#elemental herbs

[coffee-cauldron]

Witches (or anyone) interested in herbalism and looking for all-natural healing body products should check out All Good (previously Elemental Herbs). I have their Goop here, an all-purpose healing and anti-inflammatory balm, and look at those gorgeous ingredients! They also sell zinc sunscreen, lotions, hand sanitizers, lip balms, deodorants, all kinds of lovely things from the earth!

[ndnlifestylist-blog]

wanderlust packing: my six must-haves

It's happening! Wanderlust Squaw Valley 2014!! As I leave for the mountains, I’m excited to remind myself of the experience I had last year and what this year might be like. For those of you unfamiliar, Wanderlust Festival is a 4 day yoga experience in the mountains and I am going to attend the one in Squaw Valley, Tahoe. Some of the best yoga instructors in the world come from all over to teach. Additionally, there is a huge meditation and wellness component where thought leaders are invited to speak and teach as well.  There is also a plethora of beautiful yogis from all over and friends that I know from the SF community that I get to play and practice with. It's literally the Best Yogi Vacay Ever.

This year I am traveling with good friends and industry friends, and will be meeting several others up on the mountain. There are amazing parties and concerts that I am excited to attend as well as really great instructors I am looking forward to learning from. I really can’t think of a better vacation! In order to enjoy EVERYTHING while I am there, I must stay hydrated, fueled and skin-protected.

Here are my 6 must-haves:

PROBAR | Intelligent Nutrients Hand Sanitizer|Harmless Harvest Coconut Water| Elemental Herbs | The Mat

  Why these guys?

PROBAR is rich in raw ingredients and nutrient-dense calories for lasting energy and nourishment. Great for a post work out snack or something to grab in between means. I love that it is non-GMO product, gluten free and vegan. Happy for all dietary restrictions. They also happen to be DELICIOUS.

Intelligent Nutrients Hand Sanitizer 99.9% of bacteria eradicated while being Chemical-free. It is a safe, effective alternative to preventing the spread of germs and impurities. #notoxicshit

Harmless Harvest Coconut Water Nothing is added, nothing is ever heated. They source unique coconuts from small organic agroforestry farms. Super hydrating, outstanding flavor and the nutrition of raw and organic without the need for unnatural and harmful additives. Shweeeet!

Elemental Herbs includes a host of rich, skin-saving certified organic oils–including jojoba, coconut and avocado. Amazingly tested and approved by people like us, the sunscreen is chemical-free and coral reef safe. Beautiful!

The Mat is hands down the best mat to practice yoga on. It doesn’t slip or stick, it provides a ton of padding for those difficult poses and it is easy to clean.

[britesport]

Quick update on a couple recent races:

Copperopolis RR - 4/19 - A true Norther Californian Classic road race. A 100+ miles of racing over rough, hilly, and unpredictable terrain where anything can happen. This day was no exception when the winning break decided to go at mile 5 and all hell broke loose on the first lap. With a long way to go I decided to take my time and not react to the early moves, but it was a bad decision. After a few moves were made and things started to clam down, I finally looked back at the rest of the field only to realize I was in the wrong group. Everyone that was really worth watching was up the road and I was stuck in the grupetto. From there on out it was simply a long day in the saddle and a slow disintegration of the main field. As frustrating as it was, I still came away with a better understanding of tactical racing. Specifically, I should always be ready to make the early moves and it doesn't matter if there is 100 miles to race as long as the right riders are up the road. All the training and time put into the bike is for a reason and it gives us the ability to quickly recover. I need to remember to use that and be ready to make those early efforts no matter what. So as the race continued to roll along, eventually the main field became a group of 5 and in the vein of such an unpredictable race we actually ended up catching quite a few riders and a small group at the base of the last climb. However by the time we were in the finishing kms I had nothing left to give and had to settle for a 21st placing, and a 10th cat 2 finish. Overall I was still happy with a big day of racing. I have always wanted to race this course in the P/1/2's and it only makes me thirsty for more. 

