As a pro cyclist, a lot of hard work and time on the bike is spent during the winter in preparation for the upcoming racing season. In creating an apparel line, the same type of behind-the-scenes hard work and preparation takes place. Work on our new Spring line began well over a year ago as our design team started with product sketches and technology research. Now after months testing, revisions and prototypes, we’re happy to give you the 2012 Spring Collection.

Product testing this past summer near our factory on the roads outside of Medellin, Colombia. We had Julian Rodas and Janier Acevedo from team the Gobernación de Antioquia - Antioquia Indeportes to help us.

Here’s some highlights of my favorite pieces from the line.

	The Gran Premio Kit Our team has taken the race-proven custom Velocity line worn by the BMC Racing Team and sublimated it with Hincapie racing graphics. It’s a great way to experience our custom race clothing without having to be on a team. And it’s available for men and women in several different colors.
	T2 Triathlon Collection Just like the Gran Premio kit, we’ve taken our successful custom triathlon clothing and made it available for men and women in our retail line. This is the same gear Gwen Jorgensen, Anna Cleaver, Ben Collins, Chris Foster and Drew Scott will be competing in at the pro level.
	Shorts made with coldblack® Our black shorts this year use an amazing technology called coldblack. In a nutshell, the coldblack tech causes the black fabric of our cycling shorts to reflect sunlight the way a white fabric would. It gets blasted hot in the summertime here in South Carolina, and the coldblack really helps. If you want to try out coldblack, start with the Power shorts for men and women.
	Women’s Jet Jersey This jersey really captures what our brand is all about. It not only looks great with its black and white color scheme, plus it’s made with super comfy fabrics that feel great to the touch. Sorry guys, this is a women’s only design.

I’m really proud of the new line and I hope that you will have many great rides in the gear this spring.

I’ve just returned from my yearly adventure in Colorado — Ride the Rockies. We have been fortunate enough to have partnered with Chandler and the Denver Post to produce the Ride Jerseys. The partnership has worked great and I’ve gotten a chance to see the beautiful and sometimes epic roads Colorado has to offer these past few years. (Although I am not a fan of 12,000 feet above sea level – I don’t think flies can even live that high.)

This year I was more prepared than ever, the weather in Colorado can change in a moment’s notice so I started every day with enough clothing to get me through an ice storm ( yes I speak from experience as I’ve been caught twice at Ride the Rockies) so I came loaded for the potential of fast changing weather conditions. Thankfully the event threw no such curveballs so my gloves, rain jackets and hats stayed securely in my pockets all week as the weather turned out to be perfect. Doing rides like these remind me of why I ride my bike, taking in the tough climbs, beautiful scenery and getting to meet hundreds of people who all share the same passion makes for a great vacation away from the daily work rituals and one hour lunch time rides back home.

The over 2500 riders that register every year not only get to see Colorado and its great terrain but also share in a fundraising effort that has raised over 1 million dollars since its inception in 1986. Ride The Rockies is a program of The Denver Post Community Foundation, the community relations arm of The Denver Post. Its mission is to improve and enrich the quality of life in the community through support of programs that benefit arts and culture; children and youth; literacy and education; and the provision of basic human services. Through the foundation, net proceeds from Ride The Rockies are distributed to nonprofit organizations that fit these guidelines.

Already looking forward to next year

Thanks for reading

...Ok so no, I'm not actually racing the Giro, but I sort of feel like I should be there. Our good friend and former Hincapie Development team rider Craig Lewis, riding for HTC Columbia, will be rolling off the start ramp for his first Grand Tour test. I can't wait to watch live as he flies along the streets of Amsterdam with the world watching - it's a big day for him but probably an even bigger one for me.

