Cube (Germany) – Shortly before the 2017 season gets under way, CUBE announced a brand new partnership with one of triathlon's biggest names. The bike manufacturer will support fifth-place Hawaii finisher Andreas Böcherer over the coming years.

Both CUBE and Böcherer are excited about this new partnership. "CUBE is an innovative, German, owner-managed family business with a very young team. I can really relate to that, being a family business myself – albeit on a much smaller scale. With so many strong Ironman athletes to choose from in Germany, I am incredibly honoured that CUBE picked me. I have always associated CUBE with the best bikes. When I saw the Aerium I instantly knew it would be a fantastic piece of kit and I absolutely love it. Like CUBE, my roots are in mountain biking," says Böcherer. The deal with 33-year-old Böcherer underscores CUBE's ambitions in the triathlon segment and demonstrates the company's commitment to estab-lishing itself at the top of the field. "Andi, like Andreas and Michael Raelert, is a world-class athlete. This deal means he will not only represent CUBE in the sport of triathlon, but we will also benefit from his feedback to get the maximum out our products and thus offer our customers the best possible quality," says Marko Haas, Sponsoring Manager at CUBE Bikes.

In 2014, Andi was forced to cut short his season following a collision with a vehicle in training. He returned with a bang in 2015, claiming four golds over the middle distance and a third place at Ironman Frankfurt. In 2016, he took gold in four out of six races, set a new personal best at Ironman Frankfurt with a super fast time of 7:53:40, and finished a career-best fifth at Ironman Hawaii. "It goes without saying that my goal in 2017 is to top my re-sults from 2016. Last year I made the biggest gains in running. This year, the focus is on my performance on the bike. My plan is not only to get faster with training, but also to improve my efficiency, i.e. ride faster for the same effort. CUBE's expertise in aerodynamics will give me a big step up. I'm really happy to have found the best partner for the job. With CU-BE behind me as a leading bike manufacturer, I want to make my dream of gold in Hawaii come true."

For Andi Böcherer, having the best equipment is crucial for success: "The CUBE Aerium ticks every single box, without compromise. It sets new standards in stiffness, aerodynamic performance and component integration while staying lightweight, which is perfect for my love of hilly stages. The Aerium has an outstanding design and I like that it has retained the true character of a bike. Extensive adjustment options mean it can be adapted perfectly to any rider. It's a fantastic and extremely promising bike all round."