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On Episode 14 of “A Drink with James” we are in the Hamptons, talking to Laney Crowell about influencers, authenticity and brand collaborations. Watch here and subscribe here. 

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Grandchildren are the best!! xox

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This made me stop and think:  the wrinkles and dents on our faces and in our souls also become treasures and make us surely better and more interesting than when we were new off the shelves.

30,000 miles, 5 countries, 3 teams, 7 crashes, and 100 races quantify my experience, my love affair with this sport. The dozens of shoes, jerseys, helmets, sunglasses, and the 9 bikes I’ve owned are the tools. As tools, they began as well designed mass produced objects of function. And like the best tools they become better through work. By the end of the first season, they are uniquely mine. The indents and folds hold my hands and feet perfectly. The scuffs and scratches tell a story that has been earned.  White leather, gleaming paint, bright tape, out of the box and off the rack–the new tools. These are the blank pads where we write our experience out. We use them and they become treasures, one in a few thousand miles.

Dylan

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stacked. 

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This Sunday I run my first marathon, and on Monday I start riding my bike again. 

With all that looming, it’s got me thinking about why and what I love about riding. 

The bike is different than anything else. It’s my best excuse to do something stupid, to get lost, to push myself, or to call a couple of old friends with a half cooked idea and see what happens. That’s why I love it, but what is it about the riding? I’ve been asking myself when I’m the happiest on the bike. This answer is a bit tougher. It’s definitely those early morning workouts. The 5 o’ clock Central park mornings with the Rapha boys. Those few months in the summer when you are in really good shape, playing far’lek. You’ve got your tongue hanging out of your mouth, but you’re strong. You can feel it in the pedal strokes, fluid. It’s that. But it’s also 100% the burning hot weeknights at Floyd Bennett Field or the Port of Oakland. When you’re getting your legs and heart simultaneously ripped out. You are thinking that you can’t possibly keep the wheel in front of you, but somehow you do. You find a mountain of strength you never knew you had, one lap at a time. And for me, the insomniac, it’s the late, quiet nights alone with some good music. When I’m riding in and out of dim street lights, and I feel like I own the place. That sense of being alone in special cities like New York or San Francisco is magical. But I’m not sure I’ve ever had more fun than dodging NYC traffic and doors on my 1984 Trek. It’s the most dangerous real life video game I’ve ever played. When you’re twenty and dumb, you’re also invisible. I was carry packages on my back working for shit money as a messenger, but I felt wealthy.  OK, it’s a lot of things. But gun to my head, the best, the most unique and rewarding experiences on the bike are the more rare. It’s when a truly great group of human beings put aside their busy schedules, responsibilities, and stresses to come together and end up somewhere new. It’s silly, but it always feels a bit like you’re all there to conquer or explore. As if every new road you ride can be added to some unfinished map. Then if you’re really lucky, you’ll get in a bit over your head. It’s those moments, just between fear and excitement, pain and pleasure that you’ll never forget. Then, in a way, you are exploring. Because in these rare times, every new road, fall, or climb gets etched into a blank spot in your memory like lines that become a map. 

The bike, and the people that ride them have done so much to enrich my life… I’m looking forward to getting back on and getting into some trouble. PS. This photo was taken by Jon Baines, who I call Bainesy. He’s brilliant and more impressively, supremely kind. Check him out. 

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I had the pleasure of spending the day inside Low Bicyles with Andrew Low and photographer Carter Moore. Andrew makes some seriously beautiful bikes, but more impressingly, his talent is matched by his humility and honesty.  Get the whole story here. 

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Great photos and writing - now guys make one for the girls!!

