Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team primed for World Championship Ironman in Hawaii

On the 20th of January 2014, Bart Verhaeghe, president and founder, and Bob Wolf, General Manager, announced the launch of the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team, one of the largest professional triathlon teams in the world. 21 months later, in the final stage to Hawaii, it is time to make the balance of one of the most ambitious and professional projects in the history of triathlon.

It seemed virtually impossible to better last year’s results but also 2015 has been a very solid season for the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team. Similar to last year, their  athletes managed to finish in more than 60% of the races on the podium.

During the first nine months, the team participated in 45 races (10 Ironman distance, 29 half-distance, 6 Olympic distance). Overall, the team won 13 times and finished 31 times on the podium. The list of victories includes the record breaking 8^th victory for Ronnie Schildknecht in Ironman Switzerland, Ironman Cairns and the Latin American Championship IM70.3 in Brasilia.

Bart Verhaeghe, president of the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team, indicates: “Last year’s results were impressive; I am very pleased that the team continues to perform at this level. It shows that our holistic approach keeps paying off. After a very solid season so far, all eyes are now on delivering at this year’s Ironman World Championship. It has always been our ultimate ambition to challenge for the victory in Hawaii. We strive to get on the podium this season and I really believe we have the athletes to do so.”

“I am also excited about the long term, sustainable future for the team. Thanks to the continued support of BMC and the growing engagement of Etixx we will be able to continue to grow and to create a real legacy in the triathlon sport.   As founding partner, Uplace, will continue the operational running of the team and offer the team’s unique professional support structure. We are proud to continue next season as the BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team powered by Uplace.”

General Manager Bob De Wolf adds: “This season we had two very clear ambitions. First of all we wanted to continue building on a sustainable future for the team. Therefore it was a fantastic moment and a real milestone to be able to announce the continuation of our team as the BMC-Etixx Pro Triathlon Team powered by Uplace for 2016 en 2017. The continuous commitment of BMC, Etixx and Uplace, enables us to create real longevity, unprecedented in triathlon history. Secondly our focus this year was to keep performing at the same outstanding level as we did last season and continue our journey as one of the leading teams in the world. I am pleased with the solid results we showed this year so far. It really sets us up for a top performance at the World Championship Ironman in Hawaii. Last year we really showed strength in dept as a team with 5 of our athletes finishing in the top 12, but missed that one outstanding result. This year we want a place on the podium. We have the talent and quality in the team to do this. “

On the 10th of October, the Uplace-BMC Pro Triathlon Team will be present with five athletes at the starting line of the World Championship Ironman. Our qualified athletes are Liz Blatchford, Sofie Goos, Bart Aernouts, Romain Guillaume and Ronnie Schildknecht. Corinne Abraham, who also qualified will not start due to an infection. The ambitions for Kona are clear, all of our athletes are able to achieve a top 10 finish with podium opportunities for both women and men.

The personal ambitions of our triathletes:

Liz Blatchford,: “The last few months indicate that I am in good shape. Most of all I would just like to execute a close to perfect race. If I manage to do that feel a top 5 finish would be realistic with the ultimate goal to be on the podium.”

Sofie Goos: “It is my sixth time that I will race Hawaii.   Until now, I never had a great race there, but I would like to prove that this is also a race where I can show my best level.   A good result will naturally follow.”

Bart Aernouts: “This year, the Ironman World Championship was my only goal. I hope to have an almost perfect race. On such a day, I can do great things in Kona.”

Romain Guillaume: “Last year I realized a dream by finishing 10th at the World Championship Ironman in Hawaii. I was really happy with that result last year but I think that with a perfect day I can even improve on that performance. This year a top 8 finish is my goal.”

Ronnie Schildknecht: “My goal is to have the perfect race which I believe will put me in the top 5 when I cross the line at the pier in Kailua Kona.”