VO2 Triathlon & Cycle owners Gustavo and Camila Pinheiro

No question Austin is a triathlon town. Our summer racing calendar is littered with races from short Sprint distance to ironman distance with races like the Capital of Texas Triathlon pulling national talent to race in our city. Go on any road ride, and more than likely you’ll see at least a few riders riding aerobar equipped triathlon bikes. We’ve even got some resident triathlon celebs like Ironman World Championship podium finisher Desireé Ficker. Our fair winter weather and jewels for training like Barton Springs mean you can train year round and race for 9 months.

The tri oriented have also been blessed by having not one, but two triathlon specific shops. Strangely though for a city our size, these shops are located just blocks from each other just south of downtown. For the majority of our population that live north of the river, especially north of 183, your options have now improved with the opening of VO2 Triathlon & Cycles in northwest Austin at Parmer Lane and SH 45.

VO2 opened last fall under the management of the husband and wife duo of Gustavo and Camila Pinheiro. Their entry into the tri shop world was not inevitable, but they have taken their knowledge and passion for the sport to offer more options for Austin triathletes.

The Pinheiros grew up and were educated as engineers in Brazil. In 2004, they moved to Puerto Rico to work for a firm in the auto industry, and Gustavo noticed is weight ballooning up. Working out at the gym wasn’t cutting it. He needed a goal and signed up for a 10K run. He enjoyed it so much soon he was doing marathons and made the jump to triathlon eventually racing ironman distance. In November 2008, his company was considering a move to Austin, and like many transplanted Austinites, he and Camila fell in love with the city on their visits. When the company decided not to move, the Pinheiros decided to quit the engineering profession and focus on their passion. They saw that Austin was a triathlon mecca and could use another tri shop in the mix.

When opening VO2, they decided to focus solely on the triathlete and road racer. This means their shop has more variety of performance oriented products than a general bike shop, but it also means missing are more entry level products like hybrids and cruisers as well as utility oriented products like racks and fenders. Not content to be all things to all people, the Pinheiros have focused their shop on the needs of the racer.

This meant opening a shop that initially had no bikes. At launch in August, the 2009 bike model year was winding down and rather than carry last years models, Gustavo focused on getting the latest products with 2010 models. Shipments are now in with 2010 models of Blue, Kestrel and KHS.

The focus on triathletes goes beyond just products with an array of services and training organized by the shop. Training rides leave the shop on Saturdays and Tuesdays with shop runs at Brushy Creek Park on Sundays. They have partnered with juniors triathlon coach Boris Robinson of T3 Multiports, running coach Claudia Spooner of iRuniTri, and Austin Cycle Camp to provide training services for their customers. Gustavo is also Slowtwitch F.I.S.T certified to do triathlon specific bike fitting. This is extremely important in triathlon since not only do you want to be as aerodynamic as possible (drafting is banned in triathlon) but you also want to transition well to the run portion of the race after the bike. Tradition road bike positions exercise muscles that are less than ideal for this transition.

In the coming weeks, VO2 Triathlon & Cycles will be offering VO2 testing in the shop as well. They will have a technician with the equipment to test your start of season VO2. Customers can bring their bikes to put on a training and get this vital info in creating season training plans. The testing will return later in the season to allow folks to check their progress.

Gustavo and Camila Pinheiro are committed to serving the triathlon market. VO2 Triathlon & Cycles offers another great choice with equipment and services for Austin’s growing number of triathletes.

VO2 Triathlon & Cycles
9222 West Parmer Lane (northwest corner of Parmer and SH 45)
(512) 918-2300
www.VO2tc.com
Monday – Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturdays 10am to 6 pm

NOTE: VO2 Triathlon & Cycles is a site sponsor of Austin on Two Wheels.