Paris Olympics time trial race day notes - Rain a factor, huge chainrings and high speeds expected

The women’s and then men’s individual time trials award the first cycling medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday.  

35 women will be in action from 2:30pm CET, while 34 men will race from 4:32pm local time in France.

Great Britain’s Ethan Hayter pulled out of the time trial on Friday to focus on next week’s track racing. 2021 men’s gold medalist Primož Roglič (Slovenia) is absent after his Tour de France crash. The Netherlands' Annemiek van Vleuten won the women’s time trial in Tokyo but retired in 2023.

The favourites for medals in Paris include the USA’s Chloé Dygert, Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands, Australia’s Grace Brown, Filippo Ganna of Italy, Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Great Britain’s Josh Tarling. All are experienced and powerful time trialists.   

These are the start lists and start times for the women’s and men’s time trials.

Here is Cyclingnews' analysis of the favourites for the time trial.

Rain, rain, go away, come back another day

Unexpected heavy rain soaked everyone during Friday's opening ceremony and the time triallists awoke to more showers and grey skies in Paris on Saturday morning.

The rain is expected to clear in the afternoon when the women and then men compete, but the city centre roads and especially in the Bois de Vincennes park at the halfway point, are expected to stay wet. Potholes and rough city centre roads and then leaves on the roads in the park will add extra dangers.  

"If it rains, I only hope that the conditions are the same for everyone and that not only the last twenty riders have to ride on a wet road surface,” Evenepoel said, after describing the opening and closing five kilometres of the course in central Paris as ‘shitty’  

"Fortunately, it is not a technical course and that helps. Although, there are some long, fast corners and sometimes you can slide out more easily there than in a slow corner."

Double disc wheels for Wout van Aert?

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Wout van Aert has decided to use a rarely seen double-disc wheel set-up for the time trial.

The Belgian was spotted using the set-up during a reconnaissance ride on Wednesday, in one of the big tech stories of the week, and said a final decision depends on how windy conditions are on Saturday.

Cyclingnews can confirm that there is little or no wind in central Paris so the suggestions that Van Aert will go for double discs, and take a calculated risk to try to gain a few seconds on his rivals, looks to be the case.

Giant chainrings, big gears and high speeds

Time trial gearing has changed in recent years with more and more riders opting for bigger gears and single chainrings that offer a more aerodynamic set-up and a mechanically more efficient straight chain line. The men are expected to race at an average of 55 km/h and even faster on some sections, the women will only be a little slower and take equally as many risks in search of vital seconds on their rivals  

Ganna could use a 64-tooth chainring or go even bigger and use a 68-tooth chainring. Tarling, who will also ride a new Pinarello Bolide bike, is also expected to ride a massive 68-tooth chainring.

Van Aert could also go big, while Evenepoel will use a 64-tooth chainring.    

“Ganna and Tarling are not alone,” Evenepoel said, looking across to Van Aert as they spoke on Thursday.  

“What’s next? A 70? That'll be impossible, then you’d hit the ground when you take a right turn.”

“I’ll tell you on Saturday evening whether I liked it or not,” Van Aert said.