Hearts and Lace

The girly/purity of a white lace blouse is nicely balanced with the black leather pants. And the oversized heart shaped bag adds a touch of whimsy.

Friday Highlight

Today, I offer you our Friday Highlight. This is an opportunity for us to select an item or items from our vast selection of rims, wheels and wheelsets, or even some of our accessories that might have been overlooked, are hot off the press, or just plain special to highlight. All items highlighted will be available for purchase. Contact your local Velocity dealer for availability and special Highlight pricing.

Today we highlight our Special Edition Benny Gold Deep V track wheelset:

Who is Benny Gold you might ask? Well, Benny Gold 'is an independent graphic designer based in San Francisco, CA. Best known for his work with Huf and Mash, Benny has created the original identities, for both brands, and continues to contribute to them on a regular basis. He also works with many notable clients, including Stussy, Nike, Adidas, Real Skateboards, Ipath and DVS footwear. [per his website]'.

For this special edition we took our ever popular 700c 32H Deep V rim powder-coated on one side black, on the other gold; partnered with upgraded black track hub and black spokes and nipples make for an very unique and extremely attractive wheelset.

Individual rims are also available.

Once again, please contact your local Velocity dealer for availability and special Highlight pricing.

WOD

3 rounds for time of:

Run 800m
70kg Power cleans, 21 reps

Post time to comments.

The boys working hard last night (questionable ROM as some of you tired!)


The aftermath:

Seen at Ports 1961/Torkil Gudnason

Torkil Gudnason, a brilliant fashion photographer also does amazing still life photography. The Ports 1961 store had a reception for him tonight which is where I met the lovely Scarlett who is a stylist and, like me, is a huge proponent of wearing a bit of color with your black. I am utterly in LOVE with her leggings that are cleverly sequined with a floral print. Genius.

Blown away

Zdenek and I are both suffering from illnesses at the moment, and when the alarm went off this morning in the dark hours before sunrise, my head throbbed as though I had been punched repeatedly throughout my sleep. We stumbled out of bed to brew our usual cup of Tim’s (stores have been replenished following our trip to Canada last week), but questioned whether a run was really the best idea.

We live on a rather gusty block of the Upper West Side due to our proximity to the Hudson River. In the summer the strong breezes off the water offer a welcome respite from the otherwise stale and humid air, but wintertime typically finds us running to the shelter of our doorstep to avoid the icy chill blowing through us. This morning, however, we were greeted by an unseasonably warm wind (18 degrees Celsius!) as we stepped outside, and my shorts and t-shirt seemed strangely appropriate for December 3.

The skies above hung low and dark, but in the East -- towards Central Park -- the first rays of the morning sunrise poked through. The clouds, tinged with silver, moved eastward at a formidable clip; we chased them, the wind at our backs. And then, ten minutes into our run, I looked up to find that half of the sky had cleared. By three miles, the sun had risen and the clouds were entirely blown away. Manhattan was bathed in blue skies and fresh, warm air -- as though the rain clouds had never passed through at all.

Today’s 10k turned out to be respectable but too difficult (and hours later, I still feel like crawling back into bed). But bearing witness to this morning’s skies -- and the extraordinarily quick turn of events overhead -- made it worth the effort. I treasure runs like today’s. If only my sickness would change course as quickly.

Jive...

For those of you who are in the know, we have some pretty great mountain bike trails up here in the mitten. The governing body for these trails, the Michigan Mountain Bike Association, has been doing a stellar job at advocating, developing and starting these trails state-wide; benefiting not only us riders but many a hiker and equestrian. These trails have been some thing of great pride and work for the many MMBA members and officers who have donated their time and energy for the enjoyment of the masses.

Unfortunately, we all know how trails around the country and world have been lost or are on the brink of being closed because of the actions of a few. This is where most might stop reading, thinking it's the normal talk we've heard before or assuming that it's just the typical rant about poor decisions and choices or maybe you might not even understand completely what all the fuss is about. The reality, sure... nothing is new but even if you're not a mountain biker it's important to understanding the effects of how we ride and handle ourselves when not riding has on the non-rider.

Recently it has become a topic of discussion around here, posted over on our local chapter of the MMBA's site, the Western MMBA, and also on a few forums what some of the issues and problems occurring at a new trail, Luton Park, have been. This pilot trail system has become a very popular and developed very quick with a number of stellar loops for all ability levels. On the wMMBA blog, there is a great thread concerning what has been happening and below I've post what seems to be at the heart of it...

The issues we're beginning to experience at Luton is microcosm of what occurs nationwide, so Yes! these things have either happened at your local trails, are happening at your local trails, or some time will happen at your local trails...

Illegal Parking

Let's be honest, we all know where we should park but our Walmart mentality of getting the closest spot possible often takes over. So remember, you're out there to ride your bike if you get to park further away it only means you get to spend more time in the saddle... which is what you wanted to do anyways.

Night riding in parks [Tresspassing]

Night riding rocks. Riding on new trails or cutting new trails can be exhilarating. But the reality is, these rules are for your safety. Certain trails do open up at certain times of the year to ride at night, take advantage of it or join in the fun of the growing endurance race scene. If you want to develop new trails, look into your local organizations like the MMBA who not only maintain the trails you already love, but develop new trails WITH the support of the local communities.

Urinating in Public

When you've gotta go, you've gotta go but use your discretion. Don't simply pull off the trail or at the trail head or open your car door and go in the parking lot.

Consumption of alcohol on public lands and littering

Bikes and Beer. Yes, it's a match made in heaven. It's hard to beat the feeling of a cold one after a good ride but the reality of it is, there are proper places for it to happen and their are not. This might be one of the easiest things to crack down on and at the same time one of the easiest not to have to worry about. So ask yourself, do you want to have the law enforcement patrolling our parks instead of in the cities and towns where their presence might be more important?

Disobeying Trail Courtesy

Advocacy starts here and ends here in a lot of ways. Faster and experienced riders, your actions teach the newbies what flys and what doesn't. Even if a trail intended for the bike, hikers and equestrians get the right of way. It's the harsh reality we live in but that's the trade off we've made to have our trails. Announce when you're going to pass or when you're coming up on a fellow rider. Slower riders, be aware of your surroundings and slide to the right when encountering other riders. Doing these things naturally make the trails function smoother and properly.

I'll step down from my soap box but in the end, as with life... Perception is far too often reality but our actions will always speak louder than our words. Keep this in mind or the things we care about could be the things we lose.

WOD

Check out our buds CrossFit Northern Ireland / Elite 400 they are featured on the main site today!

Jonny and Helzy, owners of CrossFit Northern Ireland (aka Elite 400), tell their CrossFit story: [wmv] [mov]

Strength:

Overhead Squat
3-3-3

Met Con:
AMRAP 15 mins
Kettlebell Complex
1 round =
2 KB Press Up
2 KB SDHP
1 KB Swing L 1 KB Swing R