Become an ambassador for your sport

So many companies are leveraging brand ambassador programs as an effective yet inexpensive way to spread awareness and adoption of their products. Many companies are going after women to be part of their ambassador programs as a way to attract more females to the sport of cycling, running or triathlon.

Companies have found that using a 1-to-1 approach, the word is spread throughout our communities we engage in and is seen as more credible than advertising. Since women seem to communicate differently than men, social media channels are a key to messaging. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and Strava are all ways ambassadors share their experiences and passion.

I’ve been lucky enough to have been in a few ambassador programs. My first experience was with Strava where I was the Midwest Cycling Brand Ambassador for a year and a half. Last year I was on Pearl Izumi’s first Ride Champion team. This year I’m an ambassador for Venus de Miles. Many programs are only for a year, so I’m always on the lookout for a brand that is important to me and embraces empowering women in sports.

I’m often asked how does someone become an ambassador? Usually a call for applications comes out towards the end of the year so the team can be announced right around the first of the new year. Many of the applications are very lengthy with essay responses. All the applications I’ve completed ask about your social media involvement. Companies are definitely looking for people who are heavy users of social media since it is an immediate means to share and reshare stories, pictures and experiences. Many companies also use certain campaign hashtags as a way to get stories/pictures to trend.

Other qualities companies are looking for in an ambassador is how involved you are with a particular sport. Are you competing? Are you a member of a club? How do you encourage others to be part of your sport? If you are someone who trains alone or isn’t active with any groups, this could be seen as a negative. Ambassadors must be social, give back to their sport, engaging, and less about self-promoting. If you fill out an application that shouts “me me me” then forget about being selected.

Another question I get a lot is what types of companies have ambassador programs. I’ve seen companies including apparel, equipment, nutrition, eyewear, accessories and apps like Strava. Every year I see more and more companies add ambassador programs to their marketing mix.

How do you find out about an ambassador program? Follow your favorite brands on Facebook. Many will post their call for applications there. Some have details about their programs on the company’s web site. Also read key eNewsletters for your sport, as they will run ambassador program press releases from different companies.

Most companies provide their ambassadors with clothing or equipment. Both Strava and Pearl Izumi provided me with ambassador cycling kits. You also get swag to give out at events or activities you host. Most will also give you discounts on their product so you will wear their brand and also knowledgably talk about it. But, as an ambassador you get back what you put into it. I really enjoyed educating folks about the different features of Strava or the products of Pearl Izumi. If I was able to get someone to challenge themselves or try something new, then I was doing my job.

Pearl Izumi even had The Pact ambassadors would sign. The words from The Pact really resonated with me. One of my favorite excerpts is:

“I will be inclusive. Even of the exclusive. I will encourage the beginner, the professional and everyone in between. I will place joy above performance, use my fingers for peace, not profanity, and I will focus on the scenery more than the scene.”

As part of being a Venus de Miles ambassador I received a discount code to use for registration. This year’s event is July 22 in Lake Forest, IL. There both the 5k run and a ride (25 or 60 miles). So if you plan to attend, use this discount code for $10 off registration. The code is only good from February 10-14^th so don’t delay.

Discount code: HAPPY10   (valid Feb 10-14)
Be sure to join our team: Echelon Goddesses 

Venus de Miles site

Challenge yourself to ride 25 or 60 miles. The Venus de Miles is a well-supported ride and there are over 400 encouraging women out on the road with you.

Enjoy the ride.

Sheri

When everything used is new again

Over the summer many of you who ride with me might have gotten tired of seeing me sport an OORR kit. Well, I was product testing not only for a RoadBikeRider.com review, but also for Tim Christian the founder of OORR (Out of the Rat Race). Tim is based in Australia and has created a company to produce high quality apparel with attention to detail using recycled materials.

OORR uses recycled plastic bottles and used coffee grounds in the construction of their fabric. Yep, sounds crazy, but I can attest to how soft the material is against your skin, how well it wicks, and that it provides great odor control.

