LONDON, UK (April, 2019)– IRONMAN©, a Wanda Sports Holdings company, today announced a two year partnership with 120-year-old Italian bike saddles brand, Selle Italia, which is set to provide athletes with access to industry-leading expertise at IRONMAN® and IRONMAN® 70.3® events.
The partnership will see Selle Italia present at IRONMAN® and IRONMAN® 70.3® events in Spain, France, Austria, Germany, UK, Luxemburg and Italy and USA. Selle Italia will be showcasing their products and providing a specialist service to a large proportion of IRONMAN’s 250,000 annual participants, and will use the partnership to help advance triathlon-specific bike saddle technology globally.
By partnering with the number one mass participation company in the world, Selle Italia are taking another step to demonstrate their commitment to driving forward advancements in long-distance triathlon through increased investment and research. In January 2019 Selle Italia announced a partnership with reigning IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange, the first triathlete in the world to break the eight-hour barrier in the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawai’i in 2018. Selle Italia’s research and development team will work with Lange to design a new saddle, specifically developed for the IRONMAN race discipline. Selle Italia will use IRONMAN’s events and platforms to educate athletes on the research, technology and results, and provide first-hand access to the products.
“IRONMAN and Selle Italia recognise that athlete comfort and positioning in the saddle can have a significant impact not only on the bike section of an IRONMAN race, but also knock-on effects on the swim and the run. We are certain that Selle Italia will improve the IRONMAN athlete experience through more comfortable and enjoyable races, as well as faster races”, said Peter Gallagher, Director of Global Partnerships for IRONMAN EMEA.
Giuseppe Bigolin, President of Selle Italia, commented: ”This is a great challenge for Selle Italia and its history. Supporting the IRONMAN circuit is a wonderful opportunity for our company to strongly establish ourselves within the triathlon world and to provide our expertise to this growing sport. Tenacity and determination are values that we share; knowing this, we are certain that together we will be able to create projects and opportunities that will be crucial for the development of new products and new technologies, guaranteeing athletes maximum performance and comfort.“
This news follows a string of new partnership announcements for IRONMAN Europe, including Santini cycling and triathlon clothing brand and KASK leading sports helmet brand.
For more information on Selle Italia, visit www.selleitalia.com. For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com.
