From Olympic rower to Ironman triathlete and pro rider: How Cameron Wurf is pushing endurance boundaries at nearly 40

Pushing boundaries in endurance sports appears to be Cameron Wurf’s mission.

After becoming an Olympian in rowing at Athens 2004, the Australian switched to professional road cycling, riding alongside some of the finest riders from the previous generation, including Grand Tour winners Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali.

In his early 30s, the Tasmanian left the sport to venture into Ironman distance triathlon, one of the most gruelling competitions in the world.

Having won some races and participated in the iconic World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, Wurf believed that resuming his road cycling career could enhance his Ironman conditioning. Over the last three seasons, he has been racing part-time with the INEOS Grenadiers team alongside Olympic gold medallists Geraint Thomas and Tom Pidcock.

Now approaching 40 years of age, Wurf still revels in long and arduous training sessions.

He often embarks on a lengthy run after a cycling race, such as his half-marathon following this year's Paris-Roubaix.

But where does he find the stamina to compete against athletes who are sometimes half his age? "I don't have time to think about age," he confessed with a smile during an interview with Olympics.com.

“They say that for athletes from 35 to 45, the biggest thing that is most difficult to keep engaged is your brain. For me, because I’ve changed sports so many times, that keeps me fresh. I certainly can’t worry that I’m too old because I’m focused on wanting to improve.”

Cameron Wurf: A sporting background

Cameron grew up on Lord Howe Island, a wildlife paradise in the Tasman Sea some 600km east of Sydney.

This tiny isle, surrounded by crystalline waters, was perfect for engaging in outdoor sports. With just 300 residents and limited organised activities, it was not uncommon for a five-year-old to play with older children.

As a youngster, Wurf spent plenty of time in the water, regularly rode his bike to school, and, of course, there was plenty of running around.

"It took me a long time to find triathlon, but it's no sort of a coincidence that I've ultimately found my way there because it's kind of how I grew up," he admitted.

When he returned to Tasmania for high school, it was rare for him to participate in a sport in which he wasn't naturally talented: "I did every sport I possibly could in high school, in the winter with soccer and Australian rules football and athletics.

"I always raced motocross bikes and then in the summer was rowing and swimming and I played tennis, obviously golf, surf, lifesaving. I did everything,” the 39-year-old added.

Inspired by Sydney 2020 Olympics

In his youth, Wurf had shown talent in golf ("I could play off a handicap of around eight when I was 10 years old") and football ("I was always in state representative during high school") and could have pursued a career in either sport.

Then, as a teenager, the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games took place in his home country. “I watched a lot of events live and that really drove me to want to go to the Olympics,” he recalls.

“I guess the sport that I was best at, and was an Olympic sport, was rowing, and that’s why I chose to focus on that.”

From a young age, he began representing Australia in a coxless four and was part of the winning team that claimed gold at the U23 World Rowing Championships in 2003 in Belgrade.

The following year, he fulfilled his Olympic dream by competing in the men's double scull at Athens, finishing in 16th place.

Falling in love with cycling

Then it was time for the next chapter of his career: “None of my sporting endeavours have ever been planned,” Wurf remembers.

In 2006, the Australian happened to be at the renowned high-performance sport research centre MAPEI, near Varese, Italy, with the rowing national team: “I had tendinitis in my wrist and I couldn’t row so the national cycling team lent me a turbo trainer while I was there,” he reveals.

Fascinated by observing other pro riders train, Wurf decided to switch sports: “I really got more and more addicted to cycling. That year I recovered and I also did the World Rowing Championships finishing in fourth, but I’d already made my mind up.”

The now former rower soon turned professional and joined the World Tour, the top tier of road cycling, in 2011.

When fellow Australian Cadel Evans took him back to the MAPEI lab, his impressive readings on the physiological tests - he even broke a record set by Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara - caught the attention of the centre director Aldo Sassi.

Then came a recommendation to Roberto Amadio, the manager of the Liquigas-Cannondale team, who offered him a contract.

Wurf had the chance to ride with some of the biggest names of the sport at that time, including Basso, Nibali, Elia Viviani and a young Peter Sagan: “It was quite an amazing team,” he recalls.

“I've never had any trouble training at that level. In fact, I was always one of the best. But, you know, competing was a bit more of a challenge for me. I didn't grow up in cycling, so I didn't have that natural instinct. And I struggle to learn how to utilise my ability, my physiology in races."

Discovering Ironman triathlon: A natural switch

Riding in the wind and grinding away, as his role of domestique implied, didn’t really fulfill Wurf’s ambitions.