I met Craig when he was a 15-year-old kid at Donaldson center (our local Tuesday night race). I remember seeing this skinny kid with an afro riding with the A group and still remember how fast he would spin his then-junior gears and how smooth he was. I asked around for a few weeks and found out Craig was a good local mountain biker from Duncan and had just started riding on the road. It's funny actually hearing the story from Craig: He says he occasionally rode his mountain bike and was watching the Tour de France. When he heard George was from Greenville, he quickly went to the local bike shop and asked if it was true. They told him yes and that he was occasionally spotted riding at Donaldson Center, so Craig decided to give it a try. Although Craig never actually met George that summer, I took quick interest in him without ever seeing him race and we became close friends, and still are to this day.

Somehow we came across a copy of Craig's eighth grade yearbook.

Craig raced just a few races that summer as a junior or a Cat 4 rider. He showed good promise in training but sometimes it's hard to tell until riders get put in harder races or are out of their element. Back then I promoted an October NRC criterium here in downtown Greenville, South Carolina called the Michelin Cycling Classic. Many of the top pro teams would race (including George) as the $10,000 prize list was fairly high for the pro race in those days. Craig had never done a criterium aside from that morning's junior race. This being the last race of the season Craig asked me if he could do the pro race that evening. After thinking about it for most of the afternoon I figured what's the harm, he'll only last a handful of laps. With a difficult technical course, the top pro riders, and Craig on junior gears in his first criterium, the odds were certainly against him. I just told him to stay at the back for as long as he could. Lap after lap Craig would come by spinning an obviously smaller gear and as the field dwindled down Craig would always come by last man as he was told. He ended up finishing his first criterium as an inexperienced skinny 15 year old; Craig certainly turned some heads that day.

The Fairway-Subaru Cycling Team
(Craig's the one with the "hair.")

The next year I put Craig on our team, called the Fairway Subaru cycling team which consisted of mainly local Category 1 riders. Craig fit in perfectly with all of the guys and to this day most of us are still very close. Craig quickly stood out from the group with his desire to work hard, ability to soak in all info and always being on time and prepared and with a spotless bike. These traits are hard to come by with a group of weekend warriors. Craig was the go-to guy at races when the riders forgot food or needed help setting up a ride computer or fixing up their bikes. We always turned to Craig even though he was just a 16-year old; the roles should have been different but we grew accustomed to having one guy on the program we could count on. I'll never forget when Craig moved on to the TIAA-CREF Development Team (Now Garmin Transitions) Darren Fuller said, "Man, who's going to teach me how to use my bike computer next year?" Funny but very true.

Outside Magazine Feature July 2005

Craig off the front.

Many of you who have heard of Craig Lewis have probably heard of his frightful crash at the Tour de Georgia in April of 2004. Craig was 20 years old and had already turned some heads on the American scene. Jonathan Vaughters had been quoted as saying, "of the 20-year- olds in America, Craig has the best chance to win the Tour de France." We had all seen sparks of greatness, but hearing it from someone like Jonathan made us proud to hear it. We packed a van full of friends and drove the 3 hours to Rome, Georgia to watch Craig in his first big time trial against the pro's. The 18-mile course was basically half uphill and half downhill. We had gotten reports from the car (I was following George that day) that Craig had one of the fastest times on top of the hill - pretty exciting news. I remember after a few minutes getting a call from Chuck Hodge (Technical Director for all of the major tours in the US and my former roommate) saying, "Where are you?" I told him I was in George's team car and he said, "Get to the finish as quickly as possible." I remember thinking to myself - that's strange, he knows I have no choice. In the 20 or so minutes it took me to get to the finish I had several phone calls from Chuck as well as the race director, so I knew something was seriously wrong. Once I got to the finish, I was told that Craig had been involved in a serious crash and that I needed to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. Instead of meandering our way through the closed downtown, I ran the 2 miles to the hospital where there were friends and hospital staff outside waiting. Since I was the closest thing to Craig's family in town at the time they would only give information to me. I was brought into a room where a preacher was waiting on me, and the prognosis was not good.

