A total of 514 cyclists have competed at Paris 2024 with an equal split between men and women for the first time in the sport's history, attaining the goal of gender equality as one of the objectives ratified by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Having already been achieved in mountain biking, BMX racing, and BMX freestyle on the Tokyo 2020 program, several significant changes were instituted in the road and track cycling, with some men's quota places transferred to the women's side and with the number of riders in women's team sprint increasing from two to three. Conforming to the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee's 2020 agenda, cycling had fourteen fewer places at these Games than those in 2020, a reduction that affected road racing and mountain biking. Nonetheless, the distribution of an extra place for track cycling and six in BMX freestyle, with the number of athletes competing in the men's and women's events increasing from nine to twelve, partly counteracted the moderate decrease in the cycling spots offered at these Games.[6]
Despite the modest quota decrease, cycling featured a total of twenty-two medal events across five disciplines, similar to the 2020 program format.[6] While the sport continued to run on all days between the opening and closing ceremonies, Paris 2024 witnessed some scheduling changes contrary to the previous edition; hence, the men's and women's individual time trial medalists were awarded on the first day of the competition.[7]
For road cycling there was a special training venue, Polygone de Vincennes [fr], so the cyclists were not dependent on the (busy) roads of Paris.[8]
As the host country, France reserved a men's and women's quota place in BMX racing, BMX freestyle, and mountain biking; and two more in the men's and women's road races. When one or two French cyclists qualify directly and regularly, their spare slots were reallocated to the next highest-ranked eligible NOCs in the aforementioned events based on the national order of the UCI World Ranking list by October 17, 2023.
About ninety percent of the total quota places were attributed through the UCI World Ranking lists of their respective disciplines, with some spots offered for the cyclists at the 2023 UCI World Championships and at continental qualification tournaments (Africa, Asia, and the Americas).
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