The Most Beautiful Race: Freestyle Tri at Challenge Sanremo

Photo: Challenge Sanremo

If you love triathlon, you probably get a lot of inspiration from watching pros train and race. For me, Jenna and Miguel of Freestyle Tri have become one of my go-to YouTube channels when sitting on the trainer, prepping for my next race.

Miguel Mattox is a pro triathlete in his second year as a professional. Jenna Haufler is a top age group competitor hoping to move into the pro ranks. Together, they show us a different side of triathlon—one where fun and passion are just as important as performance and data.

One of my favorite Freestyle Tri videos came out last month after Miguel took on Challenge Sanremo, a middle distance race where he finished 11th in the pro field.

Sanremo is a destination I’ve dreamt of visiting and Challenge Sanremo might be the perfect way for triathletes to enjoy the city. The swim starts on a beautiful beach in the Mediterranean. The bike sends you straight into the mountains to tackle tough climbs and technical descents. The run takes you through historic tunnels in the city center. When you’re not racing, you can enjoy some of the best cafes, food, and views that the Italian Riviera has to offer.

To gather a bit of intel on one of my dream races, I decided to call Jenna and Miguel up to get all the details of their Challenge Sanremo experience.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Shop Triathlon Bikes

Who and What Is Freestyle Tri?

Quintana Roo: Tell me a bit about yourselves and why you started Freestyle Tri.

Miguel Mattox: I swam in college and went into triathlon because I was just looking for a way to stay in shape. I graduated after a pretty good college swimming career and was craving something competitive in my life. Triathlon was the perfect outlet for that. I got introduced to a coach, started competing at the age group level, and then made the jump to racing professionally. Somewhere in there, I met Jenna!

Jenna Haufler: My story is pretty similar. I swam in college and wanted to keep in shape somehow! When I found triathlon I was really excited to not just be in the pool for all of my exercise. It was good for my mental health and sanity too, being able to train outdoors and to bike around the parks in New York and experience the city in a different way.

We started the Freestyle Tri YouTube channel at the end of 2020 and we really started it for ourselves. We really wanted to capture and share how much fun we were having in this new sport that we had discovered.

MM: It’s so cool how Freestyle Tri has grown. It's received so much positive feedback from the triathlon community. The triathlon community is really unique. Whether you’re a pro or an age group racer, whoever you are, you can have a voice in the community and share your story. We love expressing ourselves and I’m glad it entertains people!

Visit Freestyle Tri

A Dream Van Trip Through Europe

That's kind of what Freestyle Tri is. It's us just trying to live our most ideal life.

QR: Why did you choose to travel to Europe and compete in Challenge Sanremo

JH: One of our sponsors, Ryzon, is based in Germany. They have vans that they loan out to their athletes and employees. We love traveling to races. We wondered, ‘What if we can build a part of our season to be in Europe, living out of the van, racing every couple of weeks, and just exploring this part of the world that we've never explored before.’

We brought Quintana Roo in on it because, of course, we wanted to race triathlons on the V-PRi, but we were also planning routes through the French Pyrenees and wanted to be able to ride road bikes on these grand climb.

Shop Aero Road Bikes

Somehow we were able to make this awesome six-week trip come together. We raced two events in Europe: Challenge Sanremo and Challenge Vieux Boucau.

MM: Also, this trip wouldn't have happened without Challenge. That was kind of how it all started. The van and the bikes made the trip a reality. But it was the beauty of these races that inspired us to go. Quintana Roo is sponsoring these races too, so there was a kind of synergy that happened too. That's kind of what Freestyle Tri is. It's us just trying to live our most ideal life.

A Road Triathlon Unlike Any Other

It's one of those courses where, if you have the opportunity to do it, you can’t pass it up.

QR: What Did You Think of the Challenge Sanremo Course?

MM: Sanremo is such a crazy race! The swim uses an Aussie exit. I'd never done an Aussie exit before so that was kind of startling! It was a pretty long one too. You actually had to get out and run some distance. But you're swimming in the Mediterranean, which is just perfect. It is so clear and blue.

Photos: Challenge Sanremo

The bike has so much technical climbing and descending. You hit something like 5 different microclimates too. You start at sea level and then at the top you end up in more alpine terrain with pine trees. It felt like such a surreal experience to be doing a triathlon in the mountains of Italy. Eventually, you take a turn and you can see the Mediterranean below as you descend.

