Think about the times when you bike to the top of a mountain, looked out over a river, saw a double rainbow after getting caught riding through a storm.

These are moments of awe.

by Sarah Mount — primalblends Ambassador

Awe is often described as a simultaneous experience of fear, wonder, and reverence. While biking these moments seemed to happen to me more than usual. I didn’t have a word for it for quite sometime… I didn’t even know it was a phenomena. At least, not until I found myself in the middle of the Arizona desert alone and in awe.

While I loved my take-it-all-in rides, my priorities shifted a bit over the last year. I decided to dedicate 2021 to racing, my first full race season - delayed due to the pandemic. Suffering through interval sets (though a secret pleasure) reduced how much of the landscape around me I took in. I did a lot of crits all held at a concrete jungle. In the heat of tough moments I forgot there an anything around me whatsoever. In retrospect, I can see how this was starting to become a default setting during all bike rides - taking in nothing around me.

The seasoned ended and the grind of work picked up. A pleasure and a stressor, I travel to Sedona, Arizona for a retreat which I was coordinating. The hiccups and setbacks felt near constant that week. But, I had the luxury of being in a uniquely beautiful area. And, the conference was on Positive Psychology, which was a reminder to refocus myself as emotions ebbed and flowed.

I learned about the psychological experience of awe. The experience of awe has the power to shift our attention away from ourselves, toward a sense of something “larger”, it can even change our perception of time and allow us to experience more greater feelings of generosity and gratitude.

I thought about how these experiences might dovetail with what happens to us emotionally and psychologically while biking. A simplification but commonly understood is that exercise solicits an increase in the production of serotonin, norepinephrine, and serotonin. All neurotransmitters that might just make us a little bit happier. While biking through the rock beds in Arizona after the conference ended, I started to contemplate:

Are we predisposed to the experience of awe when we’re biking and already generating endorphins and emotions that lead us to happier and more open? If so, how can I do this more often? How can I cultivate awe in every ride?

Here are a few simple ideas:

Go for a ride with the intention of being open and observant. Take the pretty route, even when you’re busy and you think you don’t have time. Slow down, force yourself to tune in.

Follow a cyclist who inspires you. Get to know them and their story. Maybe it’s primalblends’s own cyclocross athlete, Caroline Mani. Read about their triumphs and their struggles. Cultivate that sense of connect to this person when you’re riding.

Take a stop during your ride. It doesn’t need to be a destination and you don’t even need to plan it. Just stop maybe at the top of a hill, near a stream, wherever. Give the view your full attention for 2 minutes.

Focus on your breathing. Not for maximum watts and VO2. Breathe to connect to your body and you’ll naturally become more aware.

Journal about your rides. Write down what moved you, where you lingered and how it felt. Return to this on days when you’re forcing yourself through a ride, not wanting to train, or nervous about a race.

Awe is simple and it is also profound. It’s known to decrease our stress levels, it stimulates generosity, kindness, and makes us more satisfied with life.

Luckily for me, my home in Northwestern Wisconsin offers plenty of these aweeee-wow landscapes. Silence, forests, ridges, valleys, fields, gravel, vastness, idyllic farms - on every ride something romantic and intimate seemed to greet me. It sort of sounds too good to be true.

If I can let go, just for a moment… let my eyes widen, let my jaw drop, and inhale into the vastness, I remember why I ever started cycling… it’s pure joy and awe.

Congratulations to primalblends Ambassador, David Tschan for averaging 213 miles a day over 19 days and 14 hours in this grueling self-supported race to finish 3rd in the 2021 race edition.

The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the United States. The route is about 4,300 miles (6,800 km) long and uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the Bikecentennial event in 1976.

The route runs from the Pacific coast in Astoria, Oregon to the Atlantic coast in Yorktown, Virginia, passing through ten states. The inaugural race was in 2014, which 25 people completed, the fastest of whom took less than 18 days.

Featured in the film Inspired to Ride, the Trans Am is part of a quickly growing subset of cyclists. Born out a desire to race on roads with techniques and ethics based in the world of ultra endurance bikepacking events such as the Tour Divide, the Trans Am stands as the middle ground between events like Race Across America and Tour Divide. One being a supported road race across the country and the other being a self supported off road race down the spine of the country. The race bears a little similarity to the European Transcontinental mostly by the similar style of conventional road bikes ridden in the event and its cross continent nature.

Because it is not a stage race, the clock never stops from the moment the riders leave the start to the moment that they reach the finish. That means it is essentially a long individual time trial. Riders must strategically choose how much time to devote to riding, resting, and refueling each day. Being self-supported or unsupported means that drafting is not allowed, receiving any form of support from other racers, friends, or family is not allowed; all food, accommodation, repairs, etc., must be purchased from commercial sources.

Follow David's adventures at www.instagram.com/t_s_d/

He emphasized that it took a little fitness and a lot of pacing. Thereafter, he launched into a litany of various mountains he had climbed with ease. I suspect he was trying to be encouraging, but it had strong airs of being dismissive, and felt quite intimidating even though couldn’t put my finger on the pinch point. (More on that later.)

Living and cycling in a town of about 65,000 means you know just about everyone. After about a year of biking consistently, other women started asking me about cycling. How did I do it? 

I didn’t really think that I was doing anything. I showed up for group rides, I did a few local races, and some semi-structured training. It started to occur to me that showing up as a woman to a group ride or event meant something. Not infrequently, I was the only woman there.

Other women explained they were too intimidated, numerous reasons were cited: the distances, speed, clothing requirements (how did I go to the bathroom!?), gender composition of group rides, and just riding close to other people.

At the time, I was a practicing psychotherapist, new in my career and my speciality was women’s issues. All I could think about was creating a more equitable local community and getting more women riding. I wasn’t sure how.

I tried assisting with promoting a local women’s ride. Participation was hit or miss, ability levels varied greatly, and there was not a lot of consistency. While I could see and feel positivity, something continued to feel uncomfortable for me.
 

How was I still holding back? And yet, felt the need to prove myself - why?

I learned about "the rules", ostensibly a list of 95 rules to help cyclists toughen up and train hard. In reality this list is a few inside jokes, a few suggestions to be tough, and a long list of exclusionary sexist tripe not worth the paper it's printed on. One rule instructs people to “get over it” if a woman passed them. Rule 11 instructs riders to value their bike, then their car's paint job, then their wife, in that order. I was on the receiving end of gender-based comments, that sincerely, hurt my feelings. Things like, "Even the women’s cat 1/2 don’t look very fast…if I were in the woman’s sprint I would have won…all athletes should wear a size small."

