I don't take time often enough to thank my sponsors (the companies linked to the right). These are companies that make excellent products and people who provide genuine support. I'm careful to select gear that works well--these items are tried and true.
One company that has made a big difference over the past few years is AYUP. Makers of the best lights around, AYUP is based in Australia. The size and weight of the lights are incredible, with no trade-off in brightness. Check out the link for details. I use AYUP lights daily for running, biking, and paddling in the winter, when I do almost all of my training in the dark due to short days. In the summer, I use them for trekking, biking, and other sports (they mount easily onto a headband or any helmet) in adventure races and 24-hour MTB races.
I'm happy to welcome Andy Fellows, an Australian rep for AYUP and superb mountain bike racer, who will be in Colorado the next few weeks to promote the lights at races in the Rockies. Look for him at the Leadville 100, Rage in the Sage in Gunnison, and other events. If anyone in the area is interested in trying out AYUP lights, shoot me an email and we'll set up a time to try them out...you'll be impressed!
In other news, Amy and I spent eight days in Hawaii. Most of the time was spent on Maui, where we camped on the beach, snorkeled daily (saw many sea turtles--amazing!), and enjoyed some peace before the start of the school year. We stayed in Nemo's new Nano Elite tent (http://www.nemoequipment.com/nemo2010-nanoelite-tent), a super-light, awesome backpacking shelter.
The outdoor highlight was a 140-mile road bike ride including a summit of the Haleakala Crater. Climbing 10,000' from sea level in a steady climb was a sweet experience, and there are not many places in the world to find such an ascent! The downhill was pretty fun as well.
On Oahu, we checked out the North Shore, where world-class surfing takes place every winter. I did a bit of surfing, and enjoyed running on trails in the area where Lost and Jurassic Park were filmed. It was a sweet trip, and we returned home mentally-prepared to head back to reality!
