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Paris-Tours: Riley Sheehan sprints to win from late move on gravel sections

American stagiaire takes big pro victory ahead of Lewis Askey and Tobias Johannessen

Matilda Price

Racing news editor.

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© Sprint Cycling Agency

Riley Sheehan won the five-up sprint at to take Paris-Tours victory

Just two months into his stagiaire stint with Israel-Premier Tech , Riley Sheehan took his biggest European pro victory by sprinting to the win in the prestigious Paris-Tours race.

The American went with a late move over the gravel and climbing sections in the latter stages of the race, and then outpowered his breakaway companions as they evaded the chasing peloton in the finishing straight.

Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) took second after a day out front, whilst Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X) took third, after his team had set up the move.

In the final 30km of racing, the four attackers joined Askey, the sole survivor of the day-long breakaway, and the then-five leaders managed to hold off a slightly disorganised peloton all the way to the line in Tours.

It was Olivier Le Gac who led things out for teammate Askey, but the tired Brit couldn’t quite come round Sheehan, who wins on his debut at this race.

“This is special, this is everything,” Sheehan said at the finish. “This could be a big start for me, having a win like this at a special race is phenomenal. I’m speechless right now.

“For the race, we just had to stay up front. We knew there were no crazy crosswinds or anything, so [we had to] stay as calm as possible into the dirt sections and the hills, and then there stay in the front and make sure our sprinters were in good positions. For me, it was to follow the moves on the hills, and it came out good for me in the end.”

Late breakaway disrupts the sprinters’ hopes in France

Heading out of Chartres on Sunday morning, it was a relatively calm start to the 213km Paris-Tours. The day’s breakaway took quite a long time to establish, but once it did go after 40km, the peloton let the break enjoy a comfortable lead. The five riders who made up the day’s move were Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), Théo Delacroix (St Michel-Auber 93), Joey Rosskopf (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel-Roubaix Lille Métropole) and Axel Narbonne Zuccarelli (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur).

The break was allowed to quickly build up a lead of almost four minutes, and the situation remained stable for much of the race as the riders traversed the straightforward roads towards Tours, with the climbing and gravel only coming later in the route. There was little change for over 100km, as the break and peloton alike prepared for the important run-in to Tours.

Hitting the first gravel section and the first small climb, the action kicked off almost immediately, with the break starting to split up and attacks starting to fly off the front of the peloton, though none stuck for a particularly long time.

Meanwhile, a flat tyre for Arnaud De Lie saw him have to chase back onto the peloton at an inopportune moment, but then a second puncture forced him out of the race completely, opening up the competition with one of the main favourites out.

As most of the breakaway slowly dropped away and the gap fell, Lewis Askey emerged as the strongest rider, pushing on solo into the final 45km of racing, a minute ahead of a chasing group made up of Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-EasyPost), Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X) and Thomas Gachignard (St Michel-Auber 93).

With 31km to go, the charging peloton caught the three chasers, leaving just Askey up ahead alone with four more gravel sections to go. Clément Russo (Arkéa Samsic) was the next rider to try and attack from the peloton, taking Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) with him. The attacks were perhaps a sign of no singular team wanting to take it on, but Uno-X did then start chasing, shutting down the Russo and Theuns move with 27km to go.

The acceleration from Uno-X forced a split in the peloton, as groups started to emerge all over the road. A group of four established itself as the chasers, containing Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ), Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X), Riley Sheehan (Israel-Premier Tech) and Joris Delbove (St Michel-Auber 93). Behind, the peloton regrouped, but there was still a lack of cohesion to chase down the riders out front.

However, Askey’s lead was shrinking, and he was caught by the chasers with 10km to go, after a big pull from his own teammate Le Gac. The five leaders then held a 24-second lead ahead of a disorganised peloton. It still looked touch-and-go heading into the final few kilometres, but under the flamme rouge it looked clear that the leaders would take the victory. Le Gac led things out for Askey, but it was Riley Sheehan who opened up the most powerful sprint, holding off a clearly tired Askey to take the victory, his first on European soil.

Askey took second, whilst Johannessen finished third, a perhaps disappointing result for the Uno-X team who had done the bulk of the work to bring back riders and set up the race-winning move in the finale.

Paris - Tours

• Dates 8 Oct
• Race Length 213 kms
• Start Chartres
• Finish Tours
• Race Category Elite Men

Israel-Premier Tech

• Nationality Israel
• Founded 2015
• Team Principal Kjell Carlström
• UCI Code IPT
• Bike Sponsor Factor

Riley Sheehan

• Team Israel-Premier Tech
• Nationality United States of America

Lewis Askey

• Team Groupama-FDJ
• Nationality United Kingdom
• Height 1.87m

Tobias Halland Johannessen

• Team Uno-X Mobility
• Nationality Norway
• Height 1.76m

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Best Paris Food & Wine Tours

• See & Do
• Paris Bike Tours

13 Best Paris Bike Tours for 2024

Want to explore Paris by bike? 

If so, you may be wondering  what are the best Paris bike tours for seeing top attractions and discovering hidden gems while giving you a safe experience amid Paris's notoriously impatient drivers?

In this article, we provide our top recommendations for bike tours of Paris based on what you'll see, where you'll go, and regular bikes vs electric bikes.

You'll find lots of choices:  bike tours highlighting iconic monuments and buildings, explorations of lesser-known sights and hidden treasures in popular neighborhoods, night tours of Paris after dark, and family-friendly bike tours designed with kids in mind.

On most tours, you will likely see at least a few attractions and even neighborhoods you might not discover on your own.

Top Picks: Best 3 Paris Bike Tours

Best of Paris Bike Tour - Book Now

Charming Nooks & Crannies Bike Tour - Book Now

Paris Guided City E-Bike Tour -  Book Now

The guides share lots of interesting details about history and architecture, but perhaps best of all, they keep you entertained with funny stories and anecdotes about what you're seeing. 

Want to visit top destinations beyond Paris?  Several all-day expeditions to the Palace of Versailles and Giverny combine visits to these iconic attractions with bike tours to let you see special places you might not have time to reach on foot.

In short, taking one (or more) of these tours gives you a fantastic way to get acquainted with Paris and beyond, and spot places you'll want to return to later and explore on your own. 

Top Picks: Versailles & Giverny Bike Tours

Versailles Palace & Trianon Castles E-Bike Tour - Book Now

Monet's Garden Bike Tour - Book Now

If you're planning your Paris itinerary, consider a Paris bike tour for Day 1 or Day 2 of your trip - perfect for spotting places to revisit later, as well as vanquishing any remaining jet lag.

For bike tours of Versailles or Giverny, you may want to wait until Day 3 or later in order to spend your first couple of days getting to know Paris.

Wondering if a bike tour will be too strenuous or tiring? 

Don't worry!  Much of Paris (as well as Versailles and Giverny) is as flat as a pancake.  These tours avoid hilly locations such as Montmartre, and also include a few breaks along the way. 

You can also choose an electric bike tour, where the bike's motor does the work while you soak up all the charming sights.

Finally, we included a couple of our own favorites - a food-tasting tour by bike  and a bike tour to see some of Paris's best monumental street art by created renowned artists.  As a bonus, both tours take you through fascinating neighborhoods you might not discover on your own.

So how to choose which tour? 

We make that easy by highlighting the best tours based on category. 

Here are quick links to Paris bike tours by category featured in this article:

• Bike Tours to Top Attractions
• Bike Tours to Hidden Gems
• E-Bike Tours

Versailles Palace and Gardens Bike Tours

• Giverny Bike Tours
• Best Bike Tours with Food and Art

Choose your favorites, and have fun exploring Paris!

Top photo: Paris bike tour

Paris Discovery Guide is a reader-supported publication.  When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost for you.  Learn more

Best Bike Tours To See Top Paris Attractions

If you want to see Paris's most iconic attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Seine River, and Les Invalides (Napoleon's burial site and the Army Museum), choose one of these top-rated tours.

Each tour features a somewhat different selection of attractions and #3 takes place at night, so choose your favorite!

If touring top attractions by electric bike sounds appealing, skip down to tour #6 below.

1.  Best of Paris Bike Tour

What You'll See:   Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Orsay Museum, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Les Invalides, Pont Alexandre III bridge, Rue Cler, Seine River

Tour Length:  4 hours  - Book Now

With your fun and knowledgeable local guide and a small group, you'll ride your comfortable aluminum-framed bike to see all of Paris's most iconic attractions on the Best of Paris Bike Tour.

More Highlights:   As you stop at the most picturesque spots to see each attraction, your guide will tell you about Paris and share some interesting little-known and historical facts.  You'll have plenty of time to take all the photos you want. 

About mid-way through the tour, you'll stop at the charming Rue Cler street market  for a snack break. You'll have half an hour to explore all the stalls and sample your favorite treats.