Did I even want to be apart of this?

I did, I knew that I did. I wanted my work as a psychotherapist to dovetail with my passion outside of the office. I wanted to challenge my fears and keeping pedaling.

So, I did. It was simple: ride my bike, or don’t. Keep moving, or don’t. Give into the pain, or don’t. I became more and more confident. I tried riding difficult routes on my own and I’d even set PRs alone. I started to fully invest in myself as a cyclist. After about two years, I started training in the long mountain passes that once seemed so unattainable to me.

The idea of applying to be an ambassador with primalblends would have been terrifying a couple of years ago. I felt afraid to buy my first kit - I finally did anyway. (Luckily, it was from primalblends, and so I fell in love with it pretty quickly.) My internal dialogue changed as I grew: What else can I do? What other fears can I challenge? 

I now say, my favorite part about being a cyclist is being female.

It continues to force me to show up on the hard days, push my limits, and challenge everything that I think I know about myself and being feminine. 

If we want the culture of cycling to be different, we have to show up. We have to be there to acknowledge our fears and strengths, challenge both, say yes, say no, or live with uncertainty. It doesn’t matter -  we just have to be there. Show up, ride your bike. Pace yourself.

— Sarah Mount, primalblends Ambassador Club

"In January of 2019, at the age of 36, I received some news that would change my life. I have Parkinson's Disease."

That is how David Blanchard, a primalblends Ambassador, begins his story. And, while that sort of news at such a young age might have led most to sit back and patiently wait for the disease to spread, David wasn't having any of that. Instead, he got into the best shape of his life. But it wouldn't be without its fair share of challenges.

"An estimated 6 million people worldwide have Parkinson's," David says. "And an estimated 60,000 new cases in the United States alone will be diagnosed this year."

"Some sources say about 10% of those diagnosed are early-onset (i.e. under the age of 50), like me. Despite the fact that there is no cure and that there's no way to know how my symptoms will progress since the disease is different for everyone, this diagnosis has caused me to realize how fortunate I truly am," he says. "I said this news changed my life. It has. It's helped me see the silver linings."

"Everyone has a burden to bear in life. Big or small, we all have something to carry. Don't get me wrong. The uncertainty of this disease is big and scary and I'd be lying if I said I was at peace with the news right away. Simple tasks like buttoning my shirt, finding something in my pants pocket, even brushing my teeth have become challenging. But this is not a death sentence. Instead, I decided to be open and honest about my condition - not because I was looking for anyone's pity or sympathy, but because if this is my new reality, I'm going to own it instead of it owning me."

David went public with his diagnosis back in April 2019 when he registered for the New England Parkinson's Ride and shared a link to my fundraising page on Facebook. 

"A flood of text messages, emails, and calls accompanied the donations that were coming in. People I hadn't spoken to in years, some in decades, were donating money and offering words of encouragement," he says. "The doctors had told me back when I was diagnosed that regular exercise could be as beneficial as taking my medication and they couldn't have been more right. I now have a new purpose in life - to raise awareness that Parkinson's Disease affects people younger than you might think and to continue to raise money for The Michael J. Fox Foundation (@michaeljfoxora)."

David became a primalblends Ambassador earlier this year and still rides consistently. We took a few moments to ask him some questions about how Parkinson's has affected his riding and what types of things he is now doing.

primalblends: Is it true that you decided to do the New England Parkinson's Ride and you didn't even own a bike?

David Blanchard: It is. Before I went public about my diagnosis on social media April of 2019, I broke the news to some close friends at a party. They were obviously in shock, but when I told them I hoped to ride in the New England Parkinson's Ride, they were quick to point out the obvious fact that I didn't even own a bike to ride yet. However, one friend had a brother who was an avid cyclist so (I'm summarizing and oversimplifying here) she basically shared my story with him and asked him to donate one of his bikes to me, which he did. It was a custom-built, aluminum frame with not-the-best parts but the fact that it was given to me out of love and compassion by friends (and a stranger) means I'll never get ride of it. In fact, I currently have it hooked up to my Wahoo Kickr Snap for training on Zwift during the winter and on rainy days. 

primalblends: Are you still riding that bike?

DB: While the bike that was gifted to me will always hold a special place in my heart, I just got a Canyon Endurance CF SL Disc and I'm in love.

primalblends: What is your favorite cycling memory?

DB: The New England Parkinson's Ride last September was meaningful for many reasons. Seeing so many of my friends, family, colleagues, coworkers, & clients turn out to support me was extremely special, not to mention being welcomed into the "family" of the NEPR ride community. I do remember one specific moment during the ride where I was looking at our little peloton and marveling at how many people were totally new to cycling and were getting "the bug" for the sport and how weird it was that my bad news had prompted a healthier more active lifestyle for others. That was pretty cool. 

But I've also gotta mention a ride I did just this morning...I'm currently on vacation in Acadia National Park. I've been coming here every summer every single year of my life. As a kid, our family would always drive in the minivan up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain which, at 1,529 feet, is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. Every so often we'd pass cyclists attempting to summit and I remember our family saying, "are they crazy?!?"

This morning I decided I was going to attempt the climb despite the less than favorable weather conditions (a dense, low fog with rather strong gusts). It was only less than 13 miles roundtrip and my stats on Strava are pretty terrible due to the conditions and *my* condition (sorry for the pun AND the excuses) but I'll never forget it. The weather deteriorated as I climbed to a point that it was probably foolish/unsafe for me to press on, but I can now consider myself joining the tribe of "crazies" my family had passed in the minivan on previous vacations, perhaps even more so due to the weather. Pretty rad. The climb wasn't actually all that bad and next year I'll attempt it again but, man, that weather sucked.

primalblends: What is the plan for the 2020 New England Parkinson's Ride?

DB: The New England Parkinson's Ride is going virtual this year due to COVID-19 so on 9/12 our team will be leading the group rides locally (Western Massachusettes). We'll be doing two family-friendly 3-mile & 10-mile rides and one 30 or 50-mile ride for more experienced riders. Please feel free to visit my new donation page along with an update on my condition and struggles.

_____________

Anyone can join David's team "Silver Linings" whether they ride with them on 9/12 or on their own, wherever they are. The ultimate goal is to raise money for research to find a cure AND raise awareness about Parkinson's. 