Too often, I feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of notifications, messages, products, and in general noise that I’m bombarded with day in and day out. Your phone is old and outdated before its first scratch, your clothes are out of style before you wear them in, and your car is slow before its first tune up. Keeping up is exhausting, and giving into this game too often takes our attention away from the things that truly matter, like investing in memorable experiences with people you care about.  I say all this as one of the principles of OLIVERS, a new apparel brand from San Francisco, because I believe we are doing things differently. Rather than design collections based on trends and fads, we are thoughtfully developing sportswear essentials. Our products are based on the iconic staples that every active man keeps in his closet, only our versions are elevated for modern performance using the best technical materials and components, tailored fits, and simple, clean designs that will last as long as the garment.  So far, we’ve brought the gym short into the 21-century with one of the most succcessful apparel Kickstarter campaigns in history. We’ve re-imagined the cotton boxer brief using a performance fabric originally developed for the Swiss military, and today, we’re releasing our third product, a new take on the old school hoodie.  The word hoodie comes with a load of connotation. For some, images of Zuckerburg and the tech elite come to mind, or the images of the gangsters that hollywood popularized in the 80′s and 90′s, or maybe you think of high school athletes standing on the sidelines. For everything the hoodie has become, it is a long way from where is started some 80 years ago. 

Back then, a new sweater mill needed a solution to keep men working in cold forests and refrigerated meat lockers warmer than their current sweatshirts could. The little sweater mill devised a simple solution. They added a thick hood that could be pulled over the head to keep workers warm, or taken down as things heated up. It’s a basic technical innovation that created an icon, the hooded sweatshirt. That sweater mill, Champion Products, remains today one of the first names in classic american sportswear. And since Champions’ first version, the classic has been made over and over again, in every style, color, and material, but for too long its design and construction have remained relatively unchanged. We’ve decided to approach the hoodie with the same spirit that Champion had 80 years ago, by asking, “how can we provide better solutions for the men that wear this product.”

The answer is by starting with a better material. Cotton can never compare to 100% merino wool, nature’s finest performance fabric. The temperature and moisture controlling capabiity of merino, not to mention the hand feel, durability, and anti-microbial properties are unmatched by anything man has made. From there, you re-contruct the piece taking cues from classic Italian cycling jerseys with features like a reverse raglan socket sleeve and drop tail for a full range of motion without compromising a clean look. Then, you cut the piece so that it looks tailored and refined when moving or standing still. And finally, you finish it off with an innovative neckline and internal collar inspired by timeless military flight jacket design for added warmth and subtle structure.  Check out The Merino Pullover from OLIVERS, this week we’re offering a special discount to those that pre-order. Photos from a run in the little town of Murrazzano in Piemonte, Italy with James Nord. 

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Too often, I feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of notifications, messages, products, and in general noise that I’m bombarded with day in and day out. Your phone is old and outdated before its first scratch, your clothes are out of style before you wear them in, and your car is slow before its first tune up. Keeping up is exhausting, and giving into this game too often takes our attention away from the things that truly matter, like investing in memorable experiences with people you care about.  I say all this as one of the principles of OLIVERS, a new apparel brand from San Francisco, because I believe we are doing things differently. Rather than design collections based on trends and fads, we are thoughtfully developing sportswear essentials. Our products are based on the iconic staples that every active man keeps in his closet, only our versions are elevated for modern performance using the best technical materials and components, tailored fits, and simple, clean designs that will last as long as the garment.  So far, we’ve brought the gym short into the 21-century with one of the most succcessful apparel Kickstarter campaigns in history. We’ve re-imagined the cotton boxer brief using a performance fabric originally developed for the Swiss military, and today, we’re releasing our third product, a new take on the old school hoodie.  The word hoodie comes with a load of connotation. For some, images of Zuckerburg and the tech elite come to mind, or the images of the gangsters that hollywood popularized in the 80′s and 90′s, or maybe you think of high school athletes standing on the sidelines. For everything the hoodie has become, it is a long way from where is started some 80 years ago. 

Back then, a new sweater mill needed a solution to keep men working in cold forests and refrigerated meat lockers warmer than their current sweatshirts could. The little sweater mill devised a simple solution. They added a thick hood that could be pulled over the head to keep workers warm, or taken down as things heated up. It’s a basic technical innovation that created an icon, the hooded sweatshirt. That sweater mill, Champion Products, remains today one of the first names in classic american sportswear. And since Champions’ first version, the classic has been made over and over again, in every style, color, and material, but for too long its design and construction have remained relatively unchanged. We’ve decided to approach the hoodie with the same spirit that Champion had 80 years ago, by asking, “how can we provide better solutions for the men that wear this product.”

