Fuji wins first Race of 2012 at Tour Down Under!!

Jan 18 2012

Will Clarke Wins Tour Down Under Stage 2!

Fuji's First World Tour Win of 2012!

(Philadelphia, PA) January 18, 2011 - From an end-of-the-season Grand Tour victory to a first-of-the-year World Tour win, Fuji proved today - perhaps more than ever - that it belongs in the pro peloton.

Staying away for an entire stage, Will Clarke - racing for Uni-SA (University of South Australia national team) before joining his Champion System teammates - triumphantly crossed the Tour Down Under's Stage 2 finish line Wednesday atop his Fuji SST 3.0: a bike he received just days before the start of the race from Fuji distributor Oceania Bicycles.

Oceania Managing Director David Hall couldn't be more thrilled with the win, not only for what it means for the country but what it means for the Fuji brand.

"We are ecstatic that an Aussie won right here on home turf. Clarke wowed the world today with such a dominant and inspired ride. Everyone at Fuji Australia is very proud and feels as if we played a little part in this great victory."

He added, "What I think is really worth noting is that the frame and fork Clarke raced on are the stock frame from an SST 3.0 - a mid-level bike that is clearly ready to win at the Pro Tour level."

Clarke broke away from the peloton only 1 kilometer into the 148-km stage from Lobethal to Stirling.

The initial break consisted of Clarke and Martin Kohler of BMC. While Kohler ate up the initial sprint points, Clarke claimed victory on the Category 2 Lenswood climb and then dropped Kohler, pushing ahead solo.

His lead peaked at a remarkable 12 minutes and heading into the final circuit, he retained a more than 10-minute lead.

While it significantly diminished in the final lap, an exhausted Clarke refused to give up. As the finish line came into sight, he was greeted by what many called a "hero's welcome," an eruption of cheers for the underdog who left an unsuspecting peloton in the dust.

The 26-year-old's first-ever victory on the World Tour stage, Clarke called the win simply "unbelievable" and the "biggest win of his career." He now leads both the Sprints Classification and the KOM heading into the Tour's final four stages.

"What a great way to start the season. The first of many wins, I hope," said Champion System General Manager Ed Beamon.

This is the second time Fuji has won a stage at the Tour Down Under, the first under Manuel Cardoso in Stage 3 of the TDU 2010. Both Cardoso and Clarke won aboard Fuji's aero carbon bike, the SST.

Watch Clarke power through the final kilometers - 1 minute ahead of his nearest chasers - HERE!

Learn what Clarke's Champion System teammates have been up to at Fuji's pro team blog: www.fujibikes.com/proteam. Photos and insider details from Team Training Camp coming tomorrow!

ABOUT FUJI BIKES

Established in 1899, the Fuji brand is one of the oldest surviving bicycle brands in the world. Fuji's steadfast philosophy in utilizing the most advanced technology and incorporating elite athlete input into its high-performance products has enabled the brand to endure while others have faltered. Fuji offers a complete line of premium bikes - road, specialty, mountain, women's, kids, urban, transportation, comfort, and cruiser - through its network of specialty bicycle retailers across the globe. To learn more, please visit www.fujibikes.com

Fuji's Juan Jose Cobo Takes 3rd in Vuelta!!

Aug 29 2011

Fuji's Cobo takes 3rd in Vuelta Stage 9!

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GEOX-TMC One Step Closer to Madrid Podium

Juan Jose Cobo upon crossing the finish line of the Vuelta's 9th stage, where he snagged 3rd in the final sprint. © Bettini

With a late jump from Garmin Cervelo's Daniel Martin in the closing meters of the the 2011 Vuelta a España's 9th stage, it was a fight for the podium among the top GC contenders - a battle that GEOX-TMC's Juan Jose Cobo won!

Cobo, aboard his Fuji Altamira, out-sprinted a surging Bradley Wiggins for 3rd in the Vuelta's first "real" summit finish!

And on the stage's 18.2-km finishing ascent that averaged a 5.8% grade but rose severely in the final 8 kilometers, it wasn't only Cobo who dominated; GEOX-TMC's silent assassin put his climbing prowess on display for the second day in a row, claiming another top-ten finish. Menchov came across the line 8th, 11 seconds back of stage winner Martin.

And GEOX-TMC's Stage 9 successes didn't stop with Cobo and Menchov. With Fabio Duarte coming across the line 21st (50 seconds back) and Carlos Sastre 36th (2:03 back), GEOX-TMC won the Stage 9 Team Classification and assumed 1st overall!

For more photos and insider details from Stage 9 or to find out what Cobo had to say about his podium finish, check out Fuji's pro team blog - www.fujibikes.com/proteam - or click HERE!

