A year ago, most triathlon fans might not recognize the name Sam Laidlow, but in the wake of the 24-year-old’s expectation-shattering performance last year at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, his name was on everyone’s lips for as long as he lead the race in Kona. Since finishing second at IMWC in 2022, Laidlow has still laid low beneath the radar with wins at Challenge Gran Canaria and Challenge London, but DNFing at IM Lanzarote and the PTO Asian Open. But Laidlow has been counted out before, and still shocked the tri world with his record-breaking bike split in Kona that he still backed up with a solid run.
Below we take a look at the bike Laidlow will be riding on the hilly French countryside at Ironman World Championships in Nice this weekend.
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Shot on the streets of downtown Nice, we get a look at Laidlow’s size large Speedmax CFR.
Like many pros at IMWC Nice this year, Laidlow will be running a 2x setup with a Dura-Ace 12-speed 58/44t chainring on 165mm cranks and a Ceramic Speed UFO Chain.
Sporting his recognizable logo, Laidlow is using an Ceramic Speed OSPW Aero with an 11-34 cassette and a HED Vanquish RCD rear disc wheel.
To measure power, Laidlow will rely on a pair of Favero Assioma Duo Pedals.
Up front, Laidlow will run a HED Vanquish RC8 Pro.
On race day he’ll use 28mm Continental Grandprix 5000 TT RR tires at 66 psi in the front and 70 psi in the back.
Like many pros, Laidlow is using a very unique front-end setup—a CB0019 XL cockpit with a Canyon armrest upgrade and custom base spacer and between-the-arms bottle holder.
Here we see another look at Laidlow’s sleek, custom hydration/aerobar solution—not visible is his Wahoo Element Bolt cycling computer.
Laidlow will be using a Prologo Dimension Tri CPC saddle on race day.