This is the next installment of my series looking at the 2018 IM-distance races. (You can find part 1 about the swim here.)
There have been a lot of fast times at IM Texas, among them a sub-4 bike leg by Andrew Starykowicz and lots of sub 4-30 bike rides on the female side, the fastest time was a 4:25 by Jen Annett. But there’s also been a lot of controversy if all of these are legitimate results or were significantly influenced by short courses or lack of draft marshaling. I have decided to include the Texas times but not “count” them for the ranks and thereby also show the fastest times from other races. This approach also suggests that either a lot of athletes had fantastic days at Texas or that something wonky has been going on. While I think that most of the really fast times have to be considered invalid, Starky’s 3:54 bike split (the first sub-4 in an Ironman) is the “most legit” result of the day – there is very little chance to draft while riding at the front of the field and no motos on the course.
TOP 10 Bike Times of 2018
| Rank | Name | Actual Time | Race |
| Andrew Starykowicz | (03:54:59) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| Johann Ackermann | (04:03:19) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 1 | Cameron Wurf | 04:05:37 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |
| Matthew Russell | (04:05:56) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 2 | Marc Duelsen | 04:06:21 | IM UK on 2018-07-15 |
| 3 | Cameron Wurf | 04:07:13 | IM Western Australia on 2018-12-02 |
| Matt Hanson | (04:07:27) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 4 | Sebastian Kienle | 04:07:29 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |
| 5 | Joe Skipper | 04:08:30 | IM UK on 2018-07-15 |
| 6 | Henry Irvine | 04:08:35 | IM UK on 2018-07-15 |
| 7 | Cameron Wurf | 04:09:06 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| 8 | Bryan McCrystal | 04:09:46 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |
| 9 | Sam Long | 04:09:49 | IM Boulder on 2018-06-10 |
| 10 | Chris Leiferman | 04:09:55 | IM Boulder on 2018-06-10 |
TOP 10 Bike Times of 2018
| Rank | Name | Actual Time | Race |
| Jen Annett | (04:25:10) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 1 | Daniela Ryf | 04:26:07 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| Jodie Robertson | (04:27:30) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| Kimberley Morrison | (04:27:45) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 2 | Lucy Gossage | 04:28:40 | IM UK on 2018-07-15 |
| Melissa Hauschildt | (04:29:55) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| Sara Svensk | (04:32:33) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| Michelle Vesterby | (04:33:11) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| Meredith Kessler | (04:34:32) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 3 | Corinne Abraham | 04:34:32 | IM Sweden on 2018-08-18 |
| Amanda Wendorff | (04:34:46) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| Tine Deckers | (04:35:01) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 4 | Jen Annett | 04:35:13 | IM Arizona on 2018-11-18 |
| 5 | Heather Jackson | 04:35:25 | IM Arizona on 2018-11-18 |
| 6 | Angela Naeth | 04:36:01 | IM UK on 2018-07-15 |
| 7 | Carrie Lester | 04:37:42 | IM Arizona on 2018-11-18 |
| 8 | Lucy Charles | 04:38:10 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| Lauren Brandon | (04:38:15) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 9 | Corinne Abraham | 04:38:16 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| 10 | Camilla Lindholm Borg | 04:38:47 | IM UK on 2018-07-15 |
TOP 10 Bike Performances of 2018
| Rank | Name | Normalized Time | Actual Time | Race |
| 1 | Cameron Wurf | 04:17:23 | 04:05:37 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |
| 2 | Sebastian Kienle | 04:19:20 | 04:07:29 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |
| 3 | Michael Weiss | 04:21:14 | 04:16:09 | IM Austria on 2018-07-01 |
| 4 | Cameron Wurf | 04:21:24 | 04:07:13 | IM Western Australia on 2018-12-02 |
| 5 | Bryan McCrystal | 04:21:44 | 04:09:46 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |
| 6 | Cameron Wurf | 04:22:18 | 04:09:06 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| 7 | Cameron Wurf | 04:22:24 | 04:19:44 | IM South Africa on 2018-04-15 |
| 8 | Cameron Wurf | 04:22:42 | 04:14:52 | IM Switzerland on 2018-07-29 |
| 9 | Michael Weiss | 04:23:03 | 04:13:05 | IM Cozumel on 2018-11-18 |
| Andrew Starykowicz | (04:23:41) | (03:54:59) | IM Texas on 2018-04-28 | |
| 10 | Andreas Dreitz | 04:23:51 | 04:11:47 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |
TOP 10 Bike Performances of 2018
| Rank | Name | Normalized Time | Actual Time | Race |
| 1 | Daniela Ryf | 04:40:13 | 04:26:07 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| 2 | Daniela Ryf | 04:43:24 | 04:40:55 | IM Germany on 2018-07-08 |
| 3 | Corinne Abraham | 04:52:49 | 04:34:32 | IM Sweden on 2018-08-18 |
| 4 | Lucy Charles | 04:52:54 | 04:38:10 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| 5 | Corinne Abraham | 04:53:00 | 04:38:16 | IM Hawaii on 2018-10-13 |
| 6 | Mareen Hufe | 04:53:08 | 04:47:26 | IM Austria on 2018-07-01 |
| 7 | Lisa Huetthaler | 04:53:12 | 04:47:30 | IM Austria on 2018-07-01 |
| 8 | Angela Naeth | 04:54:35 | 04:43:25 | IM Cozumel on 2018-11-18 |
| 9 | Jen Annett | 04:55:13 | 04:35:13 | IM Arizona on 2018-11-18 |
| 10 | Daniela Saemmler | 04:55:14 | 04:41:44 | Challenge Roth on 2018-07-01 |