After today's Stage 10 individual TT, which saw more great team performances, Cobo moved up to 8th in the overall GC and Menchov leaped to 13th. Details from the 47-km Salamanca time trial coming soon to the team blog!

Kestrel's Andy Potts wins Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

Jun 06 2011

(Philadelphia, PA) June 6, 2011 - Kestrel's Andy Potts is simply on fire: 2 wins in back-to-back weekends, 4 wins for the 2011 season. He's a force to be reckoned with.

Potts earned his latest victory Sunday at the 1.5-mile swim, 18-mile bike, and 8-mile run from the notorious Alcatraz island prison toSan Franciso's Golden Gate Park for his 4^th Alcatraz title (previous wins in 2007, 2008, and 2009).

Potts finished the course in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 45 seconds, winning by a margin of 34 seconds over second-place Bevan Dougherty.

The highlight of the course for Potts was his race-best 46:35 bike ride, where he overtook the field on his Kestrel 4000 and went into the run with a 2-minute lead. "Andy is out-of-this-world talented!" said Kestrel Brand Manager Steve Harad. "It's an honor for us to see him ride the 4000, and it's carrying him to some major victories." "He's in such great form, I can't wait to see what he does next," added Harad of Potts, who is starting to talk about a potential Olympic run.

Planet X Sponsors USPRO TRI

Jun 05 2011

Deal Signed with US Pro Tri Team

The ink has just dried on the contract to supply bikes and wheels to USPro Tri - Professional Triathlon Team. We’ve been very busy designing a custom Exocet Triathlon bike codenamed “Team America”, and will be making a limited batch of 82/101 wheels too.

Planet X is proud to be supporting the up and coming team with SL Pro bikes for training (lucky bleeders) fast and deadly Exocets for racing. The lucky lot will also get a shipment of our legendary carbon 82/101 wheelsets.

Limited Edition Team bikes:

As part of the sponsorship deal we’ve been very busy designing a custom Exocet Triathlon bike codenamed “Team America”. This is an exclusive first look at the bike design. Let us know what you think using comments box and Facebook.

The Team

This year’s team looks to be the strongest yet which includes the following athletes:

Ryan Bates – top 10 70.3 finisher and team director
Daniel Bretscher – top 5 and top American 70.3 finishes, former USAT pro rookie and amateur of the year
Mike Caiazzo – top 5 finishes at both 70.3 and Ironman races, former Elite Long Course National Champ
Ryan Giuliano – runner up at both Long Course and Short Course duathlon Nationals
Manny Huerta - 3rd American currently in ITU WCS, currently ranked high enough for Olympic Team spot
Kevin Lisska – top 10 70.3 finishes, top American finish at Long Course Elite Worlds
Kyle Pawlaczyk – top 10 70.3 finishes after only 2 years total triathlon racing
Zach Ruble – top 5 and top 10 finishes as well as top American at 70.3 and Ironman races
Rich Swor – top 10 finishes at olympic distance classics
Tony White – top 5 finishes at 70.3 distance

Fuji Rider Dennis Menchov takes 7th in the Giro d'Italia

May 17 2011

3 weeks, 21 stages of 3,494 kilometers of rugged, undulating terrain. 7 mountaintop finishes. 2,236 meters in elevation. Snow, rain, sweat, tears. Tragedy. Crashes. Triumphs.

The 2011 Giro d'Italia, billed as the toughest Giro ever, had it all. And in the ultimate test of man and machine, Fuji-sponsored GEOX-TMC not only survived, they battled their way to the front of the peloton.

The win went to Alberto Contador, who claimed his second pink jersey in an unfathomably dominant and impressive fashion. And the dueling Italians, Michele Scarponi and Vincenzo Nibali took 2^nd and 3^rd respectively.

But GEOX-TMC's silent assassin, 2009 Giro d'Italia winner Denis Menchov, came alive in the final week, as he's so apt to do, and fought his way into the top ten of the final general classification.

And despite losing their spectacular Columbian climber and 5^th stage podium finisher Fabio Duarte to injury, losing 2010 Tour de France Stage 7 podium finisher Rafael Valls to insurmountable fatigue, and the entire team fighting an ongoing battles with allergies and respiratory infections, the GEOX-TMC squad put together a remarkable overall performance, which catapulted them to 5^th in the overall Teams Classification.

And not to mention Marcel Wyss' 7th place finish in the Young Riders Classification.

GEOX-TMC made Fuji very proud, earning our brand's first top ten in a grand tour in our more than century-long heritage. The team showed Italy and the entire world that Fuji deserves to be at the front of the peloton. Congratulations to Denis Menchov and the entire GEOX-TMC squad and staff!

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