Time Trial Tuesday: Cam Wurf’s Pinarello Bolide TR+
His 4:09:06 is the bike course record at the Ironman World Championship. But, for Cameron Wurf, the goal is to be much more than just the fastest cyclist in the sport.
On Sunday he showed that he is on his way to achieving that goal with his second Ironman win of the year, taking Ironman Emilia-Romagna in a blazing 7:46:54 that included a 2:45 marathon. (He won Ironman Australia in May, too.)
We wrote about Wurf in our January issue of TMC, predicting that he’d be a game changer in Kona this year thanks to his improved running, but he remains a huge force on the bike, too. Wurf rides the Pinarello Bolide TR+ (check out our review here). The bike he rode in Italy on the weekend (photos below), which we assume will be the bike he’ll ride in Kona, has, at least, a different paint job than the one he rode in Kona and in Roth.
The tri-specific Bolide TR+ features many of the aerodynamic features of the company’s Bolide TT bike, but with tri-friendly additions like two compartments for fuel storage, a steeper seat-tube angle to enable a more forward position and lower bottom bracket to enhance stability. The bike performs close enough to a road time trial frame to keep a pro cyclist like Wurf happy, but still incorporates the features that will allow triathletes to come off the bike and run fast.
While most triathletes wouldn’t dream of trying to come back from an Ironman-winning day with their biggest race of the year just three weeks later, for Wurf it’s all part of the plan. Wurf’s varied sports background includes rowing for Australia at the 2004 Olympics before turning his sights to professional cycling. Here’s what he wrote on his blog this weekend:
I’m well aware there are a lot of people scratching there head about the weekend & why I’d race an IM 3 weeks out from the biggest race of the year. Basically we don’t look at it that way, we saw it as merely apart of what we believe to be my best preparation. Everyone has an opinion & I realise it’s unorthodox for the sport. Having said that no one else in the pro field on October 12 have a Olympic rowing background or world tour cycling experience. We are obviously going to have completely different ideas about how to train & freshen up & whats works for me certainly wont work for them & vice versa. I have no idea what will happen on October 12. All i know is I’ve done everything we’ve set out to do & i cannot wait for the cannon to fire on Kona pier on October 12. Around 8hrs later, probably less looking at the strength of this field, we are going to have all the answers & that excites me big time!
Here are a few more shots of Wurf racing at Challenge Roth in July on his Bolide TR+. Wurf was racing in Roth with a broken nose and rib, but still managed to finish third.
