Italian apparel brand Castelli has confirmed a new partnership with the Pewag Racing Team, ‘Austria’s premier triathlon team’. With 7 pro athletes and over 30 elite age group athletes in the team, Castelli is looking to further its ‘support of elite races as we use their feedback to help make our products even better.’
Headlining Pewag Racing Team are Faris Al-Sultan and Marino Vanhoenacker. Faris won the 2005 Ironman World Championship and has placed in the top 10 another 8 times in Kona as well as another 8 Ironman victories.
Marino has won 11 Ironman events worldwide and, as Castelli points out, is looking good to improve on his 2010 podium finish in Kona. With recent victories in Ironman Canada, IM 70.3 Luxembourg and IM 70.3 Zell-am-See he has recovered from an injury-plagued 2013 season.
Other athletes on the pro roster on the Pewag Racing Team are Vincent Riess, Flo Kriegl, Daniel Niederreiter, alongside 2014 Trimotion Saalfelden winner Lis Gruber, and Rene Vallant.
Pewag Racing Team Manager Werner Leitner said, “We are really happy to have Castelli on board. Race and training apparel is an extremely important part of a triathlete’s equipment and synced with our main partner Pewag, which produces industrial chains for the premium segment, our goal is to equip our athletes with the best available product on the market.”
Castelli Brand Manager Steve Smith added, “From our first contact with Pewag Racing Team we found a team with a relentless pursuit for the best equipment combined with a deep seated love for triathlon. The Austrian and German markets are a strategic area for us; so we’re happy for the visibility the team will give us in their home markets, but also in their strong international results. It feels like a good match.”
Pewag Racing Team will be using Castelli’s Ironman winning Free race suits in various versions to maximize performance over different distances and in different weather conditions. The team will also benefit from Castelli’s renowned cycling gear to ‘help the athletes train in maximum comfort in every possible condition.’
While the agreement officially begins in 2015, Marino and Faris debuted their Castelli gear on Saturday 11 October at the Ironman World Championship, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
With roots that date back to 1876, Castelli has a long history of cycling-industry firsts, including ‘the first Lycra racing shorts, the first coloured shorts, the first sublimation-printed jerseys, the first windproof membranes, the first anatomic seat pad, the lightest jersey ever produced and the most aerodynamic jersey ever produced.’
www.castelli-cycling.com
www.pewag.at/pewagracingteam
