Behind the Scenes at the 2024 IRONMAN Kona Bike Count

If you’re a bike geek, then one of the most exciting parts of IRONMAN Kona isn’t even the race itself. It’s the bike count! What’s hot? What’s not? What are real athletes like you and me spending their hard-earned money on? The bike count is a great way to quantify gear trends at the biggest race of the year.

The top US triathlon news outlets — Triathlete and Slowtwitch — have published the numbers. Today, I’ll give you a quick peek behind the scenes of the bike count and explain what the numbers mean to us as a brand that exists solely to serve triathletes around the world.

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Behind the Scenes at the Bike Count

We saw a lot of Quintana Roo athletes riding the V-PRi, V-PR, and X-PR, but we also spotted a few riding the SRSix, SRFive, and even the old CD.01!

Maybe you’ve been following the Kona bike count for years, but do you know what goes into producing these numbers? Despite how simple a bike count seems, it requires a dedicated group of hard-working volunteers.

The bike count occurs on Friday when athletes drop off their bikes during bike check-in at the Kailua Pier. It is organized by the President of Slowtwitch, Eric Wynn, who enlists a team of experienced and knowledgeable industry professionals. They set up camp under a large banyan tree just outside the Courtyard King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort, which has hosted the race since 1984.

The past (left) vs. the present (right). Photos: Brad Kaminski/Triathlete. 

Kona athletes walk their bikes down the red carpet and have to pass right by this team, who record every bike brand and component brand they see. Each individual is dedicated to counting for a specific category — frames, wheels, cockpits, saddles, pedals, etc.

In the past, the count was done with pen and paper, but this year, Eric modernized the process by building a custom smartphone app for the task. The app provides a list of brands with a button next to each brand. The team counts gear by selecting the correct brand and then hitting submit. This means the bike count data gets updated in real time so the current tally is available instantly as bikes are checked in.

Eric recruited two of Quintana Roo’s superstars to help with this year’s count — Jay Prashun, resident triathlon expert and photographer, and Brad Devaney, our lead product engineer. The bike counters need to be experts like Jay and Brad who work with these products every day because they have to identify gear in seconds, often just by their silhouette. They also have to do this repeatedly while standing in the Hawaiian sun for more than 6 hours.

Counting 2,400 bikes is exhausting!

Brad, a bike count veteran, suggested bringing a wide-brimmed sun hat to the count. This wasn’t just for sun protection, but for poop deflection as well. Birds like to hang out in the banyan tree, where they gorge on figs and drop bombs on the bike counters below. I didn’t get hit with any bird droppings, but my iPhone wasn’t so lucky.

I wasn’t officially part of the bike count, but I showed up in the afternoon and hung out nearby to fetch snacks and drinks whenever Jay or Brad needed a boost. When Jay took a break, I hopped in to cover. It seemed easy at first, but I was exhausted after counting gear for only 30 minutes! My eyes got dry from straining to spot logos and other recognizable features when tallying components. 

Counting gets stressful when athletes start arriving in droves. Five or six might walk past you in a tight group, and you have to quickly scan their bikes and memorize what you see. While you’re entering the data, another group can show up, so you’re constantly scrambling to finish entering data to catch the next wave. Sometimes I’d have to awkwardly ask an athlete to slow down or come back if I couldn’t count their gear in time. It’s truly a tough and thankless job, but I’m glad there are triathlon experts like Jay and Brad willing to do it!

The superstar 2024 Kona bike count team with Quintana Roo's Brad Devaney (third from left) and Jay Prashun (far right). 

The data collected in the bike count allows us to paint a picture of the health of the industry. We can see what brands and tech athletes are adopting and what trends are coming and going. We can also read into the prevalence of old/used vs. new equipment.

The Kona bike count is particularly important because it is a World Championship event. The bike and gear make-up here is very different from what you’ll see at regional IRONMAN events where age-group athletes and first-timers make up a larger portion of the field.

Analyzing the Vinfast IRONMAN World Championship Kona 2024 Bike Count Results

The bike count has gotten more complicated since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the World Championship was canceled. In 2021, the World Championship was postponed and moved to St. George, Utah due to travel restrictions. October 2022 was the last time both men and women raced a World Championship in Kona, but they raced on different days.

Then, in 2023, due to overwhelming participation, the IRONMAN World Championship was split in two. Nice, France hosted the men’s World Championship while Kona hosted the women’s World Championship. This switched in 2024, with women competing in Nice and men competing in Kona. The men's and women's Championships will continue alternating between these venues until 2026.

2024 is the first year we’ve had a bike count for male athletes in Kona since IRONMAN began alternating venues. This year, the Slowtwitch bike count showed that 5.1% of athletes rode Quintana Roo bikes. We’re pleased with this result, so let’s dive deeper into the numbers that matter to us below.

