Van Aert will compete in the time trial of the Paris 2024 Olympics on a bike with both disc wheels

On Saturday, July 27, the time trial tests open the cycling competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A race in which the world's best will depend not only on their legs but also on having the most aerodynamic equipment to shave off those seconds that will allow them to achieve the coveted gold medal. Among the most spectacular setups is the one Wout van Aert has chosen for his Cervélo.

Radical aerodynamics for the bike that Wout van Aert will use in the time trial at the Paris 2024 Olympics

The first of the events in the cycling program of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is the individual time trial, a competition that, on this occasion, under the paradigm of equalizing the course for women and men, will consist of a completely flat route, without complicated curves and only 32.4 km long.

Such a short distance and such a slight elevation change means that aerodynamics will play a crucial role in deciding the final result in a race that will surely be decided by mere seconds among the favorites.

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With so much equality, cyclists have been testing, in the days leading up to the event, on the actual route of the time trial at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, all the aerodynamic arsenal that their brands can provide them in order to shave off every second from the clock. One of those who has opted for a more daring setup is Wout van Aert, who in recent times has been relegated to a second tier in this discipline against the power of men like Filippo Ganna, Remco Evenepoel, or Stefan Küng.

The most striking thing has been seeing him train on his Cervélo P5, the machine he usually uses throughout the year, with a disc wheel both in the front and back, something that, while common on the track, is extremely rare to see in road time trials due to the impact the front disc wheel has on bike control when crosswinds appear or when navigating technical curves.

However, as we were saying, the route of Paris 2024 unfolds almost in a straight line, back and forth, along the banks of the Seine, making it suitable for taking the risk of using the front disc wheel. In any case, it will be a decision that Wout van Aert will delay until minutes before the start depending on the wind conditions that the route offers at that time.

An aerodynamic gain that adds to others such as the SRAM Red AXS groupset in a single chainring configuration or the striking Giro Aerohead 2.0 time trial helmet that Visma-Lease a Bike debuted at the recent Tirreno-Adriatico. It also highlights the recent trend of using lace-up shoes, apparently as aerodynamic and more comfortable due to better ventilation than the shoe covers traditionally used in this discipline.

We will have to wait until the afternoon of Saturday, July 27, to find out if Wout van Aert finally takes the risk of using the double disc wheel, also taking into account that there is a forecast of rain over the French capital, and if that risk is enough for what would be a surprise considering the strength of his rivals, to see the Belgian on the top step of the time trial podium.