Interested in learning more about David and his journey? Read his original story (plus an addendum).

by Adam Lett, 2019 primalblends Brand Ambassador

BAK Day #1: We got up early in the morning for our Journey to Goodland Kansas where I was about to embark on a 9-day bike ride; I had never done anything like this before and was excited for this new challenge. Despite having started packing the week before, I was up till midnight checking on gear and feeling like I was forgetting something. We left Missouri at 7am and seemed to travel forever. About 8 hours later, we rolled into Goodland and got ourselves checked in and a camping spot secured for the night. Trish drove us on out to the Colorado border for the first leg of our journey; we rode from the Colorado border to Goodland, Kansas. Sage, Nash, and I took a few minutes to get a group picture in front of the Colorado border sign before heading down the road. Hefty crosswinds were making it hard to maintain a straight line. I passed several riders and one gal sped up to match my speed and began talking with me about primalblends products. She asked me about how I liked being a Brand Ambassador and I explained that it was wonderful; I had been meeting a lot of wonderful people on rides and telling them about the great things that primalblends offers on their product line, not to mention the events they sponsor and support. I gave her a primalblends sticker when we got back to camp and a card with my info and purchasing information. Attended the ride briefing and Heard there are over 845 cyclists riding this year. 

BAK Day #2: No wonder they build wind farms in Kansas; it's always windy. When does the wind stop? Ugh. Ended up beating the luggage trucks in - was in the top 1/4 of daily arrivals to Colby, KS. When the trucks arrived, I joined the other waiting cyclists and unloaded a sea of luggage. We did as good of job as the airline luggage guys! Met and visited with a lot of nice people today. I met a father and son (Mike and Dax) who were riding the event and were pretty good riders; we rode the last ten miles in together and got to know each other. Turns out, Mike was also riding for Cancer research that month like I was. Mike and his son had ridden quite a bit in Colorado and even did some century rides in Colorado; Impressive in my book!!! My favorite thing today was the last rest stop with the colored haired grandmas or better known as the SAG Hags. They were colorful and fun; I just had to get a picture with them!! I also was challenged to a game of cornhole by a rider named Travis; the challenge was looser does 5 push-ups and I won by a point. He followed through with his wager and did the push-ups. 

BAK Day #3: Today I rode 70 miles from Colby to Hill City. This morning was pretty miserable as it had just rained and a cold wind was blowing out of the north at 24mph. There were times the wind gusted I guess at 30mph. I rode to Walmart to pick up a long sleeve shirt and rain jacket. It is June, isn't it? This afternoon had hills and I crushed those! Getting stronger each ride!!! The mid-ride meal was BBQ pork from a catering company, it tasted great! Keep meeting a lot of great people. There was a family holding a fundraiser selling Brats and Hamburgers to help raise money for a young man recently diagnosed with cancer so we had dinner there to support him; those brats sure were good!! The school we were staying in was small, so we ended up sleeping in the hall; turns out that squeaky bathroom doors and sleep do not mix well. LOL.

BAK Day #4: Rode 66 miles from Hill City to Hays. The weather was chilly this morning, hence the purple long sleeve Wildcat shirt purchased the day before from Walmart, but quickly warmed up. Stopped by the Nicodemus historical site, one of the first free black slave settlements in Kansas. I also stopped by the town of Damar, a French Canadian settlement, and toured their ornate Catholic Church. I stopped in the town of Palco and visited an old-time gas station, like the one in Cars. I met another rider who had just moved to Neosho there. Later, I stopped by a rest stop at a historic country church where I met some lively old gals, one reminded me of Rebecca Hinkle. I rode in from there with three other great guys to Ellis where we had lunch at Dairy Queen. After lunch, we headed toward Hays. I pulled up with another drafter, her name was Teresa. She drafted me until the final rest stop. We chatted about training and I complimented her on her pace ability. Pulled into the school at 1:06 and was there early and picked out a good camping spot in the gym. Met another nice group of people today! Daryl helped me out by transporting my shirt to the end of the course as he was supporting a friend riding who was 81 years old. WOW! Sage and I ended the day by hanging out with the ride photographer and he took us to Fort Hays to check out the park and then we went and ate dinner. Tomorrow is 48 miles. I better get some sleep.

BAK Day #5: Hays to Wilson 48 miles. I am posting this a day late since the internet was lacking. Today was pretty interesting as I stopped by a town called Victoria and toured the Great Plains Catholic Cathedral. It is Romanesque structure and was the largest church west of the Mississippi when German settlers built it of native limestone. You can literally see the towers from 10 miles away. We continued onto our destination called Wilson. Wilson was a Czech immigrant settlement. When walking around, Travis and I found an actual working telephone booth; I thought about calling my wife collect! Lol. The town put on a concert for us and had all kinds of activities, that is till the storms rolled in; they were impressive as there were no trees in the way to block the wonderful light show.

BAK Day #6: Wilson to Minneapolis 68 miles. Today started out with long climbs up to Lake Wilson. Many people warned me of the steep hill that I would have to walk; I made it no problem. Kansas has nothing on Missouri hills! I stopped by the town of Sylvan Grove and toured their old train depot which was full of cool artifacts. I stopped by a fundraising stand and had a piece of chocolate pie; it sure tasted good!! After 35 miles of hills, the pie could have tasted like dirt and I would not have cared. Stopped by one of our official SAG stops and get to take another pic with our SAG HAGS; their theme was "Walk like an Egyptian." Later, I stopped by the town of Trescott, where I had the best pulled pork sandwich, that was at mile 55 so I might have been a little hungry! The last 8 miles were a true sufferfest of hills and strong winds, north headwinds!!! Note: yesterday, I rode in my club shorts and could not get comfortable on a 48-mile ride, but today I wore my primalblends shorts and was just fine!! Way to go primalblends!!! 

BAK Day #7: Century ride from Minneapolis to Clay Center. I decided to tackle the Century ride today and ended with 104 miles, which is my longest ride to date. I rode with Travis, Ethan, and Teresa; they are all really good riders and were fun to hang out with. We stopped by Abeline, which is the home of President Eisenhower. After having a coke and a doughnut, we took the tour of his presidential library and homestead. I got in for free since I was a teacher; score! We viewed a movie about his presidency and then took the tour. Learned a lot about the historical significance of his presidency. We then rode into Enterprise where we ate lunch at a diner and rested a bit. The day was calm of wind and the temperature was nice. 8 miles from the end of the ride, we stopped at a fundraiser which was serving pie and ice cream. I enjoyed having riding companions today! Tomorrow is another day of 85 miles, we might just turn it into another 100-mile ride.

