Bobby Behan

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Sports Marketing Manager, Mountain Bike and Triathlon

Specialized Global Marketing

I am an Irishman, come from a farming family and have five younger brothers, which meant I had to stand my ground from a young age! In my early years I was a competitive swimmer and runner while been a fan of cycling mainly due to the successes of Irishmen Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche in the pro peleton.

It was only at the age of 21 that I discovered triathlon via a university friend. I pursued triathlon through to 2001, where I was North American Age Group Champion and then raced at Elite Level. It was in 1999 that I discovered Stellenbosch, South Africa and met long-term friends and Specialized Athletes Conrad Stoltz and Christoph Sauser.

In 2001 my career took a swing after being offered the position of Sales and Sports Marketing Manager for Oakley in Ireland, which I held through to 2005. During this period I raced both mtb and road bikes. In 2004 I reignited my triathlon passion, returned to racing, won a national title and in 2005 left Oakley to focus solely on triathlon.

Once again my career took a spin, with Specialized offering me the position of team manager for their global factory MTB team in 2006. There have been so many memorable moments: 2006 with Susi and Liam Killeen 1-2 at Mont Sainte Anne, Susi’s World Title in 2009, however, most cherished for me has been the opportunity to work with so many great people first and foremost. A great athlete is awesome, but a humble attitude raises the bar for me.

In February 2009, I commenced with the position of Sports Marketing Manager for Mountain Bike and Triathlon at Specialized. The position is so challenging, so rewarding and exciting. Rock on ……!

Stats

Height 5' 4"
Born January 12th, 1968

Cool Facts

2nd overall tour of virginia
7th overall tour 1998
8th stage of best tour
stage of tour 2005 winner best year

Ironman and Life in SA

July 3, 2009

Ironman and life in SA

I left South Africa with a temperature of 26 degrees (not bad considering it’s winter). The past few weeks have flown by in Stellenbosch although I am going to be back there before I know it. I am on a short trip to Germany then home to Ireland to visit family for a couple of days an hope to be on African soil next Friday.

I will write a complete story about it soon, but I am really proud of the “Songo” charity that we created and what has been achieved. On Tuesday I brought the “Songo” group on a mtb ride in the hills behind Stellenbosch. It was awesome. They are such a good bunch and look the part in all their Specialized and Songo gear. For full info on the charity visit http://songo.info.

People ask me am I still training quite a bit and yes I am, but for fun! I can’t remember the last time I swam or ran for that matter, but I have been biking lots, plus Naudee’s gym twice a week is making me strong. Chin-ups, press-ups and the like are something that I can just bash out now, but laps in the pool are not!!

Two weeks ago, I did this really cool MTB Race in Greyton. It’s a stunning area about 1.5 hours from Stellenbosch. I did it for fun, stopped took photos and chatted with different people. After the Greyton event I had a few beers with friends and watched the Lions loose their first test (nightmare!). Of course I listened to lots of crap!

Dan Hugo and I are doing what is rumored to be an unforgettable event on the Wild Coast of South Africa (near Durban) later this month, called the Imana Wild Ride. I am now proper excited and really looking forward to it. Apparently an entry is a very rare commodity, but somehow, unknown to me I have an entry!

I arrived in Frankfurt this morning for Ironman Frankfurt on Sunday. No I am not taking part!!!! Chris “Macca” McCormack and Terenzo Bozzone are both taking part and I am here for moral support! I have actually never been to an Ironman before, so it’s cool to be a guy in the background just watching everybody and what they do as the big day looms! I was in the pro meeting earlier today, which was the same old stuff …. I’m happy to be here, but also happy to be watching from the sidelines. I saw some Irish Athletes too, which was cool. Tomorrow night Jan Frodeno is going to come through and say hello, so I’m really looking forward to seeing him.

That’s it from me.

Stats for Bobby Behan are coming soon.
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