[Belgium's Wout Van Art appears to be testing an unorthodox time trial bike with disc wheels front and rear. This mirrors a setup commonly seen on track bikes, which should be advantageous in terms of aero. With the start of the Paris Olympics just a few days away and a gold medal at stake, it is clear that this versatile and talented rider is trying to gain a slight edge over his rivals in the race for a medal.

Van Aert's Cervelo P5 bike has recently had its seat cluster slightly adjusted along with increased tire clearance.

The time trial course at the Paris Olympics is almost entirely pan-flat, although twisty in places. The added inertia of the front wheels may make maneuvering trickier and the front end will certainly feel stiffer, but in the eyes of the teams, the benefits are well-researched to make the trade-off worth it.

At a press conference in Belgium on Thursday, Van Aert explained that riding double-disc wheels was an option and that this was not the first time they had tested with this setup.

“I didn't come to Paris to test a certain material. It's certainly an option. It's something we've been preparing for some time. I think it's very fast, but we need the right circumstances to put it on the car. So we can only decide on race day,” Van Aert said.

“It has mainly to do with the wind. You still need to control the bike. But me and the team thought that the city circuit would not be exposed to the wind. I was actually happy when I saw the track. Everything was covered. It might be a good option

“It's a super fast track. It's really high-speed, with all the fast corners. But I was also surprised by the track surface. It's such a big event, but nowhere near what we expected."

The wheelset in question was the Reserve Infinity Disc Turbulent Aero, a wheelset designed specifically for the Visma Reese A bike, but as far as we know, not yet used by the team. It has not been used; at $4899, it is probably only used on special occasions. Interestingly, VanArt has removed the rear valve cover in the image. According to the Reserve Wheel website, “Wind tunnel testing has shown a negative drag coefficient on the front discs. [I'd be disappointed if Tarling didn't come out with this setup,” a user commented, and Dan Biggum also ‘liked’ it! and suggests that Van Aert is probably not the only rider to employ a double-disc setup in the big races.

Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 Olympics - including breaking news and analysis reported by journalists on the ground from all road, mountain bike, track, and BMX racing events. More info.