We at DeFeet do our best to be environmentally responsible. As you may know, our socks are made with CoolMax Eco Made. This yarn is made with recycled water bottles. We recycle our cardboard, our yarn cones, paper, and drink cans. We challenge our vendors to do the same. This is a homemade video called "Mother Verde" by the Triple Kranks...
The Triple Kranks's Video

The Triple Kranks | MySpace Music Videos

With the Rock Hill Bicycle Classic drawing near, BirdDawg called me:

BirDawg: Hey, what are you doing this weekend?
Me: Aaaah, play some frisbee, grill some burgers, I don't know why whats up?
BirdDawg: Three words, SEXY SOCK TOUR.

That was all it took. The following morning I was packed and ready, awaiting BirdDawgs's Jeep to pick me up. We bolted for DeFeet headquarters and loaded up tons of socks, arm warmers, knee warmers and booties as well as the limited run of Adam Little Memorial socks that BirdDawg had made up to help fundraise for the family.

It was a fun drive down the mountain to Rock Hill with the bare trees showing buds, then, eventually leaves. The first night's racing was street sprints for all the omnium goers in a down townish area of Rock Hill. We set up the tent, started selling socks right on the finish line, and watched the racing unfold as the evening went on.

BirdDawg began explaining that coming to these events is fun because you get to watch the races and sell socks, but also because you get to interact with a large majority of the athletes that we sponsor. Sure enough, before long we had all manner of pro men and women racers coming over to say hi. Some of the ones that stuck out in my mind the most were the guys from Team Type 1 with their gorgeous Colnagos and the Ladies from BMW Bianchi and their sweet rides (both of the two and four wheeled variety), My old college room mate Will Hoffarth from Team Mountain Khakis, and last but certainly not least were the women of Performance Cycling (Spokesomen Syndiacate) with their outrageous humor. We watched the rest of the street sprints and then broke down the tent packed up and headed to the hotel for a good nights sleep.



Next day was the road race. We got there early and set up camp and hung out in the sun all day spreading the word about DeFeet, watching the races, and most importantly selling socks. It was fun watching DeFeet socks win the road race for both the pro men and women on Globalbike and Performance respectively.



Another goodnights sleep and we were up and at em again the next day for the crit. More sock selling ensued, and the Women's race was spiced with many a breakaways, and was won with more DeFeet socks (shocking) on Team Vera Bradley Foundation. The Mens race was fun to watch as well with an ENORMOUS field things got dicy at times, but late in the race the field wasn't paying attention and a break away went (both guys were wearing DeFeet socks) but got pulled in later by Kenda and won by Team Mountain Khakis who were wearing our red and black D-line Aireator! Oh and PS: We sold out of the Adam Little Memorial Socks!





All in all it was a great weekend for DeFeet, even though I got really sun burnt, I had a blast and can't wait for the next Sexy Sock Tour stop I get to work at!

Wow, Tim Blumenthal (the president of Bikes Belong) has hit a home run with this concept....now a reality. Sign the pledge today www.peopleforbikes.org it will make a difference.

(DFI) Hildebran, NC, April 1, 2010.

Recently local sock manufacturer, DeFeet International Inc., found millions of spiders in a basement storage room. After several unsuccessful exterminator assaults and more than a few “heevy jeevies,” a truce was established between the arachnid army and DeFeet Founder and Chief Sockologist, Shane Cooper.

Cooper, always looking for exciting new fibers, found the spider silk to be very interesting. It was extremely strong, silky and best of all, free. Free, that is, apart from the flies required to keep the spiders well-fed. Soon the inventive Cooper decided they should use the growing quantities of spider silk to make socks. Just like everything DeFeet, they would be "Stronger, Better, Faster" and made from a natural fiber that’s easy on Mother Earth.

DeFeet VP of MFG Jill Patton said "In all my 30 years in the sock business, I have never seen fiber and yarn like this. It’s absolutely great, so light and strong the knitting machines hardly know they are working!"

Scott Duncan, Head of Product Development, stated, "spider silk has a very tight molecular structure and its tensile strength is equal to high grade titanium. It’s just like DeFeet socks—stronger, stretchier, lightweight and tough as nails."

The cost factor to make this yarn is a non-issue for CFO Hope Cooper. "Flies are cheap and easy to feed" she laughed, “but Shane has to feed the spiders—that’s above my pay grade!”

Caroline Brandon, Production/International Shipments Coordinator, commented "I've been here at DeFeet from the start and, sadly, I’ve squashed many a productive little spider. But this is the perfect solution—and one that could come only from the strange logic of Shane Cooper!”

