Could Miguel Hidalgo and His BMC Speed Machine Could Spoil the Show in Marbella?

November 7, 2025

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

Brazil’s Miguel Hidalgo is making his IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship debut this weekend in Marbella, Spain, and a lot of people (his competitors, journalists and fans) are pointing to him as a potential dark horse to steal the show. The race will be just the second 70.3 of his career, with the first coming earlier this season in Brasilia — a race that he won in 3:31:43.

That is a quick result, but it’s all the more impressive when you find out that Hidalgo didn’t even take any gels on his run. He is so used to short-course racing (he’s a top contender in the World Triathlon Championship Series, finishing second in the rankings for 2025 just a few weeks ago) and simply didn’t bring them out of T2. This reportedly led to a serious bonk, but he still managed to salvage the win.

You could hear that story and think it was a silly rookie mistake (which it was), or you could say what his competitors are likely thinking: if Hidalgo could run a 1:13 half-marathon and go 3:31:43 without fuelling properly, what can he do when things go right on race day?

The men’s race is on Sunday, so we’ll find out if he has what it takes to compete with the world’s best over 70.3 miles soon. He’ll be riding a BMC Speed Machine in Marbella, and Slowtwitch was able to take a look at it ahead of the big day. See exactly what Hidalgo will be riding below.