On The Water

Kali Protectives - science, innovation, safety, quality and great looks! Not too many other things to talk about this mountain-bike oriented helmet company that made its debut in road helmets a few years ago. Some months back, I got to know the company through Jason Aven, the territory manager of the East Coast, and fell in love with it. Kali Phenom comes with a rain shell! The people behind Kali are very knowledgeable, super friendly, extremely helpful, passionate and eager to help Kali Protectives expand and grow! You can find this culture in a lot of companies. However, what sets Kali apart from other companies, is the science behind the product design and production, the additional time spent to produce each individual helmet, and the effort put to listen to the athletes and customers feedback to make a better helmet! Supervents and room for a ponytail! On the science part, Kali's foundation is the Composite Fusion. This helmet-making process, ...

I am really excited to finally experience an Xterra off-road triathlon in the SouthEast! Coming from the road triathlon scene, I was really disappointed to realize how few racing options are available for off-road triathlons compared to the road triathlons! I would say that the Xterra Tiger is a great welcoming race to make this gap a little smaller! Located at the Chewacla State Park in Auburn, AL, the Xterra Tiger is a sprint off-road triathlon race that has it all: excellent timing for a first tri of the year (right at the beginning of the season), easy drive to the venue (from AL or GA), plenty of parking space and friendly people! The race itself consisted of a refreshing 1/2mi swim (I really think it was a little longer than 1/2mi though), and a truly amazing 10mi mountain bike loop that is fast and flow-y, quite rocky and with sharp turns but not particularly technical. The trails are fast and furious packed with a lot of fun! The 5k run (also a little longer than 5k) is ar...

When it comes to picking up the right mountain bike, things can get complicated. Especially for female riders, who tend to have shorter torso and longer legs (opposite to the male anatomy), choosing a mountain bike with female-specific geometry is paramount. Mountain biking challenges your body in multiple and different ways compared to road biking. Road biking sets your body in a more-or-less single position with a couple of options setting your hands in the hoods or drops and perhaps getting off the saddle on hills and sprints. Mountain biking on the other hand, requires constant, multiple-angled positions, riding on the tip of the saddle or far back off the saddle, climbing leaning forwards or descending leaning backwards. Therefore, for us all female riders, for better positioning, more efficient and fun riding, less muscle fatigue and injuries, it is crucial to chose a mountain bike company that truly designs frames with a female anatomy in mind. The first company tha...