500,000 turned out for Paris Olympics cycling road race

Around 500,000 people lined the streets of Paris during the cycling road race, organizsers said Sunday, in what is seen as further evidence of growing popular support for the Games. 

The road race on Saturday saw cyclists speed through some of the most picturesque streets of the capital, including the famous Montmartre hill, while the start and finish line was in front of the Eiffel Tower. 

A photograph of thousands of supporters lining the sweeping Rue Lepic in Montmartre has been compared on social media to a famous painting of popular fervor in 1878 by watercolor master Claude Monet. 

"I don't know if it is an Olympic record but there were 500,000 people along the route," Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters at a daily briefing on Sunday, citing figures from the Paris police department. 

A strong start from France in the Games -- the host country lies third in the medals table -- coupled with national pride in seeing Paris put on a show for the rest of the world are seen as fuelling enthusiasm for the Olympics. 

Le Monde newspaper reported Sunday on "the exuberant enthusiasm" on Paris's streets, saying "since the opening ceremony, French people have had a desire to share in it, far from the image of a divided society." 

So-called "fan zones" around the city have also been regularly full, with thousands of people cheering on new local heroes such as swimmer Leon Marchand and veteran winners like judoka Teddy Riner. 

Television viewing figures for the opening ceremony on 26 July showed that 23.2-23.4 million people tuned in to live coverage on the France 2 channel -- around a third of the country -- making it one of the most watched events in French history. 

The build up to the Games had been dominated by fears about security, with the country on its highest alert level for terror attacks, as well as grumbling about disruption to daily life in the French capital. 

Many of the wealthiest areas of the city remain quiet, with residents heading off for their traditional summer holidays rather than staying to watch the sport. 

Belgium's Remco Evenepoel survived a dramatic late puncture to win Saturday's Olympic road race gold.