Both the road races and time trials at the 2028 Olympics are expected to end in uphill finishes.
The organisers revealed this week that both events will finish outside Los Angeles’s Griffith Observatory, one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, located on the south side of Mount Hollywood, 346m above sea level.
Although the exact route is yet to be unveiled, it is thought the events will end with a 7% incline that lasts around 2km.
The men’s and women’s road races, scheduled for 22 and 23 July, will start at Venice Beach Boardwalk, and are expected to venture into the Santa Monica Mountains, before heading to Griffith Park.
The time trials, to be held on 19 July, will begin and end in the ‘Griffith Park Zone’, with a start at LA Zoo and a finish at Griffith Observatory.
August’s Paralympic events, too, will be held in the same area of the city; the road races, time trials and mixed team relay will all start and finish at LA Zoo.
“In the Griffith Park Zone, Olympic and Paralympic champions will cross iconic finish lines set against recognizable landmarks and stunning views overlooking Los Angeles,” The LA28 organisers said in a statement.
The UCI confirmed the news on Wednesday morning, writing that the “elevated position” of Griffith Observatory “indicates that the athletes will have an uphill finish in their bid for the individual time trial and road race Olympic titles”.
The full details of the courses will be published later this year.
At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the road races were held on a hilly circuit around the city’s Montmartre area, with a flat run-in to the line beneath the Eiffel Tower. Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel won the men’s race solo, while the USA’s Kristen Faulkner attacked late from a breakaway to claim the women’s gold medal.
The time trials in Paris took place on flat 32.4km courses around the city centre, and were won by Evenepoel and Australia’s Grace Brown, also beneath the Eiffel Tower.
As previously announced, the track cycling events at the LA Olympics will take place at the Carson Velodrome, BMX racing and freestyle at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, and mountain biking at the City of Industry.