What Past Guests Loved:  Learning about Paris history and architecture while having fun Feeling so safe in the bike lanes Perfect for teenagers too!

Extras Included:  Helmets, rain gear (on rainy days), warm gloves and scarf (on cold days)

Best for:   Paris visitors who want to see the most famous attractions plus a few iconic places

Pro Tip:  Consider doing this comprehensive sightseeing tour at the start of your trip to get a great orientation to the city and to identify places you want to return to later on your own.

2.  Paris Highlights 3-Hour Bike Tour

What You'll See:   Opera House (Palais Garnier), Pont Neuf Bridge (and other bridges), Place de la Concorde, Seine River, Notre Dame, Place du Chatelet, Louvre Museum, Centre Pompidou, plus a few hidden gems

Tour Length:  3 hours  -   Book Now

This tour takes you past a mix of well-known top attractions on the Right Bank as well as some hidden gems you might miss on your own. 

It gives you a great introduction to the city if you've just arrived, but also shows you places you might not think to see on your own. 

More Highlights:   You'll bike past a fascinating mix of architecture and culture  on the Best of Paris Bike Tour.  

Get ready to experience a compressed journey through the centuries as you see the flying buttresses of Notre Dame's Gothic style from the Middle Ages (currently under reconstruction) to the elaborate French Renaissance embellishments at Hotel de Ville (Paris's City Hall). 

You'll get the chance to soak up the Second Empire Beaux-Arts splendor of Palais Garnier, while marveling at the brightly colored "inside-out" modernism of Centre Pompidou, home to some of the city's best 20th century art.

Along the way, your tour guide brings everything you see to life by giving you insights into "la vie à Paris" - the perfect way to get an insider's view of the City of Lights.

What Past Guests Loved:  Seeing a lot of Paris within a short time frame Hearing interesting bits about Paris history and culture Family-friendly if you're traveling with kids

Best for:   Paris visitors who want to see famous sites and places from medieval to modern times plus a few hidden gems 

Pro Tip:  Even if you've seen some of these destinations before, the tour guide provides a new perspective.

More Popular Paris Bike Tour Adventures

3.  paris by night:  3-hour guided bike tour.

What You'll See:   The magical beauty of Paris at night

With your fun and knowledgeable local guide and a small group, you'll ride your comfortable aluminum-framed bike to see all of Paris's most iconic attractions on this highly-rated evening bike tour.

More Highlights:   As you bike around the city on the Paris By Night: 3-Hour Guided Bike Tour, you'll see all of Paris's most iconic landmarks and monuments: the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Paris Opera House, and more. 

As the skies grow dark, you'll see all of the city's golden illuminations of the monuments turn the city into a dazzling lightscape.

What Past Guests Loved:  Learning so much about Paris while seeing all the famous sights - great family experience Riding past the Eiffel Tower just as the sparkling lights began Informative and engaging tour guides Avoiding the daytime crowds!

Best for:   Everyone who wants to enjoy a leisurely bike tour while watching the city light up as dark falls.

Pro Tip:  Be aware that in summer months - May, June, July, and even August - the sun doesn't set and the sky doesn't turn dark until well after 9pm - 10pm.

Best Paris Bike Tours to See Hidden Gems & Insider's Secrets

These fun bike tours take you off the beaten path to see fascinating and historical spots that you probably wouldn't discover on your own.

Whether you're a first-time Paris visitor or have come here many times, you'll enjoy exploring the city like a local and are sure to find places you'll want to return to later.

For an e-bike tour of hidden gems, check out #7 below.

4.  Charming Nooks and Crannies Bike Tour

What You'll See:   Hidden gems and almost-secret places in Saint Germain des Prés, the Latin Quarter, Odéon, Luxembourg, Ile Saint-Louis, Le Marais, Bastille

Does your perfect day in a new-to-you city involve discovering authentic spots off the usual tourist path and immersing yourself in local culture? 

If so, the Charming Nooks & Crannies Bike Tour will give you these experiences and much more.

As you bike through some of Paris's oldest neighborhoods - the Marais, the Latin Quarter, Île Saint-Louis - your expert guide will introduce you to the layers of history still visible, if you know where to look:  an ancient arena, medieval buildings, royal squares, magnificent gardens, and even cobblestone streets and a notorious prison closely tied to revolutions.

More Highlights:   You'll cruise along flat routes at a comfortable, leisurely pace on safe bike paths and streets dedicated to only pedestrians and bikes.  Several breaks and other stops give you a chance to take photos and admire your surroundings.

Your tour guide will keep you entertained while sharing stories about the history behind what you're seeing.

What Past Guests Loved:  Seeing places we would not have found on our own Seeing places not included in other Paris tours Getting a much richer experience than DYI sightseeing Charming, friendly, and entertaining guides

Extras Included:  Helmets

Good to Know:  This tour is suitable for all levels of fitness - so don't worry if you haven't been on a bike for awhile, you'll be fine!

Best for:  Do you want to see special Paris gems you might not discover on your own?  If so, this tour is for you!

5.  Off the Beaten Path 4-Hour Paris Bike Tour

What You'll See:   A variety of hidden, little-known, and almost-secret attractions in the charming and historical Latin Quarter, Saint Germain, and Marais neighborhoods

Tour Length:  4 hours  -   Book Now

More Highlights:   The small group Off the Beaten Path Paris Bike Tour focuses on showing you places you might not find on your own: an ancient Roman arena hidden from street view, the historical Jewish quarter of the Marais neighborhood, a fantastic street market dating back to medieval times, favorite hangouts of Paris intellectuals, secret gardens and courtyards, and lots more.

As you bike down narrow lanes and alleys, you'll experience a side of Paris that most tourists miss,

What Past Guests Loved:  Friendly and fun tour guides Biking down quiet streets and cobblestone alleys Seeing so many hidden gems

Best for:  Anyone who loves the thrill of discovering hard to find places

Best Paris E-Bike Tours

Electric bike tours are becoming increasingly popular in Paris because they give you an easy and comfortable ride around Paris while the bike's motor does all the hard work - the perfect way to see the city! 

Here are our favorite e-bike tours for top attractions, hidden gems, and even seeing Paris at night.

For the ultimate personalized experience, consider a private Paris tour by bike (#8 below).

6.  Paris Guided City Tour by Electric Bike

What You'll See:   Iconic Paris attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Notre Dame, as well as green spaces and parks such as Tuileries and Trocadéro Gardens

Tour Length:  2 hours  -   Book Now

Included:  Electric bikes, helmets, gloves, and raincoat (if needed)

More Highlights:  In addition to showing you Paris's top attractions, the Paris Guided City E-Bike Tour also takes you around the Ile de la Cite, the tiny Seine River Island, where you'll see other important sites built during the Middle Ages such as Sainte-Chapelle, the Palais de Justice, and the Conciergerie, a former medieval castle-fortress and French Revolution prison.

Thanks to the e-bikes, you'll cover lots of ground in just two hours and see a number of fascinating places that many visitors miss, such as the Chaillot Palace and Palais de Tokyo near Trocadéro, and the Flame of Liberty, the unofficial memorial to Diana, the Princess of Wales.

What Past Guests Loved:  The electric bikes are so easy to operate The emphasis on safety Fantastic tour for families with teens The group photos taken by the guide at each the iconic site on the tour

What to Wear:  Comfortable shoes and comfortable clothing

Great for:  First time Paris visitors plus everyone else who wants an easy fun way to acclimate to the city, see top attractions, and discover less-familiar but fascinating attractions.

7.  Electric Bike Tour of Paris's Hidden Gems

What You'll See:   The Electric Bike Tour of Paris's Hidden Gems focuses on truly hidden gems and secret places: gorgeous gardens tucked behind unmarked gateways, cafes and boutiques in secluded courtyards, lesser-known streets and private passage ways, and even treasures "hidden" in plain sight.

More Highlights:  In addition to knowing where to find the city's best secret spots, the guides for this tour also know lots of little-known secrets and fascinating stories about Paris's world-famous historical attractions - so you'll hear those as well.

What Past Guests Loved:  Visiting places they'd never discovered during as many as 10 previous trips Passionate guides who make history come alive in a fascinating, entertaining way The amazingly effortless ride on the electric bikes

Extras Included:  Electric bike, any needed equipment such as raincoats or heated vests (during cold months)

Best for:  Anyone who loves discovering and learning about truly hidden places

Find more Electric Bike Tours of Paris

8.  Private E-Bike Tour Around Paris

More Highlights:  In addition to leading you to the city's best secret spots, the guides for this tour also know lots of little-known secrets and fascinating stories about Paris's world-famous historical attractions - so you'll hear those as well.

