Swiftwick

Read about our acrobatic adventure friends, the YogaSlackers in Wend Mag HERE on a recovery climb(a 5.11 recovery climb with 6 pitches)after Patagonian Expedition Race. Though they didn't sport the socks on the rocks, they certainly aided in recovery on a--get this--36 hour bus ride, 180 mile bike(over 2 days), and week knees after a Chelsea said "yes" to Jason's proposal, both of GearJunkie.com and Yogaslackers.

Check out some slackline yoga in the meantime from the extreme master yogi athletes.

March 6, 2010
Georgia, USA

The Snake Creek Gap Time Trial series in Dalton, GA is quickly turning into a Southern favorite for winter racing. The race attracts people from all over the east coast and mid-west US. March 6 was the third and final of the monthly
time trails on the rugged 34 mile trail. January saw sub-freezing temperatures with frozen bike parts, bottles, and limbs. February was a mud-fest, and March was perfect in every way!

Team Topeak-Ergon USA members Eddie and Namrita O'Dea both raced in the 34 mile race. The course conditions were fast, the sun was shining, and the bikes and equipment worked flawlessly. Eddie placed 2nd in his class, 14th overall and Namrita placed 2nd in her class, 4th overall.

The next event for the O'Deas will be the Mountain Bike Klinik and no-drop ride with Topeak-Ergon members Jeff Kerkove and Sonya Looney and Competitive Cyclist on March 25 in Little Rock, AR followed by the Ouachita Challenge 60 mile race in Arkansas on March 28.

For the second year in a row, the Brentwood/Ravenwood Hockey Team Co-op, Woods, won the Henry Hine Championship Game!! Last night’s game against Blackman was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation. Goals were scored by Stephen Tedder and Ben Herrmann with assists by Matthew Pollack and Oliver Moore. The Woods then played three 12 minute overtime periods before Nate Longest assisted to Andrew Falls who scored the winning goal. Michael Cox had the game of his career, stopping 33 of 35 shots on goal in the 73 minute contest. Congratulations WOODS!!

Our beloved Pred's are back after a Vancouver hiatus, with a Gold and Silver respectively, and what a welcoming they were given! Nashville came out to represent with one of the largest attendances I've seen. Looking forward to watching at the new Bridgestone Arena, and hope everyone gets rested and recovered(shameless plug for our Twelve Olefin Recovery Socks inserted here)going into brutal playoff hockey. Check out what Hockeyplayer.com had to say about our socks here too!

Here's the latest addition to the rink--a very good looking Zamboni if I say so myself. Who wants a ride!?

The season started last week as usual, in Greenville, SC with the first weekend of the Greenville Training Series at the Donaldson Center (long, boring laps) and then the BMW Test Track (short, windy laps).

Saturday's race was challenging due to the dearth of teams with multiple riders, like Team Type 1, Global Bike, Hincapie, United Healthcare (or whatever their name is this year), Metro, etc. It was just Chris Emory and I, with Eric in the Cat. 3s working on upgrade points. It was an 8 lap race, and after some early excitement, we settled into a nice pace with attacks coming through the hills on the back of the course. Nothing really stuck until after the move that I was in got brought back! Global Bike and TT1 had guys in the move and they drove it home as the other teams weren't able to do much. Once it was apparent that they weren't going to be brought back, I tried to be as active as possible and just get in a good workout while testing myself (this being a training race and all . . . ). Chris Emory was active as well, but the gap stuck at 2 minutes and the break and money was long gone. We rolled in with the field, and went to see how Eric did. The good news is that he CRUSHED the 3s field! After launching a counter move after 2 laps, he chased down the break and then proceeded to drive it to the finish after dropping all but 1 other rider. Congrats to Eric after his first official race on Team ACE, and first Cat. 3 win! Shouldn't be long before this 'developmental' rider moves up to a 2. Sweet!

Sunday greeted us with similar weather to Saturday: about 65*, light breeze, and some nice sun. This was a nice change over last year when there were 20-30mph winds that made the race at the BMW track brutal! Then again, I like those conditions and was able to lap the field, so my joy was a little short-lived! After Eric's herculean effort on Saturday, being away for about 3/4 of the race, he was suffering the effects of dehydration and decided to take the day off. This left only Chris and I again to battle against the other bigger teams. It was a similar result to Saturday with a break going from the gun with Hincapie & Globalbike (and Metro?), and staying away all day! Chris and I were active again, but no match for the teams with more matches to burn. That's OK, because when we bring our full team, we will be a force to be reckoned with! Field finishes for both Chris and I capped a mediocre, but enjoyable weekend of racing. The weather was good, the power and legs were good, and it was nice to be back in the thick of the action rubbing shoulders and getting tan lines once more! Oh, and we took away a win!

