Matt Hanson Helped Develop the QR V-PRi. Can It Help Him to Another Top-10 Kona Finish?

Matt Hanson might be renowned for his incredible running – he ran 2:28:03 at Challenge Roth last year and his three marathon splits at IRONMAN races this year include a 2:34:49 (New Zealand – third), 2:31:50 (Texas – 11th) and 2:30:59 (Sweden – seventh) – but the veteran racer is always looking to improve his bike splits in order to utilize that run for a top finish. The American has been part of the Quintana Roo V-PRi development process since the beginning, riding prototypes to help the engineers develop the bike.

All that work means that Hanson is confident that his ride for Saturday’s race will be optimized for the challenging Kona conditions. His ride will be even more stylish thanks to the Studio NEXT paint scheme.

Hanson’s best Kona performance here in Kona came the last time the men raced here on the Big Island, when he finished 10th thanks to the day’s second-fastest run split behind Patrick Lange. He’s looking for another big day, and has decked his V-PRi with some new aero bars that haven’t been released to the public yet – the Blackbird Delta Speed Mono Aero bar. The new bar saves weight thanks to its 100% carbon fiber design.

Every second will truly count for Hanson on Saturday – he’s currently sitting second in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings behind Kristian Blummenfelt. That’s a bit deceptive because he already has three full-distance races counting for his total, so winning the series would be a stretch, but a top finish will certainly offer a lucrative payday for Hanson.

We had a chance to check out the American’s ride for Saturday:

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