I cover all the details on OORR’s women’s kit including fabric and construction here in a recent product review in RBR. Brandon reviewed the men’s version here.

At the end of October OORRlaunched their Kickstarter campaign and just recently hit their goals. There’s still time for you to support this campaign and have one of these unique cycling or running kits for yourself.   

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, we all have a lot to be thankful for. The environment is not something we can take for granted, so as cyclists we need to continue our quest to reduce our carbon footprint. I can’t help but worry what the next administration will do as they deny global warming and pledge to change policies that endanger our world.

There are a few things we can do in the next week. #OptOutside on black Friday. #SmallBusinessSaturday and #ShopLocal for the holidays. And most of all remember those less fortunate on #GivingTuesday.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy the ride,

Sheri

MI Titanium race weekend - Guess I'm Titanium STRONG

I started this blog back in January 2014 to document my quest to knock off an Ironman AquaBike off my bucket list and the hopes of encouraging others to push their limits. Once finishing that race I decided, done that...don't need to do it again. But I still wanted to have a goal or two for my yearly training. This year I returned to Grand Rapids, MI to do a 1/2 IM AquaBike (1.2 mile lake swim and 56 mile bike...this one was 57 miles).

It was fun to share the adventure with my friend Michelle, two of my fellow Otters Jessica and Karie, fellow Pearl Izumi Tri Champion Gigi, and Jeff a Dare2tri athlete. Everyone else was doing the complete 1/2 IM distance tri. I was content with Swim, Bike, Done!! Jeff would go on to complete his first ever 1/2 IM distance race. Very inspiring.

In the days before and during race weekend I couldn't help on reflect on someone that was missing. Two years ago when I did this race, my friend Mark came with to compete taking 2nd in his age group. A remarkable triathlete who unfortunately passed away last year. We were the same age and it just broke my heart to lose yet another friend so young. You truly must live every day to its fullest as you never know what tomorrow brings. I believe Mark was there in spirit and even finding humor in what we endured.

Michelle and I left on Saturday morning in a rain storm. The cell stretched from Northern Wisconsin all the way to Southern Illinois and was heading east. So our 3.5 hour drive took a little over 4 hours and the torrential rains followed us the whole time. I equate it to driving in a car wash for four hours. Michelle was riding shot gun and would update me what color on the radar we were driving into. Just in case I couldn't see out the car window at the time.

We got to Grand Rapids and proceeded to the YMCA for packet pick-up. I was excited to see that my swim wave had purple caps. My favorite color. Plus the goodie bag had powder blue socks...Power socks!!! (inside joke ask me some time) These were all good omens. But within minutes of my excitement they announce a tornado warning and we all had to evacuate to the locker rooms for safety. Us and a 100 of our closest friends huddled in the locker room. We had no windows to see what was transpiring outside so relied on our cell phones to check radar. We were dab center in a bright red cell. Then the woman came over the intercom with panic in her voice "Three tornadoes are reported on the ground heading towards us and will be here in 5 minutes."  I was about at my wits end after white knuckling it for 4 hours in pouring rain and now waiting to get hit by a tornado. A man nearby had a little Yorkie with a service dog vest which was his comfort dog. I really wanted to wrestle it out of his hands since I needed some comforting.

After the all clear I get a text later from Gigi that she unknowingly drove right into the tornado. Oh our little storm chaser. It ended up the tornadoes touched down in Wyoming (MI) and southern Grand Rapids. Luckily no one was hurt, just property damage and power outages. We were fine and of course the sun came out.

We headed over to the venue and transition, constantly debating if we should rack our bikes or wait until the morning. After consulting Weather.com a few more times we decided to rack the bikes and cover them with plastic garbage bags, tuck them in for the night, kiss our babies goodbye and hope for the best in the morning. It did rain again but nothing too bad. Vermonster was safe and dry.

