Posted: June 6, 2005

Triathlon: Bastos third at Rock ‘N RollMan Triathlon

MACON, Ga. (June 5, 2005) Pro triathlete Felipe Bastos (Breathe-O-Prene/Energice), 24, of Brazil, started in the last wave and passed all but two athletes, finishing third overall in four hours, 22 minutes, at today’s USA Triathlon’s Southeast Long Course Regional Championship, the Coliseum Rock ‘N RollMan Triathlon (1.8 km S/90 km B/21.1 km R) presented by Subaru.

Bastos, who lives in Gainesville, Fla., made the 400-mile drive in sponsor Palm Subaru’s Outback Legacy and when he arrived thought, “this is hillier than I expected.” However, he learned a lot about hills during a recent, top finish at a Pyrenees-like, middle-distance race in the Smoky Mountains, and today posted a solid, two-hour, 30-minute-or-so ride.

One of the difficulties of starting in the last wave came when eventual winner, fellow pro Daniel Moss, of Alpharetta, Ga., passed Bastos on the bike course. Draft marshals were there, and Bastos played it extra safe by not going with Moss through a pack of other riders. “I had to let him go for just that short bit of time, and I was never able to make it up.” Then came the half-marathon, and despite the Brazilian’s foot speed, he couldn’t catch Moss.

“It was so hot you could see the heat rising off the asphalt on the run course,” said Bastos. “I’m a little guy and I move quickly, so I just felt terrible for the bigger and not-so-fast athletes today. Still, I had a decent day and it’s always a great day when you finish on the podium.”

For more information on Felipe Bastos, visit www.Felipe-Bastos.com, and his sponsors, Breath-O-Prene (www.accumedtech.com), Energice (www.energice.com), Elite Performance (www.eliteperformance1.com), RudyProject (www.rudyprojectusa.com), Paketa Magnesium Bikes (www.paketa.com), Rotors (www.rotorcranksusa.com), Continental (www.bikemine.com), Fizik (www.fizik.com), Zensah (www.zensah.com), Zipp (www.Zipp.com), Cycling Innovations (www.cyclinginnovations.com), Training Peaks (www.trainingpeaks.com), Palm Subaru of Gainesville (www.PalmSubaru.com), and Iron Guides (www.IronGuides.net).