Remco Evenepoel wins Olympic time trial gold in Paris

Remco Evenepoel 2024 Olympics time trial

Remco Evenepoel captured the gold medal in the men’s time trial at the Paris Olympics, finishing ahead of Italian rival Filippo Ganna and fellow Belgian Wout van Aert. Despite the challenging weather conditions, Evenepoel completed the 32.4-kilometre course in 36 minutes, 12.16 seconds. His triumph, nearly 15 seconds ahead of Ganna and 25 seconds in front of Van Aert, brought him to tears at the finish line.

Josh Tarling, the two-time British time trial champion, faced bitter disappointment. A punctured tyre forced him into a bike change, costing him precious time. Tarling missed the bronze by a mere 2.16 seconds, finishing fourth.

“Just hit some bumps and felt the rim and had to change before the corner,” Tarling explained. Despite the setback, he maintained a positive outlook, stating, “Nah, I think everyone who’s got a medal deserves it. I mean, if I wanted it to go my way, I would have gone fast enough after the puncture and still won.”

The field of 35 men set off from Les Invalides in a drizzle, mindful of the slick roads after watching Chloe Dygert and others slip during the women’s race. The course, designed to honour French cycling legends, was made more treacherous by rain that started before the opening ceremony and persisted throughout the day.

Van Aert, unperturbed by the rain, used a rare front and back disc wheel setup for aerodynamic advantage. His early strong performance set a formidable time to beat. “I immediately felt I had a good day,” Van Aert commented. “In the first 30 minutes, I had a perfect pace, but towards the closing kilometres, I was suffering a lot. Fortunately, I was able to hold on and thus grab another medal.”

Brandon McNulty of the USA took fifth place, just over a minute behind Evenepoel. He expressed mixed feelings, saying, “I did my best, but I was in my heart, I really wanted a medal so it’s a bit bittersweet. Because, yeah still top five, I should be happy with this, but I was aiming for more but it is what it is,” McNulty told reporters.

Magnus Sheffield, also from the USA, crashed on a slick corner and finished 16th. Reflecting on the incident, Sheffield said, “I’m not gonna hide it, I’m disappointed today. It was really slick out there, so I felt my rear wheel start to go in that roundabout, and I knew I had to take it more carefully on the wet roads.”

Evenepoel’s ride was aggressive, navigating the course’s rough surfaces and iconic sights like Place de la Bastille. His determination and skill shone through, particularly in the hazardous conditions.

Tarling, reflecting on his race, noted the mental challenge after his bike change. “I think it was hard to get back into the rhythm and settle down and stop thinking after that and everyone else did such a good ride. It would have been hard to catch back up.” He praised Evenepoel’s victory, acknowledging the Belgian’s recent successes. “He’s such a classy rider, and no one can get close to him at the minute,” Tarling remarked.

The riders now shift focus to the men’s road race, a gruelling 273km loop. Tarling summed up the mindset going forward: “Switch off tonight and switch back on as soon as we can to the road race to try and forget today.”

2024 Paris Olympics Men’s Individual Time Trial

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Main photo credit: AP News