Casper Stornes: The Beginning Of A Plan To Become World Champion

“In my mind… yes.”

Casper’s response when we asked if he was the best in the world ahead of last year’s 70.3 World Championship in Taupō. We had just wrapped up a full day of aero testing in FUSION Tempo Wind Tunnel when the question came. Buzzing with confidence, Casper described how the collaboration with FUSION gave him the best possible hand when lining up for a new race. With the physical level he had already achieved throughout his career in sprint and middle-distance triathlon, and as he set out on his journey toward the full distance, he knew that optimizing every piece of equipment would be crucial to his continued development.

The Beginning Of A Plan To Become World Champion

A few months earlier (before the official establishment of the Tempo Wind Tunnel), we had taken Casper to the Odense Velodrome to properly kick-start his transition from sprint/middle to long-distance triathlon. He had already “jump-started” this move with an impressive win at the 70.3 in Warsaw shortly beforehand, and in the years leading up to it he had shown glimpses of his huge talent in a handful of other 70.3 events. Having just received his new Pinarello triathlon bike, this track session was the perfect opportunity to benchmark a range of positions and establish a strong foundation, something he could spend the coming months getting comfortable with, while still having a few sprint-distance races left on his calendar.

On November 1st, just six weeks before the 70.3 World Championship in Taupō, we met again. In the time since our session in Odense, construction of the Tempo Wind Tunnel was well underway, and Casper’s visit actually became our very first athlete test inside the tunnel. Following the track session, he had been equipped with a new cockpit, so we picked up where we had left off. Validating positions with the updated cockpit and helmets in combination with his race suit and bottle setup. Since this test was so close to the championship, we focused on small position adjustments that wouldn’t require too much adaptation. By the end of the day, Casper’s setup was tuned and ready for Taupō. At the same time, this visit served as the starting point for a longer development journey with Casper in the wind tunnel, where part of our goal was to ensure he became familiar with the process and understood what it takes from an athlete’s side to maximize both the quality and the outcome of testing.

A Setback, But Not The End

Despite the meticulous preparation and Casper’s great confidence, everything changed just before race day, when he was tragically hit by a car during one of his final course recons. Although he did everything possible to recover in time, the injuries proved too severe. Casper never got to find out if he truly was the best in the world. At least not at that moment.

As with all of our triathletes, the new year meant shifting focus toward the next World Championship on the full Ironman distance, this year returning to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Development of our new Tempo Pro tri-suit had long been underway, and by spring 2025 it was already a familiar sight at the front of Ironman races weekend after weekend. The suit was designed with unique aerodynamic properties optimized for speeds above 40 km/h. With prototype sleeves (a construction of differently textured materials sewed together) and a structured back panel, we had created a suit with extraordinary drag-reduction capabilities at high speeds. At the same time, the ceramic-yarn front gave it an active cooling effect when exposed to sweat and water, a potentially decisive feature when running under the blazing midday sun in Nice on September 14th.

Casper Stornes had already shown that his confidence from the previous year was not misplaced. Wearing the Tempo Pro suit, he claimed his first podium finish over the full Ironman distance in the fiercely competitive field in Frankfurt. 

Turning Preparation Into Performance

With spring successfully behind us, we looked forward to welcoming Casper once again and the FUSION HQ. This time with full focus on the World Championship in Nice. Since his last visit, he had received a newly updated bike with another cockpit, and now he was racing in the Tempo Pro suit. We prepared a carefully structured test protocol, working methodically to determine the optimal combination of position, apparel, bottle system, and helmet. All testing was performed at speeds that matched the speed distribution we would expect for the race in Nice. During this visit, we also worked on defining the right calf sleeves for Casper, providing a significant aerodynamic advantage while still being quick to put on. Given the likely water temperature in Nice at that time of year, wetsuits would probably be prohibited, meaning athletes would only be able to put on calf sleeves in T1. 

After several hours of testing, we had made the choices that, for the second year in a row, put the best possible cards in Casper’s hands. He left FUSION HQ and the Tempo Wind Tunnel with the mindset that he still felt like the best in the world.

On Sunday, September 14th, Casper, and the rest of the world, finally got the answer to the question we had asked him back in November 2024. After a strong swim, getting out of the water with the front pack, Casper committed to our plan by putting on calf sleeves as one of few in T1. All the testing we had carried out in July contributed to the fact that Casper rode the 4th fastest bike split, while still conserving as much energy as possible before the marathon. After a perfectly executed race, Casper broke away alone on the Promenade des Anglais to be crowned exactly what he had believed all along: the best in the world.

From One World Championship To Another

Just a few days after the phenomenal victory, we and Casper are already looking ahead. With one World Championship now on his résumé, we are ready to seek redemption after Casper’s misfortune last year, when he lines up for the 70.3 World Championship in Marbella on a very demanding course. Casper’s next visit with us is already being planned, and we look forward to building on the lessons we learned in the lead-up to Nice, while at the same time we can’t wait to implement some of the developments we have been working on in parallel.