The Chateau of Versailles and its sprawling estate covers 2,000 acres.  In addition to  the famous 2,300-room main palace, the vast complex includes two smaller palaces, Marie Antoinette's farm and village, extensive gardens, a Grand Canal, and an enormous forest punctuated by rolling meadows.

If you want to tour the Palace with its magnificent royal apartments, Hall of Mirrors, and other spectacular rooms plus see the Estate's other important features, covering that much distance on foot in a day is almost impossible - unless you're on a bike.

That's where bike tours come in.  You'll be able to see and explore so much more on wheels than on foot for an unforgettable experience of Versailles.

9.  Skip-the-Line Palace of Versailles Bike Tour - Travel from Paris by Train

What You'll See:   The Palace of Versailles (including a ticket to tour inside) and its formal gardens, the smaller Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon palaces, and Marie-Antoinette's Hameau including her rustic cottage, farm, and village.  You'll also enjoy a bike ride along paths through Versailles' 2,000 acre (800 hectare) walled estate.   Book Now

Tour Length:  8 hours

You'll meet up with your guide in Paris and take the train together to Versailles for the Skip-the-Line Versailles Bike Tour.  

Once you get there, you'll visit a traditional farmers' market to enjoy free wine tastings and a crepe-making demonstration.  You'll then select cheese, fruits, charcuterie, and whatever else you want for a picnic lunch later in the day by the Grand Canal.

After a quick stop to pick up your bike (plus rain ponchos, just in case), you're off to cycle around the Chateau's landscaped parkland, forest, fountains, and sumptuous gardens before visiting the estate's most important palaces and other attractions.

More Highlights:  

After your bike tour, your guide will take you to see the Grand and Petit Trianons palaces as well as Marie-Antoinette's Hameau.   As you explore, your guide will share lots of information about the incredible places you're seeing as well as the unique personalities of the colorful French kings and queens who once lived there.

Finally, you'll visit the Palace of Versailles with the skip-the-line entry ticket included as part of your tour.  This portion of the trip is on your own, so you can use the included audio guide and explore the magnificent Hall of Mirrors, other opulent rooms, and the formal gardens for as long as you want before heading back to Paris on the train.

What Past Guests Loved:  Visiting the local market Exploring Versailles' vast estate by bike away from the crowds Fantastic guides who make the whole experience fun and engaging

Extras Included:  Helmets, round trip train tickets between Paris and Versailles, an exclusive wine tasting, timed entry tickets to the Palace, both Trianons, Marie-Antoinette's Estate, and the Royal Gardens, including the fountains.

Good to Know:  Before you visit the Palace, your guide will give you a train ticket and map for your return trip to Paris whenever you choose.  If you want to stroll through Versailles' formal gardens after your visit to the Palace, an additional ticket (for a small extra cost) is required on Fountain Show and Musical Gardens days, which take place almost daily during the summer and during portions of the spring and fall.

Best for:  Anyone who enjoys biking and has an interest in exploring more of the Versailles Estate than can easily be seen on foot.  Other than a few slopes, the terrain is mostly flat. 

Find out more about top attractions to see at Versailles Palace

10.  Versailles Palace & Trianon Castles E-Bike Tour - Travel from Paris by Bike

What You'll See:   The Palace of Versailles, its gardens, the Grand Canal, and other major sights including the Trianon Castles, the Temple of Love, and Marie Antoinette's Hamlet, plus a lot of interesting areas and attractions between Paris and Versailles.

What to Expect:  Unlike other bike tours of Versailles Palace where you pick up your bikes after traveling there by train from Paris, the small-group Versailles Palace & Trianon Castles E-Bike Tour makes the trip from and then back to Paris by electric bike. 

This means you'll see lots more than just the famous Palace and its estate while feeling like you're magically sailing along the Seine and across the countryside, thanks to the effortless ride on your e-bike.

As you ride, you'll see a variety of interesting sites and experience the beauty of the French countryside:  Saint-Cloud Castle and Park, a large forest, the Fountains of the Grande Cascade, small villages, and views of the Eiffel Tower, with plenty of stops along the way.

Tour Length:  9 hours - Book Now

More Highlights:   Once you reach the town of Versailles, you'll stop by a farmer's market and choose tasty local products for a picnic lunch by Versailles' Grand Canal. 

And of course, you'll also have the thrill of touring the Palace with its dazzling Hall of Mirrors and other splendid Royal apartments, soaking up the beauty of the gardens, visiting the Petit Trianon palace given to Marie-Antoinette by Louis XVI, and her favorite spot on the entire estate, her small farmhouse.

What Past Guests Loved:  Fantastic bike ride - loved seeing all the sights along the way, and super-easy with the e-bikes, plus felt very safe the whole way Great family activity, especially if you have teens or older kids Plenty of time at the Palace of Versailles and gardens Loved shopping at the market and enjoyed the picnic in the park

Extras Included:  Helmets, audioguide (mobile app), waterproof bag for carrying personal belongings, waterproof rain cape , and entrance tickets to the Palace of Versailles, formal gardens, and Petit Trianon Palace

Good to Know:  This tour requires a good physical fitness level, and the ability to ride a bike on unpaved ground as well as on a road.  According to the tour operator, it is not suitable for anyone under 14 or over 75 years of age, anyone with mobility impairments or under 5 foot 1 inches (155 cm) in height, or pregnant women. 

Best for:  Enthusiastic bikers who want to experience riding through the countryside as well as tour the Chateau de Versailles, Petit Trianon, and the formal gardens

More ways to get from Paris to Versailles Palace

Giverny Bike Tour from Paris

If you love painter Claude Monet's Impressionist paintings of water lilies, this bike tour to Giverny to visit his charming pink farmhouse, magnificent flower gardens, and water lily ponds could be one of the highlights of your trip to Paris:

11.  Monet's Garden Bike Tour from Paris

What You'll See:   Painter Claude Monet's delightful home, lush gardens, and spectacular water lily ponds in Giverny.  Along the way on this day trip by Fat Tire Tours, you'll also see the villages of Vernon and Giverny, the rolling hills and green fields of the Normandy countryside, and the Seine River.

Tour Length:  8.5 hours   

Monet's Garden Bike Tour from Paris starts with a comfortable coach ride from Paris through the beautiful Normandy countryside to the small village of Vernon, where you'll pick up your bike and shop at a farmer's market for local products to enjoy at a picnic by the Seine River.

After lunch, you'll enjoy an easy 3-mile bike ride along the Seine to the even smaller village of Giverny, where you'll have ample time to explore Monet's home  and admire the brilliant flowers in his garden and around the water lily pond. 

More Highlights:   Along the way, you'll see the Romanesque-Gothic country church where Monet and his family worshiped, and the adjacent cemetery where he and numerous family members, including his sons Jean and Michel, are buried.

In addition to the Monet family tomb, you may also see three British flags placed on a gravestone.  They mark the burial site for the remains of seven airmen from the Royal Air Force who died nearby when their plane was hit on the day after the D-Day landings during World War II - a reminder of the fierce fighting that took place in this now-tranquil spot.  

Closer to the church, another memorial with an embedded propeller from their downed plane commemorates their sacrifice for France.

Your guide will also point out other interesting places: a hotel where Impressionist painters Manet and Renoir used to paint, the American Museum of Art, and numerous charming cafes and shops in the Village of Giverny.

What Past Guests Loved:  Fantastic bike ride and fantastic guides - perfect way to see Monet's garden and water lilies Monet's home and garden - breath-taking! Shopping for lunch supplies at a farmer's market and then having a picnic on the banks of the Seine River

Extras Included:  Helmets, round-trip coach transportation from Paris to Vernon (near Giverny), and admission to Monet's house and gardens

Good to Know:  This is a easy, relatively short bike ride on an excellent paved bike path along flat ground - suitable for everyone who knows how to ride a bike. 

Best for:  Anyone who wants to combine an enjoyable bike ride with a visit to Monet's home and garden in Giverny

More ways to get to Giverny from Paris (including by bike on your own)

Best Paris Bike Tours for Enjoying Food & Art

Are you the type of traveler who likes to explore authentic (non-touristy) neighborhoods and immerse yourself in the culture of places you visit?

If so, one or even both of these bike tours may be exactly what you want!

12. Paris Bike Tour: A Taste of Paris

What You'll See:   The lively Beaubourg area near Centre Pompidou, a trendy shopping street and Place des Vosges royal plaza in the Marais, Place de la Bastille, the little-known but gorgeous Parc de Bercy, Ile Saint-Louis, and inspirational views of Notre Dame Cathedral from the Left Bank.

Does biking through lesser-known (to tourists) parts of the city while stopping at markets to sample French cheese, sausages, and croissants sound good?  If so, the Paris Bike Tour: A Taste of Paris gives you a fantastic way to see authentic parts of the city that many visitors miss. 

