The Fastest Pro Bikes at the Men’s 2023 Ironman World Championship in Nice
We take a look at the bikes ridden by the ten fastest cyclists in the men's pro race at the 2023 Ironman World Championships in Nice, France.
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You’ve heard the saying, “Bike for show and run for dough.” While this is pretty sensible advice for most triathletes, pro racing has adapted where the race winners and leaders are also posting some of the fastest bike splits of the day. (More on that here in our analysis.)
This weekend’s Ironman World Championship in Nice, France, saw the race winner post the fastest bike split of the day. We also saw seven of the top 10 bike splits finish in the top 10 of the race and the other three men all finished in the top 15. Today, it’s no longer possible to swim well, ride ok, then run really fast and expect to be on the podium—nor can you expect to just be an überbiker and hang on for dear life on the run.
With that in mind, we took a look at the bikes that the men with the top ten fastest bike splits rode at the 2023 Ironman World Championships. Of course the bike isn’t the thing that makes these men fast, but it’s worth knowing what these speedy triathletes were riding en route to a top-ten bike split (and overall finish).
Vive la France! Visit our Nice Central hub for news, analysis, history, photo galleries, and so much more – new stories added daily from our team on the ground at the men’s 2023 Ironman World Championship.
The Fastest Bikes at the 2023 Ironman World Championships: Pro Men
#1 Bike Split (4:31:28) Sam Laidlow (FRA), 1st overall
Canyon Speedmax CFR
Sam Laidlow, laid low all year and struggled to find form but showed up ready to party at the big dance. Sam had a crushing bike split over four minutes faster than the field to take the win (even putting time into pro cyclist Cam Wurf). Laidlow rode a Canyon Speedmax CFR and a Shimano Di2 12-speed 2x drivetrain. He had a HED Vanquish V8 front wheel and a HED Vanquish Vdisc rear wheel.
Get a closer look at Laidlow’s bike here: 2023 Ironman World Championship Nice Bike: Sam Laidlow’;s Speedmax CFR
#2 Bike Split (4:35:54) Magnus Ditlev (DEN), 3rd overall
Scott Plasma 6
Ditlev has been hammering fast bike splits all season, so it was no surprise to see him crush this 4:35:54 in Nice. It was interesting to see his newly added dropper post to his Scott to allow him to get into the supertuck position on the descents. Ditlev had a 1x Shimano Di2-12 speed drivetrain with a huge carbon chainring and CeramicSpeed OSPW. He chose the HED Vanquish V8 front wheel paired with the HED Vanquish Vdisc rear wheel.
We shot all the little details of Ditlev’s bike pre-race – check it out here: 2023 Ironman World Championship Nice Bike: Magnus Ditlev’s Scott Plasma 6
#3 Bike Split (4:36:03) Cam Wurf (AUS), 14th overall
Pinarello Bolide
Cam Wurf was expected to have the fastest bike split of the day. He is a monster on the bike and is a true dual-sport pro as he is a member of the WorldTour Pro Team, Ineos Grenadiers. His split was only third fastest of the day, showing just how fast the cycling in Ironman has become. Wurf rode a Pinarello Bolide triathlon bike that differs just slightly from his UCI legal Bolide. He used a 2x Shimano 12 Speed Di2 drivetrain and rode a Princeton Carbon Works Mach 7580 front wheel paired with a Princeton Carbon Works Blur rear disc.
#4 Bike Split (4:37:23) Rudy Von Berg (USA), 4th overall
Trek Speed Concept SLR 9
While Von Berg is an American pro, he did grow up riding the mountains of Nice and won Ironman Nice in 2022. He used his knowledge of the course and his technical riding ability to have both the fourth-fastest bike split and the fourth-fastest overall time of the day. Von Berg rode a fire-and-smoke Trek Speed Concept SLR 9 with Cadex 65mm front wheel and a Cadex AeroDisc rear wheel.
Want to see more? Check out all the features of Von Berg’s bike here: 2023 Ironman World Championship Nice Bike: Rudy Von Berg’s Custom Trek Speed Concept SLR
#5 Bike Split (4:39:30) Leon Chevalier (FRA), 5th overall
Cervelo P5
Leon Chevalier is our second of the five Frenchmen with top-10 bike splits. Chevalier rode a color-shifting Cervelo P5 with a Hed Vanquish V6 front wheel and HED Vanquish Vdisc rear wheel. He chose a Shimano 2x 12-speed Di2 drivetrain with a Rotor Crank and Chainring.
#6 Bike Split (4:42:19) Arthur Horseau (FRA), 6th overall
Trek Speed Concept SLR 9
Of significant note here is the fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-fastest bike splits resulted in athletes finishing fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Arthur Horseau piloted a Trek Speed Concept SLR 9 with a Bontrager Aeolus 62mm front wheel and full Bontrager Disc in the rear. He chose a SRAM AXS 12-speed 2x drivetrain.
#7 Bike Split (4:42:31) Ben Hill (AUS), 13th overall
Trek Speed Concept SLR 9
The triathlon world may know very little about Ben Hill, but he made a big name for himself at the Ironman World Championships. Hill, like his fellow countryman, Cam Wurf, is also a professional cyclist who dabbles in world-class triathlon. Hill rode a Trek Speed Concept SLR 9 (factory paint) with a Bontrager RSL 51mm front wheel and a Blackbird disc rear wheel. He chose a Shimano Di2 2x 12-speed drivetrain with a rarely seen InfoCrank power meter.
#8 Bike Split (4:42:47) Arnaud Guilloux (FRA), 12th overall
Cervelo P5
Guilloux powered his Cervelo P5 near the front of the race before fading a bit on the run to finish just outside the top 10, in 12th overall. He used a Revolver TroikaMax+ tri spoke front wheel paired with a Revolver Asymm Turbulate disc rear wheel. He used a Shimano 2x 12-speed Di2 drivetrain.
#9 Bike Split (4:43:03) Clement Mignon (FRA), 10th overall
Cervelo P5
Clement Mignon rode a Cervelo P5, like four of his countrymen who also posted top-10 bike splits. He chose a classic DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut 80mm front wheel and the DT Swiss ARC 1100 Dicut Disc rear wheel. Mignon used a SRAM AXS 2x 12 speed drivetrain.
#10 Bike Split (4:43:24) Patrick Lange (GER), 2nd overall
Canyon Speedmax CFR
Former world champion Patrick Lange used a top-10 bike split to put him within striking distance of everyone in the race except for eventual winner, Sam Laidlow. Lange’s race-best run of 2:32:41 combined with his 10th-fastest bike put him in second place overall, just under four minutes behind the winner. Lange piloted his Canyon Speedmax CFR with a Shimano 2x 12-speed Di2 drivetrain and used a Swiss Side HADRON2 Ultimate 800 front wheel paired with a Swiss Side HADRON2 Ultimate Rear Disc.
Get up-close with Lange’s bike here: 2023 Ironman World Championship Nice Bike: Patrick Lange’s Canyon Speedmax CFR