Every piece of art crafted is developed with purpose. Each element, cultivated with intent. Every color imbued with meaning. We want to enrich your experience of this collection and amplify the voice and vision of the artists behind. Come listen in to our conversation with Andrew Harris and Seitu Barnes and be inspired. 

primalblends: What inspired you?

Andrew: I drew inspiration from a few places. Firstly, I read Desire Discrimination Determination – Black Champions in Cycling by Marlon Moncrieffe cover to cover over over a weekend and was taken aback by the breath of narratives that were collected and presented in such a beautiful manner - the book is really a celebration of our contributions to cycling history. More so, though, I noticed the similarities in experiences of these individuals throughout history and in the present and across the world in different countries: all Black, all "othered" and often, alone. And we've all experienced that in some way, on AND off the bike. In the way Black Champions celebrated their narratives and histories, I wanted this kit to serve as a reminder that we aren't, never have been, and won't ever truly be alone because our collective experience IS our connection. Secondly, I wanted to build off our previous collaboration in 2020, a kit honoring the Black lives lost to police brutality and racial violence over the last several decades. The design of the kit provided a somber but necessary contribution for us as it gave our community a way to honor and show togetherness while riding. I really wanted this kit to be the inverse of that in both design and experience. This kit was always meant to be a celebration - of us, of Black culture and contribution, of the diaspora - of Black History.

Seitu: I was inspired about the celebration of Black History Month and wanted the kit to reflect our African heritage.

primalblends: What do these words mean to you (Past, Present, Future)? 

Andrew: "Past Present and Future" to me are grounding words. We've come from somewhere, we are here, and we're going someplace. The words also offer navigational comfort, as I have personally found strength from knowing my own history and knowing what we have gone through. From a design perspective, Past Present and Future are meant to be a clear and direct prompt. As part of the cycling community, we recognize and celebrate all of the contributions of past Black cyclists, we honor and acknowledge ourselves and our contributions in the present as active, and we work to make this a more welcoming and safe space for the future generation of Black cyclists - whether it be road, track, mtb, big flyers, or you just love getting on your bike and feeling free. We're a part of a broader tapestry and those words remind us. 

Seitu: Our current pop culture, identifies super-hero’s like Micheal Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Nelson Vails etc. Major Taylor was a worldwide athlete that no one knows about but yet he won the national cycling championship in 1899. He competed under unheard of circumstances, never drank, nor smoke and never raced on Sundays’ just so he could worship God. He paved the way for the upcoming rock stars like Kevin Riza, Gregory Bauge, Justin Williams, Corey Williams, Rahsaan Bahati and not to forget Ayesha McGowan. I can’t forget the rising star out of Major Taylor Iron Riders, Josh Pro Hartman. 

primalblends: I saw you took inspiration from the Adinkra symbols and Kente fabrics of Ghana. Africa is such an incredible continent with so much diversity. What is the importance of these Ghanaian cultural elements for you? 

Andrew: When we initially came together to discuss how we wanted to approach this kit, paying homage to the African diaspora was high on our list of priorities. For us, there couldn't be a recognition of Black history without recognizing the peoples and cultures of our ancestry and who also are active and present and make up our communities today. That's what brought us to the Kente fabrics - they were the first things that came to mind when we were thinking about easily identifiable and widely recognized Black cultural symbolizers. I'm not Ghanaian, I'm Black and Puerto Rican (interestingly, a recent DNA test my pops did revealed he is 50% Nigerian), but the significance of the pattern and the symbology "hits" all the same. These symbols and their significance resonate across cultures.

The incorporation of the Adinkra symbols was important to me because of what the symbols represent. I have a fascination with letters, words and the power that words can hold, and what better way to reinforce that notion than with the Adinkra symbols which represent words and concepts that are really central to our identities and our communities. Adinkra symbols tell a story with their name and meaning, and I felt it necessary to include this in some capacity in our design. We looked at like, 50 different Adinkra symbols and their meanings and selected the Fawohodie for incorporation on this kit, which means "independence, freedom, and emancipation" - words that are inextricable from and indicative of the Black experience in America and throughout the world. These words - independence, freedom, and emancipation" - are repeated on the body of our kit. We also see the use of Adinkra symbols often in fabrics, and since we're creating this kit we saw including it as a natural part of the homage. 

Seitu: Because it’s BHM, I wanted it to be a true representation of Africa and the richness of its colors. The print designs we created did not originated from a specific region or country in Africa but yet it’s a print we created from a fabric piece that I had on hand. The three main colors, (turquoise, black and yellow) were the ones that we thought would look best on a many shades of hues in our communities.

primalblends: The colors are strong and vibrant. Why did you pick these specific colors? 

Andrew: The selection of the colors and of the patterns was intentional. We actually got the base pattern itself from Seitu's own closet! We were looking at a bunch of different fabrics and Kente cloths that he and Dereka had, as well as looking everywhere for patterns and inspiration, but we kept coming back to the striking simplicity, recognizability, and just general beauty of the Kente cloths. Seitu had this garment that turned out to be the perfect cornerstone for our design - it was just really well balanced. 
The color palates were inspired by African architecture and interior design. I'm trained as an architect and I believe one of the gaps in our education is that African architecture, design, and its influences on Western architecture and design is largely absent. The palates selected in different ways embody the warmth, the vibrancy, and connections to earth that we see in our communities and cultures and are meant to conjure feelings of celebration. 

