Rico Bogen Makes Big Changes Heading into 2025 Season
Up and coming German star Rico Bogen has made some dramatic changes as he embarks on the 2025 season, including dropping his bike sponsor, coach and management team. (Oh, there were some changes to his home life, too – he got married at the end of last year.)
Bogen burst onto the world stage in 2023 when he won the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship (the youngest to ever win the title and leading a German sweep of the podium) in Lahti, Finland, but he’d set the stage for that big win with his victory over Patrick Lange at IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau earlier that season.
The 24-year-old grew up as a competitive swimmer, which has done him well during his triathlon career. When he realized as a U23 racer that he wasn’t likely to earn a spot on Germany’s Olympic team, he turned his sites to long-distance racing. Initially part of Ku Cycles’ development team as an age-grouper, he made his pro debut in 2022 with a third-place finish at the Bilbao Triathlon. He took fourth at IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote at the beginning of 2023, signalling he was ready to race with the world’s best.
Bogen had a strong relationship with one of the founders of Ku Cycles, Alex Bok, who those who have been in the sport long enough will remember as one of the men behind Team TBB, the team coached by Brett Sutton that numerous big-name triathletes including four-time Kona champ Chrissie Wellington. Bok had helped Bogen connect with coach Jo Spindler in November, 2022. After Bogen’s win in Lahti, Ku announced “a long-term exclusive athlete management agreement.” In June of 2024 Saucony announced that Bogen would become “its newest elite athlete ambassador.”
Bogen enjoyed another successful year in 2024, finishing third at T100 San Francisco, second at the T100 Grand Final in Dubai and third overall in the T100 series. He wasn’t able to duplicate his 70.3 worlds success, though, taking seventh in Taupo last December.
News of the various changes Bogen is making in terms of training and sponsors began a few weeks ago. He announced that he would no longer be working with Ku or Spindler.
“Since 2022, @ku_cycle has been my steadfast companion—my first supporter in the middle distances who recognized my potential to become a world champion,” Bogen wrote on Instagram. “In 2023, together with my coach @jo_spindler, I achieved that dream, an incredible success we never imagined so early. Then, in 2024, by securing third place in the overall T100 season ranking, I affirmed my place among the world’s elite.”
“Nevertheless, we have mutually decided to part ways,” Bogen continued.
“We are proud to have played a part in Rico’s journey,” Ku posted in a video at about the same time. “Ku Cycle wishes Rico all the best in his future endeavours.”
Bogen also announced that he’s now part of the Erdinger Alkoholfrei Team alongside IRONMAN world champ Patrick Lange. Shortly afterward that news was announced, we learned that he was training in St. Moritz with new coach Philip Seipp, who is Nice world champion Laura Philipp’s husband and coach. Yesterday we learned that he was joining “the Canyon family,” solving the mystery of which bike he would be riding this season.
Bogen has signed a contract with the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) to compete on the T100 Triathlon World Tour for 2025, and will no-doubt look to try and earn another 70.3 world title in Marbella later this year. We’ll have to wait and see if the training and sponsor changes pay off.
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Alex BokCanyonErdinger Alkoholfrei TeamKu CycleRico BogenNotable Replies
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The German words for “Canyon pays WAY more”
To say that a German team and a German bike manufacturer and a German coach “stealing” a German athlete from his Dutch entourage is cliche would be the understatement of the year
We’ll see how this will affect Rico’s bike and maybe run. Ku are known for customizing the hell out of bikes for their athletes and generally nursing the aero thing for the athlete to the point where it becomes an obsession. Fully expected from a mom & pop shop of positively crazy individuals. Canyon - decent support and a paycheck.
jo spindler is german so you get only 2 out of three. actually more like only 1 since he was not in a dutch team just had a dutch manager
and team erdinger is not so much a team its more like a single sponsor
and as far as i can see he shares only one sponsor of the amateur team which he had already before he joined. ie unlike the team bmc team erdinger atheltes choce all their sponsors themselvelves but they have to have a blue race suit.
Erdinger team also does training camps together. This year in January on Lanzarote.
Has Patrick ever gone to one ?
I don’t know this one.
The common theme about a few German squads is that they create a group with similar coaches, similar agents, aero testing possibilities, same brands. Many people from English-speaking countries underestimate the German market, with separate YT channels, podcasts etc.