Published January 3, 2011 03:44PM
Defending Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae of Australia has committed to riding a Felt bicycle through 2013. Carfrae had previously been with Cannondale for the majority of her career.
See the press release below:
Felt Bicycles is pleased to announce it will sponsor 2010 Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae in 2011 and beyond. The 29-year-old Australian will compete on the groundbreaking Felt DA triathlon bike through 2013.
“I was very fortunate to have a number of bike sponsors pursuing me for the 2011 season,” said Carfrae. “Ultimately it came down to which company could provide me with the best combination of support and product to help me defend my world championship. After meeting the team at Felt, studying the DA’s wind tunnel numbers, and considering their history in the sport of triathlon, the choice became obvious.”
Although she is currently at the pinnacle of the sport, Carfrae is still relatively new to Ironman distance triathlons. She completed her first triathlon at age 19, and began competing in ITU distance triathlons at an international level two years later.
Carfrae eventually began her transition to long distance, finding success at Ironman 70.3 events. She has won 15 Ironman 70.3 races over the past five seasons, and in 2007 she recorded the fastest women’s Ironman 70.3 time on her way to winning the World Championship. Since then, Carfrae has won four Ironman 70.3 races each year in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In 2009, Carfrae had an amazing debut at the full Ironman distance, finishing second at the World Championship in Hawaii. And last October, competing at Kona for just the second time, she won the Ironman World Championship title.
“It is very special to have Mirinda join our team here at Felt,” said company namesake Jim Felt. “She has developed into one of the best triathletes in the world as evidenced even before her win at Kona. We are ecstatic to have her on our bikes and are proud to continue our tradition of working with the top triathletes in the sport.”
Carfrae will compete in Ironman 70.3 events throughout 2011, and will defend her World Championship in Kona this October. She joins fellow Felt triathletes Terenzo Bozzone, Tim Deboom, Michellie Jones, Emma Snowsill, and Daniela Ryf.