As for selling socks made from spider silk, Ann Corbett, DeFeet’s VP of Sales, said "DeFeet products always speak for themselves, and when we discover unique fibers like this our yarn vendors see why we are sometimes considered an industry maverick."

"Our sponsored teams have been calling all week", said Brad Mettee, coordinator of inside sales and sponsorships. "I’m not sure, but I think Cavendish may have had a pair on when he crashed last week. Brad went on to say, “Mr. Cooper keeps that esoteric stuff under lock and key."

The Mayor of Hildebran was unavailable for comment, but it is rumored certain town leaders find the union of spider and sock company suspicious and may send in specially trained spider-sniffing dogs to make sure the silk is really from spiders and not earthworms.

Arachnid-rights activists are also expected to make a statement soon, as there could be a violation of the Spider Protective Union Nationale (SPUN) rules. SPUN spokespersons have said only that they are looking into the spiders’ working conditions and will refrain from further comment at this time.

When asked about this development, Brand VP of DeFeet, Paul Willerton commented "DeFeet will harvest that which spiders see only as a way to catch food. But food is not a problem for them now. For each pound of spider silk we get, we trade 25 two-gram green-tailed dung flies. Dung flies are easy to raise and we treat them well and feed them high-quality, unfiltered dung. The spiders seem very happy with this trade. However we did get a trash can dumped in our parking lot this morning, and we suspect the Dung Fly Union."

As for international spider-silk sock demand, Lynn Moretz VP of international distribution reported a keen interest in Europe for natural products. “DeFeet international sales are growing very strongly,” he said, “and I expect this spider-silk thing to attract a lot of attention in Europe and Asia—especially China.”

DeFeet was established in 1992 and provides at least 40 good jobs here in America. “A strange but fun place to work” is how our employees usually describe the company. DeFeet survived a devastating 2001 fire, a flood in 2003, a substantial inventory theft in 2007, and now the worst economic conditions since the great depression.

“We are so happy to keep making socks in the good ol' USA!" said Mr. Cooper. "We are mavericks, that is how we survive." Our wonderful employees are just as tough and flexible as our spiders’ webs...so watch out Nike and UnderArmor...here we come. We may be creepy crawly, but we’re on our way!"

We are so excited to see how many DeFeet products we can see in action in this years Tour of Flanders. These races, with nasty crosswinds and wet dirty cobbles, are the testing grounds for our products. See how many DeFeet socks, DuraGloves, SlipStreems, and Accessories are being tested in Cycling Hell. Team HTC-Highroad and QuickStep are sending their best racers. These Riders demand the best products! Also take a close look you will see guys that are not sponsored by DeFeet but know our quality.

Great win for Team Highroad and DeFeet!

San Luis Obispo, CA - 28th March 2010 - HTC-Columbia's Bernhard Eisel blasted to victory in the Ghent-Wevelgem Classic on Sunday, outpowering five riders in a small group sprint. Eisel took off with the other breakaways before the usually decisive Kemmelberg climb. The Austrian then outsprinted them at the finish in Wevelgem for HTC-Columbia's second straight victory in one of Belgium's biggest Classics and top ProTour events.

"Bernie won it by two bike lengths," said HTC-Columbia sports director Tristan Hoffman. "The other guys tried everything they could to get rid of Bernie because they knew he would be the fastest if it came down to a sprint, but it just wasn't possible. HTC-Columbia had been on the front all day. Bernie and Marcel [Sieberg] and Matt [Goss] were all working away and keeping everything under control. There were some new climbs before the Kemmel, which we'd checked out and ridden over on the Friday before the race, and that was where it all split apart. There were groups everywhere but Bernie stayed calm, got into the right break and then played it perfectly at the finish."

For HTC-Columbia men's team, Eisel's win is the fourteenth victory of the 2010 season. Eisel will now go on to race in two more top northern Classics, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

For more information on Team HTC-Columbia, please visit www.highroadsports.com

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry and continues to pioneer industry-leading mobile experiences through design, usability and innovation that is sparked by how the mobile phone can improve how people live and communicate. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

Some may say that Cooper guy is a wild one. Some could be right and probably are. When something is about to go wrong, I hear eternal screams and they tell me what I "should do" but for some reason I usually turn a deaf ear to the screaming.

The warm-up:

Boats and I don't get along very well. How many times have I been told by my voices to make sure the ball hitch is secure to the trailer hitch? Not enough, after crossing a railroad track, my boat slid under my Suburban early summer 2008. That same year, I left the plug out of the the boat as I set sail. I also left the back straps connected that hold the boat to the trailer and backed my boat into the water. Each time I heard these the voices of reason, but chose to ignore them.