More Highlights:   In addition to seeing neighborhoods, you'll see memorable attractions: the spectacular contemporary architecture at the National Library and Arab World Institute, quirky modern sculptures in Jardin Tino Rossi by the Seine River, street performers near Centre Pompidou, and artisan studios along Rue Faubourg Saint-Antoine.

What Past Guests Loved:  Fantastic intro to Paris, with interesting facts and stories from the guide Great food tastings at the markets - especially loved the cheese! You see a lot in a short time, and visit areas that average tourists don't realize exist

Extras Included:  Food tastings, yellow vests, rain ponchos, helmets

Good to Know:  The area covered by the tour is almost totally flat. 

Best for:  Paris visitors who want to explore less touristy parts of the city while sampling some of the delicious products that Parisians take home for dinner,

More Paris Food Tours

13.  Paris Street Art Open-Air Museum Bike Tour

What You'll See:   A little-known district with world-class street art, plus other fascinating nearby attractions such as Station F, the world's largest incubator for entrepreneurs and tech start-ups

What to Expect:   Want to see some of Paris's best street art while exploring an authentic part of the city that most visitors never discover? 

On the Paris Street Art Open-Air Museum Bike Tour, you'll visit the 13th arrondissement, where rather plain and boring mid-rise buildings built in the 1960s provide the perfect blank canvases for world-renowned graffiti artists - with the mayor's blessing.

The result? 

A truly fantastic open-air art museum where you can see about 40 giant murals by Shepard Fairey, Hush, Cryptik, Banksy, Invader, Btoy, D*Face, Faile, INTI, ZED, Jana & JA, Kislow, Vhils, Sainer, and other French and international artists.

Tour Length:  3.5 hours  -   Book Now

What Past Guests Loved:  Seeing so much beautiful street art and learning about the artists, their backgrounds, and the meanings behind their work Great family tour to do with teenagers; also fun if you're with friends Cycling leisurely along the Seine

Extras Included:  Ponchos (in case of rain)

Insider Tip:  Do this bike tour on a Sunday morning when you've have the peaceful streets to yourselves

Best for:  Everyone who loves street art and wants to know more about it.  Also perfect if you want a guided bike tour around a lesser-known but fascinating district.

More Articles about the Best Paris Tours

• Paris Food Tours - Sample the Best of Paris - Pastries, cheese, chocolates, Champagne
• Best Giverny Tours from Paris - How to see Monet's home, gardens, & water lily pond
• Best Versailles Palace Tours from Paris - Which one will you take?
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• Paris Covered Markets - How to explore these charming historical gems

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How to Watch All the Biggest Pro Cycling Races of 2024

Here’s a look at the pro road races we can’t wait to watch in 2024—plus where to stream all the action.

Milan-San Remo—March 16

Tour of flanders—march 31, paris-roubaix—april 6 and 7, itzulia basque country—april 1 to 6, la vuelta femenina—april 29 to may 5, giro d’italia—may 4 to 26, giro d’italia donne—july 7 to 14, tour de france—june 29 to july 21, olympic road races—august 3 and 4, tour de france femmes—august 12 to 18, vuelta a españa—august 17 to september 8, world road race championships—september 28 and 29.

Believe it or not, the 2024 pro road season is already underway, with the women’s and men’s Tour Down Under kicking things off in Australia this month. As the first races on the men’s and women’s WorldTour calendars, these are important events–and the riders taking part are certainly doing their best to get the season off to an exciting start.

Here are thirteen that we’ve already got marked in our calendars–and what streaming services you’ll need to enjoy them from home.

Strade Bianche—March 2

Taking place on the white gravel roads of Tuscany, Strade Bianche is easily one of the hardest and most beautiful events of the year–and a race in which the strongest rider always wins. So it makes sense that the event’s list of winners reads like a “Who’s Who” of the sport’s best racers.

For example, Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the men’s race in 2022 with a solo attack 50 kilometers from the finish line in Siena, an incredibly gutsy move that only a rider like Pogačar could attempt (and pull off).

Last year, Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) added his name to the event’s impressive roll of honor with a daring ride of his own after catching the breakaway with about 40km to go, attacking on his own with about 20km to go, and then using his cyclocross and mountain bike skills (gravel descents can be treacherous) to stay away and win the race by himself. And while Pidcock won’t be back to defend his title this year, Pogačar will be taking the start (it’s his first race of the season), making the Slovenian the top favorite.

The women’s race always produces fireworks of its own. Last year, Kopecky (who won the race in 2022) and her teammate, the Netherlands’ Demi Vollering, hit the finish line (in Siena’s historic Piazza del Campo) together after working to catch and overtake the lone leader, American Kristen Faulkner (Team Jayco-AlUla).

But instead of crossing the line hand-in-hand, Vollering out-sprinted Kopecky with a well-timed bike throw to take the win. This was an uncomfortable outcome (at first), as it was unclear as to whether or not the riders were “supposed” to be sprinting against one another with such intensity. (Frankly, we loved it.)

This year, Kopecky and Vollering will look to make it four in a row for SD Worx (the Netherlands’ Chantal van den Broek-Blaak won the race for the team in 2021). We’ll be rooting for Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM Racing), a four-time podium finisher who’s still searching for the top step.

While they haven’t released their calendar yet, we’re assuming (and hoping) that this race–and other major Italian events–will be included with the new B/R Sports add-on package that’s available to Max subscribers (essentially replacing GCN+). So stay tuned–we’ll announce more details when we have them.

How to Watch Strade Bianche: Max with B/R Sports add-on

At almost 300km, Milan-San Remo is the longest one-day race on the calendar. And thanks to the fact that the outcome is almost always decided in the final 10km, the riders say it’s the easiest of cycling’s five Monuments to finish, but the hardest to win.

We love Milan-San Remo’s slow build to the finish as the riders head south from Milan toward the coast, then wind their way along the sea toward the cluster of climbs that host the Monument’s traditional finale. The day’s final and most famous ascent is the Poggio, a short, punchy ascent just a few kilometers from the finish line with a descent that often creates more gaps than the climb itself.

Case in point: Last year Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) attacked over the top of the climb and used the descent to lengthen his lead over an elite group of chasers. The Dutchman held on to take his first win in the season’s opening Monument.

And while there’s no women’s Milan-San Remo, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a major stop on the women’s WorldTour and a pillar of the former women’s World Cup series, takes place the next day–and (we assume) will be streamed live via Max.

Last year, the Netherland’s Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) brought Trek’s winning streak to three, escaping to win the race alone, 23 seconds ahead of her teammate–and the defending champion–Elisa Balsamo. One of the brightest young riders in the sport, the win announced van Anrooij as a future Classics superstar. And the 21-year-old promptly lived up to the hype, scoring top-10 finishes in Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, the Brabantse Pijl, and the Amstel Gold Race.

How to Watch Milan-San Remo: Max

Many riders consider the Tour of Flanders (known locally as the “Ronde van Vlaanderen”) to be the hardest one-day race on the calendar. The women’s and men’s events cover over 150km and 250km of the toughest terrain in the Flemish region of Belgium including tight, technical roads, cobblestones, and short, steep climbs called “bergs.” The course is so challenging that it can take years for riders to master the nuances of the race enough to contend to win it.

Last year’s men’s race went to Pogačar, who won the race alone after dropping everyone on the third and final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. Van der Poel finished second, and has now finished first or second in each of the last four editions.

Pogačar won’t be back to defend his title this year, which means van der Poel has a shot to tie the record for the most wins in race history. But we’ll be rooting for Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), who’s completely overhauled his early-season program (he’s racing less and spending more time at high-altitude training camps) so as to be at his absolute best for his nation’s most important event.

The women’s event should once again be SD Worx’s race to lose: the Dutch team has won three of the last four editions, with Kopecky taking back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023. It’s always a team effort though: last year Vollering joined Kopecky on the podium in second and in 2022 van den Broek-Blaak took third. Lidl-Trek, with van Anroij and Italy’s Eliza Longo Borghini (who finished third last year and won the race on 2015), should be the Dutch squad’s biggest challengers.

When it comes to streaming this and many of the Flemish Classics, you’ll need a $150 annual subscription to FloBikes, the only legal way to stream them in the USA. If you’re a diehard fan who doesn’t want to deal with pesky VPNs, it’s the most reliable method, but it comes at a significant cost and doesn’t offer much in terms of other events that can’t be streamed through other services.

How to Watch Tour of Flanders: FloBikes

The “Hell of the North.” The “Queen of the Classics.” Whatever you call it, the men’s and women’s editions of Paris-Roubaix are probably our favorite one-day races on the calendar. Famous for covering 30km and 55km of some of Northern France’s worst cobbled farm roads, they’re loaded with drama and always produce worthy champions.

