Making the Most of It: The 2020 Quintana Roo Year in Review

The year 2020 is one most of us are happy to have behind us. But it wasn’t a total writeoff. Inspiring as ever, Quintana Roo triathletes managed to find motivation and drive during a year that brought incredible setback. From Ironman’s virtual race series to your own Strava segment chases (and those wild Everesting efforts!), 2020 will be one for the record books.

Yet before and while the world shifted across the globe due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there were races. Actual races! (There were—we promise!) Some of our 2020 faves?

Great Britain’s Joe Skipper headed to New Zealand in early March to improve on his runner-up results of 2016 and ‘18. And he achieved just that, taking his first ever victory in Taupo, in big fashion. A 4:13 bike split aboard his PRsix Disc set the table for a blistering run that helped him earn a remarkable sub-eight time of 7:54:18. 

In August, Skipper was sequestered at home in the U.K., but he wasn’t done playing on his bike. With no triathlons on the docket, he pivoted to time trials. Long ones. The British 12-hour championships was his target, and he attacked it, setting a new course record by turning over 325.5 miles in those 12 hours.

Norwegian Allan Hovda wasn’t about to let one of his crown jewels, the Norseman Triathlon, lay idle in 2020. While it was cancelled, he decided (with the event director’s blessing, in order to capture it in a truly unique setting) to take it on solo.

How does Hovda back that up? In mid-July, he set out on a solo 24-hour time trial. Result? 889 kilometers (that’s 552 miles) and 12,530 kilojoules burned in 24 hours (and eight seconds). We can only guess he was eating ALL the things after that one!

In June amid the Black Lives Matter Movement, Quintana Roo’s parent company, American Bicycle Group (ABG) initiated the formation of ABG’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Tasked with seeking out opportunities for positive change within our company and with our partners, it’s our hope our efforts can help create a more inclusionary experience for minorities in multisport and cycling.

Matt Hanson was certainly the guy for all seasons, bookending his year with strong opening to the year, and then a duo of big late-season results.

It began in Mexico with a win at Ironman 70.3 Campeche. With Florida opening for business in the fall, that allowed for the (re)start of multisport events there. The first would come in Panama City Beach, Florida, where he notched a runner-up finish with a remarkable sub-eight-hour effort in 7:55:02 on Nov. 7^th. A month later, Hanson put a bow on the year at the PTO Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. In what will be remembered as one of the biggest long course versus short course head-to-head battles, and a remarkable rush through the field on the bike and run, to finish second in one of the biggest pro purse races in the sport’s history.

Of course, this year we debuted two bikes: The PRsix2 became our newest apex predator superbike, adding a fully integrated hydration system (and more!) to the PRsix, making it faster (and more practical) than ever, helping the above athletes to their 2020 accolades.

And we broke new barriers with the debut of the SRfive, Quintana Roo’s first aero road bike. It only made sense; with our expertise in aerodynamics, it was a sure thing our fast, fully fit-adjustable SRfive would be the perfect complement to any QR triathlete’s stable of bikes.

What will 2021 bring? Like you, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the world as we know it will return to normal, and we can get back to celebrating your achievements in training and racing together and in person. We all know you’re tired of those long solo trainer rides.

Before too long, we’ll announce which races we plan and hope to attend this year. We can’t wait to see you and support you in person on your next adventures.

And Zoom? You can take a hike!

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