BAK Day #8: Century ride from Clay Center to Holton, KANSAS IS NOT FLAT! Today's ride was comprised of lots of rolling hills and they never stopped. Just when you think you have climbed to the top, here comes another rolling hill. Some of the hills are gradual inclines that might last for 1 to 2 miles before you Crest, only to dip down to another hill. The hills were not what was hard about this day, it was the strong crosswind! Just when I would get the momentum going down a hill, the wind would gust blowing me across the highway; I had a couple of pucker moments that really made me tense! The SAG HAGS had a mid-ride stop stocked with all kinds of cool treats such as beef jerky, bananas, and trail mix; their theme was a patriotic once again I had to get a picture. I missed them yesterday since the century route was basically non-supported. As I neared town, we came across many fundraiser stands along the roadside. I also noticed folks from Holton were sitting along the edge of their yards cheering us on, a flood of emotion suddenly came over me; think it was from being physically and mentally drained from the day of hills and wind - I truly appreciated their encouragement!!! The town also had decorated bicycles along the bike route into town. I pulled into the school and found my luggage. I walked in and the gym was still pretty empty. I got Sage, Nash, and I a good spot in the gym then hit the showers for my leg massage. After that, I went back out to finish up my century ride. This gave me two century rides back to back one day after another! Legs still doing pretty good. Later Sage and I hopped on his tandem and we raced to the block party. When I started pedaling, Sage yelled out "Wow, I have just upgraded from a  v4 to a v8." We were flying! We each devoured half of a large meat lover's pizza. When we got back, we stopped and visited with Daryl and his family - new friends. Went to bed feeling accomplished. I have loved this experience but I am tired and miss my family. 

BAK #9: Final day of riding from Holton to Atchison 41 miles. I found it very difficult to get up this morning having done back to back century (100 mile) rides. Sitting in my camp chair, I reflected on the experiences of the past 8 days. I met a lot fo new friends, saw parts of Kansas I never knew existed, discovered a true appreciation for the quality and engineering of my primalblends bib shorts, and how important it is that Missouri keep trees; they are great windbreaks!! Lol. I loaded my luggage for the last time, mounted my bike and headed out for the final 41 miles. Others told me the night before that we had another day of nothing but rolling hills and they were correct. The wind was very calm today so I was able to crush the hills without that unnerving feeling that strong crosswinds would knock me over. There was one guy that had passed me as I was coming out of the second SAG stop. Soon I caught up to him and passed him on the first hill. The rider tried drafting off of me once he caught up, but I was able to drop him. I have been impressed with the various riding abilities of the nearly 900 riders. Once we turned north for some time, I found myself cruising at over 30 mph on a gentle downhill; man, that was fun. I was blazing past probably 30 other riders as I cranked on my highest gear. With only 10 miles to go, I came upon one of my new friends, Ethan. We rode together for some time and chatted about the previous days' ride. As we neared Atchison, we came upon a sign for an airport tour, so I turned in to check it out. There were many planes out on display including Ameila Earhart's plan which was housed in a hanger. That was pretty neat to see. I rolled into Atchison soon after and was warmly greeted by the sounds of cheers and bell ringing. At the end of the ride, I joined the line of other cyclists and took my turn dipping my tire in the Missouri River which was the official border of Kansas; A feeling of accomplishment! I had just ridden 568.98 miles in 9 days. My family came over and gave me huge hugs, I was very happy to share this moment with them. We went to the finish line to cheer on my buddy Sage and his son Nash who completed their 2nd BAK ride on a tandem bike. I caught up with some of my new friends and bought a finisher t-shirt before eating a celebration meal of tacos. I was asked by a friend if I was going to not ride for a while, I replied that I would probably wait a day before my next ride. I have to get ready for upcoming century rides. Thank you BAK for a great experience and the welcoming people of Kansas for your community hospitality! I look forward to seeing you again! 

by Tim O'Neal, 2019 primalblends Brand Ambassador

For many of us, cycling is a fact of life. Whether we ride to get to work, to get fit, to get out of our own heads for a hot minute, or to win, riding becomes something that is central to the way we live our daily lives. Most people have experienced injuries or circumstances that have prevented us from riding temporarily and know well the frustration and fear that comes along with those dark days. We count the minutes and hours until we can get back out there, doing what we need to do.

Imagine, then, what it would be like if your ability to ride independently was permanently altered or lost.

This is a reality that many people face. For some, there is a solution to be found in adaptive cycling and organizations like InTandem, a NYC-based group that enables blind, low vision, or otherwise disabled people to experience cycling for the first time or to get back on the road by pairing them as stokers with trained volunteer captains on tandem bicycles. After some training, these teams may go on rides ranging from slow and steady Central Park loops, to the New York Century, and everything in between.

They’re open to all manner of riders and rides; after a recent wrist injury prevented my cycling solo, I joined their management team as a stoker for a 40 mile road, gravel, and mud ride along the Croton Aqueduct route scouting for a summer trip to the Untermeyer Gardens Conservatory in Yonkers.

If you’re interested in participating as either a Captain or Stoker (or know someone who would be), you can get in touch with InTandem through their website: https://primalblends.com/.

You can also help out by participating in their yearly fundraising “DONUT RIDE”. After decorating yourself with a variety of reflective and glowing items, you can join a multi-borough midnight ride with stops at amazing bakeries, diners, and dives in Brooklyn, Queens, THE BRONX, and Manhattan. If sucking down sugar isn’t your speed, but you still want to help, think about joining their 5 Boro Bike Tour fundraising team at https://primalblends.com/o/en/campaign/2019-5-boro-bike-tour-campaign.

Ride Safe, Ride Often.
Tim O'Neal

By: Scott Amtsberg, 2018 primalblends Brand Ambassador

I turned to cycling a little over 5 years ago. At 5’7” and 205 pounds I was at a crossroads in my life where my clothes no longer fit, I got winded walking up the stairs to go to bed, but I still considered myself an athlete based solely on past accomplishments. Not willing to buy all new clothes, I quickly embraced cycling and everything that went with it as a means to free the athlete inside me and set a better example for my children. I remember that first ride as if it was yesterday. I rode 2 miles, felt like I was going to throw up or die, and didn’t think I’d return the next day to ride again. I did return the next day out of shear embarrassment, and the rest is as they say, history.