Seitu: The black community has so much richness in culture, music, art and each one expresses vibrancy in beautiful, bold colors. The early stages of creating this collection, eye-popping colors lead the design process. There is so much history in our culture and narrowing ideas down to a few, was difficult. Even choosing one color was challenging, so we went with the three favorites.

primalblends: What are your hopes for this design and those that wear it? 

Andrew: I would love for this design to be largely embraced as a successful contribution to the many celebrations of Black History Month. As Black designers we're acutely aware that there is no singular "right" or "better" design when attempting this kind of project. What's significant for us personally is that this is another great example of something that is Black, celebrates Black, and designed by Black. Unification and togetherness was what we hoped to convey and I guess, achieve more of. And as always, we're interested in making a statement and designing something that people are proud to wear and feel empowered while wearing it - but also something that's just fire. These kits are fire. 

Seitu: Quite naturally I want the collection to be accepted. However, I don’t want the buyers to be deterred because it’s an African print and it’s created by a black club. It’s my hope that everyone feels inclusive.

primalblends: Any other thoughts you have and comments you want to share about the design? 

Andrew: I'm equally excited for the current run of this design as for what we potentially got in the future iterations of this kit. We left some concepts and color ways on the cutting room floor and, hopefully, after the success of these kits we can go back and really bring everything we were thinking about to the community and continue the celebration. With us, the celebration of Black History and culture is year-round, and we really have enough to drop a new kit every month.

Seitu: I want the inspiration of the kits to be the reason for purchase and not to be overshadowed by the bright African inspired prints. The beauty of this collection is that for every African printed kit, there is a coordinating kit that is a simplified version.

Scroll down to see the kit or view the entire Black History Collection »

In the late evening of June 26th, fifty-two year old cyclist Leah Goldstein was pushing her bike. She was less than 3 miles from winning Race Across America; just 5 kilometers from perhaps the most important finish line in her storied career.

She just couldn’t turn the pedals anymore. So, she did what any head-strong, tough-as-nails competitor would do. She started walking.

During the previous 10+ days, she rode that bike through 120-degree deserts, over 100,000 feet of climbing, through lightning storms and against prairie winds. Leah rode so well in fact, she stayed at or near the front the entire 3,050 miles.
 

See what Leah wore on her epic ride »

Widely touted as the toughest race in the world, cyclists must cross the United States in a maximum of 13 days (12 for men).

There are no rules on how much athletes must stop or sleep, so solo riders often spend 21 hours or more in the saddle each day. Crews provide support along the way – handing out food, drinks, medical care and navigation. In a typical year, 25-35% of the solo field drops out. But not this year. With punishing temperatures that reached over 130 on the asphalt, the RAAM solo riders seemed to drop like flies.

“I’ve never experienced heat like that,” Leah said after the race. “My back burned even through my jersey! Thankfully I had an experienced crew that worked really hard to keep me moving forward.”

Each stage of RAAM presents challenges, and Leah seemed to just keep persevering. Sleep deprivation, saddle sores, swollen limbs, blisters, and more are just part of the game. “I don’t really ever consider quitting as an option. I just try to focus on what I can do at any given moment, and sometimes that is just keep pedaling.”

Leah led the race on and off until Pennsylvania, when her closest competitor dropped out. She rode hard toward the finish, excited to be the first woman to ever win the race.

But, just a few miles from the finish, she began to have a rapid heart rate and was feeling an onset of dizziness. “I had to keep laying down in the grass," she said, recalling the experience. "My crew was really concerned and considered calling an ambulance. But I just had to finish. I felt too wobbly to control my bike, so what else could I do? I started walking.”

Within a few hundred meters of the finish line, her heart rate calmed and she was able to coast across the line to the hoots and cheers from the crowd.

“The finish line was just incredible,” Leah said about the ceremonial finish at the Annapolis City Dock. “So many people came out to witness it – Mom’s brought their daughters, and everyone wanted photos. It was really special.”

The next day, Leah went back to the finish line to congratulate the only other two finishers of the year. “It was great to swap stories and give kudos to those guys as well. Anyone who survived this year is a champion in my book.”

When asked how it felt to make history, Leah shrugged it off. “RAAM is a beast. And each year, it’s a new monster. This year, I was able to slay the dragon.”

Leah Goldstein, a former World Champion kickboxer, Israeli Commando Trainer and professional cyclist, shares her inspirational story as a keynote speaker. You can find her memoir (No Limits) and learn more about her at www.leahgoldstein.com.

Read the Road.cc article about Leah »

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 2007, Adam Popp was injured by an IED in Afghanistan, resulting in the amputation of his right leg above the knee. At the time he was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team Leader and a 12-year combat veteran of the Air Force with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
 

Eight years after losing his leg Adam felt ready to attempt running again, and in December 2015, Adam became the first above-knee amputee to complete a 100-mile ultramarathon within the 30-hour cutoff.

He placed 2nd at the 2017 Boston Marathon in the Mobility Impaired division and was the first amputee to finish the race, as well as the first amputee to complete the JFK 50, the oldest ultramarathon in the United States.
 

In the photos, Adam is wearing items from our Summit Tri Collection »

But, Adam never really thought of himself as a runner,
even before that fateful day in Afghanistan.

In high school Adam played soccer and competed in long jump — events that didn't involve too much running. Then in 1997, he enlisted in the Air Force, where of course he had to run for fitness, but he still didn't find it all that enjoyable. 