Craig being the fighter, he spent 27 days at the hospital and recovered well from the 2 punctured lungs, 48 broken bones, and a stomach infection. It was a long month, but Craig's drive and desire to get back to normal won out and he was back on his bike in June. The lasting physical and mental effects of the crash never deterred Craig from being positive about his recovery, and although he didn't race for the rest of the year, he did begin his first winter of training with George that year, which led to his quick rise to the pro level.

Craig climbing Brasstown Bald at the 2008 edition of the Tour de Georgia
(Photo by Darrell Parks)

George and Craig became daily training partners, neighbors and close friends. Much like the 15- year-old Craig that we raced with, his willingness to learn and work hard was soon taken to the next level by riding with George every day. Craig soaked in every detail of life as a pro and it soon paid off. In July of 2006, a little over a year after his terrible accident, Craig won both the U-23 Road Race and Criterium at the USA Cycling National Championships in Champion, Pennsylvania, both in solo moves. I remember getting calls from old teammates during each of the races and you could hear the emotion in their voices. We all felt like we were a part of the win and just a year after his life threatening accident, our boy was 2-time National Champion.

Craig on the Podium of the 2006 USA Cycling National Championships

The promise and good results continued to come and in September of the same year Craig placed 7th overall in the Tour de l'Avenir, also known as the mini Tour de France. One of only a handful of Americans to ever crack the top 10 overall in that race, the result proved that Craig was one of the best amateurs in the world and adapted well to European racing. Craig continued to work hard and progress as planned; one of my most memorable days in cycling came soon after when I was able help Craig secure a spot on the then T-Mobile team (now HTC Columbia). We were all super excited as the 2-year deal would put Craig alongside George on the best team in the world - we could not be happier. To this day, Craig remains on the team and is a highly-respected teammate as stated by Michael Barry.

Craig and George together on Team Highroad

On Saturday, Craig will start alongside the greatest in the sport in the 2010 Giro d'Italia and so will I. Well, not exactly but I almost feel that way. We will all be closely watching Craig roll off the start ramp for the flat 8km prologue. And much like his first criterium, he will be gracefully spinning his biggest gear, proving to himself and us that he deserves to be there.

Go Craig!

Hello from sunny Belgium, what an amazing day today. Yes today was my Paris Roubaix as it was our day to get to ride with George and recon the 14 sections from The Arenburg Forest through the Carrefour de l’Arbre, the last key section of the race. The boys were so excited but also a bit nervous as they had no idea what to expect. I was reluctant to have us all ride with him on such a key day but I also think we added a small amount of that home riding with the boys comfort. We rolled out of Kortrijk at 9:30 for the 45 minute drive to the outskirts of the Arenburg Forest section, George was going to meet us at the exit of the forest so it was good for the guys to dive in and get some practice before we latched on to the best cobble rider in the world. It’s amazing to see the crowds already building 2 days before the race I can’t imagine how packed the forest will be on race day.

Once George got there we all rolled out for the next difficult sections ahead, I myself was in full race mode as I wanted to make sure I stayed as close to George as possible for this epic day. Some of the guys lost contact on section 1 never to be seen again, since George was in full work mode we had all decided we would meet at the end of the Carrefour section. It was amazing to see how smooth and strong George was through the sections and especially how fast he took the corners, I stayed as close to his wheel as possible as I figured he would be the best person when it comes to knowing the best line. George seemed super focused and more quiet than normal but then again he did have some work to do trying his best to study every detail of the course. It’s rare in life that people get to see sporting heroes in full action but even rarer for them to be able to be in their element while they are preparing for their own Super Bowl, it’s one of those things in life that is hard to explain but I know all of the guys will never forget today.

I think all of us got a better appreciation of how hard this race is today, we only ended up riding 14 of the 27 sections but that was enough for us, most of us had blisters on our hands, our backs were cramping and our necks were sore, I can’t imagine doing our effort times 4, it’s what makes this sport the hardest in the world.

