Wout van Aert testing dual disc wheel set-up ahead of opening time-trial of 2024 Vuelta a Espana

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Wout van Aert secured a bronze medal in the individual time trial. Notable in the Belgian's efforts however, was the fact he opted for the rarely seen dual disc wheel set-up.

Clearly this result, whilst not the gold medal he had hoped to achieve, nevertheless filled the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star with confidence in the dual disc wheels as ahead of the opening stage of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, Van Aert has again been testing the set up as he looks to claim the Red Jersey on his first ever stage at the Spanish Grand Tour.

“There is quite a lot of wind, so I expect it to be difficult,” Van Aert explained in conversation with VTM Nieuws at the pre-Vuelta a Espana Team Visma | Lease a Bike press conference last Thursday. “We saw the course and it is only straight ahead. We will certainly test it (the dual disc wheel set up ed.) in the reconnaissance and then decide whether it is advisable or not.”

“The Olympic Games have given me a lot of confidence, ” the 29-year-old admits with a sense of optimism. “I now have more confidence to tackle that opening time trial than I did some time ago.”

After the Olympic Games time trial, Team Visma | Lease a Bike's sports director Mathieu Heijboer explained why the dual disc wheel suits Van Aert's talents. "You also need to have a lot of steering skills and Wout van Aert certainly has that," Heijboer explained. "That's why we only did this with Wout, also because he was our only rider with real medal chances. For Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour it makes much less sense, if only because he is a lot lighter and has to rely mainly on uneven time trials. Other teams will also start thinking about it now."