Taupō Rides: The Positions of the Women’s Top 10 Bike Splits from 70.3 Worlds

Bike for show, they say…

It certainly worked for Taylor Knibb on her way to the IRONMAN 70.3 World title. But it’s worth noting that the next two fastest splits finished second and fourth in the race, respectively. Here’s a look at the rides, along with my quick take on the bike positions of the women who had the 10 fastest bike splits in New Zealand.

Before I dive into this piece, I want to acknowledge a few things:

• These are static images taken at a single moment during the race.
• Camera angles can distort positions.

I’m also assuming that athletes have arrived at these positions through a deliberate process, supported by trial and error, bike fit professionals, and some form of aerodynamic testing.

Taylor Knibb – 2:10:09

Taylor just flat out looks good on a bike. She does everything right; she has great posture on the bike, solid anterior pelvic tilt, stretches out, relaxes her head and keeps it low. I can just tell she is very conscious of these “aero cues” will riding. She does at times, appear to run out of the length she is looking for on the bike, but most athletes will assume a few different positions on the bike based on effort. For example, you might tighten up a bit if you’re powering over a roller and then stretch out at high speed and lower power.

I don’t have much feedback here. I would potentially experiment with more bar tilt which could provide more stability on the front end.

Imogen Simmonds – 2:14:34

Imogen’s position checks most of the boxes. However, she doesn’t ride as long or low as Taylor, nor does she achieve the same anterior pelvic tilt. This could be due to soft tissue pressure from the rotation, potentially limiting her ability to achieve a lower or longer position. Another small tweak I’d suggest is extending her arms to place her hands on top of the shifters. While this likely wouldn’t affect her speed significantly, it’s a minor detail that I noticed while watching the race coverage.

Kat Matthews – 2:14:41

It’s hard not to be drawn towards Kat’s spirited attitude on the race course. Kat does a great job of staying relaxed and keeping her head low on the bike. I made a note to myself while watching the coverage that if I was working with her, I’d experiment with moving her saddle forward and her bars slightly out and down while preserving the overall characteristics of her position.

Laura Madsen – 2:16:05

Laura’s performance was impressive, so it’s hard to argue with her setup. However, her position seems a bit too conservative to me. If she hasn’t validated this through aerodynamic testing, I’d recommend lowering the front end by 20-30mm for potential aero gains.

Lisa Becharas – 2:16:10

Lisa’s position looks great and checks all the boxes. If she’s experiencing any discomfort—like feeling as though she’s falling off the saddle or the front of the bike—I’d consider experimenting with more bar tilt for added stability.

Nikki Bartlett – 2:16:41

Nikki’s position looks strong. If she were open to experimenting, I’d suggest moving her saddle forward by 10-20mm to ride steeper.

Paula Findlay – 2:17:37

The 3x Canadian Road Time Trial Champion is a great cyclist with undeniable power on the bike. Paula’s riding style reminds me old-school TT positions—she sits further behind the bottom bracket and drops her heel significantly during the pedal stroke. Paula is very experienced and her riding style seems to work well for her—but since I’m armchair quarterbacking here, I’d recommend moving the saddle forward to enable a steeper position and a more open hip angle. Specialized offers a seat post that can extend forward by 20-25mm, but it might not be enough for the range I had in mind.

Ashleigh Gentle – 2:18:03

Ashleigh’s position is reminiscent of some top male pros, including Magnus Ditlev, a fellow Scott athlete. Whether they’ve used the same resources or not, her position looks fantastic.

Hannah Berry – 2:18:10

Hannah rides a long and low position, one of the best in the female field. Without feedback from her on comfort, there’s little to critique.

Julie Derron – 2:18:15

Julie’s position has room for improvement from a comfort and aerodynamic perspective. I would move Julie’s front end both up and out. These adjustments would allow Julie to relax more on the bike and close the gap between her head and hands. With these changes, I believe her cycling performance would improve substantially.

Hanne De Vet – 2:18:15

Hanne’s setup demonstrates attention to detail, and her position looks solid. Adding a bit more length to the front end could further refine her position by lowering her back angle slightly and encouraging greater forward hip rotation.

Photos by Kevin Mackinnon

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