In triathlon, where the bike leg is the longest of the three disciplines whether you’re racing a super sprint or a full Ironman distance event, aero has become everything. And as those at the top of the sport seek to grasp every marginal aero gain going, we’ve seen an evolution in bike frames, wheelsets, water bottle placements – and riding positions.
In recent years there’s been a trend towards bringing the elbows in and raising the hands up on the aero bars – creating a scrunched-up praying mantis-like position with the rider barely peeking over their hands. But now we are starting to see some athletes moving back towards a stretched out, ‘Superman’ style position, pushing their physiology to its limits in the pursuit of aero gains.
One athlete who has taken that to the extreme – and raised plenty of eyebrows in the process – is 2022 IRONMAN World Champion, Gustav Iden. So much so, that a recent video from his final pre-Kona training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona, had fans and fellow PROs alike questioning whether the new bike set-up was for real. Or if this was just some good old-fashioned trolling.
So what is the Superman position, is it actually more aerodynamic and most importantly – could Gustav Iden actually hold it for the full 112 miles at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona? We’ve been speaking to the aero experts from Body Rocket to find out how – and why – Iden has made the last minute change. And putting the superman position to the test ourselves to find out if it can save a few watts.
What is Gustav Iden’s ‘superman’ cycling time trial position?
The Superman position in cycling moves the aero bar extensions forward, so the rider’s elbows are way out in front of their shoulders and their arms are stretched forward. A bit like Superman himself. And while tongues are wagging about Iden’s insane ‘new’ TT position, it was actually made famous by cycling great Graeme Obree back in the 90s.
Obree was originally known for his unique ‘tuck’ position- his elbows squeezed in by his side and his hands underneath his shoulders. The unorthodox position, which required him to personally develop and build a bike to support it, saw him win the world individual pursuit title in 1993 and break the hour record for the second time in 1994. But then the UCI banned the position. Which led to Obree going almost entirely in the opposite direction with the Superman – moving his arms out from by his sides and instead stretching them out in front. It won him the 1995 pursuit World Champs, and was soon adopted by many of his rivals – Chris Boardman using it to break the hour record in 1996. But then the UCI banned that position too. Which is why you won’t see any of the elite cyclists using it in the TT stages at Le Tour.
But the UCI don’t get to dictate what is and isn’t allowed riding position-wise in triathlon. Which allows for a little more creativity when it comes to aero extension reach and stack heights. Gustav’s ‘new’ TT position, adopted just weeks before the big dance in Kona, takes the Obree throwback to the extreme.
Clark Kent goes racing – is Gustav Iden serious with Superman position?
Gustav first unveiled his new Superman aero position in an Instagram video taken during his final pre-Kona training camp out in Flagstaff. Prompting fellow PRO Sam Long to declare that the man from Bergen has ‘the longest body in triathlon’. And other eagle-eyed fans to make the connection with Obree’s famous TT position.
But so radical was the change in his riding position, particularly so close to race day, that many started to question if it was for real. Speaking to Norwegian outlet NRK, Gustav said: “There are many who think I am trolling them. It’s kind of funny that people think I put so much into the mental game that I change my sitting position just to take a video on Instagram.”
And a recent video from Body Rocket, the aero experts who’ve worked with Iden and Blummenfelt to optimise their bike positions ahead of Kona, backs up the belief that the Superman position is the real deal as the team go into how they tested and developed the aero set-up.
Body Rocket have been working with the Norwegian duo of Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden for the last few years. Working with Gustav ahead of his 2022 IRONMAN Kona World Championship win. And they helped Big Blu optimise his set up for his 70.3 World Championships win in 2022, and worked closely with him in the build up to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
And ahead of Kona this year, the Body Rocket team were tasked by coach Olav Aleksander Bu with taking Iden and Blummenfelt “to the extremes” both in terms of aerodynamics and physiological limits. They set to work on this extreme aero mission in Bergen after the Olympics, using the unique bike-fitted Body Rocket aero sensors to integrate aero testing into Gustav and Kristian’s training.
This work then continued in Flagstaff as the pair ticked off their final pre-Kona training camp. And while they found a limit with Kristian, with Gustav it was a case of “no extreme is too extreme.” In fact, Head of AI in Aerodynamics at Body Rocket Callum Barnes even suggests that the current set-up might not even represent just how far Gustav can push it when it comes to the ‘insane’ Superman position.
