Triathletes may recognize Cam Wurf’s name as the Aussie who rides crazy hard and posts big finishes like a fifth place at the Ironman World Championship in 2019, a win at Ironman Copenhagen in 2021, and wins at Ironman Italy, Ironman Australia, and the Cannes Tri back in 2019. Wurf also owns a never-gonna-get-touched Ironman Hawaii bike course record of 4:09:06, set back in 2018. What some triathletes may not know is that Wurf is also an integral part of the Ineos Grenadiers WorldTour cycling team—the same group that helped Dylan van Baarle to victory at the 2022 Paris-Roubaix.
Even more recently, Wurf put his swim cap back on to finish 18th place at Ironman World Championship in St. George, Utah, last weekend, blasting a race-best 4:15:43 on the hilly bike course blessed (or cursed) with over 7,000ft. of climbing.
And he did it all aboard his specially designed Pinarello Bolide—a model similar to the one he used back in 2019 to score a top-five finish in Kona. While we posted a detailed gallery of Wurf’s IMWC St. George tri bike last week, read below for a rare side-by-side comparison from our friends at VeloNews that looks at the differences and similarities between Wurf’s tri rig and the time-trial setup he uses at road cycling events.
Cameron Wurf’s Pinarello Bolide tri bike with a Princeton CarbonWorks Mach 7580 front wheel, and Blur 633 rear disc wheel. While there are some similarities with his road racing time trial bike, there are notable adaptations to the bike for use when racing a four-plus-hour test against the clock.
On his tri bike, Wurf has a nutrition storage compartment on the top tube, and another storage location above the bottom bracket. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
Cam Wurf’s position on his time trial bike has his elbows slightly closer to his knees, and there was some curve in his back. The UCI has rules about saddle position behind the bottom bracket, as well as how far forward the bars can extend. (Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Wurf raced in St George, Utah, on a position that allowed for slightly more extension — his back had slightly less curve than when racing in a road time trial, his elbows were slightly more forward, and his hands were in a slightly higher position relative to his time trial position.
Instead of a timing chip attached to a fork blade—like you’d typically find in a cycling race—Wurf wore the standard triathlon chip on a band above his left ankle during the Ironman World Championship. (Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Ineos was one of the first teams to custom 3D-print titanium cockpits for its riders, and Wurf used a relatively standard cockpit on his road time trial bike. (Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Wurf’s tri bike has a 3D-printed titanium cockpit with an Elite bottle cage that sat between his forearms, and a mount for his bike computer that was positioned between his hands. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
For reference and comparison: Geraint Thomas also used a custom, 3D-printed titanium cockpit at the 2022 Tour de Romandie. Of course, each rider has a unique cockpit setup, but the Pinarello and MOST components are not too dissimilar across the Grenadiers’ bikes. (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Wurf’s 3D-printed titanium cockpit with further customizations for his fit. Comfort was as important as aerodynamics when he had to ride 112 miles before getting off to run his marathon. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
The temperature for the race in Utah was nearly 86 degrees, and of course athletes had to carry enough fuel to make it between aid stations.
Many triathletes place a bottle cage between their forearms, which allows them to drink hands-free. Wurf carried an X-Lab Torpedo bottle between his arms, with a greater capacity than a standard bottle, and a drinking straw so that he did not have to take his hands out of the aero position. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
Wurf’s view of the cockpit on his Pinarello Bolide TR+. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
Racing at the Vuelta a España, Wurf used a standard Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 drivetrain. (Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
At the Ironman World Championship, Wurf used an as-of-yet unreleased CeramicSpeed OSPW Aero upgrade to his Shimano Dura-Ace 9150 rear derailleur. The jockey wheels were oversized, and the cage featured a very aero shape.
Read more about this $800 modification to the rear shifting mechanism.
The fork on Wurf’s road cycling Pinarello Bolide was aerodynamic within the rules set by the UCI technical commission. (Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
And for reference, the same fork was used by Dylan van Baarle, when he raced the “chrono” at the 2021 Vuelta a Burgos. (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
The fork used by Wurf in St. George had a much flatter and elongated profile, which previously had not been approved for use by the UCI. This shape offered a drag-reducing aerodynamic advantage, which added up when racing for that long.
For the 2022 season the Ineos Grenadiers, including world champion Filippo Ganna, are still using TT bikes with rim brakes. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
Another UCI-prohibited feature of the Pinarello Bolide TR+ is the fork with a shape that covered the front brake rotor.
At 40kph (25mph) most of Wurf’s effort on the bike went to overcoming aero drag. Decreasing drag meant a faster speed for a given wattage. Marginal gains are not just for road cyclists. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
Unlike a supported road race, coming up short on hydration during the bike segment of an Ironman could result in a terrible experience. Wurf had another bottle stored behind his saddle to ensure he had enough fuel between aid stations. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)
Some features and components transfer directly between road time trials and Ironman races.
This tubed Continental GP 5000 clincher tire was one of those things, but what is curious is that it was not the latest — or fastest — version of the tire. (Photo: Brad Kaminski)