All these lessons have now been burned, I use that term loosely, into my memory. However if I would have heeded the warnings, we would have had many more days on the lake with the sun on our backs and wind in our faces. The only good thing, is now when I tell my children to check the boat hitch, I can tell them my story and its not a fable, nor fiction, its an autobiography!

"Fire, Fire, Fire! " (I can hear Beavis and Butthead now)

This past weekend I took the our family to our mountain condo for its maiden sleep over. We worked all afternoon cleaning and prepping our new get-a-way. I had accumulated lots of old cardboard that I thought could be used to start a fire. Well, I heard those voices, they said "hmm I should have the chimney cleaned" and "too much heat could cause a chimney fire". But as I stated earlier I tend to be a bit hard headed. So as I lit some cardboard and started a modest fire, I heard a new voice, this one was "is that a jet engine or is that a train" no that is the noise your chimney makes when it catches fire! I thought no way! I ran out side and looked up. Low and behold I had me a chimney fire!

911: Whats your emergency?
Me: My chimney is on fire.
911: Get everyone out of the house, what is your address?
Me: Err "Hope what our address!?"
(You see Hope is always prepared, so she shouted our new address.)
911: What county?
Me: Watauga? Avery?
(We straddle the county line and 911 needed to transfer me to the correct county.)
My cell phone drops the call and then my cell even went into shock! It started to reboot!!!!

Keep in mind all 4 of the smoke detectors were blaring and beeping. My 8 year old daughter was crying, my 11 year old son was telling me what I should and should not do. Hope, was doing most everything right. Me? I was border line useless!

Trying to give the 911 operator all the correct info was hard with all the commotion and noise. When the call was dropped and as my Blackberry started to go into spinning hour glass shock, all I could think about was a sunshine yellow rotary dial phone from Ma Bell. One with a curly cord with a few tangles in it for good measure. The cord would be just long enough to allow me to sneak into a closet to have a private conversation. Our phone number would be hand written under the clear plastic center cap. Man those things were good to hang up on people!

My daughter ran back inside to get her dollies, yes, this is another thing on the "not to do list". By now all the voices are now screaming at me! So I reassembled my children at the front doorway.

I ran down stairs, Hope had the fire extinguisher ready. I handed her the cell phone and said call 911 back, my call was dropped. For some reason, I called 911 first, but I should have put the fire out first. In a panic things just don't go that smooth.

I dowsed the fire and then shot a blast up the chimney. Fire was out in a flash. But the danger was far from over.

The smoke was hanging in the air and you could smell the heat. I went back up to the second floor. The exposed chimney was now glowing orange-red, it looked like the fork crown on my handmade bike I recalled building so many years ago. That glowing metal is like 1000 degrees and we could see embers starting to twinkle. This red hot pipe was touching our roof and many wooded joints, it could spark a fire any second.

Within less than 5 minutes of my 911 call, the brave men of the BEECH MTN VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT started coming in one by one. They had to pull a few pieces of paneling off to check and make sure there were no hot spots. Things were starting to calm down now. Panic was slowly turning into relief, and relief into embarrassment. As I was shaking my head with disbelief, I looked down at one of the guys and he was wearing a pair of DeFeet custom socks. "Hey nice socks" I said, the young man said he won them in a race.

I said "well thanks for wearing our products" then one by one, each and every fireman there had DeFeet custom socks on. I was thanking them for saving my condo and they were saying how much they loved DeFeet socks. It was like a dream, well nightmare with a happy ending.

The moral of this story, we all should listen to those voices. The ones that our loved ones etched into our brains. Our mothers, fathers, in-laws, and mentors cared enough to warn us and lead us. Its when we don't listen to the Voice of Reason when we get in trouble. I raise my charred coffee cup of hope to you Alan, Joe, June, Diane, and Lynn Moretz. Yes the stove is hot, so don't touch it. OUCH! that was hot.

Always know your address.
Land lines are a good thing.
Use the voices.
Be the voice.

Man-o-Man. Brad and I hit the Handmade Bike Show (NAHBS) in Richmond Va. I was blown away by the number of show goers. The place was packed like a can of sardines. It had great feel, for the beautiful handcrafted steel. These bikes were just incredible. There is a special vibe, one that takes you back to cycling roots. One where the soul of a frame is in the hands of a artist and each one is a new birth of Independence.




