TeamTBB – the world’s premiere triathlon team announces today its re-launch for the 2014 / 2015 season with continued focus on its mission of operating a sustainable and professional sports organisation that helps improve lives around the world.
TeamTBB will operate in 5 different countries being Belgium, Germany, USA, Thailand and Japan whereby each country organisation will be managed by an appointed teamTBB country coach. The team’s country coaches together with the team owner Alex Bok will form the day-to-day management of the global teamTBB organisation.
TeamTBB has become the world’s longest running professional team since its launch in 2007 with many race successes; among which are 5 World Championships and 47 Ironman wins. Equally impressive however has been the team’s vision to provide hope and opportunity for young athletes who aspire the tough transition from amateur athlete to a full-time professional athlete. This particular transition has proven to be extremely difficult from both a financial and from a coaching perspective.
The teamTBB coaches have been trained to help athletes at all levels to be “The Best you can Be“ and as a team continue to serve athletes from a beginners level to world-class athletes through a 3-tiered program starting with age-group athlete coaching, elite athlete development and a small group of professional athletes.
With this new coaching structure in place for teamTBB, a sensible approach will be taken this year whereby a small team of young professional athletes will be developed from the ground up over a 24-month period. Among some of the new professional athletes are a number of two times age-group world champions from both Kona (Ironman) and Las Vegas (IM 70.3) combined with a number of existing teamTBB athletes. The team will quickly re-establish its unique model where its professional athletes serve as role models to a pool of elite development athletes by providing inspiration and motivation to the want-to-be professional athletes. “Our professional athletes will hopefully continue to deliver again the visible proof that if you work hard, anything is possible!” claims team owner Alex Bok.
The teamTBB appointed country coaches include Joseph Spindler as their appointed German teamTBB coach, Jill Fry, coaching teamTBB USA, Loic Helin, for teamTBB Belgium and Hiroyuki Nishiuchi, managing teamTBB Japan. The Thailand country coach is to be announced. Each of these country coaches have had many personal world-class triathlon successes and while they continue to strive to have many more, are focused on helping teamTBB pro-athletes, elite development athletes and age groupers realize their dreams and ultimate goals.
The teamTBB Global Pro Team supports Christian Nitschke of Germany, whose career highlights include winning Cologne226 Triathlon and the Osteeman Triathlon in Germany. Diana Riesler, a seasoned pro triathlete, continues with teamTBB winning the long distance race at Challenge Vichy as well as coming in 3rd at Ironman 70.3 Barcelona last year. Andrej Vistica, who has been a development athlete with teamTBB since 2011, took home a Challenge Vichy and Porec Half Ironman Distance win. Stefanie Adam, who has been extremely successful in winning her age group at the Ironman World Championships in Kona in both 2012 and 2013 while also winning La Roche 111 Triathlon in June of this year, teamTBB have proudly supported her transition from age grouper to pro athlete. A young Belgian pro-athlete who recently joined teamTBB this year a short course specialist, Francois Humblet, has had many successes in 2014 with wins at 4 regional races while coming in 2nd at Powerman Luxembourg. Maki Nishiuchi,who after taking a year off to look after her first born child is back on track racing as a pro again by winning her first race in 2014 at the Goto Nagasaki International Triathlon. Lastly Japanese double Olympian, Hiroyuki Nishiuchi, continues to represent teamTBB. The team is a great global presence in the triathlon community.
Any professional team that operates on a global basis with a group of professional athletes requires strong support from a number of sponsors. TeamTBB is therefore very proud to announce the continued support of Singha Corporation as the team’s global corporate title sponsor. Singha Corporation is a world-class producer of beer, mineral water, food products and sport beverages with its headquarters in Thailand. This world-class organisation has a highly respected global sports marketing program in place partnering with world-class teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea football club from the English Premier League and the Red Bull Formula 1 Racing Team. Singha Corporation and teamTBB are keen to jointly support the sport of triathlon both in Thailand and abroad and are focused in establishing a sustainable program that will continue to produce triathlon champions.
Other sponsors include long running partners of teamTBB, Cobb Cycling from the USA with the support of their world class bike saddles, components and bike fitting support from John Cobb and the TBB Apparel brand who design and produce the world class apparel line worn by all the team’s professional and elite development athletes.
TeamTBB professional athletes have already won various regional races in Europe in the recent weeks and will attend some of the big and upcoming races such as Ironman Frankfurt and Challenge Roth taking place in July followed by Ironman Western Australia and Challenge Phuket later in the year.
While the ambitions for the year 2014 need to be aligned with the re-launch of the team, one of the goals is to ensure teamTBB will be back in contention to win long-distance events from both the Ironman and Challenge organisation in the years ahead.
For more information and details about the teamTBB athletes and coaches, please check the website www.teamtbb.com
For additional information, please visit www.teamtbb.com