Argon 18 Welcomes Joe Skipper, Ruth Astle and Jannik Schaufler to the Family

January 27, 2022

Top triathletes target World Championships, 2024 Olympics

January 27, 2022 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Triathletes Joe Skipper, Ruth Astle and Jannik Schaufler are officially riding Argon 18 for the 2022 season. All three have rapidly made their mark on the global triathlon scene, and promise to continue to stir things up at the top level in seasons to come.

“Argon 18 is thrilled to support the top emerging talents on triathlon’s world stage. Our R&D process includes input from our entire family of athletes, and these three athletes are true partners as we develop the world’s fastest bikes. Beyond podiums, we value what Joe, Ruth and Jannik have to offer to our company, and to the global triathlon community.”

• Ed Collins, Head of Partnerships, Argon 18

Well known to Ironman fans, Joe Skipper is a UK-based long-course triathlete who began his triathlon career at the end of 2010. He has gone from strength to strength with wins across the globe showcasing his blistering bike and run speed. His breakthrough came with a second-place finish at Ironman Texas in 2015, which led to a series of podiums and victories, with his first Ironman win coming at Ironman UK in 2018. Recent victories in Ironman Florida and Ironman New Zealand have solidified his place amongst the very best in the world. In 2022 he will target the World Championships in St George, Utah, and then the PTO Championships in the summer.

“I’m really excited to work with Argon18 as their core values are to make the fastest and best bikes they possibly can. We’ve already done aero testing on the E-119 to make me as fast and efficient as possible, and the Argon 18 team is really interested in my feedback to make the bikes even faster. I’ve managed to get my CdA down to a record low, and the bike is also surprisingly light, so it climbs and handles really well. The world championships in St. George is my big target for the first part of the year and then Ironman Hawaii in October, and this is the bike to get me the results I want. I feel I’m starting to reach my peak years in the sport and feel that I’m at a stage now where I can compete for the win against the top guys in the world.”

• Joe Skipper

Based in the UK, Ruth Astle has been a professional triathlete since 2020, having transitioned from being a very successful age grouper (overall AG winner at Kona 2019). Ruth comes from a corporate background, and still works two days a week for Lloyds Banking Group. Ruth’s strength is the bike, and she holds two bike course records at Ironman Florida and Ironman Mallorca. She recently won Ironman Mallorca and Ironman South Africa and is targeting the two Ironman World Championships in 2022.

“It’s great to be working with Argon 18, because I know they are looking to push the boundaries with bike technology to make the bikes as fast as possible. My new E-119 is going to be seriously fast! The adjustability of the front end is brilliant, and has allowed me to get even more aero on the bike. My main target for 2022 is to perform well at the two world championship races, St. George and Kona, and now I can do that with a great company supporting me with speedy bikes, and helping look into all the finer details like aero testing. I can’t wait to be racing against the best women in the world.”

• Ruth Astle

Short-course triathlete Jannik Schaufler has been a lover of outdoor sports since his childhood in an active family in the south of Germany. Jannik’s path led him to a boarding school near the Black Forest to combine school with his favourite hobby: triathlon. After graduating, he kept pursuing that hobby by moving to the national training center in Saarbrücken. Surrounded by the best athletes and coaches, he made great gains in his training. Alongside this, he took on the not-insignificant task of finishing a bachelor’s degree in economics and law at Saarland University.

After an injury in 2018, Jannik decided a change was needed: with his new coach Philipp Seipp he began a new training program and was rewarded with the silver medal at the European U23 Championships. He also took a podium spot at continental cups in Europe, Asia and America. As one of last year’s Super League Series contenders, Jannik today lives in Heidelberg where he ambitiously trains towards his big goal: the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“For me Argon18 is about helping athletes improve their racing and training performance by minimising the effort the athlete has to put into their equipment – the bike simply performs at the highest level. The Sum is the perfect bike for me as I need an aerodynamic weapon to get me through potential breakaways on fast and flat courses as well as technical parts with many accelerations, hills and mountains. In 2022 my goal is to move into the WTCS to keep racing against the best there is. I’ve also scheduled Continental Cups and World Cups to gain important points in the rankings towards Paris 2024. Also, the German Championships will be a main target this year. The Sum has become my all-around weapon of choice to guide me in short course races all over the globe.”

• Jannik Schaufler

 ****

Argon 18 bikes have been proudly designed and engineered in Montreal, Canada since 1989. Sophisticated, inventive and strikingly different, Argon 18 bikes are built around the cyclist, with handling, aerodynamics and human performance at the core of the design. Argon 18 bikes are sold in more than 70 countries and can be found on countless roads around the world. For more information please visit https://www.argon18.com.

– 30 –

PHOTOS: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NA8PHPWX2odKj4QKeK7bRmIx3NyXvgqJ

CONTACT:

heather.campbell@argon18.com