This weekend’s Challenge Miami is serving as backdrop to Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander launching the Vespa Professional Triathlon Team.
The first athletes for the new team have been announced as: Lucy Charles-Barclay, Sarah Crowley, Rudy Von Berg and Heather Jackson.
Headed up by Craig Alexander – the 5x World Triathlon Champion and former IRONMAN World Championship course record holder – the team’s main sponsor is Vespa (produced by the Piaggio scooter company).
‘The Vespa Professional Triathlon Team was created to celebrate the traits shared between Vespa and the sport of triathlon. Notably, both are known for their commitment to high performance and cutting edge style.’
Slated to include ‘12 of the world’s most accomplished and charismatic pro triathletes by the end of 2021’, the Vespa Triathlon Team will make its debut at the Challenge Distance Pro Race in Miami on Friday, March 12, 2021.
“We’re thrilled to bring a classic brand like Vespa to the sport of triathlon,” said team founder Craig Alexander.
“Despite the challenges of 2020 due to the pandemic, Vespa remained focused on creating a program that touches all levels of triathlon. While we’re launching the campaign in partnership with some of the best professionals in our sport, we’ll soon be announcing other initiatives designed to improve the multisport experience for triathletes at all levels.”
Four pros will represent the Vespa Professional Triathlon Team for the first time at this Friday’s Challenge Distance Pro Race, which takes place entirely within the grounds of the Homestead-Miami Motorsports Speedway. They are:
Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) – current PTO World Ranking: 2
One of triathlon’s top swimmers, Lucy has been runner-up at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawai’i, three times. She’s also a 3x winner of Challenge Family’s The Championship, a 2x Ironman African Champion, and winner of Challenge Roth in 2019…. among other event wins.
Sarah Crowley (AUS) – current PTO World Ranking: 4
A long-course specialist, in 2017 Sarah won the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, the IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championships and IRONMAN European Championships. She has also claimed the bronze medal twice at the IRONMAN World Championships in Hawaii (2017 and 2019).
Rudy Von Berg (USA) – current PTO World Ranking: 8
This 2x USA Collegiate Champion has successfully transitioned to a pro career. Rudy has won multiple Regional Championships including the IRONMAN 70.3 European Championships (2018, 2019), the South American Championships (2018, 2019) and the 2019 North American Championships. He earned the bronze medal at the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France, and won the 2020 IRONMAN Les Sables.
Heather Jackson (USA) – current PTO World Ranking: 13
Heather is the American IRONMAN record holder. She has placed in the top five in Kona four times, including winning bronze in 2016. Heather has also medalled twice at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships (third in 2012 and second in 2013).
Current world rankings as calculated by the Professional Triathletes Organization.
Team head Craig Alexander said “For most of my career, I rode a Vespa scooter to get to and from training, especially when we lived in Boulder, CO. I also relied on it for my motor-paced bike sessions.
At larger events like the Hawaii Ironman, it was the only way to get around. That’s why it’s especially satisfying to have gone full-circle and to be working with Vespa on this exciting project that will significantly contribute to the sport we love.”
Vespa is the eponymous Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. The name means ‘wasp’ in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model of motor scooter manufactured in 1946 to a full line of internal combustion and electric scooters sold worldwide today.