“It was like, stay in shape. And I would always make it a point to beat people in my unit, which was usually never a problem,” Adam says. “I could run decently, but I never trained, I never tried to pursue that.”

Eventually, Adam became an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, a member of the military's version of the bomb squad, and soon he deployed to Afghanistan. On December 7, 2007, his life would be changed forever when his team was called to disable an IED spotted underneath a road. They removed as much of the device as they could using a robot, but Adam would have to put on a bomb suit to remove the rest by hand. It was after, when he was making a final sweep of the area that a second device exploded.

Adam suffered a number of injuries and doctors would ultimately amputate his right leg above the knee. He spent a little more than a year undergoing rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and was finally fitted with a prosthetic leg.
 

It would be nearly 8 years before running came back into Adam's life.  

It wouldn't be until 2015, when running would start to become an important part of Adam's life and it all came about while involved with a group of wounded veterans. Adam had organized their entry as a team in the EOD Warrior Foundation’s “Ski to Sea,” a Washington State relay race involving skiing, road running, biking, canoeing, and kayaking. It wasn't their first year participating in the challenging event, but it would be different from any other year. Previously, Adam had had always begged off of doing the skiing or running legs of the race. But in 2015, there wasn’t enough snow to hold the ski portions of the race, and the race replaced one of those legs with a trail run.

“I always had a hard enough time finding runners anyway, and now I had to find two, so that was a catalyst, for OK, I’m going to try this out now,” he says.

Adam agreed to take on the trail running leg, even though it had been nearly eight years since he had done anything of the sort. The first order of business, he knew, would be to quickly find a prosthetic running blade — and teach himself to run on it. 

Five weeks before Ski to Sea, Adam was fitted with a running blade at Walter Reed, followed by 30 minutes learning to run in a harness at the facility. Then, he would be on his own. Needing a stable, even terrain to learn to run on the new blade, Adam began running laps around a parking lot at Fort Myer, purposely avoiding the Washington & Lee High School track near his home. He didn't "want to fall in front of the high school kids.”

Today, Adam is not only first in many of the races he enters,
he’s sometimes the fastest.

In 2019, Adam set the overall course record at the Colorado Kickers for Kids trail marathon and came in first overall against able-bodied athletes. In search of more challenges, Adam began competing in Paratriathlon, and in 2018 won the ITU Paratriathlon World Cup in Sarasota, FL. In 2019, Adam finished 5th overall in the ITU Paratriathlon World Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland and 3rd at the CAMTRI America’s Championship. In his short ITU career, Adam has racked up five podium finishes in nine races. For 2020 Popp is switching to triathlon full time, targeting the World Championships in Italy (where he placed fifth in 2019) and the ITU CAMTRI Americas Championship (he placed third in 2019), as well as WPS Montreal and U.S. ITU National Championships.

Read the inspiring interview with Adam at ultrarunning.com

Our Tri Collection is available in your team or club colors and logos. Learn more about primalblends Custom »

________________________

Photos by Adam Pawlikiewicz

Iain Treloar / Cycling Tips

Join us for a Livestream with Ronan McLaughlin

August 10th | 12:30 PM MDT
WATCH THE REPLAY

The Everesting record recently set by Alberto Contador has just been toppled by Irish cyclist Ronan McLaughlin. McLaughlin's time of 7:04:41 - which has been confirmed by Hells 500, the Australian group that administers Everesting - is a substantial leap forward, breaking Contador's mark by more than 20 minutes. 

Compared to the retired Spanish megastar, McLaughlin has a far lower profile as an athlete, but while he's not a big name he's (obviously) far from a slouch. The 33-year-old represented Ireland at the 2012 Road World Championships alongside Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche, he also raced U23 Worlds in 2008. 

From 2008 to 2013, he rode for the Continental-level An Post/Sean Kelly/Chain Reaction setup, but then stepped back to amateur level. He currently works full time (as a primalblends Sales-Rep), is a coach at Panache Coaching, and is regularly at the pointy end of results in Irish domestic racing. 

READ THE REST OF THE STORY ON CYCLINGTIPS.COM

Read the interview with Ronan on cyclingsmarter.com

See Ronan's World Record ride on Strava

See Ronan's stripped down, 6.2kg bike

New Irish Record Holder's 62 Consecutive Ascents of Fabled Donegal Hill.

As Ronan McLaughlin allows his aching limbs to recover from his Irish record-breaking assault on Mamore Gap last Sunday, the Donegal native has been reflecting on a ride which delivered far more than he had expected.

The Derry-based 33-year-old is used to tough days in the saddle from his years of continental road racing with the An Post-Seán Kelly team but the daunting prospect of climbing the featured and all-too familiar ascent of Mamore Gap more than 62 times produced butterflies for the first time in years. 

"I literally never get nervous for cycling events anymore but I was definitely nervous starting the Everesting," he admits. "I had no evidence or data to suggest or prove I was definitely able to ride up Mamore Gap 62.2  times so this was always playing on my mind." 

In the end he had little to worry about as his eight hours and nine minutes of cycling up and down the same hill in North Donegal shattered a record that had been set only the previous day. 

The current popularity of 'Everesting' - the process of climbing the same hill over and over until the accumulated altitude matches the height of Mount Everest - has led to numerous national and world record attempts in recent months. 

