180 Bikes From World Triathlon Championship Finals Being Held By TriBike Transport Cargo Shipper
In a lawsuit filed last week, one of TriBike Transport’s international shipping partners has claimed over $300,000 in overdue invoices and is holding 180 triathletes’ bikes in lieu of payment. Bikes from other events also remain undelivered. New Jersey-based cargo shipper, Horizon Entertainment Cargo, has filed a lawsuit alleging that TriBike Transport owes over $300,000 in back invoices for 13 shipments, including those from the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Pontevedra, Spain. The lawsuit also names Tribike Transport's owners, Marc and Angela Lauzon, and a maximum of 300 additional defendants. The claim alleges that Horizon has exercised its lien rights to sell these shipments at public or private sale or auction and refunded any remaining net proceeds within 30 days of the shipper’s notice of lien. The company could auction off the bikes within 30 minutes of exercising its “lien rights.
公開済み : 1年前 沿って Chris Foster の Lifestyle
In a lawsuit filed on Nov. 8 in the Superior Court of California, international New Jersey-based cargo shipper Intelligent SCM, LLC (doing business as Horizon Entertainment Cargo) alleges that TriBike Transport owes over $300,000 in back invoices for 13 shipments spanning from July to October of this year, including cargo transportation to and from Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago, North Carolina, Helsinki, New York, New Jersey, Nice (France), Maryland, Spain, and Charlotte.
The suit not only names TriBike Transport and its owners, Marc and Angela Lauzon, but also a maximum of 300 additional defendants who the lawsuit alleges are “in some manner responsible for the events and happenings alleged herein.” The suit says the additional names will be filled in “when the true names and capacities” are made known to Horizon.
While a series of overdue invoices in a lawsuit may not be news in and of itself, the suit goes on to specifically identify “the transportation of 180 bikes to and from a triathlon in Spain during September 2023.” The “triathlon in Spain” is confirmed to be 2023 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Pontevedra. The lawsuit goes on to say that “[b]ecause the invoices for these shipments were not paid, [Horizon] has exercised its lien rights and is currently in possession of these 180 bikes.”
Horizon could then potentially auction off the bikes within 30 days of exercising its “lien rights,” as the shipper’s invoices with TriBike Transport (entered as exhibits in the lawsuit) all state that the Horizon retains the right to:
“Sell such shipment(s) at public or private sale or auction and any net proceeds remaining thereafter shall be refunded to the customer” within 30 days of the shipper’s notice of lien unless “the customer posts cash or letter of credit at sight, or, if the amount due is in dispute, an acceptable bond equal to 110% of the value of the total amount due.”
When contacted about about the lawsuit, a spokesperson from USA Triathlon told Triathlete, “We are aware of the situation involving TriBike Transport and Team USA bikes in transport from Pontevedra. We are supportive of our athletes involved as TriBike works to resolve this difficult issue. We are very empathetic to the needs of our athletes to regain their bikes – and are dedicated to help support them through this challenge.”
The lawsuit does not explicitly mention any other bikes from any other events named in the overdue invoices at risk of being held nor auctioned from Horizon, though customers from five other fall races have told Triathlete that their TriBike Transport-shipped bikes are long overdue.
The bicycle shipping service claims to have shipped 130,000 bikes as of 2019, and works with events from around the world, including races with Life Time, Clash, and Ironman. A source from Ironman with intimate knowledge of the situation, but who was not authorized to speak on the record told Triathlete that Ironman is aware of some TriBike Transport bikes from five of its previous events this fall that have not yet been delivered to racers—bikes from the women’s Ironman World Championships in Kona, as well as two additional events in the U.S. and two in Mexico.
The source said that Ironman would be footing the bill for the return of these bikes to their owners and is working to ensure that bikes en route to two upcoming Ironman events—Ironman Cozumel and Ironman Arizona—would make it to their destinations. None of the bikes from Ironman’s events are currently being held by a cargo shipper as a part of the previously mentioned lawsuit.
Additionally, Ironman has sent one of their own senior operations personnel to TriBike Transport headquarters in North Carolina to “ensure the logistical and operational requirements are being fulfilled for Ironman-related events.”
In a brief phone interview with Triathlete, TriBike Transport owner Marc Lauzon said, “For the Pontevedra bikes, we tried to negotiate with the shipper to have the bikes released, but were unsuccessful.”
He went on to add that he has found “zero support for the idea that a shipper can hold the property of a third party in lieu of payment.”
Lauzon also told Triathlete that he was still doing everything he could to have the Pontevedra bikes released and echoed the statement that “the bikes going to and from Ironman Cozumel and Ironman Arizona would be covered with the help of Ironman.”
“We will not be able to complete events at 70.3 Indian Wells and 70.3 Florida,” Lauzon added. “But we’re doing the best we can to meet our current obligations.”
As of this writing, TriBike Transport‘s website lists official partnerships with USA Triathlon, Ironman North America Series, Escape from Alcatraz, and Life Time Tri. TriBike Transport also recently launched a subsidiary brand called Thru, who is listed as the official bike transport company of USA Cycling.
Though TriBike Transport does not currently have any events for 2024, their website lists upcoming races that include Ironman Arizona and Ironman Cozumel—which are both listed as sold out—Clash Daytona—which is still available to book—and 70.3 Indian Wells and 70.3 Florida—which are both unavailable to book.
Triathlete has reached out to attorneys for Horizon Cargo but have not heard back as of this writing. We will update this story as it continues to develop.