Team INEOS have confirmed the signing of world-class triathlete Cameron Wurf, who will make his debut in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday.
The world-record holder of the bike leg in the Ironman World Championships, Wurf will fill the vacant spot on the Team’s roster following the forced early retirement of Vasil Kiryienka. He will race for the team for the first part of the season, before his focus switches back to Ironman in the months leading up to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in October.
Coached by Tim Kerrison, Team INEOS’ Head Coach, Wurf is targeting an improvement to his fifth place finish last year. The Australian is on an upward trajectory in the discipline, having finished 17th (2017), ninth (2018) and fifth (2019) in Kona.
Wurf, 36, started his sporting career as a rower and competed for Australia at the 2004 Olympics. He transitioned to professional cycling and rode at WorldTour level for Fuji Servetto (2009), Liquigas (2011) and Cannondale (2013-14), before taking up Ironman in 2016. He has been coached by Kerrison since 2017.
Wurf has become a regular training partner for the Team INEOS’ riders, particularly Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Pavel Sivakov.
Wurf said: “We’ve tried a number of different approaches to my training and racing over the past few years and I’ve been getting better and faster as a result. This is an evolution of that approach. Since I’ve been competing in Ironman, everyone has started riding a lot faster, but they’re also still running just as fast. This move will allow me to stay on the front foot because the bike is my strongest discipline.
“I’m focused on Kona in October but there’s also an opportunity to be of use to the Team when needed before that. I know lots of people in the team and have trained with many of the riders, and I feel like I fit in with the culture here.
“This is an organisation I’ve dreamt of being part of since it started and it’s amazing to officially pull on the colours. I am really excited and proud to represent Team INEOS.”
Kerrison said: “Cameron will be joining the Team to continue to pursue his Ironman career. The combination of his physical strength and versatility on the bike, his flexible schedule, and past experience racing at WorldTour level makes this an interesting and unique proposition for the Team and for Cameron.
“For the first part of the season he will be always ready and available to race as required, while for the months leading into Kona his focus will shift back to Ironman, with the aim of improving on last year’s fifth place with the full support of the Team.
“For the past three years he has been supported by many of our main sponsors – Pinarello, Kask, Castelli, Fizik, and often trained with our riders. He has developed into one of the top performing and most consistent Ironman triathletes in the world.”