The bike is such a fantastic form, and these frame builders bring that back to life. Is it art, is it geometry, is it science, is it sport, is it transportation, is it in you? If so, you should take a trip to Austin TX next February and see for yourself.





Bamboo bikes were a big hit. They look great, less filling, and have a great green story. Greg Calfee is teaching 3rd world countries how to build these bike for transportation and industrial machines. If I were to buy a new bike, I think this is where I would spend my dough. Hemp and Bamboo...wow! Several companies are now doing the bamboo thing, and there are lots of options. As long as your not craving a 15lb bike you can have your bamboo fix and ride it too.










Get there however you can, this show is well worth a trip. Kids are welcome, and so are spouses. There is a ton to discover at the Handmade Bike Show. It is such a breath of fresh air, no pun intended.






When the DeFeet crew travel, we try and take Pablo Picasso's quote to heart "lick the earth as you go." its such a wonderful way to see the world. We stumbled into the Penny Lane pub. The owner Terry was a hoot. He was from Liverpool and was a club manager when John, Paul, Ringo and George were earning their stripes. Terry is a treasure of knowledge and has some real corny jokes. Check it out if your in Richmond Va.

Olympic fever is hitting. As the torch rolls into my town this week, emotions are running high. Calgary was host to the 1988 Olympics so it brings back great memories. I did not live in this mountain city then, but the evidence is here of how the Olympics altered this place and inspired so many young people to strive for athletic excellence. The athletes from here participating in this years 2010 Vancouver Olympics are too numerous to mention, but this image shows the Canadian Cross Country Ski Team, based in the mountain paradise of Canmore, Alberta - DeFeet is a proud sponsor and official sock supplier to the team and we wish them all the very best!!!!!

NOW GO WATCH THE MOVIE!

Vancouver, Canada will host the 2010 Olympics in February. DeFeet is a proud sponsor of the Canadian Nordic Ski Team. Canada had huge success with their strong women's team in the last Olympics and the team is set to take on the world again. History will also be made as Brian McKeever, a legally blind skier from Canmore, Alberta, won a 50km NorAm qualifier for a spot on the Olympic team. He will be the first athlete to compete in both the Olympics and Para-Olympic Winter games.

Ho Ho Ho...

Happy Holidays to all and to all a profitable years end!

The latest White House scandal has me scratching my head. As you may know, Hope and I were invited to the White House last December. So I have a different viewpoint on this crazy thing we call news.

We actually did get a personal invite to the White House Holiday Reception in the mail. As DeFeet had been the sole selected sock of the Peloton One special edition socks for the last 4 years. These socks were given out as a momentum if you road bikes with our commanding Chief. I called to RSVP and gave them my social security number and what I thought was Hopes SS#. So we drive up to Washington with our poshest clothing in tow.


The night before the event, we did a reconnaissance of the East Gate. This was to be our entry into this wonder world of power. The next day was spent riding our bikes around the monuments. We got to back to our hotel just in time for me to do my hair and Hope to cake on some make-up. Then a quick 20 minute walk to the East Gate.



We arrived just a tad early to avoid the lines. As we got closer Hope said, oops I forgot my ID. And as you would guess, I forgot the coveted Invite. We walked up to the men in black suites and dark sunglasses...yes, it was dark out.
"Name" one of the them said. I blurted out with pride "Hope and Shane Cooper, Sir"...then came the silence. "IDs please." I presented mine and said that my wife Hope did not bring hers. "Mrs Cooper what is your SS#?" Hope spilled it out like a child saying there ABCs. "Again" said the sharp dressed man. Again Hope sang her SS# this time with a questioning voice. "Mam that does not match our records". "Oh well" he said as my pride started to crumble..."come on in." he said with a smile.

Whew, I was relieved that one of us would not have to run back to get her ID...as she was wearing heels!

So in we go in, the security tent that is. All metal objects in the x-ray machine please. Very easy, much easier than the TSA airport screening. We were given thumbs up and waltzed on in to this great nations White House.

On the inside the holiday decorations were incredible. As we milled in and out of the Green, Yellow and Red rooms no one even gave it a second thought that Hope might not be who she claimed she was. We were all the same inside this who's who marbled maze. Why Hope could have been a drag queen terrorist with plastic implants that go boom-fully shaved of course. As Hope and I found ourselves more at home with the situation, we made our way to the line where you give your name to a hostess and then straight into a holding room.

5 couples were in the holding room each with Marine (deck to the 9s) escorting or body guarding them. Then with a flash of an eye...our group was in the same room as the BIG guy standing next to the fire place all decked with Holiday joy.

