Become a Pactimo Brand Ambassador!

Pactimo have just opened the application period for the 2019 Brand Ambassadors. I was selected as an Ambassador back in 2014 and since then it’s all I wear on my bike.

In the last four years I have really put their clothing through the ringer using it for Dirty Kanza, Belgian Waffle Ride, Crushar in the Tushar, multiple Everestings and 28 Century Rides…I had to look that last number up and it surprised me! I’ll definitely be putting to good use this year!

Belgian Blue and the (in)famous San Marcos Tan Lines from BWR!

The offer an amazingly wide range of clothing from entry level bibs that don’t skimp on any detail (I actually prefer these) to top of the line ride all day bibs that match and exceed anything that’s in the market. They have a full range of matching kits and understand the need for the classic black look. In addition, there is a broad and deep range of clothing and accessories for all seasons and all conditions. They also have dedicated custom team that looks after many clubs and teams.

Being selected gets you into an exclusive club, as it stands there are currently only 280 Members. In addition to the Pactimo benefits you get hooked up with a bunch of other industry leaders. The real long-term benefit is that once you have completed your year you become an Alumni, I am pretty sure that this is unique benefit? It’s certainly not one I have seen before. With Alumni status you still have access to the Ambassador clothing line and some of the other benefits too so it’s well worth crafting a solid application.

One other thing, don’t feel intimidated, the riding ability is across the board from active beginners all the way up to experts. For reference I would place myself somewhere closer to the expert end, maybe a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Applications are open right now and close on January 22 with the 2019 line up announced on February 8.

If you’re Pactimo curious use the discount code “everyadventure” for a one time 30% off code.

2019 Ambassadorships

For 2018 I stepped back from being an Ambassador and mostly just rode my bike. I had been very fortunate to have been associated with some awesome companies in the past years but last year I thought I would let some other folks carry the flame, it also gave me a chance to spend the year trying new stuff and consider who and what I wanted to apply for 2019. As the year started to wrap up the calls came out and I submitted my applications. So I no particular order I find my myself very fortunate to have been selected by the following companies;

Pactimo; I am actually an Alumni Ambassador, this will be my fifth year working with them. During 2018 I also used their custom services for the Lynskey Group I am a part of online. My wardrobe is full of it and it’s the only thing I wear.

AltRed by SUR; AltRed is a phytonutrient called Betalain which is naturally found in beets. It improves oxygen delivery, mitigates lactic acid and protects muscles from damage during activity. I started using AltRed on the recommendation of a fellow Pactimo BA and found it to be really effective during my workouts and as a recovery aid.

Honey Stinger; simple and effective fuel. Easy to carry, easy on the stomach, tasty and they work. Eating real food is much easier to handle on the bike (vs on the run) and while I do still take gels I actually prefer to eat real food and their waffles fit the bill (and pocket) perfectly . They have a wide variety of flavors, so palette fatigue isn’t a concern. Oh and they go really well with coffee too!

Haute Route; you may have noticed all the Haute Route events on my Schedule. I was very fortunate to have been selected as one of less than one hundred riders to represent them and their international series of events. In addition to riding three of them I’ll be volunteering at a few others!

Hawk Racing; technically I am actually sponsored by them. I’ve been a fan of and using their Bottom Brackets and Derailleur Pulley Wheels for several years now. I found them through Friction Facts (now owned by SRAM). They are so effective and based on the research and science you don’t need and probably shouldn’t be using ceramic bearings! Who doesn’t like free speed!

Sound Probiotics; I actually co-opted Becca’s supply that she got through Couer. Let’s be honest our diets are never 100% perfect, probably anything north of 75% and we’re doing well. So using their Sports Probiotics tips the balance in my favor and prevents things from becoming a problem to start with!

I have a couple more irons in the fire but this is the line up for 2019!

Keep following for some exclusive offerings from each of them as the year unfolds.