Lastly and amazingly enough, Matt didn’t crash today, It seems he got all of his crashing out of the way on day 1 which is great.

Go George!

Hello everyone I am writing from sunny Belgium. The weather has been unseasonable warm and sunny these past few days and it looks like much of the same for the greatly anticipated Paris Roubaix on Sunday. We’ve had a great week so far with plenty of riding with the boys and Team BMC. All of the guys have been great, and the whole team has been very accommodating to me and the rest of the Greenville Crew, despite a few flats and Matt crashing twice on day one.  Yes, twice, and that is before we even hit any cobbles. More on that later.

We woke up Sunday Morning for the Tour of Flanders to a wet cold and windy day, exactly what you would expect for a Belgium Classic. We drove to Brugge and got stuck “outside the fence” until George saw us and got the uptight Police officer to let us in. George Hincapie is a Rock Star here in Belgium, so asking to let his 14 buddies in was apparently not an issue at all. Inside the gates we got to hang out and see all of the teams up-close and personal, except for Lance and Team Radio Shack, as their bus area was mobbed from higher ups like the royalty of Belgium, countless film crews and the few lucky fans that got inside the well protected gates. The riders rolled off and so started our adventure of speeding through the narrow cow paths of Belgium to see as many spots of the race as possible. We were talking about this the other day, explaining to people that are not that interested in cycling it’s difficult to explain how fun it is to find a spot on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, stand there for an hour in the cold wind with a few thousand people and then watch the race go by in 20 seconds, run back to your car, whip out the map and hit the next section. It actually doesn’t sound like much fun as I type this, but we had a blast. We did invest a lot of time getting to and staking a good spot out on The Koppenburg. It was well worth it, as we got some great photos and video. The guys had never seen a cobbled climb so it was a eye opening experience for them. George ended up having a great day, which is a great sign for Sunday’s Paris Roubaix.

While we got video on the Koppenburg, Steve Sperry captured this photo of George on the Muur.

We got to do an easy ride with the team on Monday. Since it was a rest day for the team, the whole team meets at around 10:45 for the 11am ride. Mechanics fill tires with air. Turtle hands out bottles, even to the Greenville Crew (thanks Turtle!) and we rolled out on the Canal Bike path.

Not sure what Jeremy is doing with that power drill. At least that's his own bike.

It was a leisurely stroll. After about 45 minutes, George decides it is a great time for some coffee, so we found a Café in a nearby town and all sat around drinking, talking and taking pictures. Great fun. We are always cutting up and laughing, and today, the sight of Georges Afro was a big topic of our laughing.

Apparently he is going to have a new look for the tennis tournament in November. The ride back seemed a bit more entertaining as I flatted but at the same time Matt ran into a pole and crashed. Thankfully he was OK and the BMC boys were super nice about his apparent misfortune and made sure he was Ok to keep going. We got a good laugh about it as from what Matt describes these poles in Belgium jump right out at you--who knew!

We ended the ride passing through the town square. Here in Europe, it was Easter Monday so the square was packed with people. We all meandered through the streets to make our way back to the hotel when bam! Crash number 2 for Matt in front of the whole City. Not good, but again he was OK. I don’t think he will ever live that day down. Trying to make light of the situation, we all hung out and joked with the team about the ride and Matt. Matt described his pole crash in detail and  even said to Alexander Kristoff, “You almost hit the pole too!” Kristoff, in his Norwegian accent replied back, “Yes, but I didn’t.” We laughed all day.

We have gotten some great rides in this week and have even ridden up some of the big climbs, which really give you a great appreciation for just a bit of what these guys go through. It really is an amazingly difficult sport. Wind, rain, wet cobbles and narrow roads are just a few of the elements these guys go through, all in 150 or so miles. The people in Belgium truly appreciate these athletes and come out to watch by the hundreds of thousands no matter the conditions. Even if it means standing on the side of the road for hours before they come. All the more reason to drink some Belgian brew.

