Trista Francis Triathlete: DealerCamp / TriAmerica 2012

This year since I will be racing the ITU Age Group World Championships in Beijing, China during Interbike, I decided to take a trip West and check out DealerCamp. I must say, I was quite impressed. There were many of the top players in the industry there and a very solid retailer turn out. The venue in Park City, UT is more than ideal for such a show and bike demo.

TIMEX was my first stop of the day. No surprise here =). I had been out running earlier that morning and ran past Robin Barsante, the Tech Rep for the Southwest Region in the Timex Ford Flex. He b,b,b,beeped at me as I ran past him and just made my run! So fun seeing family in the middle of some random street in Utah! TIMEX had a prime stop at the front of the expo and it was great to listen to Robin tell all about the new TIMEX RUN TRAINER soft launching in October!

ORBEA was my next stop. It was so exciting speaking with Tony Karklins about the new Ordu launch for 2012. It sounds like we might get a preview in about 6 weeks. I am really anxious to see what the Orbea team has come up with after being a part of the Ordu Focus group a year ago. I have a feeling its going to be SWEET!

SHIMANO/PRO was up next. It was great speaking with the Shimano Sales Representative and good friend Matt Thompson about the HOT Ultegra Di2 that is hitting the market and will retail for $2283. They also have a NEW XT and Cyclocross Groupo on the mountain side.

ORCA Wetsuits and SwimSkins have to be the best I've swam in, hands down. John here is demonstrating how their new Breakaway Zip System works. When you flip the zipper up, the zipper pulls apart with with a tug on the fabric. So fantastic for fast removal of the Skin during transition! Awesome Orca, I'm loving it!

The TRISHOP.com owner, Scott Par was there taking care of business as usual and I was so excited to run into him at the site. He has a great online model and there has been good growth since he launched it in partnership with the TIMEX MULTISPORT TEAM in February. Be sure to check them out for all you online Triathlon needs.

POWERBAR was there with ours truly, Tim Hola. Always good seeing my peep and Team mate everywhere! Powerbar has GreenTea Power Gel for 2012 and will bring their Power Gel flavors to 1o now! I love this stuff as it keeps me moving during my training. Note: Tim and I both sporting our amazing NATIVE EYEWEAR!

I finished up my visit at the Tri America Event hosted at the St. Regis. I enjoyed this time catching up with friends in the industry and discussing somethings that are up and coming. Power Tap is launching a synched HR strap that will reflect watts based off HR feedback through any ant+ device for only $200! I should be getting my hands on one soon, so keep posted! Also, Contour is a new Sports Camera that has GPS and Bluetooth capabilities and a lower profile than others on the market. Lastly, I spent a lot of time with John Cobb, the founder of the new Cobb Saddles. I am very excited to be mounting the V Flow on my Ordu to give it a ride as well as getting the brand new SHC Dirt saddle on a Clients MTB 29'er who is at the top of the Amateur Xterra Field. Stay tuned...