2017 Ambassador Line Up

The dust has settled the acceptance (and rejection) letters opened and this is my Ambassador line up for 2017. I am fortunate enough to have many to continue their support from both 2016 and 2015. I hope it’s testament to their belief in me as much as it is to my belief in the products I represent! So in no particular order;

Headsweats; I love their products, I initially joined their team as a runner and I have used them exclusively for all my triathlons. Now I wear them under my helmet. They keep the sun off my head and the sweat out my eyes! Use Quadrathon25 at checkout for 25% off your order.

3T Cycling; 3T make some of the sexist and technologically advanced products in the cycling world. I have ridden with their components since 2010 and make a point of changing out any OEM or third party parts on any of my bikes for 3T parts.

Pactimo; in my opinion this is the best cycling clothing on the planet. I wore their Pro Ascent kit for every training and race last year. Including my Everesting ride where I wore the same bibs and jersey for over 24 hours with chamois cream and without issue! This is my third year with Pactimo. Use BA15STU for 30% off your first order.

SkratchLabs; this is the third year of working with Skratch. I have switched over to exclusively using their hydration products. Additionally I now fuel pretty much 100% by real food and portables. I’ll be going back to regularly posting recipes so stay tuned.

Thread+Spoke; if you ever see me in a Tshirt it’s a Thread+Spoke one! They make the best cycling casual wear.  Limited runs of of the coolest niche designer cycling focused Tshirts. Use Race20 for 20% off of order $45 or more.

So that’s it, now on with the year!

Pactimo July Stage Event Week 3

Week 3 of the Tour is here, the riders have had their second and last rest day and will be heading out of the Alps and it’s time for the next round of Pactimo gear to rotate into the eye of the sale!

Get them while their hot!

Pactimo July Stage Event Week 2

Week 2 of the Tour is here, the riders have had their first rest day and will be heading out of the Pyrenees and it’s time for the next round of Pactimo geat to rotate into the eye of the sale!

Jerseys, Jackets, Made to Order kit and accessories are on offer with between 25%-35% off. Check out this link to restock you wardrobe!

Pactimo July Stage Event

It’s no surprise to anyone that I love my Pactimo gear, I pretty much live in it all year round! During July they have this great event where each week you can scoop up some amazing deals! There is an outline of the list below.

Sign up for their mailing list as a reminder and a chance to win a $500 spending spree!

2016 Ambassadorships

With March just round the corner, spring rapidly approaching and the race season underway I have pretty much locked down my Ambassadorships for the year.

Unless you’re new to the blog you will have noticed that there is a major shift and focus on cycling for the foreseeable future. I feel very fortunate that my blog has been the vehicle for many of these. Having blogged for over 9 years now I have a solid track record on Social Media. Of course the Social Media landscape has significantly changed in the last 9 years and to that end I am pretty active on Twitter and very active on InstagramInstagram.

So without further ado here are the companies that have invested in me and that I have invested in for the next year.

SkratchLabs; this is the second year of working with Skratch. I have switched over to exclusively using their hydration products. Additionally I now fueled pretty much 100% by real food and portables. I’ll be going back to regularly posting recipes so stay tuned.

TrainerRoad; I have been using TR since 2011 and this is the third year as an Ambassador. I have been using TR significantly more in recent years as my cycling is upped and I approaching my 600th ride with them. It’s a great tool, in fact it’s the best tool in my mind for structured cycling training. Interested in using it, hit me up for a 1 month free code.

Headsweats; I love their products, I initially joined their team as a runner and I have used them exclusively for all my triathlons. Now I wear them under my helmet. They keep the sun off my head and the sweat out my eyes! Use Quadrathon25 at checkout for a discount.

Pactimo; in my opinion this is the best cycling clothing on the planet. I wore their Pro Ascent kit for every training and race last year. Including my Everesting ride where I wore the same bibs and jersey for over 24 hours with chamois cream and without issue! This is my second year with Pactimo. I’ll have a discount code coming up soon! They are still taking applications for this year through to February 29th.

