That little touch of personalization. It just makes a difference.
Hey there!
So, we may not have met before. I’ll keep the intro quick as I’m hoping you’ll be getting to know me more as the months pass. I’m Helle Frederiksen, from the countryside of Denmark. As my Instagram description says, I love exploring the world doing what I love with a passion to inspire. I love swimming, cycling and running, among other things. I swim, cycle and run as my profession. You could say I’m kind of good at it, but I prefer to let my results talk for me. As a child I always wanted to be an Olympian, I ticked that box in 2012. I do my bit to be a badass triathlete, and I’ve achieved many great things during my career. But for now, I won’t bore you with any more of that stuff.
Instead, why am I here?
Well, as cool as cool can be, I’m one of Trek’s newest members of the racing family. In 2018 I’ll have the support of Trek and Bontrager as I make my bid for glory at the IRONMAN World Championships. I’m jumping right into the deep end. I’ve only done one full-distance IRONMAN. I did OK there, finished 2nd with 8:55:35 and claimed the Danish IRONMAN record in the process. It was great, but it has now left me super hungry to achieve great things racing over the full-distance IRONMAN.
"For my first Project One experience, I wanted a bike that would portray strength, elegance and speed, all through design."
Earlier in December, shortly after signing with Trek, I got an SMS from my husband Ben: “Hey, honey. I just got off a call with Trek. I’ll keep this short but get onto the Project One website and start designing your bike. Make it yours.”
Oh, those words! “Make it yours.”
Anyone with a passion for bikes will know that when we get an opportunity to make a bike truly ours, we should take it.
Making it mine
As a professional triathlete, I spend approximately 30,000 kilometers on my bike a year. My bike and I require a special bond, not just in terms of comfort, but we need to feel a part of one another.
I ride my bike for two reasons: I love to, and because if I ride my bike well it makes me great at my job. We, that is Beastie and I (yep, my bike carries the name Beastie), are required to ride in all weather, and required to perform rides of all types, no matter the time of year.
So when Trek gave me the thumbs up to design my own bike, the whole process of selecting a bike suddenly became much more special. If we admire our bikes, not just for the way they perform but the way they look, there is no doubt that it helps motivate us to get out and ride.
