World Tour road cyclist Nic Dougall announces return to triathlon

Newport Beach, California.

Nicolas Dougall (26-years-old) has confirmed this week that he’ll shift his focus from cycling to the triathlon discipline (specifically Ironman 70.3) from April 2019.

The announcement follows Dougall’s hint at a career change following his final professional road cycling stint at the Tour of Guangxi in October 2018. Dougall has been racing professionally around the world for more than five years for teams including MTN-Qhubeka and Dimension Data Qhubeka, but now plans to return to triathlon, which is his true passion.

“I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be returning to triathlon, a sport I’ve always been passionate about, for 2019 and hopefully beyond. Cycling has given me a lot, and I’ll always be thankful for my time in the peloton, racing with some of the greatest athletes, and mates, I’ve ever met, but I’m excited to chase personal success in the sport of Triathlon.”

Pro athlete’s career comes full circle

At 16-years-old, Dougall showcased his potential on the international stage having won the 2009 16-19 age group Sprint ITU World Championships in Australia, where he also posted the fastest time of the day across all age pages. After securing the Sprint ITU World Championships, Dougall switched from triathlon to cycling and secured his first professional contract in 2014. Dougall raced for pro-continental team, MTN-Qhubeka, for two seasons before cycling’s governing body promoted the team to World Tour status as Dimension Data for Qhubeka in 2016.

Over five seasons, Dougall recorded a Top-20 finish at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and was an instrumental support rider for the Spring Classics races, and three-week long grand tour race, the Vuelta a España.

Dougall confirmed he will race on the Ventum One; a bicycle which, according to data collected and analyzed by IRONMAN in 2016-2017

“saw athletes finish the cycling component of the race an average of 18 minutes faster than competitors.”

He also announced, that he will be supported by Incrediwear, a company that makes performance and recovery clothing that

“increases circulation to reduce inflammation, relieve pain, optimize performance, and accelerate recovery.”

HOKA One One will be providing Dougall’s running shoes and running clothing.

Dougall is yet to announce more partnerships.