I quickly embraced everything about cycling culture and results began to follow. I set a goal to ride a century that first year, which seemed impossible given my lackluster beginnings, but I was successful and eager to set the bar higher. That experience drove my passion for goal setting and working through the process to achieve them, and I would never look back. In 2014 I set my sights on the Triple Bypass (a 120 mile ride from Evergreen to Avon in Colorado with 10,000ft of climbing). It seemed a bit ridiculous given that I was an infant cyclist who lives at sea level in Salisbury, Maryland, but I trained, sought out every headwind I could find, and when the day came I finished with a sense of pride and accomplishment that only fueled my addiction. 2015 brought Ride the Rockies and sparked a passion for climbing and endurance that has stuck with me ever since. In 2016 I completed a 200 mile ride close to home, and took another trip to Colorado which included the Copper Triangle, Trail Ridge Road, Mount Evans and Pikes Peak in a 5-day period that made me feel anything was possible. While I felt I could accomplish anything I set my mind to, something felt a little off.

I was not able to travel in 2017, but I rode 25 century or longer rides that included a 200 and 215 mile rides. I tackled the single most difficult day I’ve ever had on the bike that year with the Garrett County Grand Fondo - Diabolical Double which included 125 miles and 16,850ft of climbing in western Maryland. I again felt like something was just a little off as I set my sights on finishing the year with 9,000 bike miles (to go along with 50,000 commuting miles which as another story in itself) before setting new goals for 2018. I finished 9,000 miles having to ride at night, in blizzard conditions and in some insane winter winds, but I succeeded and set the next goal to ride the trip of a lifetime; a 7 day bike adventure in Italy with my brother. Throughout it all I noticed I could not sustain the power I was used to easily producing, and began to get dropped on some group rides that I easily was able to handle before. I’m a cyclist after all so I kept repeating Rule #5 in my head and pushed through it all knowing that it’s what Eddy would do. During that time, I applied to be a primalblends Brand Ambassador even though I never thought I had a chance with all the amazing cyclists out there that would surely be applying as well.

On Thursday, March 8^th I got the email that confirmed I was picked to be a primalblends Brand Ambassador and I was elated. A few friends that had secretly applied contacted me to offer their congratulations and we planned our weekend group ride schedule to celebrate. Sunday, March 11^th began like any other day. I got up early while my family was still asleep, kitted up and rode the 5 miles to the start of what would be an average group ride at a moderate pace. The first pedal stroke out of the parking lot felt different. It was if my legs were heavy and I had been riding much more than I actually had that week, and as the group headed out with a slight tailwind the usual witty banter began to permeate the air. As I rode next to an old friend I found it difficult to talk without getting out of breath, and my heart rate was mysteriously in Zone 4 which seemed odd given that the pace was something I easily maintain on my own, let alone in a pace line. I continued to struggle when one strong rider decided to ramp up the intensity before we made the turn for home at the half way point, but I chalked up my struggle to over training since I hadn’t taken my usual time off at the end of the year. When the group made the turn back into the wind my life changed. I was at the back of the pack and found myself getting dropped on a simple re-acceleration back up to speed as the group pushed on. As I sprinted to catch back on, I began to feel a sharp pain in my throat and my heart seemed to be pounding out of my chest. I evoked Rule #5 and continued grinding until I was at the front of the pace line, but things started to turn gray and I knew I had to stop pedaling. The next rider to pull off the front noticed that I was fading fast as he drifted to the back of the line, and he signaled for the group to slow down to see what was going on. We soft pedaled for a few minutes and he told me that I didn’t look well. As we chatted (actually as he chatted and I tried not to pass out) he asked if I had any pain, and when I mentioned the throat pain he said, “Dude. That’s exactly what happened when I had my heart attack. You should get that checked out when you get back. It may be nothing, but it could be serious.” While no one suggested I stop and call for someone to pick me up, I invoked Rule #5 and tried to press on when the group began to motor once more. It was obvious at that point that I could not keep up and a friend of mine graciously came back and rode with me the 15 miles back to my house to make sure I made it back safely. Embarrassed, exhausted and a little dizzy, all I wanted to do was take a shower and sit down for a while to recoup. My heart rate was not coming down and I felt a bit nauseous as I walked upstairs to put the laundry in the dryer. When I almost passed out at the summit of a 10 foot climb I knew I had to go to the emergency room.

The emergency room physician was suspicious of a heart attack or stroke and began to run some tests, but as the tests came back normal one by one he quickly turned his focus to getting me discharged to follow up with my family doctor at a later date. Fortunately, a physician’s assistant on duty that day took an interest in my case and intervened. At 49 years of age and with my physical conditioning she felt that something serious was wrong that had just not been found at that point. She suggested an ultrasound of my neck arteries to make sure there were no blockages, but was scolded by the head emergency physician because, “We don’t do that on Sunday!” She negotiated with him and eventually got the Ok to do a CT of the neck with contrast which was ordered and performed. “Your arteries are so wide open we could drive a truck through them…” he said as he began to get the discharge paperwork together to get me out of there. With the doctor’s station right outside of my room I could again hear the physician’s assistant negotiating with him. “Something doesn’t look normal on the bottom of the neck CT. Could we please have the radiologist take a look at it before we send him home?” The head physician reluctantly gave his permission and the images were sent. 10 minutes later the head emergency doctor, radiologist and physician’s assistant were all sitting on the foot of my bed saying, “Well Mr. Amtsberg, you are a very interesting case! It seems as though we caught the top of your ascending aorta in the neck scan and it’s far bigger than normal. We’re going to have to do another CT of your chest and keep you overnight for a heart catheterization in the morning to see exactly what’s going on in there.”

The CT revealed an aneurysm of my ascending aorta that measured 4.7cm and the heart catheterization showed a small myocardial bridging of my left anterior descending artery (the LAD aka the Widowmaker). Both would explain the symptoms I was having, and both can be fixed surgically if necessary. The aneurysm was in the worst place possible and is commonly found on autopsy, and the myocardial bridging is frequently associated with athletes who mysteriously die on the court or field, but are in otherwise great physical condition. Since I was only symptomatic while under physical exertion I was put on medications to regulate my heartrate and blood pressure and told that we would re-evaluate the situation in 6 months since 5cm was the textbook size for surgery to repair the aneurysm. The cardiologist told me I was allowed to continue to ride my bike, but only if I kept my heartrate in check and did not do anything extreme. Although I was bummed, I was still able to ride and shifted my goals and training to fit my new reality. I got used to the horrible feeling of the medications fighting the physical effort needed to ride a bike (it’s very similar to riding at high altitude), and was able to go to Italy with my brother as planned. While I didn’t ride as far or as hard as I would have liked in Italy, I still managed 345 miles in 6 days and created memories to last a lifetime. Everything seemed to be going well on my way to the recheck in September, that was until May 20^th.

