New Collegiate Team Sponsorship
When Shay Asay contacted us from Southern Utah University inquiring about OS sponsorship we were immediately curious how he discovered us. It turns out that their team coach and university professor Nicky Wangsgard had turned them on to OS. As PRIMAL/MapMyRide's star sprinter, Nicky's association with the OS crew goes back to the company's beginnings--how could we say, "no"? The college race season is early and short, so Shay, his brother and their teammates have been training hard under Nicky's tutelage.
European Adventures
So many OS fans sent us notes about their travel adventures during the summer most heading to The Continent. We're jealous, but no so much so that we can't share some of their exploits. Rick Amen, of OS sponsored Team Extreme, tackled the daunting La Marmotte in the French Alps just after The Tour ended. OS distributor Bob Hanisch, of Peak Performance Pros joined Rick in successfully suffering through the 15,000 vertical feet of climbing over 109 miles. Read Rick's great account of his under-geared experience at this link. The right gear he did have along was OS, of course. We'll wean him from the gels one day. Thanks for the great read, Rick!
End of Summer Ride
Overlooking water always provides a nice place to rest. The best trails seem to border lakes, rivers, other refreshing sources. For many, Labor Day means gathering time for family, friends, neighbors...all nice, relaxing. For us, after the dogs, beans and watermelon have settled, the trails call. Still, at the end of the ride, bottle empty, while the trail challenges and triumphs soak in, one can't help but become a bit melancholy while admitting another hot(?), wet(?), severe weather(?) summer has slipped away.
But no melancholy allowed! What's better than an autumn trail ride, the surfaces well-conditioned from the summer races and the only kind of welcomed high traffic. Slipping smoothly through the tight spots in the cool air, landing firmly off that last drop that was too sketchy before. The best part: the lake is still there waiting. Looks the same, soothes the same, encourages you the same--to plan the next ride.
Photo: "Cycling Sunset Contemplation" used with permission from and gratitude to our friend Mike.
Outstanding first season results for PRIMAL/MapMyRide
Director Susannah Gordon's dream of of finding talented, but unsupported women racers all over the US and forging a competitive racing team came true more quickly than she may have hoped. We'll bet that few teams anywhere, whatever the level finish a first year with results like these. Many top finishes and wins in crits and road races alike show that Susannah's team is full of sprinters, climbers and all-rounders like all successful teams hope to have.
Encouraged (and impressed) by their 2011 results OS Performance Nutrition committed to sponsor PRIMAL/MapMyRide for 2012 including their development and amateur teams.
More PRIMAL/MapMyRide wins
Our newest pro-cycling sponsorship PRIMAL/MapMyRide women's team continues to chalk up podium spots in the early NRC season. Sprinter Nicky Wangsgard (below) picked up 2nd place USA Southeast Crit Series points in Sandy Springs, GA this month. This is one step up for The Professor after her podium in Dilworth, NC in the first week of Speedweek. Ignore the big milk cans on either side of the podium--just notice Nicky's OS bottle at her feet. You can bet she just emptied it of an OS Re-load Chocolate (her favorite)!
Earlier in April, Liza Rachetto got away alone to win both Menlo Park GP and the Hughes Allmart Easter Sunday Classic crit races. Read about her great wins on PRIMAL/MapMyRide website. Most recently, Emily Kachorek, our featured athlete this month, attacked with one lap to go in the 85k finale of the Joe Martin Stage Race and soloed to the finish line ahead of the uphill bunch sprint won by Lex Albrecht (Juvederm-Specialized) in second and Modesta Vzesniauskaite (Colavita Forno D'Asolo) in third. This is Emily's first NRC win and we look for even greater victories to come from her and her team.
Tornado plays havoc at SECCC Championships
The horrible weather events of the past week across the South overshadowed any good news from Tennessee and North Carolina. One twister delayed the start of the Southeast Collegiate Cycling Conference Championships, but a wholly different Tornado did major damage in the Road Race and TT. T.J. Killelea, riding for King College Tornado cycling team, took first place in the B group. T.J. discovered OS Performance Nutrition drinks as a Junior while riding with Krystal out of Chattanooga near his Red Bank hometown. They continue to fuel his strong determination to build a promising cycling career.
Another OS favorite rider, Alejandro Padilla (Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN) rode incredibly strong in the A cat by winning the Road Race and finishing second in the Crit.
When not being dominated by sketchy weather, the weekend events were dominated by NC cycling powerhouses Lees-McRae and Mars Hill. This Championship launches these teams to contend in the Nationals in early May.
A great account of the SECCC events can be found at the Mars Hill College site.
PRIMAL/MapMyRIDE Pro Women's team now OS-powered
The newest pro team in the OS-sponsored stable, Primal/MapMyRIDE Professional Women’s Racing powered by BH Bikes kicked off its inaugural season with a dominant performance at the 19th Annual John Earley Memorial Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Phoenix, AZ. According to the team's website: "Emily Kachorek won the road race stage on the race’s second day in a thrilling sprint finish and teammates Nicky Wangsgard and Tiffany Pezzulo finished one-two in the criterium on the third and final day of the event. Nicole Evans was the top general classification finisher for the team, taking seventh place overall, with Kachorek rounding out the top 10 in 10th place."