Thanks to all our 2010 sponsors: Highland Brewing, Trek & Bontrager, Liberty Bikes, Rudy Project, PML Pathology, Mosaic Realty, Honey Stinger, Swiftwick, Carmichael Training Systems, Dr. Steve Miller DDS, Crossfit Brevard, Joe Lilly Photography, and Affordable Home Inspections.

See us online at: www.ashevillecyclingelite.com

Swiftwicker Rachel attended the MS Women's luncheon with guest speak Maureen Manley yesterday. Here's her take on the mid-day noshing.

Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision.



Imagine these symptoms affecting you in the biggest race of your life: the Women’s Tour de France. Maureen Manley, member of the US Cycling Team, won a National Championship, set a national record, earned a silver and 2 bronze medals at National Championships, competed in 3 World Championships and won a silver medal in the 1990 World Championships, began climbing with the best in the world. And then she fell over.

Her story inspired a room full of women who had never been on a bike, who walked in the room with canes, whose life was affected by Multiple Sclerosis, or those touched by the disease from family, friends or neighbors. Everyone could pull away from her speech points that they could relate to; however, I couldn’t help but think I was the most enthralled. That I was the most appreciative of the work she had to put into being an athlete. Knowing what pain it would inflict to give up your dreams, what you train for, what you live for. But everyone in that room was moved, and some maybe more than I.


The closest I have ever come to MS was my childhood best friend’s mother who passed away from the disease. It’s amazing how it can swoop in and completely change your life forever. We take things for granted every single day, and I know I do. Maybe I don’t ride my bike fast enough, train hard enough,fight with my significant other, or have bad days at work, but at least I have the ability to do it with a healthy mind and body. Others afflicted by this disease don’t have that luxury.

I was motivate today to appreciate what I’ve been given. Maybe you can be motivated to participate in a cause–willingly, none of this ‘I gotta do it because of team requirement crap’–that benefits a group of your choice.

Report from Swiftwicker Melissa after attending the Style Blueprint trunk show. Swiftwick can be fashionable and functional!



There is a distinct line between fashion and function, and I have always lived by the motto “fashion before function.” Yes, I would much rather cram my ten toes into a pair of pumps in the name of style than take a more practical approach in choosing footwear. Being a part of the Swiftwick team, I have been immersed in the functional side of the fashion industry. With our technical approach to socks, we rarely look at the fashionable side of Swiftwick. So when I was asked to attend the Style Blueprint fashion preview cocktail party event on Thursday night to represent the Swiftwick style, my answer was an emphatic YES!

Since I joined Swiftwick at the beginning of January, I have learned more about my feet than I cared to know! So as I tried on outfit after outfit getting ready to attend the opening night cocktail party for Style Blueprint, one thing resonated in my mind…my feet are going to hate me for manipulating them into my pair of 5” BCBG ankle boots…but then it hit me. Every day I talk to people about Swiftwick socks, their compression value and overall health benefits they have for your feet. So as I slipped into my black and grey Ralph Lauren cocktail dress and black J. Crew tights, I added a new layer to my wardrobe...my black 4” Olefin Swiftwick’s.


As I walked into the Style Blueprint event downtown Nashville, my feet were very happy with me. I was able to enjoy walking around the event without cringing at every step. The Director of Development for the Nashville Children’s Alliance, Lee Anne Willis, immediately introduced me to the details of the evening. She, along with other volunteers for the organization, helps organize the event that is a huge benefit for local Nashville children. Elizabeth Fox founded the event a few years ago as a benefit for the Nashville Children’s Alliance. She gathers new or lightly worn clothing, footwear, accessories and jewelry, and sells it on consignment at the event. 30% of the proceeds go to benefit the Nashville Children’s Alliance, a Nashville based charity that provides free service to children who have experienced sexual or severe physical abuse.






As I perused the racks of Oscar de la Renta dreses, Manolo Blahnik shoes and Gucci purses, I saw a spirit of charity on the faces of the fashionable women of Nashville who were taking part in raising money for the Nashville Children’s Alliance. With champagne flowing and clothes flying, the Style Blueprint event was an amazing evening highlighting the desperate need for helping the children of Nashville. As the ladies tried on patterned cardigans and printed skirts, I got to step back and realize how fortunate we are to be part of such an amazing community.
Walking to my car that night in my Swiftwick’s and Stiletto’s, I had a strong sense of pride that Swiftwick has such a strong community presence, that we take part in bringing awareness to the realities of hardship that surround every community, and that fashion can be functional as well!