Great team. Big goal.
BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team powered by Uplace
36 wins, 81 podium places in two years. Win at the IRONMAN World Championship in sight.
Triathlon is a sport for lone warriors. Yet, great results are easier to achieve as a team. The BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team sees eight world class triathletes join forces to work together to achieve more. With considerable success.
In 2014 and 2015 Bart Aernouts, Liz Blatchford, Will Clarke, Helle Frederiksen, Sofie Goos, Romain Guillaume, David McNamee and Ronnie Schildknecht scored 36 wins, 81 podium places and eight top ten spots at the Triathlon World Championships.
uvex supports the team, as official supplier and system provider, with perfectly integrated cycling helmets and eyewear. They share one goal: to win the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
We support and push each other ...
The team as a philosophy
“We support and push each other,” say members of the BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team. “We train together, we suffer and we laugh. In this way we also find more motivation and strength.”
The philosophy of the team is based on the belief, and knowledge, that individual goals are easier to achieve when elite athletes exchange every day: thanks to pooling their experience, the finer details, so vital for success in triathlon, are constantly improved.
A very successful year
2016 sees more than 50 events on the race calendar. The BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team powered by Uplace has already enjoyed success: Liz Blatchford came second in IRONMAN 70.3 Putrajaya, Malaysia and third in IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam.
At the end of May David McNamee finished IRONMAN Lanzarote, an event famous for its harsh conditions, in a strong third place in 8:46:36. He was beaten only by Jesse Thomas, USA, and Jan Frodeno, Germany, the current European and World Champion.
Fascination triathlon – for the ultimate challenge
My first thought was,
these athletes are crazy...
“I never used to be interest in sport,” recalls Sofie Goos. “When a friend took part in IRONMAN Frankfurt I went along with her. I saw all these great athletes reach the finish line. You could feel the passion. Such a lot of emotion. A few weeks later I bought my first road bike and a pair of running shoes.”
It marked the start of Sophie’s success story. To date she has stood on the triathlon podium 18 times. The Belgian athlete has even won IRONMAN 70.3 Antwerp, her hometown, three times in a row.
Along with classic Olympic distance – 1.5 km swim, 40 km ride and 10 km run – half distance and long distance triathlons have become popular in the last few years.
In a long distance triathlon athletes complete a 3.86 km swim, followed by 180 km ride and end with a 42.4 km Marathon. These competitions are now being held as part of the IRONMAN and CHALLENGE race series.
“I’m from Zürich, and it was there that I experienced my IRONMAN as a spectator,” explains BMC-Etixx team member Ronnie Schildknecht “My first thought was, these athletes are crazy. But as soon as I finished my first triathlon, in 1997, I was totally hooked.”
In 2007 Ronnie won IRONMAN Zürich. Then, in 2013 he won the same competition for the 7th time in a row... a feat unique in IRONMAN history.
