THE QUINTANA ROO TEAM RACES IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NICE
The Quintana Roo boys came to work. And work they did.
Sunday saw the biggest day of the year in men's distance triathlon with the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice, France.
The best of the best in men’s racing showed up to take on one of the toughest courses on the IRONMAN race circuit. A 3.8k swim along the Côte d’Azur, a 180k ride in the Maritime Alps with 7,000 feet of climbing, and a marathon along the iconically beautiful Promenade d’Anglais was the setting. Who would win?
Pre-World Championship Excitement
The week leading up was packed with action…French style. IRONMAN came with all the pre-race hype: a kids run, podcast interviews, photoshoots—all the pomp and circumstance. We were there in the IRONMAN Village Expo delivering our traditional pre-race complementary service to all Quintana Roo age group and pro athletes.
We were busier than ever, especially with people wanting to see the special edition bikes created for Matt Hanson and Kristian Høgenhaug: the paintless V-PRi with Speedcoat, which cut significant weight from their bikes, helping them perform at their best on the hilly Nice bike course.
We also hosted a pre-race prep talk, including three of our competing pros: Kristian Høgenhaug, Jon Breivold, and the newly-dubbed “People’s Champ,” Benjamin Zorgnotti. We were thrilled to have the three of us join emcee Chris Brown to answer questions of age groupers as they got ready for one of the biggest races of their lives.
We also supported the annual Bike Count. With our growing presence in Europe, this was an important bellwether in how Quintana Roo was being received. Two years ago, when the men raced in Nice for the first time, we had 60 bikes—2.98 percent of the total count, ranking us as the 10th most popular brand among males racing in Europe. Additionally, Quintana Roo had only one pro male racing that year: American Matt Hanson.
What a difference two years makes!
Quintana Roo’s entry into the European market, along with our partnership with a select few pro triathletes and ambassadors, as well as IRONMAN and Challenge Family, is making waves among men in Europe. After a collective of volunteers (including our own Voigt and Airoldi) counted all the bikes being checked in Saturday evening, Quintana Roo vaulted in the count to become the fifth most popular bike in the race, with 112 bikes—5.09 percent of the bikes among the 2,500 athletes racing.
Quintana Roo also had more qualified male pros than ever: Breivold, Hanson, Høgenhaug, and Factory Team pro Zorgnotti.
With high-touch personalized service at events, fast bikes, and fast pro athletes riding them, Europeans are waking up to the news: Quintana Roo is a force majeure. More and more European male triathletes are choosing Quintana Roo.
2025 IRONMAN World Championship Race Recap
Race Day brought it all: a perfect day with perfect conditions, starting off cool in the morning, warming up to 80 degrees once athletes hit the run course.
Photo courtesy of Timotheus Kredel.
Høgenhaug was among the early leaders out of the water and stayed inside the top 15 throughout a hotly contested and fast bike. While Zorgnotti worked hard through the middle of the field on the bike, both Hanson and Breivold battled from tough swims to work their way through the field.
Høgenhaug maintained his position within striking distance of the top 10, and while he had a solid day throughout the bike and run, it was going to take a magical day to get onto the podium against a field this high in quality, packed with race champions everywhere you looked. With “good” legs all day, he was content with a solid 12th place overall position, finishing in 8:16:30.
Breivold was a bit of an underdog as an IRONMAN World Championships rookie, and put himself on the back foot coming out of the water well off the pace. But he really showed he belonged in this field once he got his V-PRi under him. With the 10th fastest bike split of the entire field (the first time a QR has earned that honor in years at the IRONMAN World Championships), he rode himself into the top 25 and gained further spots on the run to finish 20th overall, including winning a finish chute sprint against Cameron Wurf.
Zorgnotti was also an IRONMAN World Championships rookie (and a new fan favorite among The Triathlon Hour podcast listeners for his jovial candor in his pre-race interview). With no expectations other than to assemble a solid day at his own pace, he put in a well-balanced effort across all three disciplines and finished an impressive 29th.
Hanson had a tougher day in the office. He’s already admitted that hilly bike courses aren’t his fortê, and that manifested on race day, putting him in that familiar position of having to regain positions once he hit the run. With the fifth-fastest marathon, he reeled in enough athletes ahead of him for a 31st-place result.
With the guys all done and dusted, attention now turns to the women's IRONMAN World Championship on Oct. 11. We’ll be there again in full force, with four pros on the start line: Haley Chura, Alice Alberts, and Factory Team pros Fiona Moriarity and Jana Uderstadt.
Photos courtesy of IRONMAN.
