Cool Shit.

Disrupt The Race Course in our latest design—Monogram. Kristin took inspiration from the SS19 trends as seen on the couture runways. Complete with logo mania, colorful stripes, tonal ditsy florals + bold motifs. This one is sure to make people stare + chat you up about why the logo is upside down. Own it. Flaunt it. Swim. Cycle. Tri. Run.

Another year. Another @belgianwaffleride in the books. This was my third attempt at the Waffle distance. While the saying goes "the third time's a charm" this in no way was my attitude heading into the event. You can never take for granted that just because you've Waffled before it guarantees you a finish + bottle of Lost Abbey Bad Ass Ale. [ We did, however have some luck with no mechanicals this year. ]

I've always gushed about this event. It's so unique. So challenging. So fun + so satisfying when you cross that finish line. My build up this year never really felt that great. The event had moved up 5 weeks earlier in the calendar so that meant lots of colder, darker early morning departures for longer rides. We kicked off our training with the official BWR Survival Camp at the end of January, that well, I barely survived. I thought I did not need much of a fitness base to do a 3-day camp. Boy, was I wrong! (yes, Matt—you were right. AGAIN.) The good news is that by Day 3 I actually started feeling better when others seemed to be losing steam. I can be a bit of a freak and really feed off the energy of group dynamics + the high of doing something that makes you really physically uncomfortable. Survival Camp reminded me of how flippin' long + hard BWR was going to be. Why the F*CK was I doing this again?!

Multiple long training rides  in February + March had my teeth chattering and me in complete silence until about 2.5 hours into the day. I felt sooooooo slow on all of my rides and thought I would be doomed come April 15. Then with about 4 weeks to go something clicked. We had our longest week of riding culminating with a 7-hour ride on Saturday + 4-hour ride on Sunday. We rode steady and I felt really consistent + strong on both days. (maybe we actually did have some fitness!)

While I do hire a coach to write my workouts (Roch Frey, my old triathlon coach) and follow them to a "T"— when I'm not training I like to focus on other things in my life. Gavyn's Spring Break happened to fall the week leading into BWR and we decided to head to Waikiki for the first few days to enjoy the sunshine, warm water + surfing on small waves. This used to be our annual mom/son Spring Break trip until we missed it in 2017 so I was really excited to go back. The riding was done and sitting home thinking about what was to come didn't sound that appealing. I wanted to surf! Best. Decision. Ever. I came back happy, rejuvenated + ready to ride.

Then the fear crept in. A taper can mess with your mind. All of a sudden I felt "so unfit" and like I had not done any training. I actually got worried that I was not ready to do this again. We assembled a small group of us to wear SQUAD kits for the day. I would be in all white, the boys in all black. Why the hell not?! Might as well have fun with #newkitday!

Race morning rolled around and I was jumping out of my skin. Ready to do this. Ready to suffer. Ready to have fun no matter how the day unfolded. Matt and I had a plan to really focus on steady road riding, with me staying on his wheel for the downhills + riding all the dirt with confidence. This was the first year I had no fear on any of the dirt sections, not even the downhills. This was a huge breakthrough. Somehow around mile 12 on Lake Hodges just before the rocky section I misjudged going between 2 rocks and did my first endo. I had about 4 people on my wheel and all I heard were the gasps and sounds of guys trying not to run me over. My chest hit my stem and I went completely up and over and landed pretty much on my butt. I was incredibly lucky, I popped right back up and kept going. Didn't miss a beat and didn't even get that adrenaline spike you get when you crash. Clearly no time for that. Needless to say, my pristine all white camo kit now had dirt down the entire back. Oh well, I was hoping it made me look that much tougher out there. It most definitely made for some fun conversation all day when people passed.

I was stoked to have (finally) met one of my previous brand ambassadors—Jen Kraatz and we rode together until literally the furthest / highest point of the course out at Mesa Grande. She's one tough cookie. She lives and trains in Florida with no hills like we were riding that day. We coaxed her along as far as we could and then we parted ways.

Every year my goal is one, to finish + two, to ride stronger than I did the previous year. Secretly I really really wanted to crack the top 20 overall women with my finish, but I kept that to myself. In 2016 I was 31/32 women (with a 12:04) , 2017 I was 24/30 (with 10:59). I wasn't exactly in a position to think I might be able to ride that much faster. It's a long day and anything can happen and the field is stacked with insane athletes. Matt kept saying we would be an hour faster this year and I told him he had lost his mind. It was pretty cool when we got down the back side of Double Peak and I (finally) realized this might actually be the case. We went 1 hour 11 minutes faster and broke 10 hours by 12 minutes (9:48). Holy crap! To say I was stoked was an understatement. To make everything even sweeter, Noel, who is my right-hand-Betty at work met us out at different parts of the course and cheered her guts out for us. My mom + dad were waiting at Lost Abbey drinking beer when we crossed the finish line. I only found out later that week that I indeed did break the top 20 and came in 19/31 women who finished the Waffle.

This was by far the most fun + to top it off there were about a dozen Betty kits out on the course that day—that was a PR too! And before you ask, yes, we are doing it again next year. Who's in?