We can’t wait until Sunday. George is looking great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this fit and confident. Little things about his riding or his appearance are easy for me to see that he will be at 100% for Sunday (minus the fro). Look for my twitter updates (@richhincapie) during the race.

Thanks for reading.

Rich

[Hincapie Sportswear HQ wants to know who has the pretty luggage...ha ha?]

By now most of you probably know that BMC got selected to race the Tour de France. It’s super exciting for me to be able to see George again in the biggest sporting event in the world! I had actually thought that it was a real possibility that his Tour days were over when he signed with BMC, but this Tour invite shows that the team is a serious player in the professional cycling world. This selection will go a long way for our brand, and it is just another step in the right direction. Thanks for all of your support.

Here is a comment from George, posted on the BMC Racing Team website, on his thoughts regarding the team’s selection.

Hincapie Looks Forward To Tour
George Hincapie said he was “ecstatic” to receive the news. “I’m sure there will be days during the Tour when I’ll be suffering and wondering what the heck I’m doing back again,” he said. “But obviously I still feel good and I want to continue doing the Tour de France as long as my body feels good.” The U.S. national road champion signed on with the BMC Racing Team last fall without any guarantee that the professional continental team would receive an invitation to the Tour. “We have a ton of talent on the team and a lot of experienced riders and I think the ASO believes we can put on a really good show in July,” Hincapie said. Participating in the Tour is also the perfect opportunity to showcase Hincapie Sportswear, the clothing company that sponsors the team that he co-owns with his brother, Rich. “The opportunity to have our clothing be a part of the biggest cycling event – if not the biggest sporting event in the world – on worldwide TV for three weeks is terrific. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Photo: Graham Watson (www.grahamwatson.com)

I woke up this morning feeling better having gotten a much better night’s sleep, jet lag is still affecting the legs but the plan today was 5+ hours with the first 2 hours being rolling and mostly flat - best news I had heard in a while. The original plan was actually to do the same ride as yesterday which would have put me in the unfortunate position of trying to chase back on after the first climb 5 miles into the day, barely enough time to digest breakfast. Thankfully, George had a better suggestion which was welcome news.

Team meeting before the ride

We all assembled again by the team truck at 9:40 AM. There were some riders and some media hanging around, and I got a chance to get a photo of me and Chris Butler. For those of you that have never heard of Chris, you probably will. Chris is a graduate of our Hincapie Development Team. Remarkably, he has only raced for 2 years but his natural ability as a climber and dedication to the sport will take him far. He has already impressed many here, often being one of the first riders on the big climbs which has been surprising to most but I expected no less.

Posing with former Hincapie Development Rider, Chris Butler

Today the team broke up into 2 rides - Ride 1 was a 3:30 minute loop with interval training for the riders racing next week in Qatar, and Group 2 was the 5+ hour group that needed to get some climbing in. Now, I’ve never considered myself as someone that “needed” to get some climbing in, but I figured why not try again. We start at a fairly leisurely pace but that didn’t last very long, I slot myself in at the back so as not to disrupt the two by two team pulls at the front. I got to have some good conversations with some of the younger riders which made the first 2 hours blaze by. On to the Pacific Coast highway where we hit some nice rollers and I’m actually not feeling bad at all. That is until we go left, George drops back and here we go again...

“Ohhh Rick, this one is super nasty!”

Great, problem is that I don’t really know where I am so getting dropped will make for an all day trip looking for the hotel. The riders stop for a nature break at the bottom (perfect I can get a head start) so I keep riding, but that only lasted a few kilometers (ok not too steep, I can hang on). I slot in at the back and try to hang on as long as possible. I start to come a little unglued and by the looks of the road ahead we aren’t even close to the top. I start drifting back and the team car pulls next to me – 2 options, ride alone lost for who knows how long or hold on.

