Published September 15, 2026 10:23AM
It should be no surprise that the bike leg itself was one of the major players at the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championships, given the tight, technical, and tough route through the coastal mountains surrounding Nice, France. Boasting over 4,000 feet of climbing and an impossible-to-know measure of roads that cause even the most emboldened pro to tuck and pucker, success on the Nice course requires a high level of courage and skill.
And this year’s race didn’t disappoint in terms of cycling masterclasses: In the women’s event, eventual winner American Taylor Knibb used a 2:32:07 bike split to create a gap on the bike that swelled to as much as eight minutes throughout the climbs; conversely France’s Marjolaine Pierré displayed the descending prowess that earned her a breakthrough fourth-place finish on a similar course at the 2024 Ironman World Championships in Nice. Both women proved the bike matters, en route to the two fastest bike splits of the day.
While Knibb’s cycling talents created a huge gap into T2 that left the chase pack racing for second, the men’s race saw the top 18 men come into T2 within three minutes. In the men’s race, the bike didn’t necessarily decide the winner (in the way the women’s did), but it did decide who wouldn’t even get a shot at the top 10. Case in point: The highest-placing finisher that wasn’t in that group of 18 was France’s Simon Viain who finished a distant 13th place, only thanks to a 1:09:29 run.
With the bike playing such a huge role in the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championships, we look at the bike setups for the men and women with the five fastest bike splits of the day:
Fastest women’s bikes at the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championship
#1 bike split (2:32:07): Taylor Knibb (USA), 1st overall
Trek Speed Concept SLR
Taylor Knibb once again separated herself from the rest of the women’s field on the bike, recording a 2:32:07 split on her Trek Speed Concept SLR.
Knibb paired the Speed Concept with a Bontrager 62 mm front wheel and rear disc, while sticking with a SRAM 2x drivetrain for the mountainous Nice course.
The choice is notable because Nice could have justified a shallower rear wheel or lighter setup, but Knibb still prioritized maximum aerodynamic efficiency with a full disc.
Her bike split was more than three minutes faster than the next woman, giving her the cushion she needed to go on to win.
#2 bike split (2:35:23): Marjolaine Pierré (FRA), 5th overall
Canyon Speedmax CFR
Frenchwoman Marjolaine Pierré produced the second-fastest ride of the day aboard a Canyon Speedmax CFR.
Pierré opted for a relatively conservative front wheel depth for Nice, pairing a 55 mm DT Swiss front wheel with a DT Swiss rear disc. Her drivetrain was Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x.
That combination makes plenty of sense for the course: enough depth up front to stay aerodynamic on the flats and descents, without going excessively deep on the long climbs and potentially windy mountain roads.
Pierré covered the course in 2:35:23, more than two minutes clear of the third-fastest cyclist, thanks to a screaming descent that pulled back tons of time on race leader, Knibb.
#3 bike split (2:37:34): Anne-Sophie Pierre (FRA), 12th overall
Cervélo P5
The Frenchwomen proved familiarity mattered as Anne-Sophie Pierre gave France a second rider among the three fastest women on the bike.
Pierre raced a Cervélo P5 equipped with Swiss Side Hadron wheels, using a 50 mm front and rear disc. Like Pierré, she selected a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x drivetrain.
Her 2:37:34 split was particularly impressive because she began the bike well behind the front of the race, following the swim.
Pierre ultimately finished 12th overall, but only Knibb and Pierré rode the Nice bike course faster.
#4 bike split (2:37:40): Alanis Siffert (SUI), 3rd overall
Scott Plasma
The Scott Plasma RC LTD HMX makes a rare appearance on the podium thanks to the fourth-fastest bike split of Alanis Siffert.
Siffert used Swiss Side Hadron wheels, pairing a slightly deeper 62.5 mm front with a rear disc, along with a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x drivetrain.
The deeper front wheel compared with Pierré illustrates how differently athletes approached the same course. Siffert is exceptionally comfortable remaining aerodynamic even as the road tilts upward, allowing her to take advantage of a more aggressive aero package.
Her 2:37:40 split was only six seconds behind Pierre.
#5 bike split (2:37:47): Imogen Simmonds (SUI), 7th overall
Canyon Speedmax CFR
Only seven seconds separated Siffert from fellow Swiss athlete Imogen Simmonds.
Simmonds also raced a Canyon Speedmax CFR, combining a 65 mm DT Swiss front wheel with a rear disc and Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x.
Simmonds has a strong history on the Nice course, having finished third when the Ironman 70.3 World Championship was previously held here in 2019.
Seven years later, she again showed how well the course suits her, recording a 2:37:47 split to round out the five fastest women.
Fastest men’s bikes at the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championship
#1 bike split (2:16:43): Gustav Iden (NOR), 4th overall
Giant Trinity Advanced SL
Gustav Iden returned to Nice and put his Giant Trinity Advanced SL at the top of the bike leaderboard.