So when his contract was about to come to an end in 2014, the Australian was happy to walk away from cycling – and from professional sport – as he moved to the United States to look for a ‘normal job’ and start a career in finance, the field in which he graduated at university.

But a new door opened when Cannondale offered him the opportunity to represent them as a brand ambassador.

“As part of that role, I did a couple of triathlons. The first was a Half Ironman,” the 39-year-old remembers.

“I had a great time doing that and then they encouraged me to do a full Ironman. I ended up really enjoying that and then obviously had the opportunity to go to Hawaii that year as well and participate in Kona.”

His debut in the iconic race was not the most memorable as he was just recovering from a broken foot, but being on the Big Island lit "a little bit of spark" in him.

Wurf had been inspired by the feats of fellow Australian Greg Welch who won in Hawaii in 1994, and he thought he could be competitive at the longest distance.

“I'd come from rowing and also cycling at the highest level, it was natural that I wanted to be at the highest level in triathlon. And for me, that was all about Kona. So it sort of meant that the only option was Ironman,” he explained.

The veteran Australian proved to be a natural talent in the new sport and in 2017 at Ironman Wales he won his first title on the circuit.

Since then he has achieved 10 more placings on podium, topping it on three more occasions.

He said, "I guess it goes back to my roots as being a little kid, riding around everywhere on my bike and swimming and being on an island and swimming around and racing around, walking and running and whatever else... and probably makes me naturally, you know, equipped to do the sports that I'm now doing.”

Balancing cycling and Ironman

However, pro cycling was not quite a closed chapter.

It all started with a call from Tim Kerrison, who was Chris Froome's coach: “He heard that I might have been thinking about getting back into the sport and asked me to go and train with Chris for a couple of weeks. And that went really well,” the 39-year-old recalls.

Wurf then signed a contract with Team INEOS Grenardiers, which offered to support him in his triathlon career while he could use bike racing to prepare for Ironman competitions.

He quickly became the ‘Chief Morale Officer’ of the team. “I think for sure I'm a bit of a novelty in the team,” he admits.

"When I get to a race, all everyone wants to talk about is my swimming or my running or what I've got going on. I do some investing and I've got a different group of friends… I guess I just have a different a bit of a different life and background to most of the cyclists that have been in that sport their whole life."

He witnessed the rise of MTB Olympic champion Tom Pidcock since his first career win, and their connection is well documented on social media: “His girlfriend Bethany babysits our son and we spent quite a bit of time together,” he revealed.

“I think Tom sort of respects the fact that I'm trying to do another sport. I guess he respects it a bit more than the rest because he does the same thing. But, as he said, he only has to jump on a different bike while I have to run and swim.

"He is really very supportive of what I do and tries to help and give me any advice he possibly can. And he's a great training partner for me.”

Cameron Wurf: My craziest endurance challenges

Running a half-marathon after a Paris-Roubaix might seem extreme, but not for the Australian.

“To put my shoes on was the hardest part of me doing that run,” he shared.

“Once I started running, it was actually quite comfortable. I didn't look at my watch once. I had no idea how fast I was going. I said, 'I'm just going to relax and just enjoy this run.' Truth be told, I would have run a lot further but it got dark.”

A few years ago, Wurf joined another Australian rider, Richie Porte, in the Everest challenge on the Col de la Madone, which involved 8,000m of climbing and 12-13 hours of riding. On one occasion, they set out for a 250km-long session and ended up riding for 400 kilometres.

“I am constantly just trying to do things that frighten me, the things that I'm nervous to tell anyone that I'm going to do it because I don't know if I can do it,” Wurf said.

Fatigue, for him, is more of a mental challenge than a purely physical one: “Once you are tired, it's like when you do a Grand Tour. You're already tired... you can't get past tired. Your body will still go as long as you fuel it. As long as you give it hydration, it'll continue to move.”

Wurf will turn 40 on 3 August, sharing his birthday with Tom Brady.

The NFL legend won his last Super Bowl when he was 45 and emulating him is another big challenge: “We've got so many young guys setting the standards in all sports now. It would be nice to be one of the old guys that can maybe tear up the script and prove that, yeah, the old guys can do it as well.”

Another career goal would be winning the Ironman World Championships after finishing in the top 10 in 2018 and 2019.

“I still believe I can do it one day,” he said.

“We'll see how long that lasts, but it certainly won't be any longer than 45. But that's the LA Olympics (2028). So, you know, that's like a good marker. Who knows what might happen between now and then. I might end up back in rowing, like maybe I do one more Olympics in rowing!”