Wout Van Aert made the bold and innovative decision to use double-disc wheels in the time trial at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning the bronze medal behind fellow Belgian Remco Evenepoel and Italian Filippo Ganna.

While athletes often use double disc wheels on the track, they prefer spoked front wheels for better bike handling in road time trials, where conditions often change.

Other riders questioned Van Aert's decision to use double-disc wheels because of the risk in corners and reduced acceleration. It seemed particularly bold on the rain-soaked Parisian course, where a number of riders crashed at speed in both the men's and women's time trials.

Van Aert could have used his cyclocross bike skills to take more risks with a double-disc setup. However, Van Aert followed science and opted for a double-disc setup. It will surely inspire other riders to seek similar marginal gains in professional racing.

“I think my setup was super fast,” Van Aert explained at the post-race press conference, impressing even gold medalist Even Paul with the wattage he allegedly gained.

“When we tested it in the wind tunnel, with different wind angles and wind speeds, the double disc was 17 watts faster than a regular time trial wheel. This is pretty significant.”

Van Aert won the final stage of the time trial at the 2021 and 2022 Tour de France and was second to Ganna in the 2020 and 2021 time trial world championships. Since then, however, he has concentrated on his classic campaign and other goals, and his 2024 season was severely interrupted by a high-speed crash at Dwars door Hlaanderen in late March.

“I am really proud to have won a medal again. [because] the last few seasons it has been difficult to compete with the real specialists. It was ambitious, but I knew there were at least three players stronger than me. This medal is a surprise, but I'm really happy to be part of the mix again."

“I had too many goals to focus on and couldn't train fully for a month for the time trial.

“So I didn't have the confidence going into this Olympics. After the crash, my planning changed during the season. I was able to finish the Tour, but I wasn't able to train properly for the TT bike. But I got the details right. Now my confidence is back.”

Van Aert broke his collarbone, seven ribs, and sternum in the crash at Doar do Hlaanderen, requiring several days of hospitalization and surgery. It took a month of rehabilitation before he could begin easy training and make another comeback from his injuries and losses.

“I think it's part of my character. There are moments when I don't want to do it anymore, but the next day I want to do it again,” he explained.

“My only talent is riding my bike. I have a deep desire to keep challenging myself. This makes a lot of sense, and not just after crashing in the spring.” [The Olympics are the biggest event in sports. For us cyclists, it is always a bit underrated because it is only part of the season. But when you go to these Games, you realize that it's a much bigger event than all the other races.

“It's especially great for Belgium to start the first day of the Olympics with two medals. We are not a very big country and I hope it will be a kickstart for other athletes to follow our lead and bring home as many medals as possible.”

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