Iden paired the Trinity with a CADEX Aero 4-Spoke front and CADEX Disc rear, while using a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x drivetrain with 58/44 chainrings and an 11-34 cassette.
That 34-tooth largest cog provided substantially more climbing range than the tight cassettes typically seen on flatter championship courses.
Iden completed the package with Continental GP5000 TT TR tires.
His 2:16:43 bike split was the fastest of the championship and particularly impressive given that he began the ride well behind the lead group.
#2 bike split (2:16:50): Hayden Wilde (NZL), 1st overall
Canyon Speedmax CFR
Hayden Wilde, one of the pre-race favorites, was only seven seconds slower than Iden before going on to win the world championship. Wilde predicted it might take a 1:03 half marathon to win the title.
He raced a Canyon Speedmax CFR with a Zipp 858 front wheel and Zipp rear disc, but his drivetrain was arguably the most interesting piece of equipment among the top five.
Rather than a conventional road-oriented 12-speed setup, Wilde used SRAM Red XPLR 13-speed in a 1x configuration.
The wide-range 13-speed cassette makes 1x far more practical on a course like Nice, eliminating the front derailleur without giving up the gearing range needed for the major climb.
His 2:16:50 ride left him perfectly positioned for the run, where he converted that bike performance into the world title with a 1:07 run split.
#3 bike split (2:17:06): Michele Bortolamedi (ITA), 10th overall
Giant Trinity Advanced SL
Dark horse Michele Bortolamedi joined Iden on a Giant Trinity Advanced SL, giving Giant two of the top three fastest bikes of the men’s race.
The Italian used a CADEX 50 mm front wheel paired with a CADEX rear disc and a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x drivetrain.
One of the more distinctive details on Bortolamedi’s setup was his use of carbon chainrings, adding another weight- and aero-focused touch to an already highly optimized build.
Bortolamedi rode 2:17:06, only 23 seconds slower than Iden, and was one of the primary drivers of the pace at the front of the bike race.
#4 bike split (2:17:08): Rico Bogen (GER), 17th overall
Canyon Speedmax CFR
Former Ironman 70.3 world champion Rico Bogen split just two seconds behind Bortolamedi on the bike.
Bogen raced a Canyon Speedmax CFR equipped with a Swiss Side Hadron 80mm front wheel and a rear disc wheel and a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2x drivetrain.
His 2:17:08 split put him only 25 seconds behind Iden despite the substantial climbing and technical demands of the course.
Bogen eventually faded on the run, but his bike split again demonstrated why he remains one of the strongest cyclists in middle-distance racing.
#5 bike split (2:17:09): Josh Ferris (AUS), 15th overall
Giant Trinity Advanced SL
Aussie Josh Ferris made it three Giant Trinitys among the five fastest men.
Ferris paired his Trinity with a CADEX 50 mm front and CADEX rear disc, while using a Shimano Ultegra Di2 2x drivetrain.
That drivetrain choice is particularly interesting. While Dura-Ace dominates at the front of professional racing, the functional differences between Shimano’s electronic Ultegra and Dura-Ace groups are small, and Ferris’ 2:17:09 bike split (just 26 seconds off the fastest ride of the day) is a pretty strong demonstration that the less-expensive group is hardly a performance limitation.
Ferris finished fifth on the bike leaderboard and 15th overall.
What the fastest bikes in Nice tell us
The equipment choices from Nice reinforce just how course-specific modern professional triathlon has become.
A rear disc wheel appeared on every one of these 10 bikes, despite over 4,000 feet of climbing. The pros clearly decided that the aerodynamic advantage on the faster portions of the course outweighed whatever small weight penalty the disc imposed uphill.
Front wheel depth was much more variable. Female riders generally settled between approximately 50 and 60 mm. Three of the men chose wheels with significantly deeper profiles generating a larger aero benefit but also greater side force opportunities.
The drivetrain comparison is just as interesting. All five of the fastest women used 2x, as did four of the five fastest men. Wilde was the exception, using SRAM’s new 13-speed Red XPLR 1x drivetrain to achieve the range required for Nice without a front derailleur.
And perhaps the biggest equipment story came from Giant: Three of the five fastest men rode a Giant Trinity, including fastest cyclist Gustav Iden, Michele Bortolamedi in third, and Josh Ferris in fifth.
On a course where only 26 seconds separated the five fastest men, there clearly wasn’t much room to get the equipment or the execution wrong.
Quick takeaways
- Discs Are King: Over 4,000 feet of climbing and every single one of these ten athletes rode a rear disc. The weight penalty is a myth; aero always wins.
- Giant’s Big Day: Three out of the top five men were on Giant Trinity frames. Not bad for a frame that’s been around the block a few times.
- SRAM vs. Shimano: Shimano 2x still dominates heavily, but Wilde’s 13-speed SRAM XPLR experiment might open the door for more 1x builds on hilly courses next year.