Garmin; I continue the Ambassador relationship with Garmin for the second year. I feel very fortunate to be one of a very small select group of Ambassadors in the US. I have been using Garmin products since 2007 and now I don’t ride, run or swim without wearing or having a Garmin device tracking me!

3T Cycling; new for 2016. 3T make some of the sexist and technologically advanced products in the cycling world. I have ridden with their components (bars, stem and post) since 2010 and make a point of changing out any OEM or third party parts on any of my bikes for 3T parts. Specifically I am an Ambassador for their new Orbis II wheelset which are as fast as they are sexy!

I have a few other irons in the fire but as of this post these are the mainstays for this year.

Everesting Equipment List

This is a list post. It’s all the equipment list that I used for my Everesting ride, if you have any questions leave a comment below and I will do my best to answer.

Bike; a 2010 Cervelo R3, the R3 is their “comfort” bike, think Paris-Roubaix rather than Tour de France. The bike comes pretty well speced with a full Shimano Ultegra groupset and 3T cockpit and seat post. I have had this bike since new and other than replacing things that have worn out, cassettes, chain, bar tape I have hardly touched it in terms of upgrades. I had originally switched out the Fi`zi:k stock saddle for a Selle Italia model. This year that was replaced with an ISM Prologue saddle. I was riding in Speedplay pedals but switched these out for Garmin Vector 2s in September.

Drivetrain; for this ride I swapped out the 11-25 cassette for a 12-30, I also put on a Compact (50/34) Chainset, this change meant a shorter chain.

Wheels; after some research and before receiving my OrbisII wheels from 3T I opted for Shimano DuraAce 9000 C24s, lightweight and stiff. I was obviously more interested in the weight. Tire wise I had Continental Grand Prix 4000 IIS (23mm). Inner tubes were Avenir Lite 700x23x48

Lights and Power; I was fortunate enough that Garmin also sent me a Varia Light set. I was really impressed with these. I supplemented these with two Vomlite Cree lights on the front and a Magnus Innovation Bold II rear light. I had no expectation of any of these lasting through two nights. The Vomlites needed mains power so Becca charged these when she went home during the day, the Garmin and Bold lights were USB chargeable so they were charged in Base camp. I used an Anker PowerCore 10400 to charge my Garmin Edge 810 on the fly

Data Measurement; I mentioned I used my Garmin Edge 810, I recharged it once during the ride. I also had on my Garmin Fenix3, this was a backup. Like this 810 I charged it once during the ride and when I saw that the 810 would be good through to the end then I ignored it. It captured everything except the last couple of hours.

Clothing and Shoes; it was cold and it was only during the middle of the day that I was able to get the “warmers” off and get down to a Jersey, Vest and short fingered gloves, other than that I wore pretty much everything all the time! From the bottom up:

• Bontrager RXL Shoes
• Pactimo Alpine Toe Covers
• Defeet Socks
• Pearl Izumi leg warmers
• Pactimo Ascent Pro Bibs
• Pactimo Zero Weight Base Layer
• Pactimo 2.0 Jersey
• Pactimo Breckenridge Vest
• Pactimo Breckenridge Jacket
• Pactimo Cascade Jacket
• Pearl Izumi Arm Warmers
• Pearl Izumi Cyclone Gel Gloves (long fingered)
• Castelli S Uno Gloves (short fingered)
• Pactimo Neck Gaiter
• Pactimo Cap
• Pearl Izumi ear warmers
• Headsweats Skull Cap
• Louis Garneau Course Helmet

Miscellaneous;

• Oakley Fast Jacket glasses during the day and Perfomance Bike clear glasses at night
• TransIt saddle bag with spares
• Camelbak 21oz Podium Insulated bottle
• Garmin Edge/Varia mount
• Garmin GSC10 cadence monitor
• Serfas Bento Box to hold the Anker power

Food/Nutrition; Much of my food was from the Skratch Portables book. Becca cooked up a storm in the kitchen with baked eggs, French Toast muffins and Mushroom Swiss Fritata. Becca also made up Skratch Raspberry Bars. beyond that I was also stocked with Lara Bars, Chips and Bananas. Fluid-wise I lived on warm Skratch Apple and Cinnamon, I would get through a bottle roughly every hour. This was supplemented with Hot Chocolate, Mexican (real sugar) coke, chicken noodle soup and good old coffee!