The weekend begins with Saturday’s fourth edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes (145km), which–if it sticks to last year’s course–should start in Denain and include the final 17 or so sectors of cobbles (called “pavé”) from Sunday’s men’s race—all the way to the finish line in the Roubaix velodrome, where Canada’s Alison Jackson (EF Education-Cannondale) shocked the world by outsprinting her breakaway companions to take a surprise win in last year’s edition. Surprisingly, this is the only spring Classic that SD Worx hasn’t won yet, so they’ll be super-aggressive after missing out in the first three editions.

In last year’s men’s race, van der Poel followed up his win in Milan-Sanremo and his second-place finish in the Tour of Flanders with a victory in Paris-Roubaix, a race seemingly made for the 5-time world cyclocross champion. The Dutchman followed an attack by van Aert on one of the race’s final cobbled sectors (a famous stretch called the Carrefour de l’Arbe) and then surged ahead on his own after the Belgian flatted.

Expect the two of them to renew their rivalry this year, with van Aert doing everything he can to end his spring with a victory in the French Monument (especially if he comes up short at Flanders the week before).

How to Watch Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Peacock

Once known as the Tour of the Basque Country, the 6-day Itzulia Basque Country is one of the hardest stage races on the calendar. Raced through the steep, punchy hills in the Basque region of northern Spain, each road stage (one stage is usually an individual time trial) is raced like a mini-Classic. And the overall winner is usually a grand tour contender who’s using the event to build form for the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France.

The racing here is always exciting, but this year’s edition offers an even better reason to watch: it is expected to be the first race of the season in which former Jumbo-Visma teammates Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Primož Roglič (who’s now riding for BORA-hansgrohe after a respectful divorce from the Dutch super team) will go head-to-head against one another as rivals.

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick-Step) is likely to be racing as well, meaning three of the four contenders for this year’s Tour de France will be in action together–the only time that’s expected to happen before the Tour de France itself.

How to Watch Itzulia Basque Country: FloBikes

For the past 8 years, the organizers of the men’s Vuelta a España have organized a women’s event. Originally starting as a one-day race run alongside the last stage of the men’s grand tour, the event grew to consist of four days of racing. But that’s hardly a grand tour, isn’t it?

Enter last year’s new and improved La Vuelta Feminina which in addition to being expanded to seven stages, moved from September to its own spot on the calendar–away from the men’s event that often overshadowed it.

Annemiek Van Vleuten (Movistar) won last year’s new and improved edition, but somewhat controversially. On Stage 6, the Dutch star and her team attacked the front of the race just as Vollering, who had entered the day as the overall leader, stopped to take a “nature break” off the back of the peloton. Thanks to strong crosswinds that split the race apart, Vollering and her SD Worx teammates were unable to bring back Van Vleuten, so Vollering’s chances to win the race went up the road as well.

This year’s course has yet to be unveiled, but one thing is certain: Van Vleuten–who became the first woman in history to win all three of the sport’s grand tours–has since retired, making Vollering the top favorite to take the title for herself this year.

How to Watch La Vuelta Feminina: Peacock

While the Tour de France gets all the prestige, riders generally consider the Giro d’Italia to be much, much harder.

This year’s race begins in the Piedmont region and–aside from a brief trip into Switzerland–stays within Italy for each of its 21 stages. Always characterized by its mountains, the 2024 Giro d’Italia boasts five high mountain stages and four summit finishes, including a trip over the infamous Stelvio, the tallest climb in this year’s race.

The Giro will also feature two individual time trials, which is perhaps why Tadej Pogačar has made the Italian grand tour one of his goals. This will be the Slovenian’s first time competing in the Italian grand tour, and he’s easily the top favorite.

This year will also mark the first Giro appearance for Wout van Aert, who says he’s not targeting the General Classification. But given the fact that he’s not racing the Tour de France this summer, we can’t help but wonder if he’ll shoot for a top-10 or top-5 finish overall.

How to Watch the Giro d’Italia: Max

Before the arrival of the Tour de France Femmes a few years ago, the Giro d’Italia Donne was the most prestigious women’s stage race on the calendar. But it was plagued by sketchy organization, and in some years seemed to be teetering on the edge of collapse.

But now the event is organized by the same group that organizes the men’s Giro which means better support, more stability and–hopefully–improved TV coverage.

The race begins with a short time trial in Brescia, then works its way south, with two flat stages for sprinters, three punchy stages for breakaway and classics riders, and two mountain stages on the final weekend, including a Stage 6 summit finish on the Blockhaus, one of the Giro’s most famous climbs.

Van Vleuten won last year’s edition by almost four minutes, taking her fourth victory in the Italian grand tour. This year–with the Tour de France Femmes taking place a few weeks later than it usually does–we wonder if Demi Vollering will make the race a target, perhaps in an attempt to win all three women’s grand tours in one season.

How to Watch Giro d’Italia Donne: Max

The 2024 Tour de France should be one of the most exciting editions in decades, with an Italian start, a route filled with mountains, and a non-traditional finish in Nice instead of Paris.

The race begins in Florence with the first of three Italian stages and is then followed by an early trip through the Alps (Stage 4) that should sort the General Classification just a couple of days into the Tour’s first week. This will also be the first men’s Tour to feature a gravel stage, with Stage 9 covering 32km of gravel roads through the Champagne vineyards around Troyes before the Tour’s first Rest Day.

The second week brings the race through the rugged Massif Central and into the Pyrenees, where the week ends with back-to-back summit finishes including the Tour’s return to Plateau de Beille, one of the toughest ascents in the Pyrenees.

The Tour’s final week takes a southerly route back to the Alps and a final showdown in and around Nice that concludes with an individual time trial–35 years after American Greg Lemond overtook France’s Laurent Fignon to win the 1989 Tour in a time trial on the Tour’s final stage. This is a big change: the Tour usually ends in Paris, but with the Olympics set to begin in the City of Lights on July 26th, the Tour needs to finish elsewhere so as to avoid any logistical conflicts.

Vingegaard, the two-time defending champion, will be back to try and score a hat trick, but he’ll face the toughest list of challengers he’s ever seen including Pogačar, who’s hoping to win the Giro-Tour double; Evenepoel, who’s riding his first Tour de France; and Roglič, his former teammate and now newest rival. With a difficult course and a star-studded startlist, this could be a Tour for the ages.

How to Watch the Tour de France: Peacock

Taking place about two weeks after the conclusion of the Tour de France–and one before the start of the Tour de France Femmes–gold medals will be awarded in the men’s and women’s road races at the Olympics in Paris.

Covering 278km and 158km, respectively, both the men’s and women’s races are expected to favor the sport’s Classics stars, with lots of short, punchy climbs and a finishing circuit through downtown Paris that takes the riders up the cobbled Côté de la Butte Montmartre three times. So it comes as no surprise that riders like Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar, Wout van Aert, Lotte Kopecky, and Demi Vollering have the Olympics written in nice big capital letters on their calendars.

If you watched last year’s world championships in Glasgow last August, you’ve seen what a challenging urban circuit can do to a peloton, and with smaller teams (countries can start 1-4 riders depending on their nation’s UCI ranking), fewer riders overall (just 90 in each event), and no race radios (so riders will get less information and direction from their team cars), we’re expecting aggressive, dramatic outcomes.

How to Watch the Olympics: NBC/Peacock

The first two editions of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift started on the last day of the men’s Tour de France. But with the Olympics coming closely on the heels of the men’s Tour, this year’s third edition of the incredibly popular Tour de France Femmes was pushed back a few weeks–which is great because it means the race doesn’t have to share the spotlight with the world’s largest sporting event.

In addition to changing its place on the calendar, more than half of this year’s Tour de France Femmes will take place outside of France with three stages taking place in and around Rotterdam (including two stages in one day on Tuesday, August 13), a transitional stage that takes the race from Valkenburg to Liège on Stage 5, and a stage starting in Bastogne (Stage 5) before finally bringing the riders across the border and into France.

But just like the first two editions, it’s the final weekend that packs the biggest punch, with two days in the Alps with back-to-back summit finishes including a finish atop Alpe d’Huez–arguably the most famous climb in professional cycling–on the last day of the Tour.

Last year, Vollering and SD Worx dominated the Tour. The team won four of the Tour’s eight stages, held the yellow jersey from start to finish, put two riders on the final podium, took the green jersey for winning the Points Classification, and won the Tour’s Teams Classification. Defending Vollering’s title is one of the team’s main goals 2024.

How to Watch the Tour de France Femmes: Peacock

As the final grand tour of the season, the Vuelta a España is traditionally one of the last chances for riders hoping to end the year on high note, earn a contract for the following season, or get themselves in shape for the world championships in late-September. So with lots of mountains and a start list filled with motivated riders, the Vuelta always delivers some of the year’s most exciting racing.