We then figured it out...we were going to shake hands with the first family. I was ill prepared, as I did not think we would get this close and get to meet the Bushes. I remembered that elevator speech that practiced the night before...just in case. Before I could even start to think about buttoning my coat to hide my 6 flab...It was our turn. Our very handsome Marine said "Mr President" please welcome Shane Cooper and his wife Natalie. Yikes! What just happened? Did he say Natalie? What should I do? Well before I could correct this stud muffin...Laura helped with my conundrum. She held her hand out to Hope and said "Natalie its so nice to meet you, Natalie we wish you and Shane a very Merry Christmas." Dammit, Now what? I cant correct her! Hope will be so mad at me...which was interrupted by. "Shane welcome to the White House" "Y'all folks at DeFeet sure know how to make some really good socks!" I grabbed his hand and tried to shake it with equal pressure "err, why thank you Sir" "we do our best, and they are all made here in the good ol' USA Sir." I think I mumbled some more small vowels and consonance and hoped I used the right adjectives and conjunctions with predicated nouns. But it was George W Bush!

But for the life of me, I could not figure out how to correct the my wife's name. Hope (or Natalie with the wrong SS# could have a butter knife in her cleavage) then interjected with a calm poised jingle, "Mr President, you look very fit. That bike riding is keeping you young." He smiled and said "Looking at you, I might better not try and keep up with you on a bike.". Hey was George just hitting on my wife? Then it was over, kinda like in that movie "Christmas Story" as Ralphie gets shoved down the slide..."you'll shoot your eye out kid!"


After three hours of searching for the White House crapper...for untold reasons. We bid our due as I slammed one more free vodka and tossed a fresh shrimp in my mouth. Off we walked into the cool night air of Washington DC. Hand in hand we walked the quite sidewalks glowing with pride. I was extra excited as my new wife Natalie, that could be a killer in high heels, was even hotter now that she was an alleged Russian spy.




That said, these two fame hungry folks the Whoszitz that were not invited to the White House are shedding light on something I have wondered ever since. I feel that the White House is sacred grounds and all those there should be invited guest. But if you think your invited or not...and you show up...the men in sunglasses and the security that is on the roof should know everyone there..they should know my SS# and Hopes SS# they should know every thing about us as approach the gate. There should be deep back ground checks and it should be top level clearance. Hope should have been made to run back to the room...I would have waited in the yellow room for her...so if Whoszitz came up...they would have been stopped in their fame seeking tracks.

There you have it. Call it what you want. But we were invited.

What a great night. DeFeet was one of the donating suporters the 2009 MCBC Biker Ball Nov 14th. GRAFFITTI rocked de House with 80s covers and we had lots of DeFeet crowd primes. Crazy thing, cyclist can dance and they can dance a LONG time. Especially if you play some Cure, REM, and U2...

Hope even came out and we rode some really great rides. Hwy 1 and Mt Tam are some fantastic rides.

My kinda trip, music, bikes, friends and the lovely wife. (not in that order)

Famous for his 1982 Boston Marathon near win when a motorcycle altered the outcome of his race and after miles of battling heel to heel, in the final seconds losing to the famed Alberto Salazar. Both set records that day!

Already renowned for his athletic achievements, Dick Beardsley has since become a legend for his motivational talks inspired by the extreme pain he suffered related to a series of devastating accidents that lead him down a very dangerous path of chemical dependency. He has been “clean” for over a decade and shares his experiences with audiences across the the nation.

The Dick Beardsley Foundation was created to raise awareness on the dangers of chemical dependency, whether it is prescription or recreational drugs. Dick speaks to schools ad events with such passion there is no doubt he is making a huge difference in the lives of many people.

We are very fortunate that Dick speaks very passionately about our DeFeet products.

We thank him for his enthusiasm and encourage all to visit his website at:

www.dickbeardsleyfoundation. org

CONGRATS DICK on the 2009 Runners Hall of Fame!

This was a special project that we sponsored. DeFeet Poverty was great event
Check this little ditty out..."de feet cant fail me know!" Thanks to all the folks at the Clinton Library down in Little Rock AK.

Could this be a DuraGlove under the rhinestones? The price was paid...but we will never know the truth.

A contribution from the research archives of Jen Gonzoles in the DeFeet Custom Dept - One gallon of gasoline contains about 31,000 calories. Average distance traveled by a car on one gallon of gas: 20.36 miles. Bicycle rider at 15 mph burning 31,000 calories: 912 miles. So a bicyclists is 4,379.4% more efficient than the average automobile Of course there are a LOT of assumptions going on in terms of the cyclist's stats in this (cyclist's weight, speed, yadda yadda yadda) Interesting all the same and it makes the point loud and clear! Thanks, Jen!