With the exception of some of the cold weather gear everything had been tested in the months prior. The wheels/tires were used for the Westlake Century and wheels and drivetrain was used for the Mike Nosco Memoroal Ride. The lights (except the Varia) were used at 12 Hours of Temecula.  

So as I said this is list post and this is everything I can remember.

Pactimo; Ascent Pro Bibs & 2.0 Ascent Jersey

I was lucky enough to have be selected as a Brand Ambassador for Pactimo for 2015. One of the benefits was that I was provided with an Ambassador kit, I also purchased a couple more to see me through the year as well as a Vest, Cap and Arm-warmers so I had the full “ensemble”.

Looks good in a bag…looks better on a bike!

The Ambassador kit was comprised of garments from the Ascent collection. This is Pro level and falls between their Sport and Premium lines. I reviewed their Premium line here. Pactimo is small, tightly run company. They are based in Colorado and have their own manufacturing site in China. Just to repeat that, they have their own factory, nothing is outsourced and as a result of this their Quality Control is amazingly stringent. This is also backed up by their Customer Service, I once had a logo badge come off and they sent me a free pair of bibs! So that said on with the review;

The Bibs; the bibs were the Ascent Pro bibs. Per Pactimo; “these bibs feature 7.5cm leg compression bands for a longer, more comfortable short that will not ride up or bind. Cyclists preferring a shorter inseam should consider the Ascent bib shorts”. I am 6’1” and wear a size large, while they are long they fit me perfectly and I have a good 3-4” between the bottom of the bibs leg to the top of my kneecap. The compression band removes the need for any silicon gripper. Trust me when I say that once you have worn a pair of bibs you will never go back to shorts and once you have worn a pair without silicon grippers around the legs you will never go back to them either!

Tan lines! Rule #7

The pad is an Italian-made Cytech Elastic Interface® XC Carbonium chamois: 3 multi-structured levels (10-8-4mm), high protection foam, anatomical shaping and Elastic Bioactive surface fabric with carbon fiber. Wow that sounds very technical, what does it mean, well you have different levels of padding based on the area of the pad. It’s shaped to match your body, the pad is curved not flat, it’s vented to allow for air flow and the fabric breathes and it won’t make you feel overheated or sweaty. So does all this technology work? Yes! I have worn these for rides up to 8 hours long without issue. They don’t get too hot. They breathe. They do not bunch. Basically they work, you forget they’re there. The really nice thing about these is that I don’t need any chamois cream. Seriously nada!

One of the really hidden features is the bib portion. These are not a pair of shorts with some braces sewn on, the bib piece actually comes halfway up your back and sides. This does several things. It makes you feel really snug, no muffin top (yes this is a man thing too, although a lot less for me of late). It stops your undershirt from riding up and it keeps your jersey nice and sleek. It adds some support to your core; those 5 mile descents while on the drops can sap you’re your abs for sure!

The cut of these is for riding, Pactimo call this Silhouette Engineering. They are articulated in the right places for when you are sat on the bike. Again this means less bunching of the fabric. The fabric is super stretchy and just moves with your body. It’s also very resilient, after a hard summer of use it’s showing zero signs of failure in fact there are no real signs of wear. Every seam has Flatlock stitching which eliminates chafe points.

The Ambassador lineup had a very distinct print but these bibs are carried through all kits and if you prefer a more subdued look you can get them in plain black or in a “Match Your Ride” color scheme.

The Jersey; the jersey is soft and comfortable. It has the more fashionable longer sleeves and they do not have those annoying skin pulling silicon grips that other jerseys have. Like the bibs the jersey has been anatomically cut this leaves the front substantially shorter than the back, this is based on the ergonomics of bike riding, you are typically leaning forward which shortens the front and lengthens the back.

