Who are the fastest cyclists in triathlon at the Olympics?
The Paris Olympics triathlon bike course lacks technicality but who has the legs to make a break? We take a look at the fastest cyclists over 40km...
A 40km bike leg – including sections over the cobbles of the Champs-Élysées – awaits the 55 men and 55 women triathletes headed to Paris for the Olympic triathlons on 31 and 31 July.
Raced over seven laps there will be triathletes laying chase up after the 1.5km swim, others content to take advantage of the draft of pack riding and save their legs for the run, and still others who know their only chance of success is to establish a gap heading into the final 10km.
But who are the strongest riders in short-course triathlon right now, and who can we expect to be pushing the pace? We break it down, starting with the women.
Who are the fastest female triathlete cyclists racing in Paris?
Flora Duffy, Bermuda
Reigning Olympic champion Flora Duffy is one of the first names on the list of the best cyclists in professional triathlon.
The Bermudian, who is now 36, truly started to excel in short-course racing as she approached her 30s, comes from a mountain biking background and has six Xterra world titles to her name.
Those handling skills have been on show over the years as she’s led the charge on breakaway after breakaway, with four world titles to show for it, the most recent coming in 2022.
Georgia Taylor-Brown, Great Britain
Alongside Duffy, GB’s Georgia Taylor-Brown isn’t an athlete to be shaken off lightly. In the Olympic cycle running up to Tokyo, the eventual silver medallist would regularly drive the pace on the bike alongside Duffy and teammate and great friend Jess Learmonth.
Both Taylor-Brown and Duffy struggled with injury heading into 2024, and with limited run mileage behind them have extra incentive to push the bike hard and try and gain a break in Paris.
Taylor Knibb, USA
One woman who’ll happily join them is Taylor Knibb. The US star’s talent for biking is probably the easiest to pick out for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, Knibb also mixes in longer-course non-draft competition and has consistently blown races apart, notably in Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and San Francisco T100 this year. Secondly, as the US national time-trial champion, she is also headed to the Games for the cycling TT.
Best of the rest
Another top level biker is Netherlands’ Maya Kingma. The Dutchwoman was in a memorable breakaway with Knibb in Yokohama prior to the Tokyo Olympics, taking charge on the technical sections and letting the American put the power down on the straights.
Kingma’s rich vein of form continued when she won in Leeds shortly before the Games, and while results have been compromised over the past year through sickness, there’s no questioning her ability on two wheels.
The Swiss pair of Cathia Schar and Julie Derron also need to be in the conversation. Neither are among the fastest swimmers in the sport, which means they are regularly playing catch-up, but 2022 national sprint champion Schar is forging a reputation as one of the strongest riders in the field.
The more experienced Derron mixes up her racing in the style of compatriot and London 2012 champion Nicola Spirig. Having won Ironman 70.3 Switzerland at the start of June, Derron backed it up with victory at Challenge Walchsee three weeks later.
Spirig used to take a similar approach, notably winning a middle distance race just 11 days prior to her Olympic gold medal, including completing the last quarter of the bike leg with a flat rear tyre.
How will Team GB’s women cycle in Paris?
Having already picked out Taylor-Brown as one of the strongest cyclists in the field, the other two British women Beth Potter and Kate Waugh are also capable of holding their own on the bike.
Waugh, originally from Gateshead, started triathlon from a young age and is an accomplished rider – even winning the 2022 U23 world title as part of a bike breakaway, knowing that injury had prevented her doing the run prep she wanted ahead of the race.
Potter has been building her bike strength and skills, mainly in the Yorkshire dales, since moving to triathlon in 2017. She admits that some of her challenges on the bike are when she’s struggled with windchill after the 1,500m swim.
As a medal favourite renowned for her running, she is also likely to be targeted by rivals keen to get a gap on her coming into T2.
The fastest women’s bike legs at past Olympic triathlons*
Tokyo 2021: Laura Lindemann (GER) 1:02:46
Rio 2016 (38.5km): Lisa Norden (SWE) 1:01:18
London 2012 (43km): Andrea Hansen/Kate McIlroy (Both NZL) 1:05:26
Beijing 2008: Nicola Spirig (SUI) 1:03:54
Athens 2004: Susan Williams (USA) 1:08:24
Sydney 2000: Isabelle Mouthon-Michellys (FRA) 1:05:04
*40km unless stated. Due to the draft-legal nature of Olympic triathlon, it’s not definitive to claim the quickest split always comes from the strongest cyclist on the day. Unless there’s a solo breakaway, often the fastest bike split comes from the slowest swimmer to latch onto the fastest bike group.
Who are the fastest male triathlete cyclists racing in Paris?
Kristian Blummenfelt
As with the women, the reigning Olympic champion is a solid place to start when looking for the fastest cyclists. Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt has shown his biking ability at every distance from super sprint through to Ironman and has even been rumoured to be considering a career for a cycling world tour team after Paris.
Hayden Wilde
On par with Blummenfelt is New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, who is rarely far from the front of any bike group he finds himself in. Neither man is the fastest swimmer, so have been given plenty of opportunity to drive the chasing pack back into contention.
Marten Van Riel
Belgium’s Marten Van Riel, who is heading to his third and final Olympics after placing sixth and fourth in Rio and Tokyo, respectively, has also shown he is as strong as anyone on the bike.
Van Riel’s cycling is underlined by being unbeaten in five non-drafting races, including four 70.3s and the recent San Francisco T100 race. His race-best 1:53:27 split over 56 miles in Dubai in 2022 helped him record the fastest-ever time over the 70.3 distance.
Best of the rest
With no Vincent Luis on the team, France’s Léo Bergere is worth a mention here. The 2022 world champion is a balanced all-round triathlete but has shown in Grand Finals in the past two years that he has the power to help keep a small breakaway group clear at the front of the race and upset the favourites laying chase.
Portugal’s Vasco Vilaça, Switzerland’s Max Studer and Denmark’s Emil Holm should also be in the conversation when it comes to the best cyclists.
How will Team GB’s men cycle in Paris?
It is likely that Sam Dickinson’s key role in the individual event is to make sure Alex Yee can save as much energy as possible on the bike. In the mixed team relay, Dickinson will be asked to hold the team’s position or chase down any attacks on the bike. As such, he’s been picked in large parts because cycling is his strongest discipline of the three.
The cycle leg also holds no fears for Yee, although he faces the same challenges as Potter will in the women’s event. Firstly, keeping his body temperature high enough after the swim to be comfortable, and secondly, as the most feared runner, he’ll be attacked by rivals desperate not to start the run in his company.
The fastest men’s cyclists in past Olympic triathlons*
Tokyo 2021: Kevin McDowell (USA) 55:56
Rio 2016 (38.5km): Henri Schoeman (RSA) 55:01
London 2012 (43km): Tyler Butterfield (BER) 58:32
Beijing 2008: Axel Zeebroek (BEL) 57:47
Athens 2004: Hamish Carter (NZL) 1:00:24
Sydney 2000: Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 57:17
*40km unless stated. Due to the draft-legal nature of Olympic triathlon, it’s not definitive to claim the quickest split always comes from the strongest cyclist on the day. Unless there’s a solo breakaway, often the fastest bike split comes from the slowest swimmer to latch onto the fastest bike group.
- Who are the fastest swimmers in triathlon at the Olympics?
- Who are the fastest runners in triathlon at the Olympics?
- How to watch triathlon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Tim Heming
Freelance triathlon journalist 
