Alchemy Goods currently recycles inner tubes, vinyl billboards, and seat belts and crafts them into durable and fashionable bags. The exterior of the bag is made of the inner-tubes rendering the finished product very water resistant, straps are made from seat belts and the zipper pulls are made from the inner-tube valve stems. Each bag is assembled by hand and each bag is unique and guaranteed for life... Pretty cool.



One of the most ingenious things that caught my eye was how Alchemy is using their brand identity as an experience touchpoint. From the Alchemy Goods website:

"Every Alchemy Goods bag purchased represents one less part of our world destroyed. That’s why all our products should have the highest possible recycled content, but also be superbly functional and aesthetically pleasing.

The logo intentionally looks like the periodic table. The number in the upper right hand corner represents the percent (by weight) of recycled material in the product you purchased."

Find out more at www.alchemygoods.com

Yo Alchemy! We would love to carry your junk... some pun intended.

I bumped into this article from Thomson Bike Tours just before my ride with Opportunity Green Tour De OG. The Tour de OG is a 400+ mile jaunt from San Francisco to Los Angeles over five days, we are riding to raise awareness and generating social media buzz for green business.

Since I have not prepped as thoroughly as the article suggests I am banking on the fact that I usually work 18hrs a day and have some extra fat to burn to get me through this ride. Endurance... right? Wish me luck and please don't follow my lead. By the time you read this I will be on my second 90 mile day.

From Thomson Bike Tours:

Pick a target event. Let's assume for the sake of discussion your trip is in mid-July. You'll want to begin doing weekly long rides (50-60 miles or so) sometime round about mid-April. If you already have a good base (i.e., you put in a lot of endurance mileage the previous year but have been off the bike all winter), then you can start with some confidence that your base mileage will come easily and with little risk of injury. If, however, your fairly new to longer rides over challenging terrain, then you'll want to start with somewhat shorter rides, so that come May through June you'll be ready to increase the distance and time on the bike.

A caveat: be patient with building the base, lest you incur injury or mental fatigue by doing too much too soon. 60 miles should be a good starting point (50 perhaps if you're a little behind the curve due to harsh winter conditions or a heavy work schedule). Increase your ride time/distance by 10-15% each week. By June you should be fairly "comfortable" doing 90 plus miles (I say comfortable, but what I really mean is that you shouldn't feel excessively challenged by the effort).

In early to mid-June you should implement some back-to-back long rides (2 x 90 + miles). This should prepare you well for the effort of multiple day endurance efforts. If time allows you can even do three rides in a row (e.g. 90, 90, and 75+) in the final three weeks before your event/trip, though you'll want to be sure to allow a week or so for some recovery from your endurance workouts in the 7-10 days before Day 1 of your trip.

Remember, recovery from endurance workouts takes a bit longer than it does when training more specifically for speed, strength or power, so you'll want to keep this in mind as your event approaches. Since we're speaking of training for endurance and not for "speed", your most important ride will be your week long ride(s). It is important not to mix your weekly endurance ride(s) with speed, strength and power workouts. Avoid the local group ride on these days.

Find a friend who likes to ride slowly (i.e., conversationally — yes, even uphill and on your favorite town-line sprints! ), and avoid those friends who insist on half-wheeling you). Here the idea is to train not only your muscles and your cardiovascular system (both of which likewise receive benefits from strength, speed and power workouts), but also to train your digestive system and your ability to use energy efficiently.

One can be the fastest cyclist in town for 50 miles, but if one's muscles can't make efficient use of efficient fuels (which is to say, fat), then one is likely to run out of gas before then end of the ride. This is doubly true for two day endurance efforts, and triply true for three day efforts, etc. By preparing your plan of attack systematically, you will not only increase your chances for success physiologically, but psychologically as well.

The key is to build up the miles slowly and consistently!

Sources: Italian Cycling Journal & Thomson Bike Tours

If I were a used bicycle tire I would want to be handed over to the folks at Velo Re. Based out of London, designers Christian Baumgartner & Bettina Galizzi have been busy lovingly re-purposing bicycle tires into fashionable belts.

As you’d expect Velo Re has quite a following in the cycling community. Many professional racers like to give the belts as gifts to friends and sponsors, using tires they’ve raced on. Indeed, their latest devotee is British Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke. Other cyclists simply want mementos of races won or challenging tours that they have completed.

Check out www.velo-re.com to find our more information.