Treviso, Italy - 7 October 2026 - Rudy Project announces a new partnership with triathlete Marten Van Riel, formalizing a relationship that will see the Belgian athlete train and compete with Rudy Project performance equipment.
Under the campaign theme “Focused on what matters,” the announcement turns attention to the moments before the start: preparing equipment, checking its fit and getting ready for the effort ahead. Rather than beginning with the finish line, the story begins with preparation.
This perspective reflects Rudy Project’s central idea, “Performance Starts In Your Head.” It connects the athlete’s sporting mindset with the practical demands of vision, fit, protection and comfort. For Rudy Project, equipment earns its place through its relevance in use: how it fits, what it allows the athlete to see and how it responds to the conditions of the activity.
The partnership also builds on an existing connection with Rudy Project equipment. Over the past year, before any formal agreement with the brand was in place, Van Riel had already chosen to race with the Wingdream aero helmet. The fact that Wingdream was already part of his race setup gives the relationship an authentic starting point: product use came before the partnership.
The launch will bring this relationship into view through moments from Van Riel’s preparation in Kona, placing the athlete and his experience at the centre of the story. Kona marks the opening chapter of the formal partnership. Further content will explore Van Riel’s equipment preferences and experiences in training and racing, giving the triathlon community a closer look at the preparation behind performance.
AN ATHLETE MAKING HIS MARK ON LONG-DISTANCE TRIATHLON
Van Riel joins Rudy Project after a career at the highest level of international triathlon. A three-time Olympian, he represented Belgium at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, finishing sixth in Rio and fourth in Tokyo. He was also World Triathlon Championship Series runner-up in 2021.
Alongside his Olympic career, the Belgian athlete established himself in longer-distance racing, winning the inaugural T100 Triathlon World Championship title in 2024.
His full-distance IRONMAN debut came at Cozumel in November 2024. He subsequently competed at IRONMAN South Africa and the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice in 2025, followed by IRONMAN Texas in April 2026.
In 2026, Van Riel once again demonstrated his competitiveness over longer distances, winning IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore in June and IRONMAN Lake Placid in July. At Lake Placid, he finished in 7:41:57, four minutes and 14 seconds ahead of runner-up Matthew Marquardt.