1) I will be sponsored in 2007 for Inside Triathlon Magazine
2) Thanks
Inside Triathlon is building a team for 2007 with 15 men and 15 women. I applied a few days ago and here was the response from Lars Finanger:
- Greta - my wife. She doesn't complain about my training, the spandex all over the house, disappearing for half a day on the weekends, or all of the bags, bikes, food in powder format and my 8:30pm bedtime. She's supportive in more ways that I will probably ever acknowledge. I'm lucky - I picked a good one. I owe her much. She's also a fox and owns her own ad agency.
- Scott Fairchild - An amazingly generous, smart, and well connected guy. He asked me about 6 times about getting me a sweet bike. I kept putting it off and then one day took him up on it. He's given me a ton of great opportunities and support. I dont' think I have much in my arsenal that he hasn't provided: Hed wheels and Hed VO4 TT bike, a Kestrel Talon SL, Orca wetsuit, Under Armour clothing, etc... There isn't a person in traithlon who doesn't know Scott. It also just so happens that he's also an agent and friend of Chris McCormack - a guy whose interviews I read over and over just to get fired up about racing. Says 'mate' a lot. Wins even more. His wife is a fox too (she's Greta's cousin).
- Tracy Shriver - A good friend from Seattle and now Austin. We've ridden hundreds if not thousands of miles - mostly bonked - together. He's a triathlete who can win on salt water taffy, whole milk, a few donuts and 2-3 beers - just talented and does well at whatever he tries. He's also the reason I turned off comments on my blog. I was visiting him in Austin for his wedding and saw the CapTex Tri that same weekend. That's what got me back out on the bike and training. I am not sure if he gets credit for this.
- Chris Tremonte - A pro and friend from Redmond, WA. Chris is a wealth of triathlon information. I first saw him as the first pro to exit the water at the Kirkland Triathlon last season - he was then in Triathlete Magazine a month later. I searched him out and found that he's a great guy, focused, talented (I've never actually seen a rooster tail behind anyone swimming - he goes THAT fast). You ask him a question and you'll get 1-2 pages of a response. He also takes pictures of his weekly produce run and posts them on his blog. I wish he was here to train with in CA. He was easy to talk out of working in order to go ride.
- Ben Collins - He's got hairy legs but can whoop you so fast you'll mess your chamois. I don't think I've ridden with anyone as talented as Ben. He was ranked in Triathlon Magazine as the best age grouper under 25 and is ranked #1 in USAT for under 25. I can only find inspiration from this guy because I can't even sit on his wheel for a 5 min effort. I do know that he can't sprint for crap. Look for Ben to win age group worlds and then turn pro. He's also easy to talk into turning a 2 hour ride into 3-4 hours. He's also sponsored by Inside Triathlon for 2007.