All photos by @PinnedGrit for Belgian Waffle Ride; including @Topho @Dmunsonphoto + @gman92069

MY DREAM BIKE SET-UP [ a.k.a BWR Perfection ]

bike | Trek Domane SLR 9 Disc + ProjectOne custom white / gold

drivetrain | Quarq Zero Carbon Power Meter 172.5 mm crank + Shimano Di2 Ultegra 53-34 + compact

wheels | ENVE SES 4.5 AR Disc

tires | Hutchison Sector 28 tubeless

computer | Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt

pedals | Crankbrothers Eggbeater 11

helmet | Rudy Project Racemaster

#bettyXsw has dropped! Inspired by the California lifestyle + the blue of the Pacific + summer sunsets. This very limited capsule of cycle, swim, tri is the combination of original collage artwork by @swickstrand + the graphic design aesthetic of Betty. Sun + Sea + Surf vibes galore with bright colors, surfer chicks, modern water drop motifs + athletic striping = #CaliforniaCool. In addition to upping your #kitgame you can also purchase the artwork through Susan’s Etsy storefront. #BadAssIsBeautfiul #BettyStyle#EnduranceCouture #everyBODYisabetty#stylishAF

 Always spotted at the forefront of trends, Betty Designs excitedly announces its partnership with Zwift—the leading indoor training tool that brings athletes from around the world together in a rich online environment. Kicking off the party on March 8, 2018—International Women’s Day—the collaboration marks the addition of two Betty custom kits and two group rides to the largest training game connecting athletes from around the world.

 “Zwift is a great way to get to ride with our ambassadors, customers + friends from all over the globe. It makes indoor training more fun!,” says Kristin Mayer, founder of Betty Designs. “After falling in love with the program and using it often, I wondered what it would take to get one of my kits in the game, and couldn’t believe when the Zwift crew entertained my wild ideas. Designing two exclusive looks just for them, I can’t wait to see Betty’s all over the roads and disrupting the races in Watopia, London, and Richmond!”

 Hitting the Zwift community in true BettyStyle™, riders can rock the pack in two different kit options—The Betty, head-to-toe pink with the iconic butterfly skull and a more subdued but equally stylish ensemble, the Signature replica kit. Aside from flying Betty’s colors, riders can also jump into two Betty rides—a 90 minute high intensity training ride and a 50 minute social ride—to share screen time with other women looking to up their workouts and build camaraderie within the group.

 Betty Rides kick off for Women’s Week with the following days and times (EST):

Thursday, March 8 @ 4:00 pm

Friday, March 9 @ 7:00 pm

Monday, March 12 @11:00 am

Tuesday, March 13 @ 8:30 am

Wednesday, March 14 @ 2:00 pm

 Starting Tuesday, March 20th Betty Rides will be Tuesdays + Fridays @ 8:30 am EST

 “We’re always looking for ways to improve the user experience, and pairing with Kristin to make additional kit options for our female users is something we’ve been looking forward to doing for a long time” says Kate Veronneau, Women’s Strategy Brand Manager at Zwift. “These rides are going to bring a lot to our community and we’re hoping to expand our efforts further with Betty Designs down the road.”

 To join the squad, tune in on March 8–March 14 to kick off women’s week for the first of many rides hosted by Betty Designs in 2018. To see the complete schedule download the Zwift Mobile app or visit https://zwift.com/events/. To see more from Betty, follow @bettydesigns and visit bettydesigns.com.

 About Zwift

Beyond stoked to announce our cycle kit collab with @envecomposites! I’ve been riding ENVE for quite some time now and didn’t hesitate when they asked me to design a women’s kit exclusively for them. ENVE is at the forefront of technology and is always collaborating with amazing brands + designers to produce THE best products the industry has to offer.

My design for ENVE was inspired by the technology of the ENVE products combined with the fashion color trends seen in the couture + street worlds. Hues of silver, gold and rose gold stripes nod to current color trends + the metals seen in the cycling world—hubs, spokes, chain rings while the abstract geometric floral motifs float on a black background reflecting the carbon used in ENVE wheels. The result is a mix of athleticism, technology and a hint of femininity for the style-conscious female cyclist and triathlete.

This exclusive kit is available in very limited quantities on ENVE.com.

BETTY DESIGNS CELEBRATES LUCKY 7th YEAR

Leader In Women’s Endurance Apparel Commemorates Brand Evolution and Badass + Beautiful Community

Carrying the torch in the women’s endurance space, Betty Designs excitedly celebrates its 7th year of creating bold athletic apparel for badass + beautiful females around the globe.

A true one woman show at the start, amateur triathlete Kristin Mayer took off to Kona back in 2010 with a backpack full of original designs and a dream—build an edgy brand for passionate + stylish women in sports. Now in its seventh year, Betty Designs has become synonymous with playful patterns, bold wordplay and original collaborations with top endurance brands, elite athletes and celebrities.

You know those enamel pins that were childish knick-knack collector’s items back in the 80s? The denim patches all over your high school jean jacket? Well, they are back in fashion in full force.

On the runways of 2017 they have a serious cool factor and are a reflection of pop-culture memes. Rock the ones that speak to your personality, interests or your favorite emoji.

Because Betty is where runway fashion meets sport (and I freaking dig patches), I decided to bring this latest fashion trend to cycling + triathlon with my newest collection—COGGY.

Coggy is fun, colorful, lively, funny, silly, goofy and downright cutesy. Rock this kit to show your playful side.

Do not, however, go searching online to try to figure out what “Coggy” means. You wont find anything. “Coggy” refers to “Grandma Coggy.” When I was a kid I would dig through my grandmother’s giant tin of buttons, pins and patches. Her name was Catherine. Us kids called her “Coggy.”

I spent summers with her chewing giant sticks of Big Buddy Bubble Gum, baking fudge, and eating Wonder Bread + butter sandwiches. The Coggy brings back my love of childhood, the simple things, and my fascination for pop-culture.

Express your badass athletic self by rocking the Coggy on your next ride, in your next tri, or swim workout.