will start and finish on the Fuji International Speedway circuit, with the women completing a lap of 22.1km, and the men covering the lap twice for a total of 44.2km.
To watch the action in Tokyo live, check the television coverage details here.
Check the races maps, schedules and results details here.
Joined the Olympics: Atlanta 1996
Tokyo dates: 26-27 July
Riders will tackle a specially-designed 4.1km course in Izu, with 160m of elevation per lap, to be covered multiple times. As with the road race, the iconic Mount Fuji will be visible from various parts of the course, described by organisers as the most challenging to be ridden at an Olympic Games. A test event back in October 2019 drew praise from the athletes for the technically and physically demanding course.
To watch the action in Tokyo live, check the television coverage details here.
Check the schedules and results details here.
Joined the Olympics: Beijing 2008
Tokyo dates: 29-30 July
For its fourth appearance at the Summer Olympic Games, the BMX Racing will take place at the Ariake Urban Sports Park. The BMX track was built in 2019 and resurfaced in May 2021 as part of the preparations for the delayed start of the Tokyo 2020 Games. As always, the design of the jumps and the take offs are critical to enable riders to safely maintain their speed on the first straight after descending the 8 metre high start ramp.
To watch the action in Tokyo live, check the television coverage details here.
Check the schedules and results details here.
Joins the Olympics: Tokyo 2020
Tokyo dates: 31 July – 1st August
The first-ever men’s and women’s BMX Freestyle Park Olympic Champions will also be decided in the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the waterfront, not far from the Athletes’ Village. This unprecedented Olympic event will see the participation of a select nine women and nine men. The athlete quotas for Paris 2024 will increase to 24 (12 for each gender).
To watch the action in Tokyo live, check the television coverage details here.
Check the schedules and results details here.
Joined the Olympics: Athens 1896 for men, Seoul 1988 for women
Tokyo dates: 2-8 August
Olympic Champions will be crowned in 12 events at the indoor Izu Velodrome in Shuzenji, Shizuoka Prefecture: the keirin, Omnium, sprint, team sprint, team pursuit and (making its return to the programme) the Madison, for both men and women. The 250 wooden track is well-known to athletes throughout Asia, as it houses one of the UCI World Cycling Centre’s satellites, which regularly hosts training camps for athletes from across the continent.
To watch the action in Tokyo live, check the television coverage details here.
Check the schedules and results details here.