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

I made it “Down Under”

September 3, 2009

It’s Thursday night, I landed in Canberra last night and I am doing anything and everything possible to stay awake!! So here goes my blog! Travelling east to west or vice versa is always tough and with an eight hour time difference from Cape Town it takes it’s toll.

I finally found my feet late this morning, headed for some coffee with Benno and then up to the race venue, which is awesome, except the crowds are missing! Let’s hope it builds up over the weekend. I managed to see everybody apart from Rafa and all seem to be well and gearing up for their biggest race of the year. Burry “The Kid” is first up tomorrow in the Under 23 race. On paper he is favorite, but we each agree that anything can happen, which he is very mindful of. It ain’t over till it’s over!

Benno and I walked the XC course today. There are some little changes from last year but all in all it’s pretty similar. My biggest concern or message to the riders will be in relation to the locations of the feed zones. From the start to feed zone one could be 3.5 – 4 km, with some fairly hairy rocky drops and some jumps. If risks are taken and a mechanical ensues it’s a long run to the feed and covering that distance on foot will most certainly cost somebody the race. From the start the course quickly enters a long single track section, where passing will be a near impossibility. Being near the front is crucial. Getting caught behind a crash or mechanical could mean a lead group getting away. That happened last year and the break away was never seen again. So it’s also important to be near the front early on and into that single track.

So there’s a busy weekend of action to head. I will keep you updated.

Stats for Bobby Behan are coming soon.
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