France risks having one rider fewer than expected at the start of the road cycling race at the 2024 Paris Games after being overtaken by Great Britain in the latest International Cycling Union rankings of nations (UCI).
The five best-ranked nations will each be able to field four runners, the maximum quota for the Olympic race. However, France fell this Tuesday to sixth place among men behind Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain and therefore Great Britain.
Instead of four, coach Thomas Voeckler therefore risks only being able to select three riders. A definite disadvantage as France has experienced excellent results in recent years with Julian Alaphilippe’s two world champion titles in 2020 and 2021, as well as Christophe Laporte’s world silver medal in 2022 and his championship title. Europe in September 2023.
To get back into the top five, France must score the maximum number of UCI points during the last races on the program in 2023, including the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday and Paris-Tours on Sunday, since it is the end of season ranking that will be taken taken into account to determine quotas.
Among women, France is currently in seventh place, a clear progression compared to the Tokyo Olympics, and should be able to field three athletes, like all the nations ranked between 6th and 10th place.