There is a full YKK zip at the front with a nice Pactimo tag. At the rear there are three pockets! They may look small but you can get a lot in them. Enough food for a solid 4 hour ride, my Lezyne Caddy Sack (M) and Lezyne's Carbon Pressure Drive, pump, extra baggies of Skratch and my iPhone. Yes it’s a full load but it handles it well.

Is that a rocket in your pocket…nope, it’s a bad 1980’s movie pun!

There is a rear pocket opening for headphones and earbud loop in neckline, I’ll not comment about wearing headphones on the road. There is a silicon gripper at the bottom of the jersey to keep it down.

The fabric in the jersey varies from panel to panel and the side panels are the thinnest, this helps it breathe and disperse unnecessary heat. The collar is soft and has anti-chafe neck tape inside.

Breathable and light side panels provide excellent ventilation.

Both items are a cold wash and air dry…nice and easy, so easy your kids could do it, so give them a couple of $ and let them while you go for a ride!

Doing my best Assos Man…I’ve some lots more work to do!

Summary. Overall these are a great addition to anyone’s cycling wardrobe. For me they have been a staple go to for 99% of my rides outside this year. They are hardworking and bounce back after every use. The color stays sharp, even the white trim has remained white all year. There are plenty of features that you would find in similar clothing lines that cost two or even three times as much. Overall Pactimo kit looks up to date and it fits great, I am not sure what else you could want!

They are available in many many different color schemes and patterns across a broad spectrum of sizes XS-XXXL

As a Brand Ambassador I get a pretty good discount and I also get a pretty good discount that I can pass along so here’s your opportunity to pick up some new kit for the winter. At checkout use the code BA15STU to get 30% off your order, does not apply to Artist, Cause, Specialty or Custom items. Jerseys start at $85 and bibs at $125.

The Ride.

Very cool video from my friends at Pactimo!

Let it put a smile on your face and give you a yearning to ride…

Pactimo’s new Fall collection is now available, check it out here and hit me up for a Brand Ambassador discount!

Golden Gran Fondo

This is a bit late, but hey late is better than never!

One of the benefits of being a Brand Ambassador for Pactimo was that they provided a free entry into the Golden Gran Fondo. Pactimo is based in Denver and this was their local race. It would also be a great opportunity to actually meet some of the Pactimo folks and other Ambassadors’. This combined with the fact that this would allow Becca to get some training miles on the Ironman Boulder Bike Course as well an opportunity to swim in Boulder Reservoir it seemed like a no brainer to book some time off of work and make a long weekend of it.

After reviewing the course descriptions I decided on the Medio route, 63 miles with 7600’ of elevation. This was the middle choice, the shorter one was 20 miles and Becca opted for this and the longer one 97 miles had nearly 11,000’ of climbing, this proved at the end of the day to be a wise choice all round!

We were fortunate enough to be staying with friends in Golden itself and the morning of the Fondo we rolled to the start line all of one mile! We met up with the Pactimo folks and a couple of other Ambassador’s from the area. We chatted until it was time to wander off to the start line. While waiting I realized I had forgotten my phone so I zipped back to the house to grab and used the back streets to get back to the start line with literally a minute to spare! I could hear the national anthem playing as I arrived back!

The Medio Route was basically three loops, up over and around Lookout Mountain back into Golden, then through Golden Gate Canyon State Park for a figure of eight and back into town again. At a high level it was two climbs but of course in reality these comprised lots of smaller climbs with false flats and on the flipside sweeping descents interspersed with switchbacks…oh and some gravel!

The climb up Lookout was uneventful, I was at the back of the pack due to the phone issue but I soon started passing people. Becca was behind me but not by much and the climb to the top was over in just under 5 miles. The climb up Lookout was a timed section, each distance had a specific section and prizes were awarded for the fastest rider. The climb was nothing too onerous or strenuous, the roll back into town was pretty fast and as the road was unknown I took it fairly easy. We rolled through the first Aid Station and topped off our water bottles. Shortly after we were back in town and Becca peeled off as her 20 miles was done.