Vermonster all wrapped up for the night

After racking our bikes, Jessica, Michelle and I went to drive some of the bike course so I could show them the 13% climb at mile 3. But to our delight they had changed some of the course since 2 years ago and just lots of longggg rollers most of course and two 12% grade climbs tossed in back to back just for giggles.

It was time to go check into our hotel. Just before pulling into the parking lot we get a call from the hotel that they overbooked. Ends up they would offer to move us to another hotel and pay for our stay. The catch was they knew nothing about the hotel, plus it wasn't  a known chain. We declined since where we were was a known commodity and we needed a good night's sleep.

Then it was time for dinner. Could the day get any worse? Well yeah. I was served raw chicken. Well that meal was free. Fingers cross I wouldn't get sick.

The last bit of excitement for the day was a tattooing party. We got temporary race number tattoos instead of the regular handwritten Sharpies markings. BTW, these aren't temporary. Two lake swims and two showers and I still can't get these damn things off.  Totally open to suggestions.

A 5am wake up call and we check the weather. Rain starting at 1045am until 3pm. Lovely. At least we'll get the swim in. So off to the race we go, expecting the worse (weather wise) but hoping for the best.

You couldn't ask for better conditions for the swim. Smooth water and partly sunny skies. Michelle and I compared notes on the drive home. We both had our own "swim boogers" attached to us for 2/3 of the race. Those are swimmers who seem to think they are tethered to you and swim right up close and personal, sometimes swimming right in front of you or hitting you with every stroke. No matter what you do you can't get rid of them and unfortunately you can't drown them.

Out of the swim feeling great, made good use of the lightning fast volunteer strippers and off to transition carrying my wet suit. Unlike 2 years ago my legs felt pretty good and I'm not hyperventilating.  First 10 miles I'm averaging 18.3mph and enjoying yelling "on your left" instead of being the one yelled to. The course is hilly. Not the kind that you can go screaming down and back up the other side with little effort. These are long hills that you scream down and slog up the 5-8% grade on other side. It was also very windy so I was getting blown around a bit with my aero wheels. The roads had a lot of chip and seal, pot holes and cracks. So you had to use your best bike handling skills when flying down some of the hills.

I was in a groove, playing cat and mouse with this gal Renee I met on the course. Right at 1030 it started drizzling. Wait they said not until 1045am. Liars!!! Then at mile 31 I flatted. Renee made sure I had everything and kept going. By this time my average was 17.6mph. I thought it was just the sidewall but this morning I looked closely and there's a big slice down to the cords. I changed the flat in 3 minutes easy peasie. But then my CO2 inflator malfunctioned and drained both my CO2 cartridges. What happened next is what I love about triathlons. Every single rider asked if I was okay, did I have everything I needed, etc. I didn't want anyone to stop their race to help me. Figured the truck would be by quick enough to help. But no such luck. I found out later it was busy helping Gigi who had THREE flats along the course and needed a loaner wheel.


Then all of a sudden one woman circled back, pulled out her inflator and a cartridge, handed it to me and rode off. I had begged her not to do that because if she flatted she’d have nothing. But she insisted. The inflator worked like magic, but only gave me about 60PSI but I was in business. I took off like a mad woman trying to make up for the 20+ minutes I was on the side of the road.

As I passed each aid station I'd yell out "do you have a pump?" but no one did so I kept peddling. I finally saw the woman who gave me the CO2 inflator. She was fading in the strong headwinds. I pulled up next to her and quickly thanked her over and over, asked her name (Deana) and apologized that it wasn't a draft legal race or I'd pull her home. I left her behind and by mile 43 the clouds got black and the wind picked up even more. It started to pour sideways. I just kept my head down and pedaled. Praying I wouldn't flat again since I didn't have another tube or wipe out on the flooded roads. The goal was to finish this thing and finish it as fast I as could. But the wind and the rain had other ideas.

