Sometimes I wonder why we have threads
Started about pro buying their own bikes quickly turns into where training is better...
To bring this thread bit back
One of the 2 athletes in question has podiumed at 70.3 worlds and is I think 32 nd in pto ranking and we mostly talk about the other far less successful athlete ie most posts talk about he and him
I guess still the reality where female athletes are in relation to males.

At the same time the 3 rd male place finisher at 70.3 worlds this year was dropped by his bike sponsor

I'm guessing a couple of things: 1) They tested & now that they can choose their own rides that's what they went with & 2) I doubt they paid full price. They're still decent names in the tri world so maybe some sort of ambassador type thing where they get the bikes super discounted and/or get service on them for free or something. Where is it confirmed that they paid out of pocket (full cost)?

Metz said it in the reveal video. He said Jeanie bought hers and that he took a "....big chunk of savings....." and bought his Canyon......

I would be more curious of the actual narrative here.

Did they choose the best bike that works for them because they weren’t getting bike sponsor offers to replace the sponsors they had or if it truly was “best bike that work:” and turn down actual offers. Those are 2 very different takes and can be an indication of where the bike industry may be going with “sponsorship” opportunities. (This is not meant to be a knock on them or making light of situation, more of just an indicator of the ebbs and flows of sponsorships)

(I don’t know how often pros turn down “sponsorship” opportunities if it deals with potentially “free” gear, especially bike sponsorship from reputable brands)

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I think DTD answered this above. He went over all the geometries and then had them ride a few.

He did a video on aero about a month ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhI7LXuRR44

He seemed to say long and narrow worked for him.

Could the Canyon have more reach than the QR ?

Tucson vs. Phoenix for tri-dorks is a classic battle, in the same vein as Macy's vs. Gimbels. It will always be debated when something even remotely tangential pops up.

This may be the norm for a good chunk of Pro's going forward as the bike industry tightens their budgets and try and manage the current crunch. The top tier pros and those with a ton of exposure via socials/YouTube will probably continue to see sponsorship I would assume. This goes back to the whole concept of what is the true value of sponsorship and what value is the athlete bringing to the brand.

yep, i also see it as a sign of the times (in a negative way!). on the one hand i know some old-timers say that tri is in great shape - PTO, IM, superleague, challenge, etc. on the other hand, more and more events folding, shrinking uptake, older fields. and man ... how many bike companies are even trying to make tri bikes anymore? especially entry-level ones?

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

The pro race scene is buoyed by venture-funded entities that are not currently profitable (Super League, PTO). This is great for the pros right now, but there are real concerns about long-term viability for these revenue streams. Plus IM will pull back its pro funding if the competitive pressure ebbs.

The other parts of triathlon (bike companies, events, etc.) are seeing more pressure to the sustainability of existing, profitable models. It's not great right now, but these tend to be cyclical. For the pros the PTO $$$ are a big help in bridging through what is a big downturn is sponsor $$$. Just saw the last TTL video and Paula and Eric don't have a swim sponsor for 2024....and they are one of the top athlete brands, with good race performances and social media reach.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

If you listen to their latest podcast they shed a bit more light on the situation. It sounds like they just didn't like the fit of the Deboer wetsuits. No clue if they were offered a contract and declined, but it seems like they prefer to be free agents and pick their own wetsuits. May or may not be a sign of the times.

I think they said they got out of the existing contract because it just didn't work for them. I had an athlete try one on and while it seemed good - did something weird with her stroke and she just went back to her entry level Roka with great results. All depends on the fit - good they could get out of the contract. Was interesting though that Eric was open water swimming in their new Norseman cold water suit only a few videos ago...

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DFRU - Detta Family Racing Unit...the kids like it and we all get out and after it...gotta keep the fam involved!

It sounds like the Deboer wetsuits were far too tight on their chest. I wonder how many athletes Deboer will have this year after buying a bunch of big names last year. The Feed is another who made a huge tri push last year. They were everywhere. Hope that continues for the athletes sake. It's a great shop/resource.

I had one athlete get into the Deboer wetsuit and it actually drastically changed her stroke, in not a good way - so she ditched it. They are different and not for everyone. Deboer's sponsorship of so many athletes was interesting to me, because they are so high end, how many people are going to spend that kind of money on a wetsuit? I can't see a way they sell that many suits lol...but I'm not in the NBD for $1500 wetsuit economic status haha.

The Feed is great - and seems to be really going successfully - will they have as much sponsorship money this year? We will see...but it actually seems like a business model that is working at this point!

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DFRU - Detta Family Racing Unit...the kids like it and we all get out and after it...gotta keep the fam involved!

They did some aero testing with Jim and their new bikes.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
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