In our latest installment of the Faces of inGamba, our Creative Director James Startt sat down with Wu Shu, a triathlete and world traveller, who did her first two trips with us this past year, and has already planned for her next in 2026.
An inGamba trip is many things to many people, but for Wu Shu, it has become a sort of extended warm-down, as the 47-year-old has a habit of joining a trip on the heels of an Ironman triathlon, a half-Ironman, or sometimes, both.
Shu did her first inGamba trip in Provence this spring just after completing the half-Ironman triathlon in Bolton, England. And she returned in October for the season-ending Chianti Classico trip, after doubling up the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, and the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain. But when she joins inGamba post-race, it is with entirely different objectives in mind.
“Part of my passion for Ironmans comes from my desire to travel around the world with different kinds of people, and to open my eyes up to different parts of the world,” says Shu, who has traveled to no less than 70 countries. “For me, a triathlon is not just about training and finishing in a certain time. It is a great chance to travel. In that way inGamba just makes perfect sense. It fits perfectly into that kind of a goal.”
From a physical level, it was clear that, despite admittedly sore legs, she was at ease on the climbs of Chianti throughout the week. But while Shu could have pushed the pace, she clearly preferred simply riding in the group, stopping frequently to take pictures of the distinctive landscape found in this corner of Tuscany.
“The inGamba experience really speaks to my interest in sightseeing,” says Shu, who spends her time between Austin, Texas and the Bay Area. “I mean, we are not in the Tour de France and we are not executing a specific training plan. There is time for coffee stops and to chat with people, and that really attracts me. I’ve been on other trips where there are two distinct groups: those who are really focused on training, and others who are focused on sightseeing. But inGamba has this way of attracting people who are interested in both.”
While Shu came to the Chianti to chill, she also was attracted to the idea that it was the first inGamba partner’s trip, which offered a rare opportunity to discuss tech insights from industry leaders, not to mention getting bike-positioning advice from none other than Fausto Pinarello, the long-time leader of the iconic bike brand.
“One of the things that has always attracted me in triathlon is that the average Joe and Jane compete in the same arena as the best in the world. And at inGamba, I find a similarity in that it offers the same degree of support offered to the best cyclists in the world,” she explains while relaxing on one of our daily coffee stops. “We have the best bikes and a lot of the guides used to be professionals, so it is really like we are riding with the pros. That is something that really attracts me. We may not have the same fitness level as a pro. We may even be riding an e-bike. It doesn’t matter. It is inclusive, and we are getting the same treatment as the pros.”
Interestingly, Shu was the only guest in Lecchi who did not already know others. In a week that was packed with guests who had done upwards of ten trips, and had often crossed paths on previous destinations, she could have felt alone. But in typical inGamba fashion, before the end of the first day, the group had quickly bonded. That’s just the way it is at inGamba.
“I think that every person has a natural tendency to stick with a group of familiar friends, but I certainly didn’t feel it was the case with the guests on our Chianti trip,” said Shu. “They may have been on the same trip together in the past, but it was all relatively random and they didn’t stick to each other. Everyone was very friendly.”
Since her return home to the U.S., Shu has already signed up for her next trip in 2026. “I actually just signed up Schloss Elmau on June 21,” she says. “Most of my friends signed up for the late summer version, which was sold out already, but I was actually curious to see what new friends I could make in a group where I don’t know anyone,” she added. “Based on the past two trips, I am pretty confident there will be a few cool people on every trip.”
And now that Shu has decided on her next trip, the only question remaining is which triathlon she will do just before.
