On 20 January 2014, Bart Verhaeghe, President and Founder, and Bob Wolf, General Manager, originally launched the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team, one of the largest professional triathlon teams in the world. 21 months later, in the final stage to the IRONMAN World Championships in Hawaii, the team organisers are giving a background to ‘one of the most ambitious and professional projects in the history of triathlon.’
With the continuation of the impressive results of last year, in 2015, the Uplace-BMC Team has finished in more than 60% of its races on the podium.
During the first nine months of 2015, the team participated in 45 races (10 Ironman distance, 29 half-distance, 6 Olympic distance). Overall, the team won 13 times and finished 31 times on the podium. The list of victories includes the record breaking 8th victory for Ronnie Schildknecht at IRONMAN Switzerland, IRONMAN Cairns and the Latin American Championship IM 70.3 in Brasilia.
Holistic approach and professional support
Bart Verhaeghe, President of the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team said “Last year’s results were impressive. I am very pleased that the team continues to perform at this level. It shows that our holistic approach keeps paying off. After a very solid season so far, all eyes are now on delivering at this year’s IRONMAN World Championship.
“It has always been our ultimate ambition to challenge for the victory in Hawaii. We strive to get on the podium this season and I really believe we have the athletes to do so.”
He continued, “I am also excited about the long term, sustainable future for the team. Thanks to the continued support of BMC and the growing engagement of Etixx we will be able to continue to grow and to create a real legacy in triathlon. As founding partner, Uplace, will continue the operational running of the team and offer the team’s unique professional support structure. We are proud to continue next season as the BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team powered by Uplace.”
General Manager Bob De Wolf added “This season we had two very clear ambitions. First of all we wanted to continue building on a sustainable future for the team. Therefore it was a fantastic moment and a real milestone to be able to announce the continuation of our team as the BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team powered by Uplace for 2016 and 2017.
“The continuous commitment of BMC, Etixx and Uplace, enables us to create real longevity, unprecedented in triathlon history. Secondly our focus this year was to keep performing at the same outstanding level as we did last season and continue our journey as one of the leading teams in the world.
“I am pleased with the solid results we showed this year so far. It really sets us up for a top performance at the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii. Last year we really showed strength in depth as a team – with five of our athletes finishing in the top 12, but missed that one outstanding result. This year we want a place on the podium. We have the talent and quality in the team to do this.”
Ready for Hawaii with big ambitions
On 10 October, the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team will be present in Kona with five athletes at the starting line of the IRONMAN World Championship. Team athletes are Liz Blatchford, Sofie Goos, Bart Aernouts, Romain Guillaume and Ronnie Schildknecht. (Corinne Abraham, who also qualified will not start due to an infection.)
The Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team is billed as the largest, most ambitious project in professional triathlon. Nine world-class athletes race for Uplace-BMC: Corinne Abraham, Bart Aernouts, Liz Blatchford, Dirk Bockel, Will Clarke, Helle Frederiksen, Sofie Goos, Romain Guillaume and Ronnie Schildknecht.
Real estate group Uplace and bike manufacturer BMC Switzerland serve as the team’s sponsors. Additional support is provided by: Shimano/Pro bike components, Pearl Izumi race and training clothing, Etixx sports nutrition, Lululemon casual clothing, Continental tubulars, Giro helmets, Tacx bike trainers and drink bottles, fi’zi:k saddles, Sailfish wetsuits, Sands Beach Active for warm weather training, BMW Le Couter, Adidas Eyewear, Ogio lifestyle and sports bags, Technogel mattresses and pillows, Bakala Academy sports-scientific support, Best Swim Centre, Sportoase pool and gym facilities, Assumax insurance Scicon bike bags and TrainingPeaks training data management.
