If you love triathlon, you probably get a lot of inspiration from watching pros and influencers train and race. One of my favorite triathlon YouTube channels featuring both is Freestyle Tri. It’s run by the duo of Jenna and Miguel. Jenna Haufler is a top age-group competitor with an eye on moving into the pro ranks. Miguel Mattox is a professional triathlete in his third year as a professional. Together, they show us a side of triathlon where fun and passion are as important as performance and data.
Last fall, Jenna and Miguel got the opportunity to travel to Europe for a dream triathlon vacation. They borrowed a van, traveled with all their gear, and participated in two of the best events the Challenge Family has to offer: Sanremo and Vieux Boucau. Miguel took on Challenge Sanremo, where he finished 11th in the pro field, and then they participated in Challenge Vieux Boucau together two weeks later.
Personally, Sanremo is a destination I’ve long dreamt of visiting, and Challenge Sanremo might be the perfect way for triathletes to experience the city. The swim starts on a beautiful beach on the Mediterranean. The bike sends you straight into the mountains to tackle tough climbs and technical descents. The run takes you through historic tunnels in the city center. When you’re not racing, you can enjoy some of the best cafes, food, and views that the Italian Riviera has to offer. To gather a bit of intel on one of my dream races, I asked Jenna and Miguel for all the details of their Challenge Sanremo experience.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
A Dream Van Trip Through Europe
Quintana Roo: Why did you choose to travel to Europe and compete in Challenge Sanremo?
Jenna Haufler: One of our sponsors, Ryzon, is based in Germany. They have vans that they loan out to their athletes and employees. We love traveling to races. We wondered, ‘What if we can build a part of our season to be in Europe, living out of the van, racing every couple of weeks, and just exploring this part of the world that we’ve never explored before.’
We brought Quintana Roo in on it because, of course, we wanted to race triathlons on our V-PRi, but we were also planning routes through the French Pyrenees and wanted to be able to ride road bikes on these grand climbs. Somehow we were able to make this awesome six-week trip come together. We raced two events in Europe: Challenge Sanremo and Challenge Vieux Boucau.
Miguel Mattox: Also, this trip wouldn’t have happened without Challenge. That was kind of how it all started. The van and the bikes made the trip a reality. But it was the beauty of these races that inspired us to go. Quintana Roo is sponsoring these races too, so there was a kind of synergy that happened too. That’s kind of what Freestyle Tri is. It’s us just trying to live our most ideal life.
The Most Unique Triathlon
QR: What Did You Think of the Challenge Sanremo Course?
MM: Sanremo is such a crazy race! The swim uses an Aussie exit. I’d never done an Aussie exit before, so that was kind of startling! It was a pretty long one, too. You actually had to get out and run some distance. But you’re swimming in the Mediterranean, which is just perfect. It is so clear and blue.
The bike has so much technical climbing and descending. You hit something like 5 different microclimates, too. You start at sea level, and then at the top, you end up in more alpine terrain with pine trees. It felt like such a surreal experience to be doing a triathlon in the mountains of Italy. Eventually, you take a turn, and you can see the Mediterranean below as you descend
The run was unique, too. It was pretty flat, but half of it was in a dark pedestrian tunnel. The tunnel was like a cycling museum. There was a lot of stuff hanging up on the ceiling.
They definitely thought about how to make this a super unique course, and it delivered. I was so happy to race it. It’s one of those courses where, if you have the opportunity to do it, you can’t pass it up. It’s almost like an XTERRA race. It just has that sense of adventure.
Tri Bike vs. Road Bike: Choosing the Quintana Roo V-PRi
QR: You went to Sanremo with your Quintana Roo V-PRi tri bikes and SR5 road bikes. Which bike did you choose to race on, and do you think you made the right choice?
MM: Go with whichever you’re more comfortable with. If you’re more comfortable on a road bike, use your road bike! You’re probably going to be just as fast on a road bike as you will be on a TT bike. I was more comfortable on the V-PRi. We did a lot of climbing leading up to the race, and I was like taking my V-PRi out on mountain climbs that like I usually would just take my road bike out on.
That said, the one thing I was not prepared for was how technical the descent was. The climbing was fine. That was super fun. But I am just not a guy who wants to be racing descents. I’ve broken both of my arms in crashes this year, so I was very cautious. I don’t think I would have ridden it any differently on a road bike.
JH: I was actually going back and forth between the V-PRi and the SR5. There were a lot of people, even pros, last year that were racing on road bikes. I typically feel more comfortable descending on a road bike. I got sick and didn’t race. But before that, I had made the decision to race the V-PRi. The handling on the V-PRi is just so good. I feel so comfortable on it that I just don’t think it would make a difference at all on the descents. And on the flats, I’d be so fast.
MM: We’re fortunate to have the V-PRi. I rode it out here up climbs and down descents and on everything, and I’m like, “This bike does everything!” So I never worried about it. Maybe other triathletes will have more fun on a technical course on a road bike. But for me, when performance is everything, I have 100% faith in the V-PRi.
JH: Something that I really love about racing on the V-PRi is having the internal hydration and fuel storage. I’ve always been jealous of people who have that. It feels like it’s just easier for me to fuel during races. I don’t feel as encumbered trying to carry more bottles behind my saddle. I set a record and managed to fit 5 gels in the Fuelbay at Vieux Boucau.
QR: Do you change your V-PRi setup for courses like Sanremo that have tough climbs?
MM: Not really. I never change my gearing. The only change I made for this race was that I didn’t run a disc. I almost always run a 60mm deep wheel in the front and a disc in the rear, but I changed to a 60mm wheel in the back because of how technical this course was. You can save a little bit of weight, too.
Making Tough Decisions: Pulling Out Due to Illness
QR: So, Jenna. You were supposed to race Challenge Sanremo, but unfortunately, you got sick right before and had to pull out. That’s never easy for an athlete, especially after traveling halfway around the world to race. Was it a tough decision? How did you deal with it?
JH: I mean, yes. Absolutely. The week before, I had raced age group nationals. I had a good race that I was happy about. I won the 30-34 national title and was 4th overall. I was really excited to carry that momentum into the next weekend. But then I got seriously ill.
It’s always tough to make the decision to pull out. I didn’t want to. But it was a bit easier because I had Challenge Vieux Boucau two weeks later. I was really happy that we had another race planned during our trip. It really reduced the stress. Since I didn’t race, I was also able to be there to support Miguel and work on this really cool video.
MM: Sometimes it’s nice if the other person is just fully emotional support because there’s so much anxiety and stress leading up to these events.
JH: But it was a little bit more complicated. I couldn’t do everything for you because I was really sick!
The Beauty of Sanremo
QR: Jenna, since you got to have the spectator experience in Sanremo, do you think it’s a good place for spectators and other non-racers to go? I may need some help to convince my partner to come with me…
JH: Oh yeah! It was amazing! Sanremo is right on the Mediterranean. It was so gorgeous. The town there is amazing. All the hotels are built into the hills and overlook the sea. It was so cool just to be a spectator and to be a tourist in the town.
MM: I feel like the best part of spectating this race is the Aussie exit. You can see your athlete in the middle of the swim and cheer for them. The run is like 3 laps out and back through that tunnel, so there are 6 opportunities on the run to see athletes and cheer. It was so nice to be able to see Jenna that often.
JH: Plus, there is a good cafe at every corner, so you can spend 2-3 hours exploring all the cafes during the bike. It was easy to get over-caffeinated!
Interview by Bruce Lin
