Ironman champ Taylor Knibb signs with Trek-Segafredo professional cycling team

Taylor Knibb, the reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion, has certainly managed to excel at both half-distance and draft-legal racing over the last few years. Just weeks after earning a silver medal at the Olympic Games in the mixed relay Knibb shocked the long-distance world with a resounding win at the Collins Cup. She’s managed to continue as one of America’s top hopes for the Games in Paris next year, all the while continuing to excel at the longer distance.

New Trek who dis?

Now Knibb has added another twist to her racing regimen–she’s signed with pro cycling team Trek-Segafredo. Her first race for the team will be on Thursday, June 22 at the USA Cycling National Championships–Knibb will compete in the time trial. Here in Canada, Paula Findlay, who was second to Knibb at last year’s world championship 70.3 in St. George, won last year’s Canadian national time trial championship.

Ineos-Grenadiers rider Cameron Wurf went for a 20 km run after Paris-Roubaix

Knibb rode to her Olympic medal and posted the fastest split at the Collins Cup in 2021 on a road bike bought for her by USA Triathlon. She’s since signed with Trek, using her Speed Concept to dominate the field in St. George last year. She had the fastest bike split by almost seven minutes.

Cycling as a parallel to Tri

“I see the cycling events as on a parallel path to triathlon, I guess, like just adding a rail,” Knibb said in a release from Trek. “Last year, I had a foot injury which was significant because it didn’t really heal. I didn’t race the whole summer, then, when I tried to race again it wasn’t actually healed, but I only learned that at the end of the season.”

A lot of cycling got her thinking.

“Last summer, when I was riding a lot because of the injury, I thought ‘oh, I wonder when time trial nationals are, that would be a really cool race to do right now,’” she continued. “And it turned out it was the next day, so that really wasn’t feasible. But I thought, ‘well, maybe if I had a year, then that could work’. When I got surgery in January this year, I could ride but I couldn’t really run. So it was an idea that I still had in mind.”

“I could start riding at the four week mark after surgery, but I couldn’t run until the 12 week mark. If you probably asked me like two years ago, what I would be doing in sport in general I would not have picked what I’m doing right now. And that’s just two years. So like, in four or five years? I have no idea. The whole reason why I want to try cycle racing is to learn.”

Knibb now joins Australia’s Cam Wurf into the pro ranks of both cycling and triathlon – Wurf represents the Ineos Grenadiers in cycling events