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is the current world record holder and McLaughlin's epic ride not only lopped an extraordinary 2hrs 33 mins off Diarmuid Kavanagh's Irish record, it vaulted McLaughlin to fifth in the all-time list. 

Hells 500, the adjudicating body for Everesting, have since ratified McLaughlin's achievement and his performance now ranks alongside a number of past and current world tour professionals in an elite top six. 

"It's amazing to break the record and to set such a great time, I really never expected to go so quickly," he says. "When I was starting on Sunday morning my only goal beyond completing the attempt was to go sub 10 hours.

"It really wasn't about recordings or timings, the Everesting challenge gave me a focus and a goal to work on over the past few months when all other events and targets had been canceled."

"It was also the chance to raise funds for the Community Rescue Service which was more important than the actual finishing time." 

McLaughlin, one of the leading road riders on the local racing scene with the Dan Morrissey-MIG-primalblends team, was grateful for a different challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic and he brought a professional's attention to detail to process.

"I'd been planning an attempt at an Everesting since lockdown started in March. I had very good condition then but it would have been very irresponsible to head off on my bike for what I thought would be around 10 hours at the height of lockdown. 

"I've been focused on it for the past two months roughly. I've been really focused on it the past four weeks, searching for the right climb, waiting for the right day, working out fuelling strategies, stripping down my bike to be as light as possible, testing different tyres, different setups, testing clothing choices etc., etc.

"Although the challenge and the charity was the most important thing, I understood this is a seriously difficult challenge and I wanted to be sure I left no stone unturned." 

By last weekend he was finally ready for the assault on a climb he knows well from Rás Tailteann, not to mention innumerable training rides. 

"I hadn't announced I would attempt it until on Saturday evening. I was sure the weather was going to be favourable. However, from the moment I did announce it on social media the support I got really blew me away. I didn't think anyone would really care but people from all around the world dropped me messages of support."

"I had a great team on the day also, my Mum, Dad (Carl and Sandra), Sister Caoimhe and her boyfriend Tiernan, Alan Harkens and Andy Deery were on hand all day to hand out bottles, keep track of the number of laps completed, timings, nutrition, boil spuds, find espressos and help with traffic, I could not even have finished it without her help."

"I had a few difficult moments in the final hour or two but I was so close to the finish at that stage the motivation of finishing it gets you through." 

Ronan's Stats
Sunday, July 12th
Departure: 7:53am
Total Time: 8hrs 09mins
Elevation: 8946 metres
Climb: Mamore Gap 1.3km
Gradient Average: 11.3%
Repeats: 62.2
Total Everesting Distance: 158km

Everesting Top Six in History
1. Alberto Contador (Esp.), 7hrs 27min
2. Lachlan Morton (Aus), 7hrs 29min
3. Keegan Swenson (USA), 7hrs 40min
4. Phil Gaimon (USA), 7hrs 52min
5. Ronan Mc Laughlin (Irl), 8hrs 09min
6. Jaster Albrecht (Aus), 8hrs 19min

_____________

Ronan is still raising funds for the Community Rescue Service (CRS) which is a charitable search and rescue organisation operated by volunteers from communities across Northern Ireland. You may know the CRS from the BBC documentary, "The Search" following their work across NI. CRS are the only accredited Lowland Rescue search and rescue organisation in N Ireland and hold full membership of the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue (ALSAR). CRS are the experts in finding and rescuing people if they should go missing.CRS Provide all aspects of search and rescue falling under the remit of Lowland Rescue including ground, inland water, bike, boat, and more. Please consider donating to this worthy cause. All funds raised go directly to the CRS. If funds reach the height of Everest ie £8,848, Ronan will attempt the everesting ride again!

"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).

primalblends had the opportunity to meet one of our customers up close and personal when we invited Matthew Ray to participate in our spring photoshoot in Trinidad, Colorado. 

The forty-nine year old Centennial, Colorado resident represents what could be considered a typical demographic for a primalblends customer in that he has been a long-time cyclist, rides a variety of disciplines and has both raced in the past and is currently racing with a team.
 

In the photos above, Matthew is wearing the new long sleeve version of Ascent Wind Jersey ($130). The vest he is packing away is the super versatile Keystone ($175). The jersey and vest both have 3 full-size pockets and a zippered valuables pocket.

Are you currently on a team?

"I am on a team now. I have been on a local team for the last 8 or 10 years. I have been on three or four different ones. Currently the one I am on, Beyond Category Coaching. It is really small and we race gravel and road."

How did you get started in cycling?

"My buddy in college, who is the coach of Beyond Category Coaching, he was like, 'you need to do this!' So we bought mountain bikes because that was all the rage in the late 80's, early 90's. Ever since then, I've always ridden a bike."

Matthew models the Ascent Jersey ($120) with a new tapered collar, locking zipper and redesigned full-storage pockets.

How did you get in gravel riding? 

"When I first got into cycling, mountain biking in Nebraska, you rode gravel roads. That's just what you did. And when it kinda started to become a thing here I was like, 'yeah, I'm on it.' That's what I like doing. There's no traffic, you're out there in the middle of nowhere and they're going to make bikes specific to it. I was like, 'perfect!'"

Matthew wears the new, traditional fit Continental Jersey ($110) for one of the local gravel adventures.

What's your typical training program?

