The two seconds that secured Wout van Aert‘s place on the podium in the Paris Olympics time trial may have been down to his use of a front disc wheel.
The Belgian decided to use the unorthodox set-up, rarely seen on the road due to handling difficulties in crosswinds, after being spotted trialling it on his recon of the course. He went on to win a bronze medal in the event, afterwards explaining the gains he believed he got from the double discs.
“I think my set-up was super-fast,” Van Aert said in his post-race press conference, to the surprise of race winner Remco Evenepoel. “When we tested it in the wind tunnel, there were different wind angles and speeds, but double discs were 17 watts faster than a normal time trial wheel. That’s quite a lot.”
Indeed, according to a thread on X by aero expert Xavier Disley published before the race, one watt was estimated to be the equivalent of around a two-second saving in the time trial. By this maths, Van Aert’s double disc set-up may have saved him up to 34 seconds around the 32.4km course. Great Britain’s Josh Tarling ended up just two seconds off him in fourth.
In comments before the race, Van Aert said his use of a front disc depended on there being the “right conditions” on race day. Rain fell all afternoon in Paris, leaving the course wet and slippery, and claiming a number of victims, with riders crashing across the men’s and women’s events.
Still, the Belgian made clear, it was the wind he was worried about. “You have to be able to keep your bike under control,” he said. “I was happy when I saw the course, because there is a lot of shelter, so [the front disc] could be an option, even though it looks unusual.”
Van Aert’s bronze medal came just four months after he crashed at high-speed and fractured his collarbone, seven ribs and sternum at Dwars door Vlaanderen. In his recovery, he went two months without racing, leaving him with an unideal preparation for the Games.
Winning a medal, Van Aert said, came as “a surprise”.
“In the last few seasons, it was harder for me to compete against real specialists,” he said. “I was ambitious but I thought there were at least three guys stronger than me.
“My only talent is riding a bike. There’s just a deep desire inside myself to keep on trying and I’m especially proud of my performance. This means a lot, not only after crashing out in spring.”
Van Aert was not the only rider to use daring tech during the time trials. Grace Brown won the women’s race using brand-new Sync Ergonomics aerobar extensions, and Tarling wore a skinsuit with smooth, silicone-like fabrics.
“[The weather] was tough, but it would have sort of suited me I guess, especially with this horrible, rubber suit,” Tarling said afterwards. “It’s fast, but I feel like I’m in overshoes.”