About 2 miles from the end, the sun came out and the rain dissipated. But no such luck for the wind. I battled the wind and continued passing these poor souls who were beaten down by the bike course. I just knew that I didn't have to run after this. So just continued to drive home. I pulled into the Finish shoot at 16.4mph average, soaking wet and a big ass smile. I'd had hoped for an average in the mid seventeens but with the wind, rain, hills and low pressure rear tire this was definitely acceptable. I ran across the finish line the best I could in cleats and was proud that not once did I want to give up. I was strong like Titanium.

Posing with medal and flatted tube

Not sure what's next. Part of me would like to do an Ironman AquaBike again. Part of me knows the time commitment is grueling and this body isn't getting any younger. I'll noodle it and decide by early January. For now, I'm just going to Enjoy the Ride...

Sheri

Getting my geek on

Yesterday I booked my trip to Las Vegas to attend the InterBike show in September. It's the largest cycling industry show in North America. There are 750 vendors representing over 1400 brands. I've always wanted to go and finally have the chance with RoadBikeRider.com and a Media Press Pass. This is so cool I'm giddy. Yes, I'm going to get my geek on.

As a female (and female cyclist) I know I'll be in the minority at this convention. As I perused the educational and technical seminars offered, in addition to the exhibits, I was taken back the anemic  women's specific track. A mere 5 seminars, one of which was a happy hour. Are you kidding me? This speaks volumes that the cycling industry is still male dominated. They are definitely missing the boat on the virtually untapped market of women cyclists.

There is one session with a panel discussion called "Influencers, Ambassadors and Athletes: Expand your definition and your reach". The woman that heads my Pearl Izumi Ride Champion program will be on the panel. I'm hoping I can take an hour and attend that breakout session.

But the majority of my few days in Vegas will be to check out the new technology, clothing, accessories, etc on the exhibit floor. Over the years I've accumulated enough knowledge about bikes, bike components, etc to hold an intelligent conversation. So it will be fun to get my geek on and mix it up with some of these reps.

But first I need to knock out this MI Titanium race on Sunday. Taper week has commenced and I'm enjoying dialing back my training a bit. But as all athletes know, it's tough not to continue with your regular routine. From past mistakes, I know I need to start my race with fresh legs and a refreshed body. Forecast in Grand Rapids is rain. But that seems to change daily. I hope we don't end up like the folks at the Racine Triathlon where storms forced the swim to be cancelled and the bike course to be shortened. Keeping positive thoughts.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri

Paying it forward

Volunteering, paying it forward, and giving back has always been part of my DNA. Being an avid cyclist there are many ways you can leverage your passion and skills to give back. I recently wrote an article for Road Bike Rider highlighting some of the different volunteering options available.

You can read the full article here.

I hope this encourages many of you to think of ways you can give back...remember it isn't always about having to raise money...just giving a little bit of your time or knowledge goes a long way.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri

Cycling apparel with a conscience

It's always nice to see companies with a conscience. One such manufacturer is OORR (Out of the Rat Race) out of Australia. The owner, Tim, is creating a line of cycling clothing made from 75-100% recycled plastic bottles.

What I find interesting is that the bottles are broken down and reformed into polyester yarn. This material can be recycled and reprocessed again and again without degradation to quality. It only takes three steps to manufacture polyester yarn from plastic bottles. While converting oil into polyester yarn takes 9 steps. So not only is OORR keeping the bottles out of landfills, they are also using less energy to produce the yarn that constructs their products.

 

OORR is in the process of producing prototypes of their jerseys and bibs and should be ready later next month. As a contributing writer and product reviewer of RoadBikeRider.com I'm lucky enough to be receiving one of the prototype kits to test out. I'm very excited to see how it feels, wears and performs.

Trek is another cycling manufacturer that is helping the environment through recycling carbon fiber. Back in 2010 they started partnering with Carbon Conversions to recycle 60,000 pounds of scrap metal each year. Read more about their process here.


Let's hope that more manufacturers in the cycling industry and throughout follow suit and start using recycled or sustainable materials for their products. We all have a responsibility to leave this world a little better than how we found it.

Enjoy the ride.
Sheri