DeFeet President and Founder Shane Cooper can lay it down for Halloween. Here's one of his better ones. MMmmm hmmmm.

Trick or Treat...Have a fun and safe Howl-O-ween

Margo from Nicollet South Bike Shop was the lucky winner of the FENDER guitar give a way for INTERBIKE 2009. Rock on Margo!

PINK is IN...from NFL to local fund raisers pink is everywhere! Pink maybe the new color for Autumn changing seasons. What a great feeling to see all the support for Breast Cancer. We all are touched by this devastating disease in some way. We should do our part to help find a cure.

Katheryn Harlan is a cycling friend of DeFeet. She is our local breast cancer survivor hero. On the bike Kathryn's nickname is the Power Ant . She is such a tuff nut on bike rides all 5 foot 100lbs of her. Six years ago she was diagnosed with an early stage breast breast cancer found on a routine screening mammorgram. She under went a drastic procedure and had a double mastectomy. She was riding her bike within 4 weeks...and she found new ways to climb hills...as she did not want to use here chest for leverage. Katheryn is the first to help many of our friends as they stumble into the C word. Whether its someone asking about their grandma...or their mom...or even themselves. Katheryn is there like Super Power Ant to help with the questions.

Katheryn founded the Though Heeling Eyes program to help educate and find ways to provide money for early detection for those that can not afford treatment or mammograms. 6 years and $250,000.00 bucks later...I would say she is doing the right thing and not to mention...still riding that bike! Go Power Ant Go!

Katheryn's website
2008 Hickory Daily Record Story

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job in sales with DeFeet has been to meet people across the country involved in supporting charity initiatives for causes closest to their heart.  It is astounding to see the the level of passion and commitment from the founders of these organizations and the volunteer corps that support them.

www.globalbike.org

www.teamintraining.org

www.throughhealingeyes.org

www.rfar.org

www.runnersofcompassion.com

www.shareoursoles.org

To list and name but a few, there is bike shop owner John Crews of Bicycles Plus in Folsom, California, a former BMX Champion who founded Ride for a Reason with two of his customers after personally being affected by Parkinsons at the age of 40.  The charity hosts an annual event that raises funds and awareness for Parkinson’s Disease and Cancer.      

University Track runner Greg Woodburn founded Share our Soles to clean up old running shoes and help disadvantaged kids all over the world lace up; likewise, Marathon runner Rob Reid, founder of Runners of Compassion takes the homeless out for a run every Tuesday and Thursday.

One of DeFeet’s largest customer’s, Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada, has raised thousands of dollars for Cancer research through the sale of it’s ‘Everyday is Beautiful’ sock, in memory of Angie Camp, a young inventory Analyst and climber who died of a Brain Tumor.  

In January 2010 DeFeet will dedicate a portion of our website to raising awareness about the good deeds that are being done around the country through some of these charities.  DeFeet will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of these socks to their respective charities.

Labels: D-Cause

Getting kind words from around the world is such a rush. We set out to make socks for cycling way back in 1993. We never dreamed people from around the world become fans of our products. I guess we're more than just socks and undies now. We never get tired of hearing from our fans. After all, your the reason we are here. So Cheers to all of you...from all of us at DeWorld!

DeFeet will provide special red-white and blue AirEators for all the 2009 USA Cycling's World Team members. We are proud to support our riders as they fight for the coveted World Champion Rainbow jersey. Our US riders deserve socks made in the Good Ol USA!

USA-USA-USA! Go Team Go!

Best of luck Team, we are rooting for you.


Elite Men
Tom Danielson (Durango, Colo./Garmin-Slipstream)– Road Race and Time Trial
Tyler Farrar (Wenatchee, Wash./Garmin-Slipstream) – Road Race
Brent Bookwalter (Lookout Mountain, Ga./BMC Racing Team) – Road Race
Jeff Louder (Salt Lake City, Utah/BMC) – Road Race
Craig Lewis (Greenville, S.C./Columbia-High Road)– Road Race
Andrew Bajadali (Boulder, Colo./Kelly Benefit Strategies)– Road Race
Jason McCartney (Coralville, Iowa/Team Saxo Bank)– Road Race
Tim Duggan (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Slipstream)– Road Race
Tom Peterson (North Bend, Wash./Garmnin-Slipstream)– Road Race
Tom Zirbel (Boulder, Colo./Bissell) – Time Trial

