Boulder has the highest percentage of bike owners of any town in the US. 71% of the population owns at least one bike. This means that 71% of the population owns the ultimate exploring machine. As a cyclist I have been on almost every road in Boulder and the surrounding area. Sometimes I head west into the mountains, and other times I like to cruise around out east on the flatter roads. No matter where I go, I often look around and think about how if I weren’t a cyclist I would have never seen most of these places. The reason for this is because as a cyclist we look for roads with low traffic,... Read More

There’s a saying about the cruel effect that money has on the quality of a product: “It eats quality and poops quantity”, William Burroughs. (Ok fine, he uses a different word for poop). For so many expanding businesses, this insight seems to be true. Quality of product is surrendered to the quantity produced, as companies’ main goals are to become as large as possible, while trading in the integrity of their original products. Newton Running Shoes and ROLL Recovery (in my last two posts) have proved to evade this sentence, succeeding based on their commitment to quality, rather than quantity,... Read More

   “Leave the research to us. We’ll leave the training to you.” Admit it. You’ve ordered something online for the sole purpose of getting to look forward to a package coming in the mail. It’s really not that sad or desperate. Getting something specifically sent to you feels awesome and let’s you know someone out there took the time to prepare the thing, send it, and now it’s here. Just for you. Runnerbox, the Boulder start-up founded in 2012 by marathoner and nurse, Staci Dietzel, harnesses a similar concept. Except ordering a Runnerbox requires even less deliberation... Read More

There was a time not long ago that recovery devices for endurance athletes were limited to sticks, foam rollers, ropes, and some good-old-fashioned stretching mats. If it were up to most, this recovery routine would not have changed because it seemed satisfactory enough. But for Jeremy Nelson, the inventive runner behind the “R8” ROLL Recovery device, those tools belong to the past, while the “R8” is the revolutionary recovery tool of the future (and the now!). The “R8” invention emerged from a perfect storm of Nelson’s passion for running, strong education,... Read More

“Click, clack, click, clack”.. You are standing in line at Amante Coffee and you peer behind and expect to see a horse, or maybe a girl in high heels. Actually maybe it is a tap dancer. You first look down  and notice glossy white shoes, high socks, and the most muscular legs you have ever seen on a chick. As you continue to gaze up you soon realize that this hairless girl is actually a transvestite! The perfectly smooth legs had you thinking one way, but the tight spandex shorts quickly revealed the other! You continue to scan upward and soon realize that this transvestite is actually... Read More

Endurance sports are rigorous and demanding, which means athletes are always focused, serious, and mostly boring. “We are purveyors of fun.” -Endurance Conspiracy False. Behind tough and blister-ridden exteriors, endurance athletes like triathletes, cyclists and long distance runners all seem to share a similar light-heartedness and love for their lifestyles. The ability to find joy in the hard work required from these sports makes the endurance sport community closer, faster and stronger. Endurance Conspiracy, an endurance-sport-apparel-retailer in Boulder, manufactures hilarious,... Read More

In the second part of the 3 part series, I want to talk about the sport of cycling and how to get into it without having to sell your soul. Bikes can be very expensive. In an effort to keep things as light and stiff as possible, expensive materials as well as lots of research and lab testing must be performed. When first getting into the sport, it is important to make sure that you like riding bikes before you invest too much. I suggest borrowing a friend’s bike, or demoing one from a local shop. Once you have decided that this sport is for you, it is time to look for a bike of your own. Here... Read More

Triathlon is a very expensive sport. Between the equipment, race fees, coaching, and gym/pool memberships the cost of everything can really start to add up. As a former employee of Tribe Multisport in Scottsdale, AZ I often got asked my opinion for what to buy for a beginner. Also, as my friends began the sport, they would ask me for the same advice. In this 3-part blog spread out over 3 weeks I will give my opinion on how to best spend your money if you are looking to get into the sport. For this week I will focus on the first part of most triathlons. Swimming is fairly basic as far as sports... Read More

Many athletes are considered superhuman. How can a baseball player hit a ball 450 feet? How can a basketball player jump over 4 feet high? How can a triathlete run a marathon after biking and swimming so far? Indeed this talent is fairly superhuman, but even for the most impressive athletes, the body needs a break. The offseason is a time to let the body and mind recharge, and time to enjoy a more “normal” life. The problem with triathletes is that most of us are so obsessed with working out that we often don’t give ourselves enough off time because we start to feel lazy after just 2 days... Read More

Part of being a triathlete is being a cyclist, and part of being a cyclist is making fun of triathletes. This strange relationship is one that I have gotten to carefully observe over the years. Many of my friends are strictly cyclists, and many are strictly triathletes. The only thing they have in common is that they ride bikes. Triathletes try to be the master of three sports, and I get it, that is annoying. We are like that girl you went to high school with who was the president of the student government, captain of the basketball team, and voted homecoming queen. Here is a list of 10 things... Read More

I am well aware that most people don’t really know what triathlon is. I would say 80% of people only know that it has something to do with biking, swimming, and running. Out of these people maybe half know that there is a race in Hawaii and that it is really hard. Because of this it should be no surprise for a triathlete when talking to someone and they say something like “Oh you do triathlon, have you done the one in Hawaii?”. Personally I enjoy explaining that not all triathlons are Ironman distance, and that there are lots of races that aren’t in Kona, Hawaii. For all of you reading... Read More

Boulder has a reputation for being a very healthy, active, and outdoorsy place. I was recently on Tinder and just about every girl on there had some sort of picture of themselves hiking, snowboarding, or finishing the Bolder Boulder on their profile. Their favorite places to shop include the bike shop, Whole Foods, and REI. It makes sense when you think about it, just look at the flatirons. I like to call it the health trap. Stay in Boulder long enough and eventually you will pick up an outdoorsy hobby. This hobby will introduce you to people who are healthy eaters. These health nuts will consciously... Read More