3 min readParis-Roubaix is one of the most famous races in cycling. The 159-mile ride traverses through northern France with a brutal combination of (often muddy) cobblestone roads and hills. Finishing the race without a crash or flat tire is a win in most rider’s books.
Now, a question for you: When recovering from Paris-Roubaix, would you rather:
A) Take the week off
B) Go out for a chill coffee shop spin to loosen up your legs
C) Run a half marathon for the heck of it?
We know which one Ineos-Grenadiers racer Cameron Wurf would choose.
After finishing the race in 128th place, Wurf headed out for a 13.18 mile run, finishing in 1:26:55 (that’s a 6:36 min/mile pace!). After racing the race known as the "Hell of the North."
He also took two top-10 segment spots during the run—imagine how depressing it would be to get bumped down from the top 10 on the leaderboard by a man who just finished racing for five hours and 51 minutes. Sign this man up for an Ironman, stat.
Oh wait, he already does that.
Wurf isn’t a stranger to the multisport life. He’s actually a former triathlete, and has in fact raced an Ironman and done pretty darn well. He finished 11th at the Ironman World Championships in Kona last October.
Despite being a road cyclist at the moment, the 39-year-old still spends plenty of time in the pool and on the run continuing his triathlon journey.
In fact, on Monday, he posted a 3,300 meter swim to Strava, along with another ‘chill’ 35 mile ride. Despite being deep in the racing season, most days involve two workouts for Wurf, and according to his Strava, he typically spends around 20 hours per week on the bike, and four to six hours running, plus a couple of swims.
He explained his half-marathon on Instagram, saying, “In Paris Roubaix you’re either the Bat or you’re the Ball. This year I was well & truly the later [sic]. The most use I could be was to sit at the back of the bunch and block opposition. Team Cars from passing to assist their riders. On a more serious note, be in a good position just in case any of our guys had a problem. Unfortunately a couple of the boys did indeed crash so I was positioned nicely to contribute in delivering them safely back to the peleton. Once I’d crossed the finish line, with much trepidation mind you, I decided to lace up my sneakers for a Half Marathon. The day presented a great opportunity to take advantage of running with some serious fatigue in the legs as I build towards my next Ironman. No matter how your day pans out in Paris Roubaix, it’ll always be memorable.”
This half-marathon effort post-race does feel like a bit of teammate one-upmanship, considering his teammate, Tom Pidcock, made headlines two years ago when he ran a ‘casual’ 5K in a ridiculous 13:25. However, Strava detectives—and later Pidcock himself—determined that the GPS was a bit inaccurate.
Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training with an emphasis on bringing more women into sport. She's the author of nine books including the Shred Girls series and is the founder of Strong Girl Publishing. She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast and spends most of her free time biking and running on trails, occasionally joined by her mini-dachshund.
