GETTING A DREAM TRIATHLON BIKE AND VISITING QR HEADQUARTERS
We're big fans of Noah Anderson here at Quintana Roo. If you're not familiar with Noah, he's an IRONMAN triathlete commonly known as "the mandarin guy" on Instagram. While his mandarin addiction is goofy and fun, it's also a key part of his nutrition plan during training. He's going to be eating a lot of mandarins this year because he's set an ambitious goal to qualify for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships.
Noah is no stranger to working hard toward big goals. Last year, he completed his first half-marathon, then his first IRONMAN 70.3, and then his first full IRONMAN. Qualifying is going to require shaving nearly an hour off his current 70.3 PR, so he has started working with a triathlon coach, ramping up his training, and dialing in his gear. To maximize his potential, he's going to be racing this year on the record-breaking Quintana Roo V-PRi.
Last month, Noah flew down to Quintana Roo headquarters in Chattanooga to pick up his brand-new bike. His V-PRi is built up with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 drivetrain, HED Vanquish Pro V84 and Disc wheelset, and Vision Metron TFE EVO Extensions on the Quintana Roo IIC basebar with our BTA Bottle System.
Because Noah is a relative newbie when it comes to bike mechanics, he needed a few tips for how to properly pack and travel with his triathlon bike. So we enlisted the help of one of our pro mechanics, Michael McNair. Michael is part of the team that is on the ground at major events across North America and Europe, providing free inspections, services, and repairs to QR athletes.
Michael walked Noah through many of the key skills he'll need to properly remove and install his axles, wheels, cockpit, and seatpost when he travels with his bike (skip to 21:00 in the video to see Michael's lesson!).
Noah also got to tour the Quintana Roo headquarters to see where we paint and assemble every frame. He met our lead engineer, Brad DeVaney, as well as our President and CEO, Chris Pascarella, who gave him tips and encouragement. Last but not least, Noah got to test out his new bike on the roads of Chattanooga withour own Hunter and Calvin, who are training for their first IRONMAN 70.3 in their Pros to Joes training series.
This episode is the first in his "Road to World Champs" docuseries on his YouTube Channel. We are excited to watch Noah progress as a triathlete, and we will definitely be following his journey as he pushes his limits and continues to inspire new athletes.