The answer is by starting with a better material. Cotton can never compare to 100% merino wool, nature’s finest performance fabric. The temperature and moisture controlling capabiity of merino, not to mention the hand feel, durability, and anti-microbial properties are unmatched by anything man has made. From there, you re-contruct the piece taking cues from classic Italian cycling jerseys with features like a reverse raglan socket sleeve and drop tail for a full range of motion without compromising a clean look. Then, you cut the piece so that it looks tailored and refined when moving or standing still. And finally, you finish it off with an innovative neckline and internal collar inspired by timeless military flight jacket design for added warmth and subtle structure.  Check out The Merino Pullover from OLIVERS, this week we’re offering a special discount to those that pre-order. Photos from a run in the little town of Murrazzano in Piemonte, Italy with James Nord. 

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This is another post about a bike ride, an after work ride to be more precise. It’s about what I thought about on that ride. And so, this post is also about all the other rides, the rides on trains and in cars and taxis. Above all, it’s about time spent.  I remember reading an article, I think maybe it was in the Economist years ago about the effects of a long commute on our happiness. The point the author was trying to make is that we too often devalue our own time and are too quick to accept a longer commute for the sake of a better neighborhood or a nicer place. My takeaway was that, a shorter commute might be the most constant, surefire way to increase our enjoyment of life. For some reason, that fact stuck with me.  I would bring it up after swapping commuting times with another passenger or coworker. And I would think about it on my own commute. In the past 5 years, I’ve gone from a 1.5 hours each way commute at the longest to a 30 minute each way commute at the shortest. During those years, I would use all the same excuses that I still hear, “It’s a great time to read,” or “I listen to a lot of podcasts,” and of course “atleast I’m not driving, I can just zone out or even sleep on the train.” Two weeks ago, all this changed. I had a small dream realized. I moved 4 blocks away from my office. I don’t live in a great neighborhood and my apartment is nothing special, but I’m close. To put this into perspective, I now leave my apartment at 9:00 AM and I’m the first one in at 9:03. I can roll out of bed comfortably for a long morning ride, and have time to catch another after work.  I love riding because of the freedom it gives me. I love riding on the road, I spent time as a messenger in NYC and I still love riding in traffic, I love to race, I love to ride gravel, and I love to listen to bad music loud while riding laps. I can’t help but compare all those rides with the experiences of the commuter, spending your life sitting in someone else’s train, cab, or car, sitting in traffic, inhaling farts, or convincing yourself that a nicer more affordable neighborhood is worth the trip.  This post is about a bike ride, and a train ride, it’s about time, and the true currency of life. It’s my cry for us all to spend our time doing the things we love, like riding a bike. We can’t all run away, join the circus, sail off into the horizon, or go to space, but each and everyone of us can make an effort to cut time away from the things we don’t enjoy and spend more time on the things we do. -Dylan Nord

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Happy Birthday to my dear sweet James. What a joy you have been in our lives. As a little boy you were an amazing brother (well most of the time), a sweet loving son, and a caring and generous friend. As you grew so did your curiosity and zest for life. Always involved, always organizing, always leading from your Car Detailing business to the leadership roles in school and in sports, you were ready to try anything (remember you were a DJ on a radio show in college). People gravitate to you - you have a natural love of people and life. I feel incredibly blessed to call you son and wish for you all the best life has to offer - I know you will go out and grab it. My Heart, Mom

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In the past two months, I’ve left my job after three years, moved across the country to San Francisco, sold half of what I owned, and started to work for a small company called, OLIVERS. I did it because I believe change has always kept me sharp, new challenges foster growth, and because I love the idea of helping to build something I believe in.  Nearly two years ago, OLIVERS released the All Over Short in what would become one of the most successful apparel Kickstarter campaigns ever. Using tailored fits, better materials, and simple designs, the All Over Short promised to be the grown up version of your favorite gym shorts. Thousands of people fell in love with the shorts, and the messages we receive everyday whether from a serviceman in Iraq, or a climber in Colorado, keep us inspired.  This week, we’re releasing the product of one year of work in research, design, and development–the OLIVERS Brief. With it, we’re asking people to think outside the boxer and discover a better solution to the fundamental classic. The OLIVERS Brief is built using materials from the best technical mill in the world and handmade right here in San Francisco. This will be the best product of its kind on the market. 