This year’s race begins in Portugal, with two time trials, eight mountain stages, and several jagged, hilly stages (some of which have short uphill finishes of their own) to test the riders. Every year the organizers create a course that seems to say: “If you’re not a climber, stay home.”

At this point in the year it’s tough to predict who will add the Spanish grand tour to their program as lots of things can change between now and August. But we’re hoping that last year’s surprise-but-not-a-surprise winner, American Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), will get a chance to come back and defend his title from last year.

How to Watch the Vuelta a España: Peacock

After taking place in Glasgow in early-August last year (as part of the UCI’s “mega world championships”), this year’s World Road Race Championships are heading to Zurich and moving back to their usual spot on the calendar in late-September, with our favorite events–the Elite Road Races–taking place on the final weekend of the month.

On Saturday, the Elite Women will complete a 154km road race that begins in Ulster and ends with four laps of a tough, 27km finishing circuit in and around Zurich. The next day, the Elite Men will cover a 274km course that starts in Winterthur and concludes with seven laps of the Zurich finishing circuit.

This is another race for Classics riders, with a finishing circuit that should favor the riders we saw at the front of last year’s World Championship road races. In the women’s race, Kopecky will be a favorite to defend her title, but she’ll face stiff competition from the Dutch, most likely led by her SD Worx teammate Vollering, who–despite being one of the sport’s best racers–has never won a rainbow jersey. We love how races like the Olympics and Worlds pit riders who spend much of the season as teammates against one another.

The men’s race should play out in a similar way–albeit with fewer teammates racing against teammates. The defending champion–van der Poel–should again be the top favorite, with the Belgians–led by van Aert and Evenepoel–his biggest rivals.

How to Watch the World Championships: FloBikes

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Meet the 22-year-old Rochester bike racer who’s targeting Olympic Gold in Paris

Despite its global popularity, bike racing is a relatively unknown sport in the United States. One 22-year-old elite racer from Rochester NY is trying to change that as he races his debut grand tour in Italy and prepares for the summer Olympics.

Magnus Sheffield is racing the Giro d’Italia, one of three prestigious grand tours. Sheffield knows that people back home might need a little context.

“It’s like the Super Bowl of cycling,” Sheffield says. “There are three big tours – the Tour de France, the Giro, and the Vuelta. Most people know about the Tour.”

It may not be as prestigious as the Tour, “but my teammates and competitors would say it’s just as hard, and sometimes it may even be harder.”

The competition is fierce and, for the unfamiliar, a little confusing. There are 176 racers on 22 teams, and results are based on individual and group efforts over 2,000 miles broken down into 21 stages.

There are as many goals in a grand tour as there are riders, but there are three main categories of winners, each with a corresponding special jersey. The fastest overall gets the pink jersey, La Maglia Rosa, while the best climber wears blue and the cyclist who breaks out of the pack of riders to become the best sprinter wears purple.

There’s no jersey for Sheffield’s specialty, the time trial, an individual race against the clock. This year’s Giro has two time trials – stages 7 and 14 – and despite good overall performances, Sheffield suffered a crash on stage 14, ruining his chance of a stage victory. He was heading for second place to his teammate, stage winner Filippo Ganna, but lost too much time getting back on the bike.

That's just part of the sport, Sheffield says. "Unfortunately, if you want to win you also have to risk big, so I hit the deck in a corner with about six kilometers to the finish, and that ruined my chances of a nice result.”

His original plan was the time trials and, maybe, a stage win in this final week. He says, “I don’t know honestly if this is still possible, just how I feel after the crash, so I think it’s going to be more about supporting the team as much as possible.”

Team support is the primary job of most racers in a grand tour, but Sheffield rides for one of cycling’s biggest teams, British squad Ineos Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky. The team has won the Tour de France seven times. At the Giro, they’re led by Geraint Thomas, 2018 Tour winner, Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion of cycling. Thomas - or G as he’s known – is second overall, and Sheffield’s goal is to help him stay there as the race winds down to a finish on May 26.

Bike racing is dominated by Europeans. Sheffield is an anomaly, just one of 13 Americans racing at the World Tour level. But most surprisingly, he has a hometown friend on the squad – 18-year-old Andrew “AJ” August – also from Rochester.

“It’s quite a unique story,” Sheffield says. “Growing up, the Augusts were good family friends. I first met them through ski racing.”

He became good friends with AJ’s older brothers and the three biked to and from each other’s houses. “We were almost neighbors. To think that AJ is a team member of mine, though I still haven’t done a race with him, it’s just really unique that someone from that part of New York also is on the same world class team as me,” he says.

It’s not the winters that made Rochester turn out two elite bike racers. Sheffield says the local cycling community, like his coach Craig Mattern and the Genesee Valley Cycling Club, got him to Europe. And his family friend, August’s dad Andy, who owned the Park Ave Bike Shop and organized local bike races.

And he gives a shout-out to Flour City Bread’s Keith Myers, a local fan and bike enthusiast who has been cheering Sheffield on for years. “Keith is an absolute legend,” he says. “He bakes the best bread in probably all of Western New York if not all of New York state.”

With his grand tour debut nearly done, Sheffield is looking to the future and not dwelling on the crash. “It’s important not to let that get me down,” he says. After all, he has Paris to look forward to.

“It’s hard to know who the overall favorite would be, but for the time trial, this is a big goal of mine,” he says. “And I’m also looking forward to the home Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.”

Sheffield is still waiting to find out if he’ll qualify for the Paris Olympics this year, which start on July 26.

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How to explore Paris this summer beyond the Olympics

With all eyes on the French capital this summer for the Olympics, there’s never been a better time to visit.

Pinned by the Eiffel Tower, threaded by the Seine and punctuated by grand gardens that are multiplying as part of the city’s bid to become one of Europe’s greenest, Paris is among the world’s most impressive destinations. Here are 17 ways to discover the City of Lights this summer.

1. Go electric on a classic city tour

Battery-powered cars have become an increasingly popular sight in Paris over the last decade – all part of the city’s plan to outlaw all but e-vehicles by 2030. In a vintage Renault 4L, retrofitted by tour company 4 Roues Sous 1 Parapluie with a specially designed battery, you can slip silently between the honey-coloured apartments and cast iron balconies of the eighth arrondissement, the vast alabaster arch of the Arc de Triomphe and the broad, latticed feet of the Eiffel Tower, close enough to see the cogs rotating. This year, it will have been 100 years since Paris last hosted the Olympics in 1924, and the tower is being repainted gold – closer to the colour Gustave Eiffel originally chose – to mark the occasion.

( Paris is going electric — for a new perspective on the city, take a low-carbon car tour . )

2. Hop around the Paris Plages

July to September, Paris embraces beach mode, carving out waterfront stretches of its emblematic river and canals for temporary urban beaches - complete with deckchairs, potted palm trees, ice-cream sellers and entertainment. At Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), quays along the Seine between Pont d’Arcole and Pont Neuf buzz with outdoor, family-friendly action such as a mini via ferrata, football, giant chess, plus sun-loungers between potted palm trees and pétanque. Across the water on the left bank, soak up urban beach life on the stretch of ‘beach’ between Pont d’Alma and Pont de la Concorde. The Paris Plages’ prime swimming hub is Bassin de la Villette - until 2025, when three open-water swimming spots will open for summers in the Seine: at Bras Marie beneath Pont Marie (4e), by the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir footbridge in Bercy (12e), and at Port de Grenelle (15e).

3. Sleep in a floating hotel on the Seine

Moored at the foot of the Gare d’Austerlitz in central Paris, bobbing gently in the wake of each passing barge, Off Paris Seine offers one of the very few ways in the city to live the life aquatic. Lying low on the surface of the water — low enough for the river’s waves to wash against the walls — the 58 floating rooms here face the city or the Seine, taking inspiration from the natural setting with plenty of warm woods, and accenting them with bright pops of gold and neon orange. The latter takes a maximalist turn in the designer Sunset suite, where everything, from the four-poster bed to the bathtub, is the same vibrant tangerine hue. Come the evening, enjoy a plate of roast octopus with pepper cream beside the pool on the sheltered restaurant terrace, close enough to the water to see shoals of tiny fish rippling across the surface, and watch the tales of the riverbank unfold. From €230 (£197) for a quay-view double, B & B.

