RECORD SMASHED: KRISTIAN HØGENHAUG IS THE NEW IRONMAN BIKE COURSE RECORD HOLDER
Denmark’s Kristian Høgenhaug broke the IRONMAN Bike Course record with a 3:52:10 bike split at the Mainova IRONMAN Frankfurt European Championships. Averaging 45.7 kph over the 180-km/112-mile course, it is the fastest IRONMAN bike split ever. The ride helped vault him to a second-place overall result at IRONMAN Frankfurt and earned him a qualified starting spot at the IRONMAN World Championships this fall in Nice, France.
Høgenhaug has performed well throughout his career, but he is having a true breakthrough season in 2025, with high-level wins and podium placings. He is now in the conversation as an athlete who can score a top result in Nice and potentially win the race outright.
We caught up with Høgenhaug to relive his race in Frankfurt and find what, from coaching to his bike, has accounted for this big leap in his career as we look toward the IRONMAN World Championships and beyond.
Swimming Strong & Planning to Attack
Photo: Triathlon Focus
I tend to know, if I feel good in the water, I will feel good on the bike.
Quintana Roo: Talk about your mindset going into the race at Frankfurt. You've had an interesting season; you had a rough race at IRONMAN Texas, then came back with a fantastic win at the Challenge Championship in Samorin, Slovakia. But to that point, you hadn’t gotten your IRONMAN World Championship qualification locked up yet.
Høgenhaug: In Frankfurt, people were saying, “Well, hopefully you get a Nice slot.” In my mind, I was past that point. In my mind, with the fitness I had, I wasn’t even worrying about it. I told a few friends I thought I could win the race—with respect to the guys in the field. I knew what shape I was in. It would take all the stars to align, but I thought it was possible. If I did what I did in training, I knew I was in for a podium. That was my expectation. I felt quite calm. I had good training sessions and didn’t have to do anything special. I just had to do what I'd been doing in training
Photo: Talbot Cox
Quintana Roo: It all starts in the swim.
Høgenhaug: In the swim, it’s always hard to know what to expect. You never know if you’ll hit or miss. If you’re one percent off, you’re second pack.
I had a really good start. I suffered a little bit halfway through, but got to the Australian exit. I was surprised we had a gap, as I thought we’d have a bigger group. The second loop was a bit easier; I regained a bit of energy. I tend to know, if I feel good in the water, I will feel good on the bike.
I thought Kristian Blumenfelt was in the group. At the Australian Exit, I saw Gustav [Iden] and Magnus [Ditlev] were not in the group. And that was interesting; Magnus and I had planned to attack on the bike together. So in a way, I hoped to be out with him. We start the ride, and then we just bring about that plan, because it’s so hard in quality fields to bike on your own. The energy expenditures are so much higher. It just takes a little more out of you. He wasn’t there, so I was surprised.
3:52:10 - An IRONMAN Bike Course Record
Photo: IRONMAN
I really felt that moment, had some goosebumps, and my eyes got a little wet.
Quintana Roo: While you had a good swim, you gave a bit back in T1.
Høgenhaug: Yes, I lost a bit of time in transition. I was putting on some aero sleeves with socks, and got onto the bike a minute and a half from the front. I needed it to close that gap, but it wasn’t crazy, and I had time—I didn’t need to burn matches.
I went past [Casper] Stornes and [Daniel] Baekegard, and to be honest, I didn’t care if they paced with me. I made sure I didn’t surge, and ultimately only Stornes followed. I caught the front at 30k. By that time we had a 1:30 lead on the Magnus Ditlev group, and I said, “Shit, I don’t think he’ll ever catch up,” so I had to make a quick decision: sit in the group—or go.
Quintana Roo: I think we all saw what you decided to do.
Høgenhaug: Yeah, at the cobbles around 32 km in, put in a huge surge, got a gap to the group, and never looked back.
Photos: Triathlon Focus
Kristian Høgenhaug's IRONMAN Frankfurt Power Data:
- Average Power: 319 watts
- Normalized Power: 332 watts
- 30-Second Power: 573 watts
Quintana Roo: What does “surge” look like? We need numbers.
Høgenhaug: Well, for the ride, I averaged 319 watts, with a normalized power of 332 watts. My 30-second power, during that surge, was 573 watts.
Quintana Roo: At that point, you broke away into a concerted attack to build a gap, to go for the win. At what point did you move into the mindset of “this is my moment?”
Høgenhaug: Well, I had a lot of people on the course, and got a lot of good splits from people out there on the course. I knew from previous races that you gotta kill the chasers' courage to keep chasing—you need to be out of sight. You can’t keep pushing hard all the time, of course, so I decided to do 20 min pretty hard, then settle from there. After that, I couldn’t see them and settled into a realistic race pace. I was curious to see if the gap increased or stayed the same. I didn’t care too much, as long as I had the gap. But yes, I was fortunate to get a lot of good time splits from people out there.
Quintana Roo: As the bike wound down and the marathon came up, was there any moment where you thought you might have a shot at setting a new IRONMAN bike course record?
Høgenhaug: I never thought about it. When it got up to seven minutes lead is when it sorta hit me for the first time that I’d put myself in a position where a win was realistic. I really felt that moment, had some goosebumps, and my eyes got a little wet. But I needed to drop that thought and focus on what I could do—I had to stay present. The bike record never came into the equation, just the chance at the win.