From looking at the elevation profile I knew that the next section was basically four summits over 23 miles and then a run down to the finish with a quick climb in the middle, with that in mind it was all about pacing. The climb up through Golden Gate was the first climb, it was pretty remorseless and I was happy to take a breather when I got to the top! It’s actually classified as a Hors Categorie, well you know, without classification…as such!

The Golden Gate Canyon climb

The clock had just past the 3:00 mark. From here there was a quick descent into the next Aid Station at the 33 mile mark. I didn’t linger any longer than I needed to and so I headed out and through the start of the second timed section. It started of fairly easily although the road was pretty “dirty”. The road got cleaner after a mile or two and the pretty easy disappeared as a serious of relentless switchbacks and grade that went from 7% to 9% to 13% had me dismount (as well as a couple of other folks I saw) and pushing my bike up!

Luckily I remounted just in time to save the indignity of having an official photo of me walking!

I finished the timed section and then enjoyed some of the downhill that I had dragged my ass up! Even the unmade road section was ok! The loop closed and I found myself back at the prior Aid Station with 20 miles left and in my mostly a downhill ride! In my mind…ha ha ha!

After a nice rollout from the Aid Station there was a gentle climb followed by a steady twisty descent for 6 miles or so. At the bottom we turned a corner and the blacktop disappeared, the road changed to gravel and turned up as far as you could see.

I rode some, not much but some and I walked lots, a few people passed me and some of the other folks walking were just walking faster and pulled ahead. If I had thought that the other sections were tough this proved to be the hardest 2 miles of the day, pushing a bike up gravel on a 16% was, at best, sucky!

Gravel up and down!

That said like all bad things it eventually ended and I was treated to hair raising gravel descent for 2 miles where I may or may have not being saying aloud “don’t crash…don’t crash” and would have felt much happier on my mountain bike with tires that measure 63mm vs my skinny road tires that measure 23mm! Luckily I didn’t crash and this section ended. From there it was a roll back out of Golden Gate Canyon Park enjoying the full width of my lane with some very patient drivers!

A left hand turn and I was back in town and over the finish line with 64 miles on the clock in just under 5:30!

The finish line area was very chilled with a beer garden, someone giving free ROLFing and a bike park. Becca and I availed ourselves of all three and hung around for the awards chatting to the Pactimo folks and other cyclists! There was a real family feel with kids hanging out with parents and just great overall atmosphere!

They started to give out awards to Piccolo riders and Becca had won not only here Age Group but she was the overall female winner! She’s a badass!

After the awards we hung on for the Raffle, it was actually great not to have anywhere else to be and the ability to just hang out on a sunny day in park with a bunch of other likeminded people was such a treat that we didn’t want to leave and miss anything. Hanging around to the end proved a wise move as we both won raffle prizes which was a great way to round out an excellent day!

 
Beer; it effects people differently!

Overall I was pleased with my ride, I had put in 7 weeks of solid training following a TrainerRoad plan and the high intensity workouts certainly helped with the climbing and distance on the day, the only real downside is that you don’t get to work on you bike skills. I am a wary descender at best and that is something that is only improved through doing!

As for the event, it was very well run and supported, there were only 280 or so riders across all three distances and as you would expect they strung out very quickly so you didn’t feel cramped in etc. This is one of a series of rides across the country and from what I have heard this one was one of, if not the, hardest. Certainly there were riders coming in 3-4 hours after I had finished! Well run with that local grass roots feel, if you see one in your area I highly suggest you sign up!

Lastly a big thank you to Pactimo, for not only sponsoring me and the free entry but also for sponsoring this event, like I said it has that grass roots feel and it’s from these events that the next and future generation of cyclists will come from.

Chapeau!