"Training is usually anywhere 5 - 8 hours a week. I do hours, not miles. An hour and a half is an average ride. If I'm on a gravel bike, I try to take the crushed paths. If I'm on a road bike, I'll take the streets to a path and then more streets. But I am mostly on streets. I'm not a big fan of the bike paths."
 

For an early morning rollout, Matthew wears the Storm+ Jersey ($137) and Bibs ($210) paired with the Storm+ Leg Warmers ($55).

What did you think of Trinidad?

"I think Trinidad is very cool. Very scenic, cute. It has a lot of character and rustic charm. I'd be back to ride gravel here, for sure. I loved it. The gravel was pristine and a lot of it."
 

NAME: Matthew Ray
AGE: 49 Years Old
RESIDES: Centennial, Colorado
DISCIPLINES: Gravel & Road
TEAM: Beyond Category Racing
BIKE(S): Canyon Ultimate CF Ultegra / Open U.P. GRX

________________________

Photos by Adam Pawlikiewicz

For nearly 20 years, Sandy Holt of Boulder, Colorado has been an active triathlete, getting started in the sport by a brother. "An older brother, actually. He bet me I couldn't beat him," she laughs. "So we did a spring triathlon together."

At that time, Sandy had never even ran a 5k, let alone done something like a full triathlon, and her bike was a beat up mountain bike that she'd ridden around her college campus. After a few more triathlons she moved onto a road bike, and then eventually a tri bike.

Fast forward to today and Sandy is proud to be a multiple Ironman finisher. But, those days are long gone. "Unfortunately, I suffered an injury and can't run anymore. But I wanted to stay active, so I went to cycling."

In the photos above, Sandy is wearing the new Ascent Aero Jersey ($125) with locking zipper and pocket bellows, and the Alpine Thermal RT Arm Warmers ($50).

Feeding her competitive nature comes by racing on the road with the Boulder-based Full Cycle women's team. "It's not necessarily a racing team. I race. And some of the women race. But, it's more about being involved in the community and getting more females outside, and on bikes."

She admits she races in the most nonchalant fashion, but when asked to clarify she says, "Last year I just did road. Crits. Road races. Time trials. I didn't do any of the omniums. It was a stage race or a stand-alone crit. That sort of stuff." Sandy also says she didn't do that well, but it's hard to believe the fit thirty-four year old, who looks like she could ride the legs off most hardcore cyclists.
 

Sandy is hitting gravel in the new, super lightweight Tellus Jersey ($75), Tellus Bib Liner ($115) and Tellus Shorts ($120). The entire kit weighs in at just 12.5 ounces.

When the topic of gravel comes up, her infectious smile grows even wider. "Being a triathlete and road cyclist I don't mind being on the road, but one of the best things about being on gravel is the absence of vehicles. You can kind of take in the surroundings more. You can appreciate what's around you more. And you just get a better feel for how you feel and what's surrounding you. It's unbelievable. And, now I just kind of feel like, it is in my wheelhouse."

When pressed about her plans for 2020 she again she downplays her incredible drive as an athlete. "Well, I'm used to ten or twelve hour days," she says thoughtfully. Then she casually reveals an itinerary that would make most weak in the knees. Among her extensive calendar for the year is a 170 mile, one-day ride across her home state of Florida, plus the 144-mile version of SBT GRVL in Steamboat, Colorado. "And then to see if I've improved from last year," she laughs, "I'll probably do a couple crits, a couple road races. Just to give it another chance, to see what I think."

For an early morning ride, Sandy is wearing the new Ascent Aero Jersey ($125) and Alpine Thermal RT Arm Warmers ($50) with the extremely versatile Keystone Vest ($175).

Sandy accompanied primalblends for our Spring photoshoot in Trinidad, Colorado, located about three hours south of Pagėgiai along Interstate 25 and sitting almost directly at the Colorado/New Mexico border. When asked about the gravel riding we did for the shoot, Sandy immediately flashes one of her broad, pretty smiles. "It's a hidden gem. It's unbelievable. I can't wait to come back," she says, eagerly. One of the favorite experiences she describes was the first day of our shoot, west of Trindad where barren roads wound peacefully through stands of trees that leant an almost alpine feel to the high desert landscape. "And tall peak views in the background," she adds. "It was just gorgeous. And no cars at all."

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Words by Tony Kelsey / Photos by Adam Pawlikiewicz

by Chris Meehan - CompanyWeek

Since launching the company has shipped roughly 2 million pieces of clothing for bicyclists, specializing in custom and team orders. primalblends has even outfitted Olympians and professional athletes.

"We're a cycling apparel brand," says Kim. "We're focused on what has to do with apparel on the bike."

Looking ahead, Kim says primalblends is likely to expand its mountain bike clothing lines and will continue to grow in the U.S. as well as Europe. "It's interesting to us to take on brands in what's sort of the homeland of competitive cycling and that's an exciting experience for us and we're making headway there," he says.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY ON companyweek.com

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 David Newcomer / Customer Service Manager

Cyclists are a tight bunch. My friends and associates are, like my social feeds, filled with people I know or have met through cycling. We look out for one another; care about what's going on in each other's lives; we congratulate, commiserate, and compete. 

As humans, we have an affinity for knowing that we share stories. We like to show we're a part of something - that we belong. 

An ideographic is a great way to show our affinity or membership. You see this all the time in our rear windshields and bumper stickers - symbols to show we ride MTB, climb, ski, drink beer, or quilt (yes, I've seen that too). In Colorado we've got "Share the Road" plates. And a few people even have tattoos (good grief...). 