Bike Count Comparison by Year

Quintana Roo men’s bike count data over the past 3 years:

Quintana Roo women’s bike count data over the past 3 years:

Changes to the IRONMAN World Championship have complicated bike count comparisons, but they have also made regional and gender preferences a bit more visible. Because only male athletes competed at Kona this year, the closest recent comparison for the Kona 2024 bike count results would be the count from Kona 2022.

Quintana Roo Growth

• Comparing 2022 to 2024, we saw the absolute share of male Quintana Roo riders rise from 4.0% to 5.1%, representing 26% relative growth for the brand’s share.

Predictably, Quintana Roo saw its share of men’s riders drop between Kona 2022 and Nice 2023. This isn’t surprising since we’re one of the original US triathlon brands and only recently entered the European market. However, seeing the share of Quintana Roo riders rise in Kona this year with a largely international field shows that European triathletes are embracing our brand and taking advantage of our €249 direct-to-Europe shipping model which covers duties and VAT.

Despite the dip in 2023, the share of Quintana Roo riders at the men’s World Championship events has experienced a compound annual growth rate of 8.1% since 2022. This puts Quintana Roo well ahead of Canyon and 2nd in the growth of share competition among brands with over 100 bikes in the count. We are thrilled that triathletes continue to recognize our commitment to their success and reward us by trusting us to carry them through their world championship ride.

While Quintana Roo wasn’t the most ubiquitous brand in the race, many of the brands with more riders showed more tepid growth in 2024, indicating that many triathletes prefer to invest in brands dedicated to tri, and those bringing unique innovations to market.

Total Participation

It’s worth noting that the number of bikes counted this year was down 41% from the last men's race held in Kona in 2022. This is due to the more restrictive entry criteria of the current World Championship format and the fact that the men’s 2022 event was held over the course of 2 days, offering more entries.

Still, Kona is the IRONMAN venue with the most storied history and the greatest mystique. More riders want to go to Kona and this is visible when comparing participation numbers for Kona vs. Nice:

• Men’s participation at the inaugural 2023 World Championship in Nice was down 35% vs. the 2022 World Championship in Kona. US men’s participation was down a whopping 57%.
• Women’s participation in the 2024 World Championship in Nice was down 36% vs. the 2023 World Championship in Kona. US women’s participation was down by 54%.

Kona draws more participants, but we expect that to change over time as Nice establishes its own history and traditions. The data shows that both North Americans and Europeans have a greater willingness to travel to Kona. We hope that over time we will see more US-based triathletes choose to make the trip to Nice to compete in another of the world’s most iconic settings.

Bike Count Conclusions

In general, the key trends we've identified through the bike count are:

• Niche brands saw strong gains this year, especially those dedicated to introducing alternative technologies or willing to try new approaches to delivering athletes a competitive advantage.
• The strongest tri-bike category in terms of adoption is the proven narrow aero frame design with integrated hydration and/or storage.
• Some of the largest players (leaders of the count by total numbers) are seeing their share of riders decline.
• Brands dedicated to the triathlon market, who invest the most in tri-bike performance and innovation are seeing the strongest gains.

Happily, Quintana Roo is one of the brands holding strong in that latter category, and we're thrilled to see market share worldwide increasing. It shows that our focus on supporting the triathlon market, delivering directly to consumers worldwide, allowing athletes to customize all aspects of their build, and making sure bikes are in stock to build and ship are things that triathletes value. That is what we'll continue to deliver!

It’s About More Than Just Counting Bikes

Chris Pascarella and Chris Brown greeting Quintana Roo athletes. 

What does it mean to be #TrueToTri?

There’s one more story from this year’s bike count that I want to tell. During bike check-in, our President Chris Pascarella waited at the entrance to greet every Quintana Roo rider who came to race. This is a tradition started by our late CEO and IRONMAN triathlete, Peter Hurley.

The IRONMAN World Championships is our Tour de France and qualifying requires immense sacrifice and dedication. Peter always wanted to show appreciation for every athlete riding a Quintana Roo at Kona. He would stand at the entrance to congratulate Quintana Roo riders, thank them for choosing the bikes he’d poured his heart and soul into, and wish them luck.

Back in 1992, Quintana Roo realized bike check-in was also a great opportunity to count the number of riders on Quintana Roo bikes. Thus, the Kona bike count was born. Triathlete Magazine took over the bike count in the mid-2000s and it has since taken on a life of its own. Now, it’s a key part of the yearly World Championship news cycle.

For years, the Quintana Roo team has participated in the bike count, but counting bikes has always come second to supporting our athletes. We’re the only company investing in a space on the pier at bike check-in so our President can meet Quintana Roo riders. We want our customers to know the entire company has their back, and that every single member of our team is dedicated to their success.

This year, Chris Pascarella made it a point to support and congratulate not just every Quintana Roo athlete, but everyone who would take a moment to stop and say hello as they walked the red carpet to bike check-in.

From 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Chris never took a break, just to make sure he didn’t miss congratulating a single athlete on their accomplishment — qualifying for and starting the Vinfast IRONMAN World Championship Kona 2024.

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