The run was unique too. It was pretty flat, but half of it was in a dark pedestrian tunnel. The tunnel was like a cycling museum. There was a lot of stuff hanging up on the ceiling.

They definitely thought about how to make this a super unique course and it delivered. I was so happy to race it. It's one of those courses where, if you have the opportunity to do it, you can’t pass it up. It’s almost like an XTERRA race. It just has that sense of adventure.

Tri Bike vs. Road Bike: Choosing the Quintana Roo V-PRi 

The handling on the V-PRi is just so good. I feel so comfortable on it that I just don't think I would lose anything at all on the descents. 

QR: You went to Sanremo with your V-PRi tri bikes and SR5 road bikes. Which bike did you choose to race on and do you think you made the right choice?

MM: Go with whichever you’re more comfortable with. If you're more comfortable on a road bike, use your road bike! You're probably going to be just as fast on a road bike as you will be on a TT bike. I was more comfortable on the V-PRi. We did a lot of climbing leading up to the race and I was like taking my V-PRi out on mountain climbs that like I usually would just take my road bike out on.

That said, the one thing I was not prepared for was how technical the descent was. The climbing was fine. That was super fun. But I am just not a guy who wants to be racing descents. I've broken both of my arms in crashes this year, so I was very cautious. I don’t think I would have ridden it any differently on a road bike.

JH: I was actually going back and forth between the V-PRi and the SR5. There were a lot of people, even pros, last year that were racing on road bikes. I typically feel more comfortable descending on a road bike. I got sick and didn’t race. But before that, I had made the decision to race the V-PRi. The handling on the V-PRi is just so good. I feel so comfortable on it that I just don't think I would lose anything at all on the descents. And on the flats, I’d be so fast.

MM: We're fortunate to have the V-PRi. I rode it out here up climbs and down descents and on everything and I'm like, ‘This bike does everything!’ So I never worried about it. Maybe other triathletes will have more fun on a technical course on a road bike. But for me, when performance is everything, I have 100% faith in the V-PRi.

JH: Something that I really love about racing on the V-PRi is having the internal hydration and fuel storage. I've always been jealous of people who have that. It feels like it's just easier for me to fuel during races. I don't feel as encumbered trying to carry more bottles behind my saddle. I set a record and managed to fit 5 gels in the Fuelbay at Vieux Boucau.

Shop V-PRi

Making Tough Decisions: Pulling Out Due to Illness

QR: So, Jenna. You were supposed to race Challenge Sanremo, but unfortunately, you got sick right before and had to pull out. That’s never easy for an athlete, especially after traveling halfway around the world to race. Was it a tough decision? How did you deal with it?

JH: I mean, yes. Absolutely. The week before I had raced age group nationals. I had a good race that I was happy about. I won the 30-34 national title and was 4th overall. I was really excited to carry that momentum into the next weekend. But then I got seriously ill.

It’s always tough to make the decision to pull out. I didn’t want to. But it was a bit easier because I had Challenge Vieux Boucau two weeks later (Ed Note: Jenna podiumed in her age group!). I was really happy that we had another race planned during our trip. It really reduced the stress. Since I didn’t race, I was also able to be there to support Miguel and work on this really cool video.

MM: Sometimes it’s nice if the other person is just fully emotional support because there's so much anxiety and stress leading up to these events.

JH: But it was a little bit more complicated. I couldn’t do everything for you because I was really sick!

The Beauty of Challenge Sanremo

Photo: Challenge Sanremo

QR: Jenna, since you got to have the spectator experience in Sanremo, do you think it’s a good place for spectators and other non-racers to go? I may need some help to convince my partner to come with me…

JH: Oh yeah! It was amazing! Sanremo is right on the Mediterranean. It was so gorgeous. The town there is amazing. All the hotels are built into the hills and overlooking the sea. It was so cool just to be a spectator and to be a tourist in the town.

MM: I feel like the best part of spectating this race is the Aussie exit. You can see your athlete in the middle of the swim and cheer for them. The run is like 3 laps out and back through that tunnel so there are 6 opportunities on the run to see athletes and cheer. It was so nice to be able to see Jenna that often.

JH: Plus, there is a good cafe at every corner, so you can spend 2-3 hours exploring all the cafes during the bike. It was easy to get over-caffeinated!

Shop Triathlon Bikes