Dennis Lastochkin, cyclist and co-founder of Thea.com, a search engine and event site for endurance athletes. Courtesy photo.

Dennis Lastochkin, cyclist and co-founder of Thea.com, a search engine and event site for endurance athletes. Courtesy photo.

One of the things Austin is known for is its runners, bikers, hikers, swimmers and endurance athletes looking for the next challenge.

A new site, Thea.com just launched a search engine and events site this week that makes finding that next sporting challenge easier.

Thea.com lists events in the greater Austin area for cyclists, triathletes, runners and more. People can search by type of event or location, race dates and times and other keywords. The site also lists training groups and their schedules and free activities like group rides and runs. And it lets users book a variety of leisure bike tours to explore guided tours of cities and scenic routes across the country.

Efim Gendler, co-founder of Thea.com

Efim Gendler, co-founder of Thea.com

Efim Gendler and Dennis Lastochkin founded Thea.com in February of 2015.

“The goal with Thea over the next few years is to develop a social marketplace for endurance activities, spanning across the US,” Gendler said in a news release. “It will be the place where athletes and active lifestyle enthusiasts come for information on races, events, trainers, and to connect with one another. Nothing this comprehensive exists presently; and like Austin, I’m sure Thea will continue to evolve and grow. ”

“Thea is a crowd-sourced marketplace so anybody can add a listing. There are also relationships between the listings, for example, between locations and group rides, and training programs. It’s also a wholesale platform that can be white labeled to running stores and bike shops,” Lastochkin said in a news release.

Bike Austin Organization and Violet Crown Sports Association already use Thea.com for organizing their events calendar and to drive greater user engagement.