The making of DREAM KONA
For the past decade, Sebastian Kienle has led both the Ironman bike legs and the sport’s aerodynamic charge. Here, the influential and forthright German Ironman world champion discusses his aero insights and the development of his Orca Dream Kona tri-suit
One glance at Sebastian Kienle’s bike position or cadence is enough to justify why the German will never be short of sponsorship offers. When it comes to two wheels, the 36-year-old from Mühlacker may rest on his tri-bars, but never on his laurels. So, when it comes to being loyal to the same brand for more than a decade, there must be a bond tighter than the AeroSkin weave of his Orca RS1 Dream Kona trisuit. “I remember three years ago in Kona, the guys from Ironman pulled us over and said: ‘We have this GPS tracker. You all need to wear it on the bike’,” Kienle recalls. “We were freaking out because the trisuit is designed without pockets for good reasons. Well, Tomás del Olmo, who’s in charge of development at Orca, stitched a pocket into the suit to hide the tracker the night before the race.”
It involved a late-night trip to Walmart and del Olmo being up at 1am to test the position of the bulky tracker for aerodynamics and comfort. The iron from the rented apartment was also utilised to bond the pouch. “It’s just one example of how they put in a huge effort to provide me with the best stuff,” Kienle adds.
Unveiled in October 2014, the Dream Kona instantly lived up to its billing as Kienle powered his way to the Ironman world title in Hawaii. Having reached the third generation of the suit, Del Olmo and his team continue to eke out improvements.
“The latest version was launched this year, but the Orca athletes used it in Kona 2019,” Del Olmo says. “Against competitor tri-suits we see an average benefit of more than six watts.” Over 180km that equates to several minutes, as the Dream Kona has successfully demonstrated in 220’ s own independent Silverstone wind-tunnel tests.
Del Olmo attributes its performance to the “golf ball” aero structure of fabrics provided by Italian supplier Taiana that “maximise aerodynamics, breathability and compression”. A super-light fabric with silver thread that improves thermoregulation in the underarm area has also been introduced.
But it also has no pockets to stash snacks and the fitting is a “very pro” cut Del Olmo says. Tactfully put, “Let’s say that people who are less in shape won’t see the same numbers. How this tri-suit fits you is important to the aero performance.”
Kienle’s well-aware of this. Having long reached a status in tri where he has choices over his kit providers, the currency that proves most valuable to him is ‘seconds’ not Euros. Or even minutes, like in 2014 where his Hawaii success recieved a boost with an 180km bike 10mins faster than his rivals.
What’s significant about many of Kienle’s triumphs, notably that win in Kona, is that they’ve come on windy days or harder courses, where aerodynamics count even more, allowing him to maximise his advantage on two wheels. There’s no doubt the Dream Kona tri-suit has played a role, but how much of one? And given the fastest bike split alone won’t win a race, how does it stand up to the swim and run, too? 220 caught up with Kienle to find out how the Orca Dream Kona is still helping him chase his own dreams.
Thanks for joining us Sebastian. Of all the different kit available to help triathletes go quicker, how important is the tri-suit?
When asked what piece of equipment gives the biggest bang for buck when it comes to time saving, I’ll always say the tri-suit. While it’s relatively inexpensive when compared to a set of aerodynamic wheels, it has a really huge impact on aerodynamics.
So, pardon the pun, when you envisage your dream tri-suit, what features do you prioritise? It has to be fast, and that was the major consideration when we developed this suit. The approach wasn’t: “Let’s try to make a standard tri-suit and then find out how we can improve the aerodynamics.” It was more: “Let’s try to make the fastest suit possible and then make it work so that I can still run in it.” Looking at my data, and the data I see from other athletes, it confirms that it’s pretty fast.
And what aspects of the Dream Kona do you believe gives it that advantage?
First of all, the fit is incredibly good, especially at the back of the neck, which is really important in triathlon. When you’re upright on the run, you don’t want your suit pulling you forward like a turtle neck. But on the other hand, when you’re on the bike, you want the suit as short as possible on your chest so that there are no wrinkles. The way the Dream Kona is cut is just an incredibly good compromise.
When the suit came out, Orca were the only company that used this dimpled material for the fabric. You see it for the first time and think it’s another gimmick and probably won’t be faster, but it makes a pretty huge impact from what we saw on the track during testing. There are suits that perform very well [for aerodynamics] at a certain speed but, if you go above that, they don’t perform so well. The Dream Kona performs very well at between 38-45km/hr, which is what we’re looking for in triathlon.
For the suit I won Kona with in 2014, Orca also used a net material on and beneath the arms to make it as breathable as possible. It wasn’t the plan on construction, but because the surface is rough it created turbulence to help reduce the drag. It meant the suit was already pretty fast, and we’ve since dug deeper into that idea to find out how it actually works. A lot of development goes like that.