Elite Women
Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho/Cervelo-Lifeforce) – Time Trial and Road Race
Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif./ Equipe Nürnberger) – Time Trial and Road Race
Kimberly Anderson (Santa Barbara, Calif./Columbia-High Road) – Road Race
Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Columbia HTC) – Road Race
Meredith Miller (Fort Collins, Colo./Team TIBCO) – Road Race
Evelyn Stevens (New York, N.Y.) – Road Race
Jessica Phillips (Aspen, Colo./Team Lip Smackers) – Time Trial

U23 Men
Peter Stetina (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowesko) – Road Race and Time Trial
Tejay Van Garderen (Superior, Colo./Rabobank Continental Team) – Road Race and Time Trial
Kirk Carlsen (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowesko) – Road Race
Chris Barton (Ojai, Calif./BMC) – Road Race
Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Garmin-Felt-Holowesko) – Road Race

After meeting riders and teams all day, Bob Stapleton asked me to come to the team Columbia dinner. Had a nice dinner and watched the team interact with jovial good times. Said good night to the team. Then I headed off to the Lobby Chair Bar. Met my mates at at ground zero. Low and behold, this bar had GreyGoose on frozen TAP! For Gods Sake...I have never seen this in all my travels. We Americans got in a heated debate with some Euros about real American beer. They were sucking on Buds (now Belgian owned) we were going head to head with Pabst and when they ran out of Blue Ribbon...we said Schlitz please!

George Hincapie just may be the most loved cyclist ever. I met George when he was just a young man. He and his brother Rich were racing the Carolina Cup. They both were early adapters to DeFeet products. I have a great photo with the three of us posing next to our first company car. A silver Ford Taurus...selling socks from the trunk...sock bootlegger I was!

We have seen George win the hearts of people all over the world. Why? because he is George, a true gentleman with grace and power. I hear so many stories about how George is such a great guy and how he is overwhelmingly nice to those he meet and companies he represents.

One day I was waiting in line at the Charlotte Airport heading to Lav Vegas Interbike. All of a sudden I heard someone shout "COOP". I looked around to see George standing there behind me with a big grin on his face. "Hey Coop, I have something for you." he said. He started digging in his bag, then he pulled out a filthy World Champion jersey. George said "Johan pulled this off his back after the Tour of Holland and told me to give it to Shane when I see him...so here ya go!"

By now the entire gangway was watching this debonair gentleman gifting a sweaty, nasty, filthy, World Champion jersey to some very happy recipient. At that time I had never held a real WC jersey...and the kicker was...Johan won the Worlds that year in DeFeet socks! George knew this would rock DeFeets world to have this at our booth...and to George, yes it was a World Champ jersey and yes Johan was WC which I am sure he respected. But in truth it was just a sweaty jersey that filled his bag with stench, so he did this for DeFeet.

We displayed that jersey with pride at the Interbike show. Some people came up to smell it...truthfully. We finally had to wash it, the soot from our 2001 fire was over coming the smell of the Tour of Holland.

On a recent trip to the Hincapie clothing world head quarters, I was shocked to see the very GOLDEN SOCK award that we gave George some time late 90s for being such a great ambassador for DeFeet. It was hung just a proudly as Tour de France medals and jersey signed by Lance. I have to say I teared up on that one. The Hincapie men have a world class company that only reflects the men themselves.

So, you see George is a true hero to all of us at DeFeet. George is a wonderful gentleman, and that is why when he wins we feel like we win, and when he gets beat or chased...we feel that too.

Long live the King.

View the video and you will see a flash of the Hincapie men and I with the said silver Ford...and infamous stinky, filthy World Champ jersey.

Well what can I say? This is the most wonderful woman in DeWorld. Say hello to Hope. "Hi Hope!" She is posing at the White House Christmas 2008 with a wonderful homemade gingerbread house. And if you look real close you can see Hilary is fixing Hopes hair. DeFeet may not show our feminine side enough, so today I thought I would get us all up to SPEEDE...lady style.

Our Columbia HTC Women's team have been racking up the victories left and right. We are so happy to be a part of this world class team. We support many of the top US women's teams too. Team Tibco, Webcor, and LipSmackers just to name a few.




Ina-Yoko Tuetenburg has been a DeFeet fan for many, many years. Working with such great athletes gives DeFeet a edge on our competition. We get feed back from the worlds best athletes in the worlds toughest conditions.



DeFeet and Michelle Jones go back to late 1990s. Michelle has used our products to tromp many competitors into the pavement.





