Quintana Roo Continues Triathlon Push in Roth; Announces New Factory Team

Founded in 1987 by Dan Empfield, Quintana Roo is the company that created the first triathlon-specific wetsuit and the first tri-specific bike. The brand has been a mainstay in the triathlon world since its inception, but this year the folks at Quintana Roo have been pushing hard to expand the reach, becoming the first brand to join IRONMAN’s Bike Partner Program earlier this year. They’re also here in Roth supporting a number of their athletes, and have just announced the creation of a new Factory Team that will include 15 “budding and veteran professional triathletes.”

Full-Distance Debut

Look ma, it’s me! Miguel Mattox at the Quintana Roo booth at the Roth Expo. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

One of the Quintana Roo sponsored athletes competing here in Roth is Miguel Mattox, who is making his full-distance debut this weekend. Mattox and his partner, Jenna Haufler, are the people behind Freestyle Tri, which includes a successful YouTube channel.

Haufler, who is also sponsored by Quintana Roo, made her international professional debut at Challenge Walchsee last weekend (she was 11th in the pro field, 12th overall), and now it’s Miguel’s turn to give racing here in Europe a shot.

Miguel Maddox and Jenna Haufler at the Challenge Roth Expo. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

In addition to her own professional endeavors, Haufler has also competed as a guide for visually impaired Para triathletes, most recently helping McLain Hermes to the win at the Americas Triathlon Para Championships Calima. She’s got two more Para events this summer (including the national championships in Milwaukee) before she’ll be back doing her own racing in September. Which begs the question – is she looking to be a guide at the Paralympics in LA?

“If I’m the right person to guide somebody in LA, absolutely,” she said. “But, if I’m not, if I can just be a guide for an athlete who needs a guide, I would love to be that person. I think it’s hard for athletes, and especially top athletes, to find guides who are compatible, who are fast enough, who are willing to donate their time, or volunteer their time for it. There’s so many fast athletes out there, but a lot of the fast athletes are professionals and have other things to do. I just get a lot out of it and I love giving my time in that way and love spending time with these athletes.”

“I can also attest that it’s probably the most rewarding thing to do in the sport because even though I’ve never done it, I can see the way Jenna reacts to finishing a race with as a guide and it’s the happiest I’ve seen her in the sport crossing the finish line,” Mattox continued.

While he doesn’t rule out guiding at some point, right now Mattox is focussed on the task at hand – finishing Challenge Roth. Turns out he hadn’t planned on taking on his first full-distance race until he was 30 (he’s 29 now), but was given the opportunity by Quintana Roo and jumped on it.

“They emailed a a handful of their pros last year and said ‘we need some athletes to do Roth,'” he said. “That’s what we do. We we chase the experiences that this sport has to offer and we planned a trip around it. Jenna went to Austria … and I couldn’t imagine a more spectacular environment to do my first full.”

Despite the large pro field and the expected huge crowds, Mattox is determined to stick to his own plan on Sunday.

“It really wasn’t that long ago when I did my first 70.3 and I approached it with so much curiosity and so much patience,” he said. “Since then, over the course of a few years, I’ve gotten more and more competitive and learn how to race those types of races. But I’m trying to bring my mind back to that same approach of curiosity and exploration. And, you know, I think the way I’m going to enjoy this race is to do it at my own pace. I kind of race like a tortoise … and stick to my own plan. I don’t let anyone else’s race get in the way of mine. And I have confidence that I’ll have a really strong run if I do my own race and just enjoy things up until that time.”

The pair have been working with Quintana Roo for three years, and are thrilled with the relationship.

“They’ve been the best partner to to be with, not only because they make really fast bikes and wetsuits and swimskins, but we align ourselves with good people and good teams that are willing to invest in us, not just from a financial perspective, but from support and encouragement because everybody knows in this sport that you know you can’t do anything without good people around you,” Mattox said. “Support and people in your corner, so really at the end of the day, that’s what’s important to us is is the people we align ourselves with and that’s why we signed with Quintana Roo, and that’s why we’re still with them.” 

New Factory Team

Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

“It’s the pros that set the bar and inspire us to achieve, and over the years, we’ve met so many that have stories we wanted to support,” said American Bicycle Group president Chris Pascarella in a release announcing the new Factory Team. “The Quintana Roo Factory Team is a collective of pros that are serving to inspire in their own communities, and beyond. We’re grateful to be able to offer support to these athletes, and aim to be part of their journey when they become even bigger entities in the sport.”

The new Factory Team will be racing on Quintana Roo bikes and wearing Quintana Roo wetsuits and swim skins, and will be a resource to the company’s product development team.

Here’s a list of the new team members:

Marion LeGrand, Marseille, France

The 2024 Duathlon world champion and four-time French national champion is also a champ in triathlon, with a win at Ironman 70.3 Pays d’Aix and Triathlon Royan in 2024. Marion aims to kick off her triathlon season at Ironman 70.3 Nice in late June.