Director Susannah Gordon writes to us excitedly regarding the prospects of the team she's assembled for the US NRC circuit in 2011. Her aim of finding talented, but unsupported women racers all over the US and forging a competitive racing team has come together in a strong fashion as evidenced by their current roster. OS Performance Nutrition shares Susannah's excitement and will watch and post the new teams exploits here through the season. Stay tuned!
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Two new OS dealers—is OS in your neighborhood yet?
Our retail dealer list expands every year and 2011 won’t be an exception. We welcome two new retailers to the OS Performance Nutrition family working toward our goal of having your favorite OS products in every sports store you frequent. Now athletes in the Denver and Chattanooga areas can cop some OS while they visit their local LBS.
Notice, on our retail dealers page, the new entries of Campus Cycles and Multisport Direct. These great shops are stocked up well with OS drink mixes in both pouch and bulk packs for your immediate availability. Save on shipping by visiting these shops in your area soon.
If you turn us on to a local favorite store of yours and they become an OS dealer, we’ll send a big thank you gift in the form of your choice of product. Introduce your store to our brand today and have them get in touch with us for some samples for their staff to try. They can simply click here to email our distribution manager and make that request.
Record breaking has no age limit
Congratulations to Excel Aquatics swimmers Trey Freeman, Anthony Carbone, Brendan Kazay and Joey Clemmer for setting a new southeastern record in the 9-10 age group 200 yard medley relay in Knoxville, TN. The boys swam 0.54 seconds under a 30-year-old medley relay record. They also broke the 200 free relay record held by Excel boys since 2000.
Joey (left below) has been featured several times on the OS website with tales of his and his sister’s love of OS Pre-load and OS Sprint. Joey’s small stature belies his speed in the water. He’ll never run out of gas while he fuels up with OS drinks.
One reason that athletes around the world continue to break records is their discovery of the nutritional element of their training and race day fuel discipline. OS Performance Nutrition is proud to be a part of record setting performances.
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Young swimmer just keeps getting faster
All successful athletes can tell you that preparation is one key to high performance. All of them know that the right kind of training builds strength and endurance. It may surprise you that many fewer don't know the importance of the nutrition supporting their training. Consuming enough carbs during training and supplementing their intake with protein before and after exertion allows an athlete's body to perform at its maximum potential. Supplemental sports nutrition alone won't make you faster, but less than optimal fueling of your body will stand in the way of achieving your PR..
 
Look in 10-year-old Joey Clemmer's fridge before every swim event. You'll see that he and his sister Nicole are ready. No doubt they've trained smart with their EXCEL Aquatics team in Murfreesboro, TN, and it's clear that they know they have to drink the right kind of fuel on the way to the race and between events. They have their OS Pre-load and OS Sprint ready to go. Joey's times keep going down as he competes in his 9-10 age group and even challenges the 14-year-olds on his team. His triumphant salute with his OS bottle celebrates another PR.
You can tell by the other team members' bottles that they haven't all yet caught on to the best performance nutrition plan available to them, but their parents often ask Joey's mom & dad, "What's Joey drinking?" after he shaves more seconds off his best time.
Top North American skaters Kickin' it across Georgia
One week after winning the National Roller Cup (NROC) 2010 team championship by nearly 1000 points, Team Asphalt Beach/ K2 dominated the 2010 A2A Roadskate. According to the A2A website, the Athens-to-Atlanta 27 year tradition, is the oldest and most famous road skate in America. Starting in Athens, Georgia, participants skate through beautiful country roads and quiet suburbia before navigating city streets and crossing the 87-mile finish line in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. The course is challenging and requires experienced skating ability, courage, and stamina. Skaters can challenge themselves to the whole 87 miles or opt for the 38- or 52-mile event.
How fast do the nation's top skaters roll? Cyclists and other wheeled-sport enthusiasts may surprised to hear that the record average for the 87 mile event is 20.17 mph! Teams work together much like cyclists, drafting closely, sharing the work. The skaters' forward lean looks grueling and is a testament to the specialized fitness and endurance of these athletes.
A few of Team Asphalt Beach/K2 show off their muscular ...slogans in Atlanta
These top finishers mounted the podium for the Nashville-based, OS Performance Nutrition sponsored skate team:
1st Place Men's 38 Mile - Bob Clare
1st Place Women's 38 Mile - Candy Wong
1st Place Men's 52 Mile (tie) - John Charbonneau
2nd Place Women's 87 Mile - Jessica Wright
And don't overlook that previous brief mention of the 2010 National Roller Championship. On this results page, you'll see a lot of the above names including Asphalt Beach skate shop owner Steve Larios with his team as #1 for the year. Congratulations to Steve and team for another outstanding year as the dominant skaters on the continent.
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