PARIS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The risk that Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert's took in men's time trial cycle race on Saturday paid off and earned him a bronze medal instead of him finishing empty handed.
Van Aert finished the 32.4-kilometer course in 36 minutes and 37 seconds, 25 seconds behind gold medal winner Remco Evenepoel, also from Belgium, and Italian Filippo Ganna but crucially just two seconds ahead of Britain's Josh Tarling.
Van Aert surprised companions and spectators alike when he appeared at the start with two disc-wheels on his bike, when most riders only use a disc wheel on their rear wheel in time trials.
Disc wheels are more aerodynamic than normal spoked wheels, because the air travels around and not through them, however, that also means that turning is more difficult as they give more resistance on corners and they can also be dangerous if there is a crosswind.
"I think my set-up was super-fast," said Van Aert after his race, explaining that his set-up had made a difference in the result.
"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."
There was very little wind on Saturday, but there was plenty of rain, turning parts of the course into a virtual skating rink and Van Aert's set-up made already complicated bike-handling even more so on a day when a host of riders saw their medal hopes evaporate in falls, but with just two seconds separating him from Tarling, those 17 watts over 32 kilometers were the difference between winning a medal or not. ■