We also know that women are a BIG part of our industry and make a majority of the buying decisions. I was doing a webinar yesterday with the OAI and the theme was women and why they rock. I remember Hope telling me about the first women to run the Boston marathon was Kathrine Switzer in 1974...WOW! That was not that long ago.

DeFeet is also proudly powered by a group of strong women. Hope Cooper is our CFO, Jill Patton our VP of MFG, Caroline Brandon Production Control and International Coordinator, Ann Corbett VP of Sales, Jen Gonzalez Custom Orders Diva, and Kate McClure Customer Care are providing the feminine business touch.

Our Women's Specific line takes the ladies lower foot volume into account in the manufacturing process. We have done lots of testing and research to find solutions to specific minute differences with the female foot. We study color forecast, material blends and fibers, fashion trends, athlete feedback and inject that information into our product lines.


So Ladies, Ready Set....YOU GO GIRL!

We salute you...

Labels: athletes, bikes, DeFeet, Women

Nothing like the sweet smell of success! While driving home Linda props up her legs up in recovery mode, she is wearing her secret weapon "DeFeet's DeCompressor". I can hear it now "Home James", in this case "Home John". Wow, what a feet...er...feat.






Track Nationals, Colorado Springs. Race report and travelogue.
The story starts a week before nationals, if you want to follow along. Since the track is at almost 6000 feet, John and I decided to take a rather leisurely road trip at altitude, to try to acclimate. We drove to Winnemucca, Nv, and did a great road ride on dirt, spent the night, then went to Salt Lake to spend two nights with my brother and family, and continued with great meals, nice rides, and being at 5000’. The next night we spent in Laramie, Wyoming, a quaint college town at over 7000 feet! Finally, on to Colorado Springs. Right. We are here to race track.

Neither of us was particularly ready. We’d done one day of track racing at districts plus one Tuesday night. No individual pursuits at all. Plus John has had back issues all year. But, one only lives once, so here we were.

Race Reports:

2K pursuit. 6th place, but a PR. I went out way too slowly on the start, (no one does the first lap 7 seconds slower than the subsequent laps!) but then settled into a nice even pace in the 27 mph/27-ish second range, for the rest of the race. I can’t really complain, as I set a PR of 2:52, though with the faster track it about corresponds to my time last year at Hellyer of 2:54. Competition was tough. The winning time in women 50-54 was 2:44. I know all too well that this would go much better if I trained for it. At least I remembered how to pace myself at even laps.

John was also 6th, but wasn’t feeling well at all, and his time was way off of last year. The winning time in the men 60-64 was 2:36, which was 2 seconds faster than John’s winning time of 2008. But not all days are good ones. As it happens, he was really coming down with something, and turned out to be sick and finished with the racing.

Points Race: 1st. This year it was an actual race with 10 people, though half of them were in the older age groups; 4 in the 55’s and one in the 60’s. I had to be careful of the Hammer team at their local track. They failed to gang up on me last year, when I took all the sprints in a very small and not too fast race, so I expected them take some revenge. Shannon Youngquist, who was almost equal to me in pursuit last year, was several seconds faster now. There was another from the team in my age group, plus Marsha Macro (60’s) with no competition, who was free to work with her teammates. There were others teams, too. Patricia Marzi from Salamander Racing beat me in my pursuit round by 2 seconds, and Melanie Peterson (Major Motion) turned out to be my toughest competitor once the race got going.

Before the race I had John tell me the sprint laps: 24, 18, 12, 6, 0. My mantra. 24, 18, 12, 6, 24, 18, 12, 6…I think some people don’t keep this in mind. It’s important.

The sprints went like this:

I led out the first and Melanie Peterson came around. Place: 2nd. I went long and really dug too deep.
On the second I was 4th. We were all stacked up at the line. I was tired. Shannon won.
I took the third sprint by coming around. Meanwhile, people were attacking. Marsha went off the front, but her teammate chased her down with me on her wheel!
On the 4th sprint I let Jane Rinard take it, as she was in the 55’s, and I took 2nd.
I could hear the announcer, John Beckman, and I knew that coming into the final I was in the lead, but only by 3 points ahead of Melanie. I had good shelter and was able to pass her, and everyone else, at the line to take it with 17 points.

The race was quite aggressive, and maybe I did too much work bringing back breaks. I could definitely feel the altitude, and also that I was being marked. It was getting harder and harder to recover. But the track is so smooth and fun, and the weather was perfect; cool, and completely still.

So, wow, another one! I wasn’t really expecting it.


Linda