Benjamin and his Cannondale CAAD Optimo –

A rider and their machine often become one. Whether it’s a love at first sight or a financial constraint, a stock bike or a custom build, every cyclist and triathlete has very personal reasons for choosing one bike over another. In this section, we give you the opportunity to explain the reasons for your choice and what you appreciate once you’re on your steed. Today, we meet Benjamin Wiart, 36, owner of a Cannondale CAAD Optimo.

A martial arts enthusiast in his youth, Benjamin, after moving to Lyon following ten years of living in the Paris region, recalled a challenge he had set himself 18 years earlier in high school: to compete in a triathlon. This memory was further rekindled by a friend who registered for the Ironman 70.3 Vichy in 2017.

Regular recreational running since childhood, occasional road cycling, and the need to reconnect with outdoor sports led him to take on his teenage challenge and make the leap to buying a bike. He chose a new 2017 Cannondale CAAD Optimo, equipped with Shimano Tiagra, after a very long deliberation.

“My choice was dictated first by the brand, then the design, the color, and finally the price, which remained a good compromise for the occasional rider that I am. I hesitated for a moment on the brand because, as a good chauvinist, I felt that such a machine should be purchased from a French brand. Unfortunately, the design didn’t suit me.

After several months of comparison and a drastic selection, I finally decided on this Cannondale Optimo, in this green color. Today, almost two years after my purchase, I confess that I wouldn’t change anything, even though I’m also aware that I don’t have the experience and perhaps the necessary feel to make new component choices. Except maybe for the weight, which I feel more and more on my rides in the slopes of the Monts d’Or around Lyon. “