4. Sail the waterways in an e-boat

Life moves slowly on the banks of the Bassin de la Villette. The largest artificial lake in Paris — a former industrial port 20 minutes’ walk northeast of the Gare de l’Est — is a place where cormorants bob atop yellow buoys and pet dogs trot in the shade of tall trees. Parisians come here to practice their pétanque and picnic on crusty baguette, legs dangling over the edge of the water. One of the best ways to take it all in is out on the water in an electric boat. From Marin D’Eau Douce’s marina on its southern end, you can journey north at barely walking pace, your soundtrack the lapping of the waves, the distant clinking of glasses and the tinny music of the carousel that sometimes appears on its banks. You’ll know when you’ve reached the Parc de la Villette, with its metallic orb-shaped cinema, and the Canal de L’Ourcq, the banks of which form an al fresco gallery for street artists. Three hours’ e-boat rental for five from €110 (£94); no licence required.

5. Claim a deckchair at the Molitor, birthplace of the bikini

It’s late summer and the sun is filtering through the clouds, spotlighting the bathers snoozing in their deckchairs in fluffy, white bathrobes, as swimmers paddle languidly back and forth.The frenetic pace of the city slows in the 16th arrondissement beside the pool of the Molitor, sheltered from the street on all sides by its tall, canary-yellow walls. When it opened in 1929, it was much as it is now: a place where Parisians could escape and sip glasses of Chablis between the palms — part urban oasis, part social club.

All sorts of events, from artists’ galas to beauty contests, were held here. At one time, a tobacconist and even a hair salon fringed its borders. It was known for being an avant-garde place. Perhaps most famously, French designer Louis Réard unveiled the first bikini here in 1946. His design was considered so scandalous that no model would wear it, so he had to turn to an exotic dancer for its poolside debut.

But by the 1970s, cracks began to show — literally, with chlorine eroding the concrete. The pool closed in 1989, no longer able to fund its vision of extravagant lifestyle, and graffiti artists washed in as its waters drained away. For years, the Molitor lay derelict — a landmark transformed into a backdrop for underground raves. But its story didn’t end there.  

By 2014, it was restored and reopened its doors as a hotel. Those same artists that had instilled beauty into its earlier neglect were invited back, this time to add the finishing touches to the lobby — where a graffiti-splashed Rolls-Royce now sits — and wall murals.  

There are 124 rooms, designed to emulate the feel of an ocean liner; portholes overlook the watery scene below, with the swimmers, snoozers and croque monsieur-ers. After the piscine was rebuilt, it made its Hollywood debut in The Life of Pi . And with bikinis back at the Molitor , the Parisians flooded back, too. Doubles from €330 (£283), B & B. Day pass, including room access, from €290 (£248) for two.

6. Cool off in an al fresco pool

Piscine Joséphine Baker

Swim on the river — rather than in it — at this pool, named after the legendary Jazz Age performer. It’s set on a permanently moored barge, floating on the Seine in the 13th arrondissement not far from the Bastille. The glass roof retracts in good weather, allowing for sunbathing on deck. Alongside the main pool, there’s a paddling pool for children, as well as solariums, saunas, a gym and changing rooms.

Piscine Roger le Gall

To the east of the capital, in the 12th arrondissement, the 164ft Roger Le Gall pool is part of a sports complex, with a retractable roof so that swimming becomes al fresco on sunny summer days. It’s named after a French resistance fighter, and has rolling lawns for sunbathing and dedicated sessions each month for naturists.

Piscine de la Butte-aux-Cailles

One of Paris’s rare listed pool complexes, Butte-aux-Cailles in the southern 13th arrondissement opened its doors in 1924. The main indoor pool still has its art deco arches, while there are also two outdoor ones. They’re all open year-round, kept warm at a toasty 28C thanks to the complex’s natural sulphur spring.

7.   Discover Paris’s belle epoque on foot

It’s easy to slip back in time in Paris; pockets of the gilded belle epoque have been preserved throughout the city centre, casting a spell on most who walk the capital’s streets. This golden age of bohemia, optimism and technological progress flourished in the peaceful years between 1871 and the start of the Second World War. To find its legacy, you need only pay a visit to restaurants like Bouillon Chartier , a timewarp ‘workers’ bistro built with breathtaking flamboyance in 1896, where tables are shared and uniformed waiters still tally the bill on the tablecloth. The Grand Palais, Alexandre III Bridge, Musée d’Orsay and Galeries Lafayette are products of this period, too.

  Many walking tours cater for those wanting to immerse themselves in the era; family-friendly guide Ana Gimena dresses for the era on her tours around the galleries of the Petit Palais and the esplanades around the Seine. Or try the ‘Visit Montmartre with Hysterical Feminists’ tour by Feminists in the City to learn the stories of embattled and half-forgotten female figures from the gilded period.

( Does Paris's belle époque appeal live up to the hype? )

8. Learn to paint like an Impressionist

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Impressionism in the city where it all began. Monet, Cézanne, Bonnard and many more ventured to the French capital to find inspiration in its skies and landscapes. A stroll along the Seine, along with a visit to the Gardens of Versailles, Tuileries Garden and Luxembourg Gardens will provide great backgrounds for a painting session with Rola Cusson , a tour guide and art teacher with a studio on La Grande Jatte — the setting of Seurat’s 1884 painting A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. For contemporary art, 59 Rivoli is a former artists’ squat-turned-gallery and exhibition space that hosts free concerts every Saturday and Sunday.

9. Take a street-art treasure hunt

Tracking down mosaics by Paris’s anonymous street artist, Invader, means ducking and diving around streets, squares and courtyards off travellers’ usual radar. To add to the 23 million ‘flashes’ validated since 2014, download the FlashInvaders app and snap each pixelated piece you find: space aliens inspired by the 1978 arcade game, but also pop culture figures such as Bugs Bunny, Cinderella, Mario, Picasso, Nina Simone. Score 100 points apiece with Paris’s highest (on the Eiffel Tower), biggest (at Place Igor Stravinsky) and most recent (Invader’s 1500th Parisian mosaic, atop a blue rooftop pipe at Centre Pompidou), which was erected in February 2024.

10. Spot sculptures by the Seine

Stroll along the Seine’s Left Bank, between the Pont de Sully and Pont d’Austerlitz bridges, and you’ll encounter an outdoor gallery stretching for almost half a mile along the waterfront. Opened in 1980, within the Jardin Tino Rossi, the Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air is still in immaculate shape, displaying remarkably graffiti-free works by 20th-century artists including César, Constantin Brancusi, Nicolas Schöffer and Émile Gilioli. Some pieces are set proudly along the quayside, like oversized mooring posts, while others are weathering gently among the prettily planted gardens patchworked along the riverside, bothered only by the occasional jogger, dog walker and pedestrian commuter, plus a rare tourist or two.  

Standout pieces include Demeurre 1, a bold, blackened bronze gathering of totemic structures created by Etienne Martin in the 1950s, and La Grande Fenetre, by Cuban artist Augustin Cardenas. The latter creates a gleaming white marble waterfront ‘window’ through which to watch the open-roof bateaux mouche tourist boats chug by. On weekend evenings during the summer months, the sculptures become a backdrop for couples practising tango in the small amphitheatres carved into the Quai Saint-Bernard promenade.

11. Embrace two-wheeled Paris

With just over 250 miles of cycleways, including 75 miles of brand new lanes, linking the Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde and other soon-to-be Olympic venues, exploring Paris by bike has never been so easy. Dedicated bike tracks link up with shared bike-bus lanes and car-free trails for use by both cyclists and pedestrians. The best routes include a loop along the Seine, taking in landmarks like the Louvre and Notre-Dame; a spin along Canal St-Martin, passing 19th-century locks and lift bridges; and an exhilarating urban route along ‘Street Art Avenue’ to France’s national stadium in Saint-Denis.

12. Party with the Pari Rollers

The Friday Night Fever skate tour organised by the Pari Rollers association is one of the largest meetups of its kind in the world, offering rollerbladers a fun and fast-paced tour of the capital after dark. The weekly, 13-mile urban skate kicks off at Place Raoul Dautry, regularly attracting upwards of 800 participants, and is geared towards confident skaters rather than first-timers. The atmosphere is like a carnival: as well as impressive feats of skating by seasoned pros, there’s music blaring from portable speakers, participants in fancy dress and even parents in the mix with off-road prams. Those who aren’t confident with rollerblading can join the cyclists, e-scooters and longboarders bringing up the rear of the procession – or simply come to watch participants career along the Parisian streets.

( What it's like to party in the French capital with the Pari Rollers. )

13. Stroll reimagined city railways

The original High Line isn’t in New York – it’s in Paris. The Coulée Verte René-Dumont, or Promenade Plantée as it’s become known, was the world’s first elevated urban park when it opened in the late 1980s, transforming a disused railway viaduct into a linear garden of swaying trees, starlings and reflecting pools. Paris is planning to – quite literally – become one of Europe’s greenest capitals, with current mayor Anne Hidalgo promising a “massive greening” when she was elected, and the plan to plant 170,000 trees by 2026 underway. Simultaneously, attention has turned to La Petite Ceinture, another train line that was abandoned in the 20 th century and still circles the city, with some very short stretches open to urban hikers. Parisians are divided on what to do with this ghost line, with some calling to preserve its biodiversity and open up the entire stretch to pedestrians – though most of its length is still closed, in part due to still-active electrical lines. For now, while the authorities decide, the ‘Little Belt’ runs in a broken circle, some of it used for flourishing community gardens and craft fairs, and the rest left to be reclaimed by nature.

