The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has announced a three-year partnership with Canyon that will see the German firm become the Official Bike Partner of the new PTO Tour. The tie-up got under way at this weekend’s Collins Cup (August 20).
Canyon’s credentials in triathlon are well-known, having sponsored and developed bikes with elite athletes such as Jan Frodeno, Patrick Lange, Daniela Bleymehl and Laura Philipp.
According to PTO, the new partnership… ‘is seen by both parties as a way to emphasise the uniqueness of triathlon and to strengthen the interaction between pro and age group athletes. At the same time, Canyon and the PTO plan to offer riders on-site services that were previously reserved only for pro athletes.
‘The partnership will focus on a shared ambition to excite, engage and grow triathlon’s fan base around the world through a combination of high quality content and the provision of support and educational initiatives at and around PTO Tour events.’
Tim Godfrey, Chief Marketing Officer at PTO, said “This is a brilliant partnership for both parties on a number of levels. Canyon and the PTO share a very similar philosophy and commitment to taking the sport to the next level.
“Their unrivalled expertise, bike know-how and relationships with leading athletes such as Jan Frodeno and Laura Philipp will immediately add significant value to the PTO’s Professional and Age Grouper propositions aimed at exciting, engaging and growing triathlon’s fan base around the world.”
Simon Summerscales, Global Head of Marketing at Canyon, added “We’re big fans of what the PTO is trying to achieve with its athlete-owned disruptive business model.
“The PTO is bringing an innovative approach to growing participation within the sport, for both the professional athletes and also for the age groupers, who get the unique opportunity to watch the performances of the pros on the new PTO Tour and then race on the same courses.
“That really resonated with our own mission to inspire more people to get on a bike and ride, which we will bring to life through fun and innovative interactions such as educational content, prize-giving and event activation, in particular this year at the Collins Cup and the PTO US Open.”
The inaugural PTO Tour race schedule for 2022 includes: the inaugural PTO Canadian Open (July 23-24); the second edition of US$1.5M Ryder Cup-style Collins Cup (August 20), which sees Team Europe take on Team US and Team International; and the first PTO US Open (September 17-18).
Each Open carries a minimum prize purse of US$1m for pro triathletes and will be raced over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run). In 2023 and 2024, the PTO Tour plans to expand with the PTO European Open and the PTO Asian Open, alongside its US and Canadian equivalents and the Collins Cup.