How have you done the testing?
Most of the testing we’ve done on a track because it’s where you can easily spend a lot of hours – especially when you need a lot of time to change
suits. But we’ve also been in the wind tunnel for the past two or three years with samples. I sometimes wonder how Orca make money because they put that much into the small details of development. In Kona you can feel they’re super motivated, and it’s a huge boost to win, not only for me, but the guys who invest so much in trying to make me a little bit faster.
Does a tight fit make it too restrictive to run?
It’s a really difficult compromise. If I’m in the time-trial position there shouldn’t be any wrinkles on the arms, chest or back, and if it’s really tight it also creates a compression effect that reduces muscle vibration a little, which I like. But when you run, you don’t want to be pulled forward by your suit, which is the reason why the material needs to be elastic but supportive.
As well as the fit being flexible and breathable enough to run comfortably, does the Dream Kona provide any other benefits for the final leg?
It wasn’t the original idea, but the dimpled surface increases the overall surface area, so when you’re running and tip water over yourself, it evaporates faster [the body’s main method of cooling itself]. So, I always have the feeling that the suit helps to keep me cool.
What are the other areas Orca have looked to improve for you?
I find it difficult to swim with my tri-suit sleeves up, so whether I’m wearing a wetsuit or a speedskin, I swim with the suit rolled down, which puts a lot of stress on the zipper later when I rip on it. It’s ridiculous how many zippers you see that still break. The latest one was Patrick Lange in Gdynia in Poland. To see pictures of another broken zipper is ridiculous.
The Dream Kona has a new construction with an open cut on the bottom, like a flap, that makes it way easier to put on in T1 [a silicone grip helps it reattached without wrinkles]. It’s like having a top completely connected to the bib shorts, and I think a lot of cycling teams also use it so they’re able to pee more easily when in the peloton.
What’s your thinking behind rolling the suit down for the swim?
It’s more freedom for my arms. If you want the trisuit to be as fast as possible for the bike, one of the compromises is that it has to be tight around the arms, neck and shoulders. Another solution might be to pull it over my shoulders and have the zipper completely open. I might do this if I know a fast transition is crucial, or the swim exit to my bike is not long enough to pull the suit on. But if there’s enough time for the run into T1, I prefer the freedom of the shoulders.
A reason why triathletes might consider having their shoulders covered in the swim is because the extra layer of fabric carries some air, so it’s more buoyant. Remember, I’m not the tiniest one! If you have typical biceps, it’ll be no problem whatsoever to wear the tri-suit pulled up.
Are there other considerations for your tri-suit when it comes to the swim?
One of the most important things is that it doesn’t absorb too much water, as that can make quite a big difference. We do soak tests where we submerge it for a minute or two, then wring it
out a certain way and put it on the scales. A lot of the other suits can soak up to 200-300g, sometimes even more, and you have to carry that weight the whole time on the marathon.
When you burst onto the scene, you took chunks of time out of the whole field on the bike. More recently, the splits have become quicker across the board and it looks like the strength in depth increased. How do you see it?
I don’t want to say I was the trendsetter, but you just need to look at bike pictures from 2012-13 and compare them to now. Where once I had a huge margin on pretty much every other athlete in the field, now it’s down to small margins, and I’m not always sure I have the fastest set-up. Back then I was always sure I had by far the fastest set-up.
It’s one part of the sport I love and has nothing to do with copying! We did something right and the others realised they had some catching up to do. It’s just the nature of our sport. Now it’s getting even more interesting as it’s more difficult to find smaller details, and as more people have access to resources, it’s a more level playing field.
Previously, if you wanted to have access to a wind tunnel or track, you had to have had some success or the money or back up from a company. Now it’s way easier. You can buy a CdA device [that measures aerodynamic drag], and track testing and software are more affordable. Good, young upcoming athletes can improve in that area.
Finally, if triathletes want to improve their bike performance, what should they prioritise? Sorting out your bike position is number one – that makes the biggest difference. I would then say invest in a tri-suit. Tyres make a huge difference, not just from rolling resistance, but also an aerodynamic standpoint.
But I’d also include ‘aerodynamic behaviour’, as I call it. Things like deciding when you drink and not getting out of the saddle into a headwind – which a lot of people do. It feels natural, probably because when we start to climb we tend to stand on the pedals, but it’s upside down if you want to reduce drag.
A good aerodynamic helmet is important, but there needs to be some testing involved – it’s very difficult to say that any particular helmet is ‘fast’. Then come the other big investments: wheels and the frame. But even the chain lube can make a significant difference!
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Conquer an extreme triathlon (part 1); Ironman training masterclass; benefits of training offroad this winter; highmileage run shoes on test; essential kit for coldwater swimming; one-onone with the maverick that’s Lionel Sanders