Based on how sore my arm is today - guess which option I chose? Not ideal, but I did get to see how the real pros do it up close and personal. We hit the top and I jump back on to the back of the group where we hit a few kilometers of rollers before the kamikaze drop back down to the ocean. It was great descending with the guys - it seems that on every level of the sport 2 things always apply. 1) If you’re feeling good, you normally show it at some point and 2) Everyone races downhill; these guys were no different. Back onto the Pacific Coast highway where we rode rollers for the next hour or so until we ride into Malibu. We are over 3 hours into the ride and the road is starting to look familiar.

Wish I could have enjoyed the view a little better

Up ahead the guys start merging into the left lane which from the Pacific Coast highway can only mean one thing - crap! Here we go again (oh no, its the damn climb we did yesterday, I’m dead!) Nature break again for the guys so I go for the head start option. The only difference is that this climb is brutally steep at the bottom so I got caught right away. Hanging on to the back was no option here as I didn’t have an excuse this time. But thankfully I remembered how to get back to the hotel, the car pulled up next to me and made sure I had food and water (thanks guys) and I plugged away uphill for what seemed like an eternity. Maybe because I was starting to crack - 5+ hours and I’m ready to get off my bike. Thanks Graeme for the protein shake when I got back, I needed that badly.

The protein shake held me over while I took a shower and got ready for lunch. At this point food was something I needed quickly, but it seems my body decided I needed a nap much more as I sat in bed and fell asleep right through lunch. Och had invited me to the final team dinner at a posh restaurant called Ago’s in Hollywood. We all loaded on to the charter bus (nap number 2). I can’t really remember the last time I had a two-nap ride, but it’s not every day I’m getting bottles handed to me by a pro team and racing George and Cadel to the Pacific Coast highway, so a two-nap afternoon was in order. Dinner was amazing and we all had a great time, it’s something I will remember for a long time. I am super excited about George being a part of this team as all of the staff and owners really make us feel like we are part of the family. Thanks to everyone at the Team BMC organization for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing weekend, see you all at the Classics.

Alessandro Ballan and George

Stay tuned for tomorrow post about the Ride for Haiti fundraiser.

Thanks for reading

I woke up this morning feeling a bit jet lagged and tired as the time change and going to bed late wasn’t the ideal preparation for my first ride with the boys. Up early, I went down to have breakfast and to speak with Ian (BMC Head Mechanic) about a bike. He had me all set up on a team bike (Thanks Ian) and after a few minor adjustments to my position I felt like I was on my own rig which happens to be the same model so it made things easier. The ride started at 9:30, riders begin to show up at around 9:10 to make sure they have what they need - food, water bottles, enough clothing etc. There are chairs set up in the parking lot so the riders can sit and put on their shoes and accessories before heading out. There were a few photographers hanging out, as well as some fans mingling around trying not to interrupt the riders in their daily ritual but snapping photos and asking for the occasional autograph. All of the riders are super friendly and accommodating to the various requests since this is the tail end of a 2 week camp, nothing seems out of the ordinary.

9:25 AM – Michael Sayers, assistant director has a talk with the riders about today’s ride – lots of climbing, 5 hours, hard day...hmmm not great news for me. Even worse, the first climb starts in 5 miles (Hmmm maybe I should have warmed up). We head out and I ride at the back with George talking about camp and how happy he is with the team and the good feedback he’s heard about our clothing. We are both super excited about being a bigger part of the team. A few turns later and we hit the bottom of the first 5k climb. Ok not too bad at first, the few non-team members that jumped onto the back of the group on the flat roads are now gone, a little further up and the group chat has stopped and for some reason we aren’t slowing down. Here's how the rest of the ride went:

Hmm how long is this climb anyway?

Ok we have to be getting closer to the top.

Not feeling too comfortable.

Cadel decides to drop back - good that is my insurance, they can’t leave Cadel.

Where the hell is the top? We have to be getting closer!

