Name: Michael Weiss
Nickname: Michi
Date of Birth: January 17, 1981
Hometown: Gumpoldskirchen, Lower Austria (20 km south of Vienna)
Current City: Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Marital status: married to Rachel Weiss
Height: 187cm, 6 ft 3"
Weight: 79 kg, 175 lbs
Occupation: Professional triathlete (swim/bike/run)
Club: "Ciclopia Triteam" (based in Lower Austria)

My story

Born as the only child of Ilse and Ernst Weiss, both Austrian teachers, I was constantly exposed to many aspects of life and sports. I grew up on the trails of Mt. Anninger and dreamed of becoming a mountainbike-pro throughout my teenage years. I realized this dream after completing school and civil-service, by entering the professional mountainbike Cross Country (XC) race-circuit in 2001.

My proudest mountainbike-accomplishments include winning the U-23 European Championship Title, the honor of representing Austria at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, and several memorable World Cup and -Championship top-ten finishes.
I successfully raced mountainbikes for over seven years before my path as pro athlete led me to triathlon. The primary reason for changing sports was burn-out after failing to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. After leaving mountainbike-racing, I started at a few roadraces, but didn´t feel comfortable at all, and continoued to search for my calling in the world of professional sports.
Finally some good friends convinced me to give triathlon a try, and all of a sudden I won all of my first four triathlons, just within a few weeks in summer 2008, instead of racing at the Olympics which took place in the same month. Within that brief period of time I felt born again, and knew I had found my new passion.

In life, sometimes you meet the right people at the right time. This was the case for me in late August 2008, when I met Mario Huys, a highly regarded triathlon coach. He built on my teenaged swimming- and running experience, and guided me through Half Ironman Monaco and Xterra Maui. I surprised many people, most of all myself, by finishing second in both races, and earnig a pro-slot for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii for the following year.

Going forward, I´ve dedicated myself to working hard with Mario and a team of the best coaches in the world, to become a complete triathete. My goals are set high, and I love the challenge to train hard and push my limits each day.
It´s not only the competition that drives me, I´m motivated by the triathlon spririt, community, and lifestyle as a whole.