Wout Van Aert made headlines with his daring decision to ride the 2024 Paris Olympics time trial using double disc wheels. This approach is more common on the track, as road conditions often prompt riders to favour a spoked front wheel for better handling. Despite scepticism from his peers, Van Aert’s courage paid off, earning him a bronze medal behind fellow Belgian Remco Evenepoel and Italy’s Filippo Ganna.
Van Aert’s choice was particularly risky given the rain-soaked Paris course, which saw multiple crashes in both the men’s and women’s time trials. His background in cyclocross may have given him the confidence to handle the slippery conditions with the double disc set-up. “I think my set-up was super fast,” Van Aert explained in the post-race press conference, impressing even gold medalist 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.”
Van Aert’s Olympic success comes after a turbulent 2024 season, which was severely disrupted by a high-speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen in late March. He suffered a fractured collarbone, seven ribs, and his sternum, requiring surgery and a month of rehabilitation before he could resume training. Despite the setbacks, Van Aert managed to pull off a commendable performance in Paris.
Reflecting on his journey, he said, “I’m really proud to have a medal again. It feels to me a bit as a surprise because in the last few seasons it was harder for me to compete against real specialists. I was ambitious but I thought there were at least three guys stronger than me. This medal is a surprise but it makes me really happy to be in the mix again.”
Van Aert has a history of strong time trial performances, having won the final time trial stage at the 2021 and 2022 Tour de France, and finishing second to Ganna in the 2020 and 2021 time trial world championships. However, his recent focus shifted towards his Classic campaign and other goals, making his Olympic achievement even more remarkable. “Often I had the feeling I had too many goals to focus on and was never able to train one month fully for a time trial and to work on all the details that are necessary,” he admitted.
“The Olympics is the biggest event there is in sport. For us in cycling, it’s always a bit underrated because it’s just part of the season. But when you’re here you start to realise that it’s way bigger than all the other races you do.” Van Aert added, “It’s especially nice for Belgium to start the first day of the Olympics with two medals. We’re not a really big country, so hopefully it’s a kickstart for all the other athletes to follow us and to bring home as many medals as possible.”
Despite his challenges, Van Aert’s determination and talent shone through. “I have moments when you don’t want it anymore but then the next day you want to try it again,” he said. “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.”
Main photo credit: Getty