I’m starting to suffer but it’s a long day, I can’t go too hard. About 1k from the top I shift down and ride a more comfortable pace.

I sure hope Cadel didn’t turn around.

Thankfully he catches me on the downhill and we make it back to the group. One climb down and a whole lot of riding to come.

We ride some rollers then descend down a long climb to the ocean, hit the Pacific Coast highway and some much-welcomed flat roads. Unfortunately that didn’t last too long.

Left turn and George drops back - “Rick, this climb is terrible.” Not exactly the words I wanted to hear. We hit the first few switchbacks and it doesn’t seem that bad. How wrong I was - after about 1k left hand bend and...

What the hell is that? I don’t have a low enough gear for a grade so steep.

I guess George wasn’t exaggerating, I shift down to my lowest gear and ride a comfortable pace. Thankfully my friend Matt Skelton lives close by and we rode together up the climb and back to the hotel. We saw the boys heading the opposite direction when we were on the way back - they were going to head back to do one more similar climb. George yelled for me to join them (umm no thanks!).

On the way back we run into our good friend Doctor Ramin and ride back into town talking. Ramin just spent a week in Haiti helping earthquake victims. The world needs more good people like Ramin and less climbs.

Let’s hope tomorrow goes better.

Thanks for reading

Hello everyone from sunny California, I’m writing from Agoura Hills where I arrived yesterday for my weekend with the Team BMC training camp. I’ve been looking forward to this trip for quite sometimes as it will give me a chance to meet all of the riders and staff, get some valuable feedback and of course ride with the boys.

After a delay leaving Atlanta and typical Los Angeles traffic heading to the hotel, I arrived at the team hotel around 9pm. I got to hang out with most of the riders and staff as they were finished from a long day of riding and meetings. These camps are not only about training but also involve a lot of details such as media training, nutrition, clothing fit, bike fit programs and the list goes on and on. With such a big organization (total of 64) planning is of the essence to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible and that goes for suppliers such as us as well.

We are super excited to be sponsoring the team as with the world class riders and organization it can easily catapult us to the next level. Having Riders like George, Cadel Evans and Allesandro Ballan will quickly put us on the world stage and from seeing the excitement of the first race and recent camp coverage we are well on our way. Part of our responsibility sponsoring the team is the obvious, Team kits and lots of them. Thousands of Caps, headbands, bennies, winter hats, 4 types of base layers, 4 styles of short sleeve jerseys, 4 styles of vests, long sleeve jerseys, arm warmers, 3 styles of riding jackets, 3 types of rain jackets, skinsuits, bibs shorts, Roubaix shorts, tights, warmers, 4 styles of shoes covers, thousands of pairs of socks, 4 styles of winter gloves, 2 styles of summer gloves and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few. Where things get complicated is outfitting the staff with all clothing they might need for all conditions, Dress Shirts, Vests, Merino wool G Coat (very popular) jogging suits, tech t-shirts, casual wool socks, ball caps, podium stickers, musette bags, fleece jackets, rain jackets, ski jackets, Hincapie Denim, winter caps, polo shirts, casual nylon shorts, compression products, core workout tights, podium pants, Summer short sleeve dress shirts, 4 pieces of luggage etc. If that doesn’t seem complicated enough there is also the layer of sizing for 64 team and staff members, printing, exact colors, embroidery and you can see this can quickly become quite the project. Thankfully we have an amazing crew at the factory in Colombia as well as in Greenville that ensure the process goes as smoothly as possibly. The feedback from my individual rider and staff meetings has been great and everyone is excited to be supporting the brand all I ask is that if they have a complaint not to bring it up to George the morning of Roubaix or after 17 stages of the tour as it might not get addressed too quickly.

