Ben Hoffman

They call me Hoff.

My life in triathlon began when I was a university student in Missoula, Montana, in the fall of 2003. Looking for a way to get some fitness back from the halcyon days of youth when I played soccer, basketball, golf, and rock climbed, I jumped in with the squad and began the arduous journey of learning to swim. Cycling came fairly easy from the days of riding tours with my parents across the American west, and I had run enough playing ball sports and two years of track in High School that I was able to get that back to a respectable level. After a couple of seasons with decent results, and a trip to South America to study for 6 months, I returned to get serious about the sport in late 2005. 2006 was the Summer of Glory, in which I lived out of a car with my friend while racing across Canada and the Pacific Northwest, earning enough money to put gas in the vehicle and pay for food. Upon returning to Missoula that fall, I had spent all of my money in Europe during a month-long adventure by rail, and I took care of a cabin high in the woods for a month. During the weeks of simple living, and running in the snow, I had the time I needed to figure out what I wanted to do next.

And what to do next was move to Durango, Colorado, where I could commit to the pursuit of professional triathleticism, logging the miles at altitude and even scoring a 3rd place at my first pro race at Wildflower in 2007. After a few years of doing the part-time work gig, I bagged my other job and went all-in with racing and training, winning an Ironman and 70.3 in 2010, and spending winters in Tucson, AZ. Feeling the need for a change of scenery and a boost to the training resources, I moved to Boulder in 2011, and have made it my summer base. I always told myself that I would only keep racing triathlon as long as it was fun, and so far I’m not too worried about that. The camaraderie amongst athletes, the challenge of training and competing, traveling to new places, helping develop the best equipment, and dedicating my days to health are all reasons why I have the best job around.

Here are some super interesting facts about me, and some not so interesting ones too, depending on your outlook!

Favorite Rides:

Mt. Lemmon, Coalbank and Molas Passes, Engine Creek Trail, Lefthand Canyon

Favorite Races:

Grizzly Triathlon, Boise 70.3, Wildflower, Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman St. George

Favorite Foods/Beverages:

Good pizza, fish tacos, bacon, chocolate, bacon chocolate, COFFEE, Pellegrino, wine.

First Bike:

Huffy with tiger stripes, but I still consider my 2001 Specialized Allez Elite M4 (a.ka. The Green Machine) the first bike I really rode hard, touring Colorado and other places, racing my first triathlons, and then converting to a fixed gear that caused me to crash on my face once when I tried to answer a phone call from my mom while commuting to work.

Future Goals:

I would like to keep winning races, and then win some bigger ones, like world championships. I like the half distance, but Ironman is where you always see the most potential for improvement, and the biggest stage, Kona.

What I ride:

Shiv- Wicked fast, comfortable for the long distances, and damn sexy!

Tarmac SL4- My go to for long road bike training rides. Incredibly light and stiff, yet plush for the miles ahead.

Venge- With a name like Venge, you know it’s good! Fast, fast, faster.

S-Works Epic 29er- Best mountain bike. Ever. Lighter, stiffer, and rolls over anything. Love me some trail shreddin’!

Specialized saddles (Toupe, Phenom, Romin), Shoes (S-Works road, S-Works MTB, S-Works Tri), and Helmets (TT, Prevail).

Support Crew:

Specialized has the best support around for its athletes, and it’s only getting better. Big shout out to ace wrenches Joe and Jeff, Mal and Sean, and all my teammates.

Almost to Mexico...

December 28, 2010



This way to sun.

The

last week was spent under sunny skies in Tucson, Arizona, familiarizing

my body with real training again. Not exactly "fat camp," but my first

legitimate bike riding for quite a while. It was exactly what I needed

to jumpstart my season after committing to race Abu Dhabi in March. With

the 120 mile bike segment, I am going to need the big early season

miles...


Desert skies the day after a rain.

This

is the third year that I have decided to spend a good portion of winter

training in Tucson, and each time I make the drive down a smile forms

as I crest the final climb out of Mammoth and head down through Oracle

and see the valley city open before me. The promise of outdoor swimming

pools, sunny weather, good company with my homestay and friend Brian,

and countless miles of open road in beautiful desert scenery lifts my

spirit and prepares me for long weeks of hard workouts. I stopped on the

way down to run a few miles at the Salt River canyon, and then joined

Brian for an interesting evening out on the town. We had a great sushi

dinner at new place downtown, and then met up with friends at one of the

strangest bars. Ever. If you get a chance, have "God" give you the tour

at Meet Rack... Enough said.



Meet Rack. Weird.

Day

one was a nice mountain bike ride in Starr Pass with the Honeybee.

Saguaro, barrel cacti, ocotillo, saguaro, palo verde, prickly pear, and

host of other hearty desert flora dot the landscape. If Brian wasn't

trying to turn the screws and prove that he's better at something than

me, I might have had a chance to look around a little... Oh well, maybe

in January.



Cacti and stuff.

Share the road.

The

next few days were a nice blend of solid training, drinking

beer/watching football and basketball, doing a stretch session at Yoga

Oasis and catching dinner at Wilko, watching Woody Guthrie's American

Song at the beautiful Temple of Music and Art venue, and waking early

for some swimming at U of A's Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.


Legend.

Hillenbrand.

I

had some wonderful rides, including an interesting day on the Shootout

loop (Mission road) where I saw three illegal immigrants running by the

road (I know because I stopped and asked). Managed a couple great rides

with Chris McDonald and his training posse (Hillary Biscay, Maik

Twelsiek, Sam McGlone, Marilyn McDonald), and several solo rides with

just the wind and my thoughts as companions.


San Xavier Mission.

Impersonating a saguaro.

Pit stop on Ajo highway.

Historic Tucson home.

Soon,

names Kitt Peak, Sonoita, Madera, Mt. Lemmon, will become regular

vocabulary, utterances in dreams, weekly journeys. I head back to Tucson

in January to continue the build towards a successful 2011 season. In

the meantime, I will enjoy the holidays and build some reserves for the

next round of flogging.

Stats for Ben Hoffman are coming soon.