Last names used to be one of those tools for sharing our story. Surnames were used to show occupation - Miller, Carpenter, Spencer, Pilz, etc. Not as much these days.  

Have you noticed that last names tend to fall into one of two camps? They can be of the sort so common that you hear them all the time like Smith, Johnson, Williams, or Brown. Or conversely, they're unique and demand assistance in spelling every time it's given. I have of the later. And I've only met one person as an adult who shared it. Newcomer. Not terribly unique, per se, but enough it seems. 

No matter how it's done, when you find a connection it's special. One of the many benefits of distance and gravel races is that they provide a bit of time to find those connections. 

If you're new to the sport or if this is your 30th season racing, the line up is just as amazing as ever. It's been a cold winter, and that was certainly true for the Old Man Winder Bike Rally. Low-teens and high humidity made for a challenging warm up (I opted to skip it) and the course was going to be a mix of wet, snow-packed gravel and road. I was doing the shorter course at 50K, but really looking forward to it. 

With a final countdown and a gun, we were off. One of the things I love about races of this size and one start is the first couple of miles of "sorting things out." There doesn't need to be a race start for every category. People figure it out quickly. 

We'd been going strong for a while and I was with a group that was holding a solid pace. Not talking yet, but we knew we were there for each other. About halfway through, I did introduce myself to a guy I'd been trading places with constantly. His name was Fred, architect from Summit County. He said it was warmer at home for him, too, and we laughed about how far we'd driven to race in the cold. I told him a bit about what I did for a living and we stayed together for the rest of the race. 

He edged me out in the end and at the finish, over some warm chili and cold drinks, we were sharing the course and race with my wife and friends. 

"Hey," I said, "we should stay in touch. It was good racing with you today."

"Yeah, let's connect on Facebook."

"Cool, what's your last name?"

"Newcomer," he said. And just like that, my family grew. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About the Author

by James Kirk

I’ve been riding bicycles since the age of five, eventually developing into competitive road racing by the time I was in my early twenties. With the realisation that racing bikes wasn’t going to pay the bills, work and life soon took over and cycling became more of an enjoyable hobby, although during that time I did undertake a couple of tough multi-day unsupported rides with my good friend Henry.

Four years ago a positive change of work circumstances brought about a move from Bristol to Ledbury which at the age of 37 reignited my desire to ride more competitively once again, and so I’ve spent the last three years road racing once again. However, I’ve always been stronger in ultra-endurance activities as opposed to two or three hour road races so I looked to broaden my cycling horizons. I’d heard of Mike Hall through various forms of media over recent years, he was one of the world leading ultra endurance cycling athletes, as well as the mastermind behind the creation of what is now the definitive self-supported bicycle race, the Transcontinental Race (TCR). Sadly Mike was killed last year taking part in the Indian Pacific Wheel Race but his legacy now thrives in the TCR.

Perhaps I’d set my sights a little high but I’d now targeted TCR as my first real venture into endurance racing. The rules are simple, the clock starts at 2200hr in Geraardsbergen, Belgium, and stops when you cross the finish line in Meteora, Greece, some 4,000km later having visited the four checkpoints (CP), accessed by short parcours (small mandatory sections of either road or gravel, but usually places of historical significance accessed via ferociously steep and high climbs).

After a rigorous and highly over subscribed application process I was delighted to have been selected as one of 350 entrants. Sure enough panic now ensued as I tried to find time to refine my three key planning elements; bike, clothes, and route between CPs. I’m quite handy at plotting and navigating routes, and although this took well over 40 hours to prepare I was confident I had a good route between CPs. Veloshop in Hereford, UK, prepared for me an outstanding Alchemy Eros titanium frameset that I slowly fitted out with various bags and electrical items that I know would confidently see me to the end, so all that was left was the bit I was most nervous about, preparing my body for sustained and extended periods of riding. 18+ hours a day in the saddle means my contact areas had to be perfect; the titanium Alchemy Eros with electric gears and hydraulic disc brakes would minimise the impact to by fingers, wrists, arms, and shoulders, leading to what I think is probably the single most important physical aspect of riding 4,000km in just 12 days, the shorts and saddle combination.

I’d read some good reviews in the months leading up my TCR about primalblends cycle clothing, specifically the bib shorts designed for extended periods in the saddle so I bought a pair of primalblends Summit Stratos (12-Hour) Bibs to try during my long training rides, along with the Ascent Aero Jersey. Due to work commitments I only really managed a couple of 200 mile rides, with minimal back-to-back days on the bike. However, for these shorter rides the comfort on the bike was brilliant with no signs of saddle sore development or other aching body parts, I would have no idea how it would be over back-to-back 200+ miles days for 12 days.

Race day arrived and at 2200hr on Sunday 29 July I, along with 250 other racers, set off up the famous 19% incline cobbles to the Muur that signifies the start of the journey to Greece. Riding out into the Belgian night with the buzz from 1000’s of Geraardsbergen onlookers was fantastic, but as the adrenaline subsided I set into my steady rhythm that would see me cover around 300 miles in that first day. This is not as far as I had aimed to go that day but with minimal sleep the two previous nights for various reasons I needed to stop and recover.