Thanks for reading

Rich

Stay tuned for my blog on my first ride day with the boys, it wasn’t pretty

When I first arrived to the Jose Maria Cordoba airport here in Medellin, I noticed a number of signs in the airport and on the way into Medellin that read "Colombia es Pasion". I didn't give it much thought until I saw a professional cycling team sponsored by that tag line on my ride this morning, so I began to think about it in more depth. "Colombia es Pasion" is a marketing initiative developed by the country to help attract more visitors to this beautiful part of the world. It's not an easy task, since for the better part of the last 50 years the very soul and image of the country has been shaken to the core by a revolutionary battle controlled by the FARC, as well as the ever-present and well-known drug cartels that began in the 80's and turned the nation into a complete war zone.

The FARC, or Fuerzas Armadas Revulocionaries de Colombia formed to throw off the Colombian government in the 1960's. They began funding themselves by stealing cattle, then advanced to terrorizing small villages and extortion. Additionally, they are most famous for kidnapping which hit its peak in the late 90's. Colombia at one point was the Kidnap Capital of the World. Mari was telling me that for years you could not leave the city as the FARC would literally set up tolls and stop most cars; you would give them your ID and if you had something of value, you went for a little walk until you got bailed out (yes I still have ransom insurance, you never know). It became commonplace and people for years knew where the hot zones were and would just not travel to those areas. My Uncle Horacio's farm was in one of the hot zones and the family didn't travel there for the better part of 10 years.

When I came here a couple of years ago, we all took a family trip to that farm which is about 45 miles outside the city. I rode my bike there and with about 8 miles to go, Jorge who was following me asked me to get in the car. I said "It's only a few miles and the road is nice, I can keep going." But he said no. Reluctantly I got in the car. About 3 miles down the road, a few military guys were standing in the middle of the road with automatic weapons pointing at the car, yes automatic weapons! Anyway we pulled over, they searched us and let us go on. Obviously I had questions for Jorge, why did that happen?

Once Alvaro Uribe was elected president, he made it his mission to do away with the FARC. What happened to me was a standard happening throughout the whole country. Rather than the Colombian government fighting tooth and nail in the jungle and not getting very far, Uribe set up a program to choke off the supply to the FARC and slowly kill them off, almost like rat poison compared to a rat trap. The army set up road blocks all over the country, and if you are traveling with supplies, guns, camo clothing or anything relatively close to something that can help the revolutionary movement, it gets confiscated. Now the FARC is hungry, sick, with very little clothing and are slowly dying off. Furthermore, Uribe set up a program for FARC members that turn themselves, in the government will help them and put them back with their families and pay for medical expenses. Thousands of cold, sick, hungry FARC members have turned themselves in and more do so every day. Today the movement is at the tail end of its existence.

The Medellin cartel was very closely tied in with the FARC back in the 80's and 90's. What Mari was telling me was that during those times people in Medellin were not only landlocked within the city, they very rarely went out as day to day life became so dangerous. The cartel was basically in charge and anyone who got in their way was eliminated as well an any innocent bystander close by. Mari told me literally hundreds of police officers and every judge who went against the cartel were killed. Death in Medellin became commonplace and the culture slowly began to change. But as seen today in Colombia, as well as in our factory, hope and passion usually come out ahead.

"Colombia es Pasion" could not be a better statement. After years of confinement, life has changed completely in Colombia. Thanks to the efforts of Uribe, as well as the US Government, the FARC as well as the cartel are all but eliminated. New anti-drug initiatives, education, military training and a desire of the common people to take back their country has brought Colombia back to where it once was. Colombians, being such a passionate, full of life society did something to bring back who they were and I see it here every day when we go out to eat after work. Restaurants are packed every night, people are dancing in the bars until all hours (from what I hear), one can now walk the streets or ride bikes without much worry at all. This weekend my whole family and I are going to a farm outside the city that used to be a hot zone with no worry. Hopefully the only walking in the woods I'll be doing is to go for a hike with my family who finally got their country back and are able to live as they once used to.

Colombia es Pasion, how true it is.