I’m excited to host the release on Kickstarter where our community is able to invest in a small company with big ideas, and help make this product a reality. Join us. Stop by Kickstarter sometime soon, and check us out.

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Read the whole story, “Hunting in Spain with Deux North” on Strava

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For Deux North’s Hunt 5, we teamed up with Specialized Bicycles to take a group of 7 hunters to Spain on their new Diverge. The hunt opens in Salou, a sleepy beach town just outside of Barcelona. Just a few miles from the coast the WRC, World Rally Championship, has set up headquarters and the air is vibrating with engine noise. The Rally de Catalunya is in town. Our group is fitting in fairly well, european motorsports are slightly different than American. It doesn’t take long for us to rendezvous with our hosts, two Irishmen who have dedicated their lives to the sport of rally racing. They kindly and patiently show us to the Citreon team tent, explaining navigation, team cars, and the frenzied pit crew to us along the way. Calmly waiting for us inside his trailer was champion driver, Kris Meeke. We spent the next hour leaning forward, hanging on every word as Kris casually described through a thick Irish accent hairpin turns on dirt at breakneck speeds, and how his job allowed him to continuously skate a fine line between chaos and control. For him, comfort came as the edge neared. He had a self-awareness, a  way of explaining it all that seemed to suggest, “I know, I’m different.” Kris was the kind of guy you left and couldn’t help but wonder what it was he had that you didn’t. The rigth question might be–why do some people push the boundaries set by other people, while others are content to accept the normal and avoid risk? Maybe, we should ask–what makes some people look at one thing and see something else, something different than everyone else? To some, Kris and his fellow sportsmen are simply adrenaline junkies fiending in between races then riding the high offered by every new course and record breaking ride. But the hunter sees something else. In the spirit on every rally driver is the dreamer, explorer, inventor, and yes, adventurer. Their burden is the urge to push forward, to go into the darkness, to chase a future only they can see or one they can’t imagine. For these special few, these masters of moving forward, the weight of every unkown night, untouched gravel road, and spinning wheel is felt in the pit of their stomach. From the first rally driver who looked at the automobile to the hunters that inspire us today. Kris’ words, the thoughts they provoked, and the feats we saw performed by him and his fellow drivers propelled our hunters along our 300 mile route with plenty to live up to. Most of our trip was perfect. New roads led to breathtaking vistas, shared between laughs and revelations with new and old friends. But if that was our whole story, we would have fallen short of a memorable experience or a story worth telling.  More than the beautiful views, pristine pavement, and good company, it is every unknown road, wrong turn, fall, and misstep that makes every Hunt. On hunt 5, Kris’ prologue helped us revel in the opportunity to be brought closer to the unknown, to the adventure, lost somewhere in a foreign country. It wasn’t always fun in the traditional “recess” sense. Truth is, in the middle of being lost, or falling, or at the end of a 140 mile day when you’re riding in the dark, morale can drop and it can be difficult to stay positive. Unless you are Rudy Melo, in which case you have never frowned or complained in your life, but not everyone can be a legend. As Chris Riekert puts it, “that’s the adventure, it’s the stuff that goes wrong.” And he’s right. It’s the hardships, the wrong, the tough, the “oh shit,” the “that’s not how this ends,” or the “we’re riding it” that makes the adventure. That’s the stuff that makes the memory, that makes friends, and that makes the ride. Not everyone can become a championship rally driver, but everyone of us was a born a dreamer, an adventurer, an explorer, and a hunter.

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Stuff from the camera

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When I was young, living in a what I remember as a clapboard house at the end of a sleepy, mostly empty neighborhood in Hopkinton, MA, I used to love to shower in my parents bathroom. It was the best shower in the house, jets running all the way down to the floor that allowed you to stand engulfed...

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My favorite part about Deux North is being able to involve such incredible people in our project. This week we’ll be riding from Barcelona to Valencia, catching every dirt and gravel “road” we can, and covering the WRC, Rally de Espana. viewfromthemiddle, Jered Gruber, Ashley Gruber, rudymelo, aaronisnotcool, Jon Baines, Patrick Miller, and my brother, jamesnord will be along.

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Flagg reading Leaves of Grass and remembering the days of endless grass - sigh