Argon 18 Sees Increased Presence in Kona, 5th in Ironman Bike Count

Montreal, October 10th, 2016 —  Each year as the sun sets the day before of what is arguably triathlon’s big dance, tabulation counts are taken on bikes, wheels, drivetrains, helmets, pedals and the other goods used by the athletes. These calculations offer a glimpse into consumer behavior in the triathlon segment. Argon 18, the high-end bike manufacturer, had a 5% increase in the bike count for a total of 106 bikes, obtaining 5th position in this year’s annual Kona IRONMAN Bike Counts collected by LAVA Magazine.

“Achieving the 5th spot in the bicycle count at Kona is something our company is proud of. Around 35% of our bike count were 2016 Argon 18 models, confirming that our new models are very popular, our innovation and technology offering a compatible and adjustable fitting bike to men and women athletes,” said Gervais Rioux, Founder and CEO of Argon 18. “Our company is growing in all segments, triathlon included and we will continue to evolve.”

With an increase in the number of Argon 18 bikes in this year’s event, Argon 18 retained the 5th position (from 2015) in a dead heat with Scott in 2016 *. Argon 18 was positioned behind the large bike brands Cervelo (577), Trek (261), Specialized (209) and Felt (139), as was the same in 2015. (*Counts are formally tabulated by LAVA Magazine.)

Approximately 260,000 professional and age group athletes attempted to qualify for the 2016 IRONMAN World Championship through worldwide IRONMAN (full-distance), IRONMAN 70.3 (half-distance) races, or through the legacy or lottery programs. This year’s world championship field represents 64 countries and territories on six continents—the largest international athlete field in IRONMAN World Championship history.

2401 athletes are set to start at the cannon’s go 140.6-mile course, with 100 athletes making up the professional field.

“We came to Kona to support all our athletes in this iconic event. We serviced over 75 Argon 18 bikes for our athletes in four days of the expo, as well as hosted our athletes for a celebration event. As a company, triathlon is part of our core and our culture and we take great pride in that,” says Félix Yasenza, Director of Marketing and Communications, Argon 18.

Racing in the professional division for Argon 18 at this year’s World Championships are Tine Deckers, Alexandra Tondeur, Laurel Wassner and Bozzone along with noted Clif Bar’s CEO Kevin Cleary racing in the amateur field.

Over the last 24 months, the Canadian high-end bike manufacturer has experienced tremendous growth in every aspect. From significant expansion of distribution to over 70 countries and record product launches, to competing at the highest level of competition: road cycling (Tour de France, Vuelta a España), triathlon (World Champions Craig Alexander and Terenzo Bozzone), and Olympic track cycling (Danish National Track Cycling Team). Argon 18 also enters into partnership with UCI World Tour’s Astana Pro Team starting in 2017.

About Argon 18
Established in Montreal, Canada, since 1989, Argon 18 has built itself a strong reputation in the cycling world. Guided by Olympian and 3-time Canadian Champion Gervais Rioux, one of the most successful North-American racers of his generation, the manufacturing of all Argon 18 bikes is the result of a brilliant expertise. The sophisticated and inventive design of Argon 18 bikes is based on handling, aerodynamics, and human performance at its core, fully in line with the morphology of each cyclist. All Argon 18 bikes integrate cutting-edge technologies, and are designed and developed in Canada. Argon 18 bikes are now available around the world in more than 70 countries. www.argon18bike.com

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