Search
shop

Triathlon superstar Kat Matthews puts focus on the bike as she enlists pro cycling star to ‘bridge the gap’ in 2025

British ace puts focus on one specific area, and brings in elite help to take the final step to World Championship glory.
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

British triathlon superstar Kat Matthews should rightly be proud of her incredible achievements in 2024, but she is now targeting even bigger things in 2025.

Matthews finished second at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice behind Laura Philipp in September before replicating that performance in the 70.3 World Championship in Taupo in December – this time behind the incredible Taylor Knibb. She also claimed a $200k bonus for topping the standings in the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series.

Despite that success, Kat is leaving no stone unturned in her bid to win the biggest prizes in the sport in 2025 – notably enlisting the assistance of new cycling coach Alex Dowsett, a two-time stage winner on the Giro d’Italia and a six-time British National Time Trial Champion.

Matthews puts focus on the bike

Speaking on IRONMAN’s documentary series ‘Pre-Season: A Fighting Chance’, Matthews outlined why she feels Dowsett can help her to “bridge the gap”.

She said: “This year, what’s exciting is I have tried to split away from triathlon slightly and gone more single sport-focused.

“I’ve asked world renowned pro cyclist Alex Dowsett to focus more on my cycling, but specifically time trialling and I think that’s what is really exciting for me – going pure fastest on the road, proper cycling.

IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Finish Line Kat Matthews Taylor Knibb
Second-place Kat Matthews congratulates 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Taylor Knibb (Photo – Fiona Goodall, Getty Images for IRONMAN).

“I felt I needed something to bridge the gap a little bit to my cycling potential, and at the moment it’s going really well. I know I can hit high power, but I need to be able to sustain the uncomfortable and I think that’s also let me down before.

“I also get distracted easily and bored, I need to have more confidence in my ability to just get on with it when I’m not surrounded by people, and if I want to bridge gaps alone I am not relying on the dynamics of a group to work with people.”

World Championship dream

Matthews says her concluding thoughts from the 2024 season were that her ultimate ambition remains unfulfilled – winning World Championship titles.

“The biggest takeaway from coming second at both the IRONMAN World Championships and the 70.3 World Championships is that I really want to win one,” she said.

“The silver lining of not winning is that it reminds you that you really want to win and I think it drives that motivation.”

Despite the changes she has made, Kat is wary of adjusting her training methods too much following a season where she recorded two victories and five other podiums in 10 race outings.

Kat Matthews at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship Nice 2024
Kat Matthews was in the mix on the bike [Photo credit: Getty Images for IRONMAN]

She said: “I think every year you are tempted to change everything, but I think nothing is fundamentally changing, it’s still the same for me. I feel like I’m quite early in my triathlon progression and every year seems to be progressing across all three sports.

“I guess looking from the outside I have changed coaches. That can be a really significant change in training stimulus. There was no negatives to the change, it was just a new opportunity.”

Kat confirmed earlier this year that her provisional season debut would be at IRONMAN Texas (April 26), where she has twice won previously, before moving on to IRONMAN Hamburg (June 1).

Her plan is then to head to IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea (July 13), 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun (August 31), the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona (October 11) and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella (November 9).

Stuart Dick
Written by
Stuart Dick
Stuart is a graduate of the University of Sunderland with a masters' degree in Sports Journalism. He spends a lot of his time running and cycling around West Yorkshire, England.
Discover more
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
Hayden Wilde bike supertri Boston 2024 photo credit supertri
Premium10 ways to make your road bike faster and more aero for triathlons
Kristian Blummenfelt photo credit: PTO Canadian Open
PremiumIs your gut health impacting your performance? The untapped potential of good gut health for triathletes
Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews on the run at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship
PremiumHas triathlon reached peak performance? Tri experts and legends on how much faster triathletes could get
latest News
Triathlon superstar Hayden Wilde to make shock comeback at London T100
Lionel Sanders wins 70.3 St George 2025 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘Intimidating’ to go into Worlds after four months off – but Lionel Sanders up for the challenge
Georgia Taylor-Brown Alex Yee Super League Triathlon Malibu 2021
Triathlon’s most decorated Olympic duo now honoured by their former University
Olav Aleksander Bu Photo credit: Roj Ferman | Surpas
Top triathlon coach Olav Aleksander Bu says it’s all about the team after Uno-X bag first Tour de France win
Danielle Lewis (USA) takes the win in Lake Placid.
IRONMAN Lake Placid 2025: Date, start time, how to watch and who’s racing
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...