Jeff Wu and Claire Lochridge

In Boulder cycling has become the new golf as that is where networking takes place and deals go down. Every Friday is my "golf day" cause that is when I put training aside and ride with those in the cycling community for various reasons. Most commonly this summer and fall I've been riding with a group of various doctors and amongst the group of doctors is Jeff Wu, Founder and Art guy of Alchemist. Huh, doctor, endurance cyclist, custom clothing company owner, speaks Mandarin Chinese and has a Texan drawl. This requires an interview!

[303Cycling] Why did you get started, is it a void in the industry you are trying to fill or something else?

[Alchemist] Ha! Like a hole in my soul? No. My bucket is full, but I've always been interested in dozens of things, not just medicine. Funny how so much education and training sets you up for a very specific set of life skills, none of them related to designing cycling apparel.
A couple years ago, I had some fun ideas for cycling-themed T-shirt designs. I didn't know graphic design or the apparel business, so I've had to learn both along the way. It wasn't easy. In the beginning, I just about cried trying to teach myself graphic design. I went out and bought a copy of Adobe Illustrator for Dummies, and it made me want to cry only slightly less.

[303Cycling] What makes Alchemist standout from the rest?

[Alchemist] I wanted to create something that I would be proud of. Alchemist is built on a foundation of sustainability and altruism. Our casual line is all organic or recycled materials; and I'm a sucker for worthy causes, so we end up doing quite a bit of work and donations for non-profits and charitable organizations. Our business model follows the same principles as our Team of riders: the golden rule to be on the Team is you have to be nice. Folks like Claire (VP) are what shape our identity. It's not so much customer service as forming partnerships and building friendships. If you feel like it's a business, we aren't doing it right.

With regard to our apparel, we have a number of clothes epicureans on the Team, and we wear what we make, so there is a great deal of self-interest in creating exceptional gear. The Team is also where a lot of product ideas are born. Items like VeloWool and the BLACKBOXX kit were developed as a result of Team input and feedback. Ultimately, if I'm not happy with what we do, and how we do it, I'd just as soon do something else.

[303Cycling] 1 gear or 30, which do you choose?

Recently the locally ran Girl Bike Love ran an interview with CU MTB racer Kati Sodergren... check out how it went

Katie Sodergren's Interview

By Brenda Moczygemba ToughGirl Cycling Team

The cold weather is well on its way and some of us begin to wonder, “What am I going to do now?” Cyclocross season will soon taper off, leaving a barren race calendar until spring. However unhappy you may be when the snow flies, I feel the winter season is an important transition in every cyclists' life. It is beneficial to take this time to reflect, recharge, and make time for friends and family that can fall by the wayside when weekends are filled with race travel and training.

First things first, you spent a lot of time this season training, traveling, and racing. Next season, you want to make sure you build and learn from those very experiences. Take a half-hour or so writing down what worked and what didn’t -- what your goals were and if and how you accomplished them. For example, you may have raced your first race at the Yeti Beti Bike Bash. What did you do to prepare? What did you eat before and during the race? Did any of these things help your performance? Did you perform better or worse than you had hoped for? Jot down other race prep lists – like things you packed for a 12- or 24-hour mountain bike race. It may seem silly at first. I always think, I’ll remember to do this differently next year, yet as I prep for a race weekend months down the road I find myself racking my brain, “What was that thing I needed to remember to do?” By having lists of what worked and what didn’t over the 2011 season, you can build on your strengths and train your weaknesses as you head into the 2012 season.

Next, reflecting on how you felt and performed this past season, make goals and a set down a generic schedule for next season. That doesn’t mean you jump straight into interval training, but having some goals and a handful of Spring and Summer 2012 races in the back of your mind will help keep you on track and motivated when the snow is blowing sideways and the holiday celebrations have taken the place of race weekends. From your rough schedule, you can start to count backwards to know when to start logging base miles, when to transition back into intervals, and how to reach your goals. The key here is not only to setting goals but to setting yourself up to meet those goals.