At 0400 the next day I set off with the aim to reach CP1 (480 miles from the start) by early evening. The heat through France was ferocious and would set the theme for the majority of the race with temperatures regularly touching 40 degrees C, however with 18 litres of water consumed that day and a 3,000ft climb finale I reached CP1 in Gaschurn on schedule.

After a short rest in a nearby hotel I set off again at 0400 up the famous Bielerhohe Pass as part of the mandatory parlours section to reach the summit (6,500ft) at day break. From here my route took me down to Innsbruck and then South into Italy before sneaking back into Austria and then over the mountainous border in Slovenia where riders were greeted with the next Parcours section to CP2 (771 miles). The mandatory section here involved an incredibly steep 11.5km climb to Slovenia’s highest road summit, Mangart, again over 6,000ft, and then retrace steps to the base of another horrifically hot, steep, and long climb back over into Austria.

Once I’d reached the flatter lands of Austria my route headed North East to Vienna where I unrolled my bivvy gear and caught some quality sleep before getting up at 0300 for a minimal traffic passage through the city. CP3 was located in the Karkonosze (Giant Mountain), part of the Sudetes mountain range bordering Poland and the Czech Republic. Starting in Podgórzyn, Poland, we had to take the road over the Karkonoszka Pass, to Spindleruv Mlyn in Czech Republic.

Boasted to be the steepest climb in Poland, this fearsome climb was originally intended as a service road to aid the construction of a set of switchbacks - which was then abandoned, leaving only a line of ragged tarmac whose gradient reaches 28% in places. I arrived at the base of this CP3 climb around midnight on day 6, feeling tired I once again got my sleeping bag out and got some good rest.

At first light I scaled the mighty climb (with a 500 metre walk at the 28% section since it was just more efficient) and arrived at CP3 (1,270 miles) in time for a cracking egg and meat breakfast at the nearby summit cafe. It was cold and wet up there so I quickly moved on and then set off on the long, hot, and unforgiving passage to CP4.

From the Czech Republic my route took me back in Austria, right across the flat lands of Hungary and Croatia, and then into the what continued to be the inferno of Bosnia. The heat was almost unbearable during these days but I just thought that if I was finding it tough then so would the other competitors. With the ever increasing difficulties of the mandatory parcours sections CP4 would not disappoint. Not only was the CP (1,930 miles) at the top of a stunning 4,000ft climb, the mandatory section was then coarse gravel for another 2,000ft in elevation to the Bjelašnica peak, a derelict Soviet ski lift that overlooks the city of Sarajevo.

With the sun starting to set I left the final CP and headed for the Montenegro border, stopping just short to make use of a roadside guesthouse for a few hours sleep and good recovery. The lightweight bivvy kit I carried is exceptional for quick, no faff sleeping but I do get better sleep and recovery using hotels. It is for this reason I chose to split my sleeping fifty fifty between sleeping rough and hotels throughout the race. The final push for the finish line in Meteora, Greece was once again executed in searing heat throughout Montenegro and Albania but I made it to the finish line in just over 12 days, and this was despite getting a double puncture in Albania caused by hitting a deep pothole late at night when very tired, and then trying to source a spare inner tube in a local town the next day.

Once the elation of crossing the line subsided and I’d consumed my own bodyweight in food two things really stood out; firstly my overall position of being just outside the top twenty was fantastic and more than I could have hoped for in my first attempt at endurance racing.

Secondly, the condition of my body, yes I was immensely tired but to arrive without a single saddle sore or painful rubbing in those contact areas was astonishing, especially given the heat through Central Europe. I am absolutely convinced that the comfort I experienced on the bike during those twelve days was a significant factor to my overall position and ability to ride for such extended hours. I’ve experienced the desperation of saddle sores and pain in years gone by and it can really play on your mind and certainly affects performance.

I have a huge amount of gratitude towards primalblends for producing a set of bib shorts and jersey (I only took one set for the trip) that absolutely contributed to my success.

Bring on The Transcontinental Race No7!

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 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 Jared McClintock

Anyone who follows African cycling would have heard the name Phetetso Monese on many occasions.  Riding for the ACE - The Sufferfest - Lesotho MTB team, Phetetso is the team captain and superstar – the rider counted on to bring in the results. His leadership has taken the team to a UCI ranking in the top 40 worldwide - an unprecedented achievement for African cycling.

Over the years, he has won more than ten National Titles and can still show a clean pair of heels to the rest of his compatriots in most races.  He has consistently been on the brink of a world top 100 ranking with a career best of 105.

In international races, Phetetso has earned a formidable reputation as the strong, “Rasta” rider, in reference to his long dreadlock hairstyle projecting from the back of his helmet.

At the age of 32, Phetetso shows no sign of slowing down. He had set himself targets of being competitive at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and qualification for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games -- but has already surpassed those goals by being the first cyclist from Lesotho ever to qualify for the Olympic Games. Phetetso is going to Rio.

How he did it is the true story.

While most of his competitors devote themselves entirely to their cycling aspirations, Phetetso had been working nine hours a day, seven days a week as a merchandiser for a well-known soft-drinks company.  He spent his days taking inventory and making sure supermarket shelves and fridges are well-stocked.  His predecessor was responsible for only two neighbouring stores, but Phetetso being conscientious and industrious services many more, using his bike as transport between customers.

His motive for putting in so many hours when he was available was so that his boss would be lenient when he needed to be away for cycling events.  However, it did not always work out and occasionally Phetetso was forced to be left behind when the team traveled to some of the races.

