BASE SUMMER KITS

It's that time of year again, and for the third season in a row we have designed and release our annual BASE Summer Kit. This year, we knocked it out of the park.

Let me first share a little bit of my inspiration for these bright colors. 

I grew up in the 80's. I loved the 80's. I rocked my first Triathlon in a speedo in 1988 when I was 12 years old. I did all of my runs in Fluorescent Pink or Fluorescent Yellow Tri - All - 3 Running shorts which barely covered more than a speedo. I was just like those guys who I saw on TV racing in Hawaii. Those guys were my heroes.

While other kids were playing soccer, studying, or going to parties. I was riding my pink and yellow Nishiki Prestige all over town. We would swim from 6:30 - 8:30 every morning in the summer. Come home, hop on the bike for 30-40 miles.  One bottle of water.  No food. No helmet. Then come home. Nap. And head back to the pool for a 30 minute run and another 2 hour swim. 6 days a week. Every week of summer. It was amazing.

Fast forward to 2001 and Triathlete Magazine asked me to take part in their swimsuit issue. The picture below was me in the years top of the line Triathlon Racing Kit. Alas if only I still had that much hair on my head.

 

Over the past 30 years I have continued to watch the sport of triathlon ebb and flow. Companies come and go. Styles come and go. Races come and go. But something always stuck with me which was that I wanted to always be part of it. I always wanted to share my knowledge, express my creativity, have lots of fun in the process.

At the end of 2016 I decided to start a kit manufacturing company. Initially we did it for the purpose of outfitting our own BASE Team, but it soon took a life of its own. My motto is to provide extremely high quality kits at a price that won't break your bank account. Now that I know the costs of these items, there is zero reason to have these 600% markups on kits. So, since 2016, we have developed 14 different kits for BASE Team members while quietly creating custom team kits for 150 teams throughout the US and Canada. It's been an adventure for sure.

Although I was happy with our 2018 Summer kit which was all white with some black in it, it just didn't have the pop that I was looking for. That sizzle and flair.

But my most proud kit so far is this most recent Summer kit. I love it. I love the brightness. I love the colors. I love that we brought back my childhood passion. That we brought back my memories of riding my bike all day long in my bright colored shorts and t shirt.

In the summer of 2018 Boca Tri in Boca Raton Florida let us make a summer kit for them which was very bright Yellow and Blue. This is what initially captured my attention.

And then Andrew Starykowicz had me create a kit for him and his F.A.S.T. Camp. Again, bright yellow in the essence of Safety in order to be seen when out on the road. If you do not know of the horrific accident of truck vs. Starky, you can READ ABOUT IT HERE.

 

 

My last little bit of inspiration came from the YTT Coaching Crew here in Colorado. They went bold this year with their team kits in the bright blue and yellow.  I knew I just had to go bright. Be bold. Be seen.

 

In closing. I hope you appreciate the designs as much as I do. For those of you in my age range, you may remember those times with the bright colors. If you want the kit for the sheer purpose of being seen by drivers while riding, this is perfect for you. If you are interested in learning more about these summer kits and how to order one, CLICK HERE. We are placing a new order on Sunday with the factory, so these are pre order as we already ran out of pieces. They will arrive in about 4-5 weeks. Extremely comfortable.

If you would like more information on BASE making you a custom kit, please email rachel@baseperformance.com and she can set you up.

Here are some additional pictures of our athletes wearing our kits. They look amazing.