Is a Superman cycling TT position actually faster?
It might look fast – but looks don’t automatically equal saved watts. We spoke to Eric DeGolier, Paralympian and founder of Body Rocket, to find out why Iden has opted for the stretched out riding position.
“The position Gustav is in is similar to the Superman position which was banned by the UCI in the 1990’s, so it hasn’t received much attention since then..”
“When working with Gustav we did a full sweep of positions that are legal in triathlon, and we found this to be the fastest for Gustav.”
“We can’t comment on what other people are testing, but given the cost & limited time available to use wind tunnels, it’s likely that other triathletes have had to adopt more common positions not too different from those used by World Tour teams.”
Because the Body Rocket aero testing system fits on to Gustav Iden’s bike, the team have been able to test out different positions and make changes far closer to race day compared to those reliant on getting into a wind tunnel.
Can Gustav Iden really ride like that for 112 miles and then run a marathon?
The other major consideration for triathletes when it comes to your bike set-up and your riding position is whether you can sustain the position for the entire bike leg of your race. And whether you can still run well off the bike afterwards. Because as far as we know, Obree, Boardman and co didn’t have to try and run a sub-3hr marathon after their lightning-fast rides back in the 90s.
Perhaps what raised most eyebrows raised about Gustav’s new TT position is just how uncomfortable it looks. Surely he can’t hold it for 112 miles and run well afterwards? The Norwegian however says it’s quite to the contrary, explaining: “I use very little strength in my stomach, back and shoulders and so on. The only thing I have to do is just stay on the board.”
All eyes on Kona then, to see if the new position pays off for Gustav. Given that coach Olav Aleksander Bu has said Iden’s run is a bit of a question mark, it’ll be very interesting to see whether the ultra-aero bike position can help to put him close enough to the front of the race to stay in contention all the way to the finish line.
TRI247 puts the Superman TT position to the test
Last month, we joined some of the team from Body Rocket at an outdoor velodrome to test out the Body Rocket system – a real-time, drag force aero meter which integrates onto the bike and essentially gives you the data and feedback of a wind tunnel, while riding outdoors.
My current TT bike fit has me in a praying mantis-style position. It’s seen me through multiple Ironman distance and middle distance races just fine over the last couple of years. But I was interested to find out if it truly was the most aero position for me to be riding in. The team got me set up on the demo bike with the Body Rocket sensors attached, and we started with a warm-up, some baseline testing and then we adjusted the bike into the mantis position to get some data.
After that, we switched it up and the team changed my position to a Superman (or Superwoman in this instance) set-up. Obviously mine wasn’t as extreme as Gustav Iden’s – they’ve had to create custom extensions for him. But it was a way to test out the difference it would make all the same.
It actually felt more comfortable than my usual set-up, which surprised me. The mantis set-up I ride right now has my hip flexors at a pretty closed-off angle which means I have to put a lot of work into staying mobile during big training blocks, otherwise I start getting IT band issues.
The Superwoman position opened up this angle and I felt like I had more ‘room’ at the top of my pedal stroke to push power without pinching in the hip flexors. The stretched-out position also felt more comfortable on my shoulders, and I found I didn’t have to be quite so ‘active’ when it came to keeping my head low. The position just naturally meant my head was staying low without having to think about it.
Was the Superman position more aero in our testing session?
Interestingly, as well as feeling more comfortable, the Superwoman position also tested quite a bit faster than the mantis position. You can see from my dashboard in the screen grab below, that the mantis position had my CdA (a measure of how much drag you create) at 0.195. The Superwoman position reduced this down to 0.191. And that reduction in drag would equate to being almost 2 minutes faster over the 180km bike leg in an Ironman race, compared to the mantis position.
These things will vary from person to person. Because we’re talking about how much drag your body creates when you cycle, what tests as the optimal and most aero set for me with my height and body shape might be different to what would be the fastest position for someone taller or with broader shoulders.
So while we shouldn’t extrapolate that this means every single person should be riding their TT bikes Gustav-style and adding a Superman cape to their tri suit, it is some food for thought and something to test out if you get the chance. I foresee a bike-fit appointment in my future!
Stay up to date with all the latest IRONMAN World Championship Kona action right here on TRI247. Check out our race preview for all the pre-race analysis and how to watch live. Or read our John Levison’s podium picks and see if you agree with his choice for the Kona 2024 win.
