Frederik Van Lierde Wins Ironman Lanzarote
By Saddleback Ltd – 29 May 2019 | Photos: Activ' Images
Long-time Castelli athlete Frederik Van Lierde wins Ironman Lanzarote in style wearing the All Out Speed Suit.
Belgium’s Frederik Van Lierde took the win at Ironman Lanzarote on Saturday, overcoming some of the most challenging conditions the race has seen in its 27-year history to secure his ninth Ironman title.
Celebrating his 40th birthday in style, the Belgian star leapt from the water in fourth place, peeling off his wetsuit in T1 to reveal a striking bright green and black Castelli All Out Speed Suit. With winds howling across the course at up to 80km per hour, every aero advantage was a blessing and Castelli delivered for Van Lierde on race day.
Displaying the strength and consistency that were hallmarks of his 2013 Ironman World Championship victory, Van Lierde powered through the challenging 180km bike course with its 2,000m of climbing. Apparently oblivious to the whipping winds, the Belgian cut a hole through the air to set the day’s fastest bike split of 05:01:32.
Despite his cycling prowess, Van Lierde was pipped out of T2 by the fleet-footed Christian Kramer of Germany who edged away the first 10km of the run. Maintaining his steely composure, the Belgian champ kept his rival in sight, eating away at the German’s lead before making the pass at 21km. From here, Van Lierde ratcheted up his pace to a level Kramer couldn’t match to cross the finish line in 8:51:16, four minutes clear.
THE ALL OUT SPEED SUIT
Van Lierde's race-winning All Out Speed Suit was developed in conjunction with Ironman legend Marino Vanhoenacker who challenged Castelli to combine its fastest fabric technology with unrivalled comfort.
The upper replicates the wind-cheating properties of the T1: Stealth Top, proven in the wind tunnel to shave almost six minutes off the Ironman bike leg. This is sewn onto a pair of shorts that features the Italian brand’s Kiss Air Tri seatpad – simply the most comfortable tri-specific pad on the market.
Meanwhile, the bib-like Sanremo construction ensures zero waistband restriction during swim, bike or run as well as making nature breaks easy. Add in a full-length zip for ventilation as well as pair of cleverly-designed and deceptively capacious gel storage pockets and you’ve got the ultimate tri suit for performance-conscious triathletes.
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View detailsWhen not on the race course, Van Lierde wears Castelli’s Aero Race 6.0 Jersey and the Free Aero Race 4 Bibshort. With both these new additions to the brand’s 2019 collection were developed in partnership with Team INEOS, they’re also perfect for long days on the tri bike, as Van Lierde can attest: “My 2019 training kit is just amazing! Another level I would say. I really love it!”
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View detailsCASTELLI TRIATHLON CUSTOM
If you like to the look of Van Lierde's custom-printed tri suit, check out our Servizio Corse programme, which gives you complete control over the look of your kit – whether for your club or triathlon team.
Minimum order is just 10 items and our designer will guide you through the whole process from conception to delivery. Thanks to Castelli's production expertise, kit delays are a thing of the past while the Italian brand's scale means getting your premium apparel might cost less than you think.