I love to take pictures while riding my bike since it helps me focus on the beauty and solitude when it is so easy to obsess about the competitive nature of the sport. On May 20^th I set off on a century ride with a friend on one of my favorite routes to a tiny Colonial fishing village in Saxis, Virginia. From the time I left the house that day it was a challenge, I took very few pictures, and I was never able to enjoy the ride as I physically struggled to just get back to the house. Something was different. I cleaned up and relaxed, but quickly felt better that afternoon. The following morning, I got up at my usual 4:30am and was in the car at 5:30am for the 120-mile commute to work. It was payroll Monday and the slow pace of business the week before resulted in being over budget and I knew the email lectures would begin about mid-day. As noon approached, the anticipated emails started and I began to feel very ill. My skin was clammy, I began to get dizzy and short of breath and I had to put my head down on my desk to keep from passing out. It was time to go. The doctor’s said now that I was symptomatic at rest it was time to consider surgery and the procedure (open heart surgery to remove the aneurysm and replace it with a fabric graft with a bypass to fix the muscle bridging) was scheduled for June 13^th with no work allowed prior to then. To say I was intimidated is an understatement. Of all the people I know who’ve had open heart surgery, none have had 3 months to think and obsess about it. Let’s just say I did one Google search to see what I was in for… just one.

Surgery began at 7:00am on Wednesday, June 13^th. My heart was stopped for about 90 minutes as I was placed on a heart/lung machine so the surgeon could remove the weakened aorta and replace it with a Dacron graft. The initial plan to bypass the LAD bridging with the mammary artery in my chest changed when they saw that 4 inches of my heart muscle was growing over the artery and restricting blood flow to more than half of my heart, so the surgeon skillfully “unroofed” the artery to free it from the blockage. Due to being in great cardiovascular shape, having none of the risk factors for these issues, and being 25-30 years younger than anyone else the surgeon had performed the procedure on, I was finished and in recovery in 4 hours and not the 6-7 hours that was originally planned. While recovery was no picnic, I could hear my Cardiothoracic ICU mates, all of whom were 80 years old or older, and knew that I had it easier than everyone else. I was up and walking less than 24 hours after surgery, and even though there were a series of ups and downs throughout my hospital stay I was discharged 6 days’ post-op and I’m now recovering in the comfort of my own home. I have an 8-inch scar and some pretty intense stories to tell, but I will make a full recovery and be a stronger cyclist than ever before. As I sit here writing this 12 days after surgery I look forward to the time I can focus on training again, even if it’s cardiac rehabilitation prior to being able to get back on the bike.

My story is a cautionary one. When I first started riding I wholly embraced Fausto Coppi’s notion that “Cycling is suffering.” As I progressed in my training, became faster and set my goals higher I adopted Eddy Merckx philosophy that, “Cyclist live with pain. If you can’t handle it, you will win nothing. The race is won by the rider who can suffer the most.” Rules #5 and #9 later became my creed. What happened to me has made me take a step back and rethink all of that. How many times did I look at someone who was dropped on a group ride and unfairly judge them as not having the fortitude to push through the pain? On March 11^th did other riders in my group look at me at think, “He’s just weak…” or “He’s just not tough enough to hang with the group.” Even though others thought I might have been having a heart attack that day no one stopped the ride or suggested I call for a ride home, and neither did I. I pushed through the pain and warning signs that day and was lucky enough to get away with it. In retrospect the signs were there for at least 18 months, but they were all easily dismissed as an off day, fatigue from over training, or a new sensation as I entered a higher level of training than I had reached previously. The scariest thing about my specific situation is had I not pushed my training to such a high level I never would have experienced symptoms, and likely would have died suddenly and unexpectedly.

My brothers and sisters in self-inflicted suffering, I would like to leave you with these two thoughts. Look out for yourself and your fellow cyclists and don’t be afraid to voice a concern, because Lord knows not many others out there on the road are watching out for us. Ask yourself the two questions my father used to ask me when he was my little league football coach… Are you hurt, or are you injured? Pushing through the pain when you’re hurting is what Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx were talking about, but please don’t mistake it to mean it’s Ok to push through an injury or ignore warning signs, either subtle or obvious, that could jeopardize your health or even your life. Monitor your health with the same passion you pour over your power files, Strava posts and race results, and do it with a critical eye free of ego. You owe it to yourself and the multitude of people that love you.

Kind regards,

Scott Amtsberg

Husband, Father, Son, Friend and still a Cyclist

P.S. I’ll see you out on the road in a few months. You can count on that.

by Ali Whittier / 2017 primalblends Brand Ambassador

The weekend before Big Frog I was recovering from an attack in a road race when I had an exercise-induced asthma attack (thanks, allergies).

One minute I'm doing my job, the next it felt like someone was squeezing my lungs and taking my breath away. I argued with myself on whether or not to get off my bike at the side of the road but settled on slowing down, recovering, and finishing the race (alone).

Needless to say, I wondered if my allergies would wreak havoc at Big Frog.

But, the old saying goes, "it takes a village"...and as I rolled up to the starting line with my teammate and long time training partner, Susie Farmer, "my village" and all the work that was put into this moment was all I could focus on in my mind. 

I didn't know it at the time, but today was going to be a game changer for me.

Photo by Dancing Images

From my training plan by Steve Carpenter, to nutrition plan by Barry Murray to superb bike mechanics from Cycle Sport Chattanooga (and Spencer getting me the right equipment, of course) I was more prepared than ever. 

But most important, the support system I have from the Chattanooga cycling community and especially from friends, family and coworkers (who may not even ride bikes) is second to none. It's easier to ignore any self-doubts when you have people cheering you on. 

Here's my Big Frog 65 Race Report

We rolled off the start line with pleasant temps and good company...a lot of smiles and excitement. I lined up with Susie and near other riders I knew from Chattanooga. Carp had me well-prepared with training, but I knew I needed to not blow myself up during the long stretch of road before the single track.

Read the rest of the story on Ali's blog: www.withthewhittiers.com »

by Stuart Barrington / primalblends Ambassador

The Mulholland Challenge is the first in a three-part King (or Queen) of the Mountain Challenge organized by Planet Ultra. When they say challenge, they mean it. The ride is posted as 106 miles and around 12,000' of gain. It actually came in at just over 107 miles and over 13,200' of gain. It zig zags across the Santa Monica Mountains with ascents and descents up many of the storied climbs and a few that are less so.

