This week Imogen Simmonds continued her brilliant 2019 season with a big win at her “home” race, the Laguna Phuket Triathlon. A look at the ride that helped her to second in her Ironman debut in Frankfurt, third at the 70.3 world champs and 12th in Kona.
Imogen Simmonds is cheered on by students as she passes their school at the Laguna Phuket Triathlon. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon
Simmonds, who represents Switzerland, spends her winters training in Laguna Phuket, so she is very familiar with the course. She nailed her first win thanks to a wire-to-wire performance that saw her dominate the bike, putting the race away by the time she hit T2.
Her coach, Jurgen Zach, has close ties with the folks at Canyon, so it’s hardly surprising that Simmonds would end up on a decked out Speedmax as her ride of choice. She picked up this particular bike just before her full-distance debut at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt.
There’s no doubt who this bike belongs to …The integrated cockpit features a Canyon Base Bar and Extensions, along with the integrated aero drink system and bento box on the top tube.The super-narrow bars provide outstanding aerodynamics. The bars come with special grips and padding on the extensions so regular bar tape isn’t required.Simmonds uses a women’s specific Bontrager Anja saddle.The customized colour scheme accents the aero rear end of the bike.Simmonds runs Shimano Dura Ace components pretty much throughout, including pedals. There’s a Pioneer power meter, too. (Her Pioneer computer stays home the night before the race!)Ceramic Speed pulleys replace the regular Shimano fare on the rear derailleur.Simmonds uses DT Swiss Arc Dicut wheels.Schwalbe Pro One tubeless ready tires round out the speedy package.As fast as her Canyon goes on the flats, Simmonds was equally as dominant on the tough (up to 18 percent grades) climbs that make the Laguna Phuket course so challenging.