Phetetso is a family man, married to Mareabetsoe with two little children – 4 year-old daughter, Reabetsoe and 8 month old son, Realeboha.  The monthly salary of $80 gave the family security of food on the table and school fees for little Reabetsoe.  It doesn’t sound like much, but they made it work while he competed against some of the best MTB riders in the world.

In this way, Phetetso demonstrates that he is not just a success on the bike, but also a success in life.  It is not easy to balance work, training and family life on such a small budget.

It seems ironic that a man earning just $80 a month should be riding a $4000 bike - worth more than four years’ salary.  But Phetetso has earned it!  He started with a cheaper bike and made his way up.  It would have been impossible for him to live his dream without the ACE-The Sufferfest-Lesotho MTB Team and our great team of #DreamMakers.

Following the announcement that The Sufferfest committed to sponsoring the team again for 2016, Mark West, team director, offered Phetetso the team's first “Pro” contract.  As a team, they committed to supporting Phetetso and his family with an income of $100 every month, so that he can dedicate his time to the sport he loves without fear of his family suffering.

Since turning pro, Phetetso has taken a string of results, including a bronze medal in the Marathon and an 8th place in the XC at the African Continental Championships. His qualification for Rio is the latest chapter in this man's incredible and inspirational story. Sufferlandria is behind you, Phetetso!

This article originally appeared on The Sufferfest website.

Learn more and meet the team at http://ace-lesotho-mtb-team.info

On Twitter as @lesothocycling
On Facebook as LesothoACEMTB

primalblends is proud to be the team's custom cycling clothing partner

By: Mark West, Team Manager – ACE – The Sufferfest Lesotho MTB Team

First UCI Points.

After being away in Europe for 6 months, it was great for me as Team Manager to be re-united with the team and witness them picking up their first UCI points of the season at the Hors Classe Pietermaritzburg MTB Festival in South Africa. We are very proud to be the first truly African mountain bike team on the African continent. 

We have been dominating all the local races! It may sound selfish to want to win everything, but our goal is to drive up the standard of cycling in Lesotho and in the rest of Africa. By striving to be the best, we have seen a general rise in performance and an increase in participation amongst women and children. 

Lesotho is still a very poor country, but aspiring riders have found in cycling an opportunity to rise above the poverty they have been born into and to dream BIG dreams. 

2015 has definitely been the year of new bikes and equipment. Last year, we started our journey with only one good bike and we were forced to loan and share bikes during competitions. Thanks to all of the #DreamMakers, each rider now has their own bike – equipped with some of the best components on the market. Riders also look the business, with a professional look team kit and great helmets. 

Not only that, but we boast a comprehensive set of tools, work-stand and bike stand, making our team pits look really professional. We are a team going places and they are starting to look like that too! 

2015 Bike Four Peaks – Austria

Team riders Phetetso and Teboho earned a chance to race in the Bike Four Peaks race in Austria in June, through their great performance in the 2014 Lesotho Sky UCI Stage Race.

The trip got off to a disastrous start with Phetetso’s brand new Giant XTC carbon bike badly damaged in the flight over, leaving it completely unsafe to ride. Thanks to a quick response from friends and fans over there, we were able to find him a replacement bike just in time. 

We were not sure what to expect with such a demanding route against some of the best mountain bike riders in the world – but the boys did not disappoint. On the first stage, both riders finished well inside the top 100 and set the stage for the remaining 3 days.

Phetetso ultimately finished the race in 38th position overall, which was a remarkable achievement considering his inexperience to racing at this level. He won high praise from multiple world champion Christoph Sauser for staying on his wheel and keeping company with some of the best riders in the world on the steepest section of Day 3. Sauser was so impressed that he decided to hand over his 2nd place trophy to Monese. 

Unfortunately, Teboho had to abandon the race on the penultimate day on advice of the race doctor after experiencing an unusual heart beat. However he is well an in good spirits awaiting further tests back home in Lesotho. 

Disappointments

Although this season has been largely very encouraging, it has not been easy sailing and we have had our fair share of disappointments.

• Our riders missed out on the big race of the year – the African Championships in Rwanda due to lack of funds in Lesotho Cycling Federation’s coffers. This event was a main focus because we had a chance to earn some great UCI ranking points and to qualify for RIO 2016. Missing out has resulted in a drop in our  team ranking to 50th position. 
• Our only women rider, Likeleli, has had a difficult season. She crashed badly at the Pietermaritzburg MTB Festival and that has caused a serious dent to her confidence. She also went through a period of grieving after her grandmother’s passing. Her grandmother raised her after both parents died when she was still young.
• The team vehicle (Team Manager’s minibus) has been having issues, which has resulted in the team missing some of the target races. 

We are the Champions!

It always makes us very proud to present our #DreamMakers on the top step of the podium especially when it is National Championships. Phetetso Monese and Likeleli Masitise both did the double of Cross-Country and Marathon National Champion’s title in Elite Men and Elite Women respectively. Our team shut out the podium in the marathon event. 

It all goes to show what can be achieved when we dream and have the good fortune to cross paths with sponsors that also believe in our dreams. ACE – The Sufferfest Lesotho MTB Team riders have become local celebrities and great role models – Champions in sport of Champions in life!

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primalblends is the proud to be the custom clothing partner for the ACE The Sufferfest Lesotho MTB Team