Hanging On Through the Run
Photo: Triathlon Focus
...at kilometer 30, reality hit, and I had to settle down.
Quintana Roo: Indeed, as a marathon awaited, in the heat of a pretty hot summer day in Frankfurt.
Høgenhaug: If the weather were more temperate, I was confident I could hold a 3:40 per kilometer pace for a 2:35 marathon. But it was quite hot on the run, even early on, so I settled into an easier pace, just under 3:43, which would equate to a high 2:38 marathon, and that felt comfortable.
Quintana Roo: The pace was tenable, but you knew there were some world-class runners attempting to run you down.
Høgenhaug: I could see that each lap, I lost a little under two minutes. I was doing a bit of quick math and knew if I could keep my pace, it could be close. Halfway through, I felt clear-headed and thought, “This is possible.” But at kilometer 30, reality hit, and I had to settle down.
My fear was that what I was doing was the fastest I could run, but I didn't know if that was rock bottom or if there would be a bigger fall. Kristian Blumenfelt came past, and that was fine. I kept that pace for the last 10 km and was able to hold off Casper to take second, which was pretty satisfying.
A Breakthrough IRONMAN Result
Photo: Talbot Cox
I was, for a long time, the athlete who dictated the race. I was really proud of being able to do that.
Quintana Roo: You’ve got quite a few top results in your career, including a Top 10 in Kona a year ago, and a win at the Challenge Championship earlier this year in Samorin, Slovakia. Where does this result rate in your resume?
Høgenhaug: This is my biggest performance and race of my career, absolutely. Before the race, everyone agreed this was the strongest race outside of a World Championships. The podium from Hawaii was there, six of the top 10 from Hawaii were there, multiple world champions, Olympic champions, and champions to be.
I wasn’t just a rolling spectator. I was, for a long time, the athlete who dictated the race. I was really proud of being able to do that. And also the courage it took to go out alone, it was a big gamble. The potential loss of bonking was 100 percent there. But the payoff? It was worth it.
Photo: Triathlon Focus
Quintana Roo: Now you’re known as one of the sport’s most prolific cyclists with that bike course record. But bigger than that, you’re now a name mentioned among all the men you beat in Frankfurt, potentially as someone who can do so again at the IRONMAN World Championships. This is a massive step up in the confidence of what’s possible for you, to not just be a Top 10 athlete, but someone who can win.
Høgenhaug: I’ve known all year I’ve been in the best shape ever in my career. And it’s happened by being able to add small layers. This spring, IRONMAN Texas was a disappointment, as I didn’t get to show what I’d seen in training. Only my coach and I knew what I was capable of.
Not performing, it always sounds like a bad excuse. At the Challenge Championship in Samorin, my shape was on point, and it was good to show it. But I really wanted to do it on the biggest stage in Frankfurt.
As for the World Championships and beyond, it’s really nice to know there’s something to build on headed into Nice. I have full confidence in what I’ve been doing in training, and in having it show up at the race. I find there are three types of people: people who are world champions in training but never perform in a race. Then there are those who are 1:1, who perform well in training and races.
Then there are those that can exceed what they’ve done in training on race day. I feel like I’ve been able to reach that third category. Now, it gives confidence. But of course, it changes things a bit since people can now see what I can do. Probably going to be that way now. (laughs)
Høgenhaug’s V-PRi: The Fastest IRONMAN Bike
Photo: Triathlon Focus
It was amazing to realize that this year, so far, I’m 15 watts faster.
Quintana Roo: This year’s results also happened in a year full of big changes. You went from a team that provided your race material to being a solo athlete, able to choose your gear. Serendipiously, you connected with our team at Quintana Roo, and here we are, providing a V-PRi triathlon bike that has now been proven to be fast, if not the fastest bike in triathlon.
Høgenhaug: That’s been a huge factor in my success this year. I know aerodynamics is so important. To be honest, one of my biggest fears this past winter was going to the velodrome with a new bike. I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I had a fast setup a year ago, and hoped the V-PRi would be as fast, and I found it was a bit faster. I went with my apparel partner Fusion to the wind tunnel twice to fine-tune the position, and with different materials in the suit.
Photo: GB Management
Now I feel incredibly comfortable on this bike. So yes, it’s been a huge factor. I know my CdA values from last year to this year, and I know last year’s numbers were good. It was amazing to realize that this year, so far, I’m 15 watts faster. I still believe we can find a few more watts, but also getting to a point that is close to the limit.
Quintana Roo: Aerodynamics are important, but how about the practical utility? There’s so much focus on maximizing hydration to be as aero as possible inside the frame and out of the main triangle of the frame while providing aero storage between the aerobars for added aero advantage.
Høgenhaug: It’s been amazing with the V-PRi. At Frankfurt, I had one full bottle inside the frame that was easy to refill in the race, while keeping my profile as fast as possible. And the FuelBay nutrition storage, I had 120 grams of carbs in there, ready to go, and same thing, it was easy to use. What’s also nice is the drink doesn’t sit so low that it’s hard to use the straw. I didn’t have to compromise my position at all.
Quintana Roo: So what’s next, between now and the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice?
Høgenhaug: Nice is important, but I’d like to continue to pursue a good placement in the IRONMAN Pro Series this year, so the plan is to head to IRONMAN Lake Placid.
