A weekend ride through Paris. Prizes for the first three finishers.

They rode out of Paris in the morning, glided past plowed fields and under tall trees, and then returned to the capital in the afternoon. That was where the Olympics’ road cycling races were always going to be decided: after the riders ascended the cobblestoned streets of Monnmartre, after they held their nerve on the way back down, after a last dash to the finish in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

The two races had been the rarest of treats in these Olympics: free to all. And so buoyed by sunny skies and the chance to see elite cycling in a year when the Tour de France was forced to detour around Paris, citizens and visitors alike turned out for a glimpse.

Remco Evenepoel of Belgium was fastest in the men’s race, adding a second gold to the one he won in the time trial a week ago, and to his third-place finish in the Tour de France a week before that. Evenepoel may be tired of cycling. He is not tired of winning. “I achieved everything I wanted to achieve this month,” he said.

The American Kristen Faulkner won gold in the shorter women’s race on Sunday, pulling away from three rivals with a late sprint that left them regretting their decision not to go with her, and Faulkner wondering just what she’d done. “I’m still looking at that finish line sign wondering how my name got there,” she said. They left Paris in the morning, passed plowed fields and tall trees, and returned to the city in the afternoon. The road cycling races for the Olympics always took place there: after the riders climbed the cobblestone streets of Montmartre, held their nerve on the way back down, and made a last dash to the finish near the Eiffel Tower.

These races were a rare treat for this year’s Olympics, as they were free for all to attend. Citizens and visitors turned out to watch elite cycling, cheered on by sunny skies and the opportunity to witness the event, especially since the Tour de France had to bypass Paris this year.

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel won the men’s race, adding a second gold to the one he earned in the time trial a week earlier, and his third-place finish in the Tour de France a week before that. Evenepoel might be tired of cycling, but not of winning. “I achieved everything I wanted to achieve this month,” he said.

American Kristen Faulkner won the gold in the women’s race, pulling ahead of three rivals with a late sprint. This left her opponents regretting their decision not to keep up with her, while Faulkner herself was surprised at her victory. “I’m still looking at that finish line sign, wondering how my name got there,” she said.