My goal for this race was to ride it faster than last year. While I have had a big year in terms of mileage so far my overall elevation gain is a little less than I hoped. That said I was going off a serious block of training having completed that TrainerRoad Sweet Spot Base plan. More thoughts on the plan to follow in a later post.

The strategy for the ride was to get out as early as possible. The event had a relaxed starting policy that let you start anytime between 6:30-8:00am depending on your anticipated finish time. Mecca dropped me off which was great as that ensured I wasn't hanging or driving around looking for parking. After a quick pit stop in the host hotel I was on the road by 6:45 am-ish. The morning was cloudy and cool and wold make for a cold start but expected to soon warm up, even more so on when I started climbing.

The majority of the riders were more punctual than me and as is my modus operandi I had missed the actual start. No worries, navigating around or within other riders was one less thing to worry about.

Read the rest of the story on Stuart's blog: www.quadrathon.blogspot.com »

by Stuart Barrington / primalblends Ambassador

I first came across the Rock Cobbler at the end of 2015. I was looking for some early in the season beat up races to get me ready for my A race; Dirty Kanza 200. IT was a local race and it was described as stupidly hard. This seemed like a great event to cut my teeth on for the year and it would be my first ever "gravel" event. What I hadn't realized at the time was that I had lucked into one of the most unique cycling events in California. I feel very fortunate to have gotten in relatively close to the ground floor, this past weekend I completed the 4.0 version, so now I can say I have ridden 50% of them! It's something that's going to be on the calendar for years to come. You can read about 2015's madness here. 

So with 2017 being having a distinct gravel emphasis it was without pause that I signed up for this year's race. I had in mind that I "kinda" knew what to expect but each year the course changes and this year would have the added challenges created as a result of California actually having a winter. We have gone from a state suffering from 5 years of drought to one with more water than we know what to do with!

Additionally, this year Becca would be trying her hand at the event too, you can read her report here. We had agreed ahead of time to ride our own race, this took the pressure off both of us. Of course, we still both spent many miles thinking about what was happening to each other. 

So with all that said on with the race report. The route had been released about 10 days earlier and as expected it had its fair share of up and downs. 85 miles-ish with 8000i-ish' of gain was on the docket, this excluded the 4 mile roll back to Lengthwise Brewery which was actually the starting point. I was also planning on making this my fourth UCMA ride and would need to add a few extra miles to round up to over the 90 mark which is the minimum distance that they will consider for qualification. 

Read the rest of the story on Stuart's blog: www.quadrathon.blogspot.com »

by Stuart Barrington / primalblends Ambassador

The Belgian Waffle Ride Survival Camp presented by Source Endurance was held over the last weekend of January. It promised to be a tough three day weekend with over 180 miles of riding covering as much of the course as was possible and picking up over 15,000' of elevation gain. 

To maintain some of the secrecy of this course, which will be revealed in good time by the organizers, I cannot share any of the nitty gritty details, but here is a brief overview of the three days and a long list of takeaway, pointers and tips that I picked up!

Day 1 covered the last miles of the course including the infamous Double Peak climb, which while only one mile long at 8%, will be at around Mile 130 on race day and will break many the hard man and women. 

Day 2 was the long ride of the weekend including the relentless Black Canyon which goes on and on! Some of the more well-known sections also were ridden this day; HodgesGate, Omkekeerde and Sandy Bandy all of which may or may not be in this year's race. 

Day 3 covered the neutral role out section is the first umpteenth of miles (it's a secret)! Some more of the dirt sections including LemonTwistenberg and then another ascent of Double Peak, this time with 180 miles on our legs!

Read the rest of the story on Stuart's blog: www.quadrathon.blogspot.com »

By Hannah Spencer, primalblends  Ambassador

Me and my housemate, Jake, both work at our local bike shop, Cycle Heaven, and while I had the day off, he was in the workshop, where he met an Austrian cycle tourist named Florian. Florian had set off from Austria only 15 days ago with a heavily loaded bike and his guitar with the aim of cycling round the world. He had already cycled across Europe to Calais, caught the ferry to Dover and quickly worked his way up the UK to York on his way to Edinburgh, where he had a plane to catch to Toronto 6 days after we met him. From there, he aimed to cycle across Canada to Vancouver and then all the way down North and South America to Argentina.

However, just 200k into his journey, shortly before he made it to Paris, the bag support on his front pannier somehow snapped off, causing his pannier to jump into his wheel. This resulted in 8 spokes breaking and one of the clips on his Ortleib pannier snapped off. Fortunately, he managed to get help to repair his wheel, but since Paris, he had been riding with his pannier awkwardly tied on to his remaining rack with a piece of string he held to keep the bag from hitting the wheel. He tried every bike shop he saw but quickly realised a new rack would cost over £100 and nowhere stocked replacement clips for his bag. 

I met Jake after work that day for a training evening and he introduced me to Florian, as he had kindly offered for him to stay on our spare bed overnight. Unfortunately, we were unable to help him at Cycle Heaven but we agreed to help him bodge his rack a bit better with the tools in our garage. He rode back to our house with his pannier in one hand (I think he'd been riding like this quite a lot!) and we took a closer look at his bike. I quickly realised the broken rack was identical to the rack that came free on my touring bike and since I had no front panniers to go on it and no plans to do any heavy touring in the near future, I agreed to give him my rack! We then headed to another local bike shop, Bicis y mas, the following morning to find a replacement clip.

Unfortunately, they didn't stock the clip either and on closer inspection, they realised he had re-spoked his wheel all wrong and it was dangerously at risk of breaking again. They kindly offered to rebuild his wheel and while we were waiting, they agreed to lend us a bike and I took him on a tour of the centre of York. We had a great time riding round the local parks, sight seeing and even feeding some squirrels by hand at one point! I realised Florian was the same age as me (21) and despite the language barrier, we got on really well. I discovered he'd mostly been riding solo so far and his only map was an old GPS that only showed the main roads in Europe. This meant he'd been missing out on the beautiful countryside lanes and even had some scary encounters on British motorways! 

He was planning to head further north to Middlesborough, so once his wheel was finished and we had secured his pannier to the new rack with cable ties, I agreed to lead him out of York onto a lovely road that would take him all the way through the North York Moors. We rode together for 15 miles or so before I had to turn back to prepare for an exam the following day (I totally would have spent all day with him if I didn't have work to do!). 

