Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Alameda Runners prides itself on tracking down upstart companies with products and services you may not have heard of. Performance clothing is crucial to many athletes, even though there are only a small handful of companies that cater to us.

That’s why today we’re proud to introduce you to a new clothing company, Enso, which offers compression clothing. Both Ted and I currently wear a couple of Enso products, with a review currently in the works.

“Enso was initially started to bring a clean cut, strong brand to MMA to compete with the gaudy/gothic/skull and death brands like Affliction, Tapout, and the 1,000 other brands that all look alike,” Enso founder and CEO Tim Roche told Alameda Runners. “As much as we love MMA, we didn’t want to confine our brand to one market and chose to represent all athletes that compete individually.”

The company currently offers compression and athletic performance t-shirts, according to Roche, who also said board shorts, fighting sorts, yoga pants, and other products are in the pipeline. 

Opening up a clothing line — especially for the finicky athletic and MMA communities — can be an extremely difficult business to crack into.

“It’s very risky, but we’ve carved out several niche markets where we believe we can get our foot in the door with a little more ease than most brands. Basic compression clothing is dominated by Under Armour. Finally companies are providing designed compression and finding new innovative ways to print on compression material to avoid the traditional cracking/flaking of designs/logos. Enso will be at the forefront of both of these.”

Read the rest of the interview with Enso after the jump.  Read more… »

Warmer weather has finally thawed out most of the U.S., and more people are heading out on bike rides. As someone who has ridden a few years on the road, I’ve noticed some of the dangerous things newer riders do to enhance the danger.

Image courtesy of Fotoreporter Sirotti

To help out, here is a recent article that discusses a couple of basics group riders should be familiar with. I’d like to add a couple of things to the BikeRadar article.  These tips are for people who may be content with just sitting in the group.

• Call out road hazards — This is a very important one, especially for newer riders. You have to learn what signals the riders in the group use, so you’ll be able to relay the message. If traveling on a busy street, the use of signs and basic communication can help prevent unnecessary hazards in the group.

• Intersections — Intersections can be extremely dangerous for large groups of riders. While approaching, someone near the front of the group should yell “slowing” or “stopping” before stopping at the intersection. Once it’s clear to go (presumably after a green light), the first riders in the group call out “clear” to let everyone know it’s safe.Riding towards the front of the group will allow you a better chance of avoiding danger — but it’s unlikely an experienced group will allow newer riders at the front. It’s likely natural selection will occur, and the faster, more experienced riders will be at the front.

• Pass on the left — Only pass on another rider’s left hand side! Riders who are familiar with one another may pass on the right, but it’s rarely okay to try and do this in a large group. Passing on the left is especially important if you don’t call out to the person ahead of you that you’re going to roll by.

• Don’t be Rude — If you end up on someone’s wheel and plan to stay there, say hello or announce yourself. It’s rude to just draft off someone without saying hello (or taking a turn at the front). I usually just turn myself inside out to try and crack the person who didn’t say hello — but rude cyclists may give you a Cytomax bath, so just avoid the situation entirely.(There is an exception if you’re clearly suffering and don’t have the energy to come to the front and say hello.)