For most riders, Paris-Roubaix is enough exercise for one Sunday. However, Cameron Wurf of Ineos Grenadiers is not most riders, the professional triathlete combining his time on the road - and cobbles - with Ironman training.
The 39-year-old finished the 120th edition of Roubaix on Sunday, finishing in 128th place, 22-44 behind the winner, Mathieu van der Poel, and then changed shoes and went for a 21km run. Simple.
Despite it being the faster-ever edition of the Hell of the North, which took Wurf almost six hours to race, the Australian ran a half marathon in 86 minutes on Sunday, which is an incredible time, especially given the circumstances.
According to his Strava, his Roubaix ride, titled "So Bumpy it hurts to Pee" saw him cycle 262.83km in 6-11-14, at an average speed of 42.5km/h. It also meant a casual 6,960 calories burned. Just hours later, Wurf ran 21.21km in 1-26-55, at a pace of 4-06/km. Another 1,239 calories burned. This one was titled "Sunday Brick".
That was his Sunday, but Monday saw him rider 50km through Flanders, before he put in a casual 3,000m swim on Tuesday morning. All in a normal week for an Ironman.
So far this year, Wurf finished 5th at an Ironman in South Africa, and is then targeting more in May and June, before heading to the Côte d'Azur for the World Championships in Nice in September.
"I've got a few Ironmans planned, the South Africa Ironman is next weekend and I'd like to do that though obviously, I've got to get through the rest of this week unscathed," he told Cyclingnews at the UAE Tour
"Apart from that, there's the Ironman in Lanzarote in May, and one in Nice in June, and then all being well I'll get an opportunity to try at the World Championships next September in Nice."
"The Ironman stuff is for me, but the team's a lot bigger than me, so that's 100% the priority. I'll contribute the best I possibly can to get the best results."
Nobody: “Might go for a 20km run after finishing #ParisRoubaix”Cam Wurf: “Hold my bike!” pic.twitter.com/FFR5IwCpbnApril 10, 2023
Wurf is not the first cyclist to run as well, but possibly the one the most committed to the activity. Jumbo-Visma's Primož Roglič is known to run regularly before stages at races, and Ineos Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock ran an incredibly fast 5km back in 2021, which according to his Strava took him just 13-25.
Adam Yates, now of UAE Team Emirates, ran the Barcelona Marathon in under three hours in 2021, showing how cardio capabilities can cross disciplines. Back in cycling's darker days, Lance Armstrong ran the New York Marathon in 2-46-43 in 2006, in the interregnum between his first retirement and his second.
Back in 2016, Chris Froome even attempted running in his cleats up Mont Ventoux - not something we would advise - after the then Team Sky rider was involved in a crash which left him bikeless.