Robbie Webster, Puyallup, Washington

A product of the Pacific Northwest, Robby parlayed his collegiate distance running background (10k and cross country) at the University of Washington into his segue into triathlon. He’s begun notching Top 10 results in recent years, including a seventh-place finish at Ironman Canada in 2024, and seventh at Ironman Coeur d’Alene and 10th at Ironman Maryland in 2023.

Tara Rooney, Chicago, Ill.

While she’s from the city made famous by deep dish pizza and spent her collegiate years as a distance runner at Florida State University, Tara has made the triathlon mecca of Girona, Spain, and the delicious local tapas, her home away from home. A longtime Quintana Roo devotee, she’s recently built her new V-PRi and has already put it to work with a 16th-place finish at Ironman 70.3 Valencia in Spain—with more to come.

Martin Ulloa, Chile

One of Chile’s top triathlon talents, Ulloa has done it all. Transitioning from a short-course athlete (where he won the Chilean Sprint Triathlon National Championships and represented Chile on the World Cup circuit), Ulloa became PanAm champ and a 70.3 beast, with a stack of podiums around the world, highlighted in 2021 with an Ironman 70.3 Los Cabos win, and 2023 runner-up finishes at Ironman 70.3 Oregon, and his home race, Ironman 70.3 Pucon.

Simon Shi, Santa Ana, Calif.

A former collegiate swimmer at Virginia Tech, Simon is best known as the Rubik’s Cube Triathlete. He has a wildly popular YouTube channel with a true behind-the-scenes look at the glamorous (and not so glamorous!) side of being a pro triathlete. With results stacking up on his V-PRi at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and Ironman Texas, Simon keeps chipping his way forward in the results—and taking you along for the ride.

Giel Meesen (Maastricht, Netherlands)

A cycling specialist who is complimented with both the Quintana Roo V-PRi as well as the Service Course aero road bike, after kicking off the season with a third-place result at Triathlon International de Martinique, and finishing 12th at the World Triathlon Long Distance World Championships in late June, Meesen has a wide variety of events on his 2025 calendar, including Embrunman and Challenge Family races in Almere and San Remo.

Jamie Hayes, Fairfax, Virginia

Hayes splits his time between training and his work as an engineer in the military sector. He continues to cut his teeth and improve on his 12th-place result at Ironman New Zealand in 2024 and 11th-place result at Ironman Wisconsin in 2022.

Jana Uderstadt, Darmstadt, Germany

The diminutive German is quickly becoming a powerhouse on the world stage, kicking off her 2025 campaign in style with a solid 6th-place finish (and a Kona qualification spot) at Ironman South Africa. The spring has been dotted with wins at the Triathlon Ingolstadt in Germany, and Triathlon Obernai in France. With a start at Challenge Roth and the Ironman World Championships in Kona, she’s a rising talent to watch.

Benjamin Zorgnotti, French Polynesia

A former short-course athlete and multiple-time French Polynesia national champion in triathlon, the French-born Tahitian’s resume is dotted with top results, including a fourth-place finish at Ironman New Zealand in 2025, a result that earned him a starting slot at this year’s Ironman World Championships.

Fiona Moriarity, Ireland

Ireland’s top talent calls the cool climes of Bend, Oregon, home. However, she hits all points on the globe, with a sixth-place result at Ironman Cairns in 2024, fifth at Ironman 70.3 Campeche, and appearances at both the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 World Championships that year. This year, she’s ticked her Kona qualification box with an outstanding runner-up finish at Ironman Brazil.

Gerard Hubbard, Littleton, Colo.

As a frequent top-10 age group finisher at Ironman and 70.3 races the past few years, this rookie pro is best known as one of triathlon’s best content creators as the man behind the @protriathlontraining Instagram handle. Hubbard made his pro debut with the Factory Team in 2025, finishing seventh at the White Lake Pro Am Half.

Kellie Pope, Naples, Fla.

A former collegiate swimmer at Florida Gulf Coast University, Kellie splits time between coaching as part of the NVDM Coaching group and training for the season, which includes starts at Ironman Chattanooga and Arizona, and Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley and Louisville.

Sarah Kim Bonner, Canada

The queen of resilience, it took Sarah seven years and two major surgeries to get back to racing after being hit by a car while on her bike in 2018. A Canadian living on the triathlon-loving island of Lanzarote in Spain, you’ll find her on the hillier half-distance courses this year, including the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon.

Jess Smith, Clive, Iowa

A longtime Quintana Roo pro athlete, Jess also heads up her own coaching company and has another big full-time job as a mom to two kids. With all that on her plate, she’s knocking out results, most recently with a second-place finish at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga this year.

Sloane Tilley, Silver Spring, Maryland

After eight seasons in the age group ranks, Sloane enters the pro ranks in 2025 intending to experience the high bar that the pro field brings—and hitting it. ”Athletes like Lucy Charles and Alice Alberts inspire me, because they started like so many of us as age groupers,” she says.

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