Castelli Expands Triathlon Efforts
Triathlon isn’t simply a product line for Castelli, triathlon will be a separate, standalone department. This new division will accelerate efforts that were already well underway with Castelli’s Body Paint tri collection and all-new tri-specific Free line. To support the increased efforts, Castelli has also signed on top multi-sport teams and athletes.
Heading up the department is global triathlon manager Patrick Cassiday, who joins Castelli after 16 years in R&D and product development for Nike. Cassiday is also a competitive triathlete who has raced at every distance in a career that includes seven Kona participations.
“We’re truly excited to be adding Patrick to our team,” says Steve Smith, global brand manager for Castelli. “We’ve been hearing from a lot of triathletes who love our cycling products and have begged us to bring our technology to triathlon. With his years of experience in both competition and product creation, Pat is the guy to help us innovate for that market.”
Under Cassiday’s direction, the fabrics and technologies that have made Castelli a leader in cycling apparel—such as seam-free Body Paint fabrics and extensive wind-tunnel testing—will be completely repurposed for the triathlon market, with new designs and executions tailored specifically to multisport athletes.
“I’m extremely honored and excited to become a part of the Castelli team, and specifically to head up a division around a sport I’m passionate about,” says Cassiday, who will divide his time between Castelli’s offices in Italy and Portland. “As Castelli is already synonymous with the highest-performance cycling apparel for many elite cyclists, it’s only natural for us to evolve into triathlon and provide a comparable level of product for athletes in this rapidly growing sport.”