( The 'original' High Line is in Paris — here's why you should walk it. )

14. Climb Lafayette’s summer terrace

The eighth-floor terrace of Paris’s most venerable department store is where the capital’s beautiful young things come to pose with cocktails in summer, backed by Galeries Lafayette’s landmark cathedral-like glass dome. Among the sweeping city views, there are other knockouts, too: the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur and Notre-Dame can all be seen from up here. The terrace’s pop-up restaurant usually opens for the season around May and runs until the end of September. In previous years, it’s been hosted by socialite French chef Julien Sebbag, whose vegetarian small plates menu celebrates eastern-Med salads and focaccias such as the courgette-starring Summertime Sadness — best paired with a spritz of prosecco, orange blossom, cognac and apricot liqueur.

15. Drink farm-fresh cocktails

Tuck into summer’s bounty of berries, beets and all other manner of fruits and veggies, freshly harvested from Europe’s largest urban rooftop farm, at Le Perchoir (‘The Perch’) — a plant-filled conservatory dining spot crowning Pavilion 6 of the exhibition centre Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The restaurant overlooks Nature Urbaine, a high-tech farm that provides fresh produce to the surrounding 15th arrondissement and some nearby hotels. Produce is grown using aeroponics — a soil-free cultivation technique that can minimise irrigation — creating an edible Eden in a sky-scraping urban space. What’s grown here enriches the menus at Le Perchoir , which is a hot ticket for DJ-led weekend brunches and cocktail-infused evenings. Order la haut (‘the top’) with gin, citrus shrub, rosemary, Peychaud’s bitters and house tonic, alongside a summer vegetable vol au vent, and breathe in the heady scent of rooftop-grown herbs.

16. Explore urban wine in Montmartre

Once home to Dali, Degas and Van Gough, Paris’s bohemian hilltop Montmartre neighbourhood is also the site of the French capital’s oldest vineyard. Wine production dwindled in the Île-de-France after industrialisation in the 19 th century and by the 1950s, Paris was all but shunned by viticulturalists. Today, however, the area’s vines are seeing a resurgence. Free from additives, Montmartre’s grapes are harvested to great fanfare every October during the Fete du Vendanges, and are just one of a booming number of low-intervention wines now being made across the Île-de-France. A walking tour of Montmartre with Paris Wine Walks can take vinophiles on a historical romp through the cobbled backstreets around the Sacre Coeur, with a finale tasting session of wines from independent vineyards in Paris and beyond.

( Winemaking in Paris is back, and you can discover its history in Montmartre. )

17. Eat in the Eiffel Tower

Book a meal at two-Michelin-starred   Le Jules Verne , helmed by French chef Frédéric Anton. The second-floor salon sits 410ft above ground, with five- and seven-course tasting menus that include indulgences like souffle of scallops with shellfish butter sauce, caviar and caramelised calf sweetbread.  

Bite into the ‘Jardin sur la Seine’ macaron, a raspberry confection laced with single-origin Millot Plantation Madagascar dark chocolate. It’s an exclusive creation for Paris’s Iron Lady, by chocolatier-patissiere Pierre Hermé, available at the second floor’s lower-level macaron bar.  

Celebrate Paris’s seasonal produce, plucked from farms and kitchen gardens around the French capital, with chef Thierry Marx’s informal menus at Madame Brasserie, on the tower’s first floor.  

Have a chocolate ice cream, cocktail and more in the open-air Ferrié Pavilion terrace on the first floor. Garden seating-style armchairs and sofas create a relaxed space with breezy views across the capital and classic French bistro food.  

Get a glass of finest French fizz almost 1,000ft above Paris’s streets in the tower’s little Champagne Bar. It’s a bijou dispensary rather than a place to sit; the tipples can be paired with caviar if desired.

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Van der Poel will skip mountain bike event at Paris Olympics to focus on road race

FILE - Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel holds his bike up at the finish line after taking first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on March 31, 2024. World champion Mathieu van der Poel will focus on the Olympic road race at the Paris Games this summer after the Tour de France, skipping mountain biking. The versatile Dutch racer said on Wednesday that combining the Tour and the Olympic road race is “the most logical” choice. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

FILE - Dutch cyclist Mathieu Van der Poel competes during the 14th stage of the Giro D’Italia cycling race from Santena to Turin, Italy, Saturday, May 21, 2022. World champion Mathieu van der Poel will focus on the Olympic road race at the Paris Games this summer after the Tour de France, skipping mountain biking. The versatile Dutch racer said on Wednesday that combining the Tour and the Olympic road race is “the most logical” choice. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP, File)

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BRUSSELS (AP) — World champion Mathieu van der Poel will focus on the Olympic road race at the Paris Games this summer, after competing in the Tour de France, and skip mountain biking.

The versatile Dutch racer said Wednesday that combining the Tour and the road race is “the most logical” choice.

“It ensures that I have a little more time and thus can prepare longer and better,” he said in a statement released by his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.

Van der Poel has won titles in many disciplines and thought at one point about competing in the cross-country mountain bike event at the Olympics. But he faced what he called a “difficult puzzle to put together” with the route of the road race suiting his skills.

“Just the road race? Only mountain biking? Or both?” he said. “Whether or not in combination with the Tour de France, which I personally consider the best possible preparation for the Games.”

Van der Poel finally made his decision.

“Let’s say I chose the most logical thing,” he said. “So, in consultation with the team, I opted for a slightly longer rest period, after which I can build up to the Tour de France and the Olympic road race without time pressure.”

The 29-year-old rider, who has been in impressive form this year with victories at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix classics, said he will work in support of teammate Jasper Philipsen “in his hunt for stage wins and a possible green jersey” of Tour de France’s best sprinter.

“And the goal is to win a stage myself this year,” he said. “Last year I got sick when there were a few stages where I had chances. Hopefully I will be spared from that in this edition.”

Van der Poel added that wearing the world champion’s rainbow jersey this season played a role in his decision to race at the Tour.

“It’s a special year,” he said. “As world champion I like to ride in that jersey as much as possible. So I also prefer not to miss the Tour de France. And that proved to be a good preparation last year, then towards the World Championships.”

He also hinted that he could compete in mountain biking at future Olympics. Van der Poel crashed out of the mountain bike race at the Tokyo Olympics.

“Who knows what’s still possible in 2028 in Los Angeles? That’s still a long time away, but I’ll be in a different phase of my career then,” he said. “Maybe then I can put everything on that mountain biking. This year the combination is just too difficult.”

Van der Poel, who is currently training in Spain, will not compete before the June 29-July 21 Tour de France. The men’s Olympic road race is a challenging 273-kilometer (170-mile) trek set to take place on Aug. 3.

Follow AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Road cycling at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Road cycling is one of the original modern Olympic events, featuring on the programme of the 1896 Games.

Here is all you need to know about the sport at Paris 2024 .

What are the road cycling events at Paris 2024?

Road cycling at the Olympics comprises two events for both men and women - the road race and the time trial.

What is the road race?

At Paris 2024, the men’s road race is held over 273km (2,800m of ascent), while the women’s route is 158km long (1,700m of ascent).

Both routes start at the Trocadero and take in famous Parisian sights including the Louvre and the Eiffel Tour. From there, the pelotons will leave the city, catching a glimpse of the Chateau de Versailles as they head out towards the challenging terrain of the Chevreuse Valley.

On the return into Paris, riders will tackle three laps of the Cote de la Butte Montmartre - a cobbled climb - before a downhill finale on to the Pont d'Iena bridge and a sprint towards the Trocadero finish line.

What is the time trial?

The time trial is a solo effort, where riders set off in a staggered order and race against the clock over a flat 32.4km.

They will start on the Esplanade des Invalides and finish on the Pont Alexandre III.

It marks the first time men and women will race the same time trial course over the same distance in Olympic history.

• Full route details

Road cycling schedule at Paris 2024

27 July - men’s and women’s time trials

3 August - men’s road race

4 August - women’s road race

Who has won the most medals in Olympic road cycling?

Italy have won the most Olympic medals in road cycling with 20 (nine gold), although the Netherlands have won more gold medals (10).

Great Britain have won 16 road cycling Olympic medals, two of which were gold - Nicole Cooke in the women's road race at Beijing 2008 and Sir Bradley Wiggins in the men's time trial at London 2012.

• All you need to know about Paris 2024
• How City of Light changed the Olympics