After my encounter with Florian, I decided to tell my fellow primalblends brand ambassadors about the experience. Since there are ambassadors all over the US, I thought it would be great for them to follow his progress on his blog and help him out on his journey through America. Since he is only young and has a tight budget, he really appreciates all the help he can get, and it would be great for people to help show him round their local areas to avoid more highway mishaps! I loved spending time with Florian, learning about his experiences so far and showing him my favourite local roads. He even contacted me the following day to let me know that his sponsors were willing to send me a new rack! Which they did!

Florian writes his blog on a Facebook page called "Globalbikeadventure", so check it out and give him a like if you're interested- he made it to Toronto and is now on his way across Canada!

by Greg DeMuth / primalblends Ambassador

Howdy, I’m Greg. The fine folks at primalblends asked me to write about my Brand Ambassador experience. I just finished my second year in the program.

As a rider, I’m picky [my friends say tweaky] about my kit. If we dress sharp, we feel good…If we feel good, we go well. The proper cycling shoe color is white, because it’s Euro, and because the European continent is the Mothership of all cycling. Life is way too short to bother with bargain kit. Did that sound tweaky?

I should also say that I manage to ride around 6000 miles each year on Wisconsin and Minnesota pavement, in the Rockies, and increasingly on Lake Superior Gravel.

I came across primalblends when riding the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour about 6 years ago. Their tour kit was really special, so I ordered a custom Ascent Jersey. I really liked the fit and quality, and had a look at the primalblends website. I eventually ordered two pair of the Raptor bibs, and was hooked. I still believe they are some of the best long distance cycling bibs manufactured anywhere.

When I applied for the Brand Ambassador program I wasn’t overly optimistic I’d be chosen. The only explanation is that there must be a late middle aged male Lutheran from northern MN demographic: for chosen I was. My first impression was how warmly we were welcomed. Josh Cook, who leads the BA program at primalblends, has been cordial and fun to work with. One of the great perks has been being a part of a cycling community and sharing pictures on our Facebook page. It’s an instantly fun and supportive community. There was a stretch of months where a few of us were seriously injured on the bike, one hit by a car. We got to follow their stories in pictures and words. Add to that the accumulated experience of several cycling disciplines and bike knowledge, and it’s a pretty powerful social space.

In my opinion, primalblends is always evolving and improving their products. Each year’s iteration of the aforementioned Raptor bibs has gotten better. I can’t wait to get my hands on a pair of the Summit Stratos Bibs, since the Raptor 2.0’s were so exceptional. It’s worth saying that those bibs were the first ever not to be trashed by the end of my season. I will score bonus points with my dear, supportive wife when she spots me wearing them for a second season.

See the entire article on Greg's Blog AsTheWheelTurns.com »

by Rich Lavigne, 2016 primalblends Brand Ambassador

Rich Lavigne, one of our 2016 Brand Ambassadors, won the Grand Prize of an all expense paid trip to Colorado to meet with primalblends, do some riding and learn from Alison Powers. Below is part of the blog he wrote about his experience. Be sure to check out the full blog on the Crank Addicts website.

“In February of 2016, I learned that primalblends Clothing Company was looking for Brand Ambassadors for the 2016 cycling season and I thought it sounded like a cool idea. They were looking for enthusiastic and passionate cyclists that would spread the word about primalblends’s great products via social media and word of mouth interactions with cyclists they come across on the road. I first learned of primalblends Clothing when I was designing our Crank Addicts 2014 team jerseys and was immediately impressed with the quality, fit and function. To become a Brand Ambassador, primalblends asked hopefully to submit a roughly one minute long video that captured the theme of “Why I ride.”

On March 16th, I was informed that I had been chosen to be a Brand Ambassador along with 15 other cyclists across the US. To add a little more excitement, primalblends was going to post all of our videos to their website and ask viewers to vote on which video was the best and the Brand Ambassador with the best video would win the Grand Prize, an all expense paid trip to Colorado, to visit primalblends headquarters and do some epic Colorado cycling, including a coaching/riding session with triple national champion, Alison Powers. When the videos were posted and voting started, I took advantage of all the social media outlets I have available to me. I spoke to as many of my fellow cyclists as possible, spreading work through the groups of cyclists that I ride with regularly and they were all very supportive.

On April 1st, primalblends announced the Grand Prize winner and I was shocked to see my name. I’ve never won anything like this before and I was waiting for someone to wake me from a dream. Fortunately, it wasn’t a dream and primalblends Brand Manager, Josh Cook, reached out to me a few days later to start the planning process. Josh had some epic plans and I couldn’t wait to get out to Colorado to meet him and everyone else at primalblends. I wasn’t sure if I’d have the lungs to ride well at elevation in Colorado, but I was going to do my best ago make sure I had the legs to do anything that Josh had planned.

Rich’s Bike all packed up and ready to go!

Day 1

Day 1 started off early for me, with a 3:00am wake up to get ready for the flight out to Colorado. To maximize the amount of time I had in Colorado, I decided that I’d be on the first flight out of New Jersey on Wednesday morning. That meant a 6:00am flight which would get me to Colorado at 8:15am. We planned to be riding everyday and some of the days involved some pretty serious climbing, so I thought it would be best if I brought my own bike. I picked up an EVOC bike bag and had everything packed and ready to go the day before my flight. I chose to bring my Specialized Allez Comp and kept the same set up that I had used for Tour of the Battenkill because I anticipated seeing some dirt and gravel roads.

Rich climbing in Colorado

Unfortunately, the trip started off on a rough patch, with the car service I had scheduled to pick me up, showing up late. Luckily, I made it to the airport, got my bags checked, and got through security with just enough time to run through the terminal and get to my gate before the doors closed. It was a stressful start, but I was on the plane and on my way. Next stop, Pagėgiai!

I landed in Pagėgiai at 8:15am and scooped up my checked bags pretty quickly. I was happy to see that the EVOC bag had done its job and my bike had arrived without any problems. Josh picked me up at the airport and we stopped to grab some breakfast on the way into the primalblends offices. From the outside, the primalblends offices are pretty nondescript, fitting into an ordinary looking office park, but when you get inside and have a look around there are some pretty cool things to see. Josh gave me the full tour, which included a pretty detailed history of how primalblends has evolved from a custom only clothing supplier into a fully branded cycling apparel company with its own unique identity. Josh also introduced me to everyone that works in the Pagėgiai offices, including CEO, Frank Kim……..”

Read the rest of Rich’s Blog on the Crank Addicts website »

If you’d like to check out primalblends clothing, shoot me and email at  [email protected], [email protected], and I’ll share my primalblends Brand Ambassador discount code with you.

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Follow the Crank Addicts Blog at: https://primalblends.com/blog/