I can't say enough about how well my Focus held up on the brutal course and how strong the Zipps road. Furthermore the great guys a Fresh Air always make my chariot of fire ready for anything. Bicycle coffee kept me well caffeinated, Elemental herbs kept me well protected, and Baia Pasta fueled me up the night before, while Vigilant eats provided a great recovery. Also, thanks goes to Whole Athlete for all the support and Lazer Sport for the head protection.  Thanks again to all our sponsors.

Photo by Alex Chiu

[britesport]

Turlock RR

My first cat1/2 road race was last wekend at the 3rd anual Turlock RR. It was a windy day with four laps of a 22.8 mile rolling course around Turlock Lake.

...tailwind...rollers...headwind...rollers...headwind...rollers...headwind...rollers...tailwind...

Because of Santa Cruz Crit and Chico Stage Race the cat1/2 field was small, but I was happy to use this as my first cat1/2 race and happy to have Will Rose and Fergus Tanaka with me in the field. The wind was blowing up a gale and right at the start Fergus gave a little kick, slowly look back, stared at everyone, and then just took off. It was hilarious. At mile 1 of a 90+ mile race we were all strung out in a pace line, moving at a decent pace with the tailwind. Everyone seemed ready to go and we started to trade pulls and keep it moving along smoothly. About 6 miles into the first lap there was a sprint preem for the county line and about 500m from the line Fergus give it a kick and took it. That really strung out the group with Fergus off the front. Pretty soon one rider and then another rider jumped across to his wheel and formed a lead group. With a slight hesitation from the rest, the three riders gained a nice gap, but as we turned into the strong headwind they slowly came back and eventually we were all back together. 

It was non stop headwind and rollers from here on out and everyone fell back into rotation to plow through it. As I took my pull, I gave a little push to up the pace and move things along. When I looked back, all of the sudden had a a few bike lengths of a gap. So I crossed over to the left of the road, looked back again and didn't see any reaction. So I decided to push on and see if anyone would come along. Keeping in mind that this was only 15 miles into the race with 75-80 miles remaining, I wasn't exactly trying to make a solo breakaway. I was simply trying to draw out some stronger riders and see what happens. As luck would have it a rider bridged up, passed me and started hammering it. At first I was a little surprised at how hard he was going, but I sat on his wheel and came around for my pull. We continued to trade some hard pulls and soon we had a 1mim30sec gap. As we turned into the tailwind the other rider looked over, told me he had a man in the back that wouldn't chase him down, then put his head down and started to drill it. It was awesome. With that tailwind we were hammering at 32-34 mph and extending our lead as the miles went by. It was on. I couldn't believe we were going for a 75-80 mile breakaway. 3.6 laps of never ending rollers and headwind was a tall order, but we were working well. As the moto ref gave us time splits, we just kept it nice and steady in the headwind and went hard in the tailwind sections. Our gap went up, then went down, and then continued to go back up for the rest of the race. On the third lap I could tell the other rider was getting worn out on the rollers, but I wanted him to hang on so we could help each other in that hellish wind. As we took the last lap the other rider started to take shorter pulls and I was worried about lossing time, so I just plowed along and started pulling harder and harder. At one point he apologized for not helping more, but I just wanted him there to give me a break from the wind. When we hit the last 5 miles the moto ref came along side us and told us we had a 4 min gap. That was it....we had it...it was over...all that suffering was worth it...and i knew the other rider was blown. At 2km from the finish we shook hands and smiled in the fruits of our labor. I led into the last km and at 200m form the line I looked back gave a kick and it was over. My first cat1/2 race and i won it with a crazy breakaway. I couldn't believe it!!!! 

(Photos courtesy of Ray Prevost)

Of course thanks to all support from the sponsors. Also everyone please send some holistic healing vibes out to Will Rose and Fergus Tanaka who were caught up in stupid, pointless crash that gave Will a broken collar bone and Fergus a broken helment and saddle...someone really owes them big time. Here is the podium pic, but I couldn't find any other shots of out breakaway efforts. I will post some more photos if they show up.

-DB