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

Moving the envelope.

August 15, 2009

Drawing lines of comparison is hard. How do I compare the 2010 Stumpjumper, a bike I first rode, with a big smile on my face, in Whistler, Canada last week.

Cars are also a huge passion of mine and there lies my comparison. In 1999 BMW launched the E39 BMW M5 with 400bhp on tap, a six speed manual gearbox and a level of balance unheard of in a saloon of this size. It’s a great car. In 2005 the eagerly awaited BMW E60 M5 arrived. I had my first opportunity to drive it in February. With F1 derived genes, including a 7-speed sequential gear box, transferring 507 horses of power to the rear wheels, this car had my hair standing. Its leap forward was huge.

The current Stumpjumper has been the best bike I have ridden from the Specialized stable. With a weight comparable to the race bred Epic and the Brain system front and rear, it’s been an insane machine. I have been looking forward to the new Stumpjumper for sometime now. When I heard there was an XL onboard with the Specialized fleet of bikes last week, I was eager to locate it. The bike is amazing. For me, there are two very noticeable differences. Number one if the stiffness when climbing and the power transmission via the brain suspension system on the rear, which is solid and locked out when required. I could not believe how pleasurable climbing was over the old bike. Secondly, the ability on the fork to lower the front, when climbing really helped on the very steep stuff. I am a tall guy. on the old bike, sometimes on very steep climbs it was a challenge keeping the front wheels on the ground.

Now I must patiently wait for the arrival of a new Stumpjumper!!!

Stats for Bobby Behan are coming soon.
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