I also wanted to give a big shout out to one of our customers, Tommy Clowers. I’ll let this picture explain who Tommy is.

I did have a race update to report, and it went a lot better than L’Etape. I finished 10th over-all, and 3rd in my age-group, in “The Ride Around the Bear.” The total distance was 109 miles, and I averaged 16.3 miles per hour. In a nutshell, you ride up one side of Big Bear Mountain, and back around the other side. That may not seem very fast, but the course included almost 8700 feet in elevation gain and I rode the entire 6 hours and 32 minutes alone.

I used one PureFit bar before the ride, and another one during the ride. Additionally, I fueled on a great sports drink called Infinit. I used the Lemon Lime flavored ENDURANCE, recommended by one of our customers, and sports nutritionist, Kim Mueller. The product worked great. After I ran out, I was forced to use Gatorade, which I don’t believe worked nearly as well. I ate a full banana at around 70 miles. All in all, a great solo effort and I was very pleased with 10th place. I’m not aware of any other sports nutrition bar that delivers that much energy.

The ride promoters said 1500 riders started.  Why did only 900 finish?  Multiple National Champions were on hand.  Tinker Juarez was right in front of me.  As we rolled through the streets of Claremont, with the cops blocking traffic, I look over and see multiple National Champion, Dave Zabriskie.  Dave “Captain America” Zabriskie!  It was a surreal moment.  All around me are good cyclists.  Not weekend warriors.  Guys like me that take their cycling seriously.  No granny gears to be found.  I could tell most of these guys had no clue what was ahead of them.

To professional cyclists coming to California to compete in our countries premier cycling event, The Amgen Tour of California, (www.amgentourofcalifornia.com) it is stage 7.  To 1500 brave souls, it was a chance in a lifetime.  Ride the same course the professionals will and finish on a mountaintop.  Opportunities like this simply do not come around very often.  I’ll be 43 next month.  How many more of these do I have in me?

L’Étape du California provides serious recreational cyclists the opportunity to ride a complete stage of the Amgen Tour of California – and the most challenging stage of the 2011 race at that. 75.8 miles from the City of Claremont to the Mt Baldy Ski Area. The route is breathtaking in its beauty and difficulty, covering some of the most famous and iconic sections of road in the San Gabriel Mountains: Glendora Mountain Road, Glendora Ridge Road, and the sharp “beyond category” switchbacks up to the Mt Baldy Ski Area.

This blog entry will highlight, the trials, tribulations, and ultimately the race that broke me.  That’s right.  I’ve competed in some seriously challenging events.  A marathon, a 32:42 minute 10K, 100-mile bike rides, and more than a few training sessions that left me tired for days.  It took everything I had to finish this event.  Trust me, I wanted to quit many, many times.  The mountain beat me 2 weeks ago in a training ride.  I’ll explain this in detail later on.  She must have been laughing pretty hard as she took me to a place of pain, and perseverance, I have never come close too.  Why, because in retrospect, I don’t usually race for over 5 hours.  What was supposed to be a social event and unique opportunity for us amateurs to experience a mountain top finish quickly became an opportunity for me to learn something about me.  I do not give up.  If you are going to beat me I am going to make you earn it.  Words cannot describe the pain I was in.  Despite being completely dehydrated, having a serious backache, stomach issues, I simply refused to quit.  Why, because what you are about to read is a summation of the toughest physical and mental challenge of my life.

The idea to ride this came from my dear friend and training partner Darren Field.  That’s him on the left about 30 minutes before we entered the pain cave.

Our training partner, Thom Morrison, coined the term “pain cave.”   Thom couldn’t make the event.  Thom is an excellent cyclist, friend, training partner, and the best attorney I have ever met.  Thom specializes in corporate and business transactions, organizing, structuring and dissolving corporations and limited liability companies, mergers and acquisitions.  I’m not plugging him; it’s simply the truth.  He is also simply a great person, husband, and father of four.  For Darren, words do not express the bond we have.  You are both brothers.  Thank you for not judging me.

We got the idea around the 1^st of the year.  Plenty of time to prepare, right?  I believe the benefits of training end about 2 weeks before the event.  It’s best to taper and get your mind ready.  I’m not a big fan of training through races.  We decided to do one last long climb 2 weeks before the event, a perfect conclusion to many months of training and preparation.  We decided to ride the events second climb, the infamous Glendora Mountain Road.  GMR to the locals.  We decided to start at the 45-mile marker and ride to the top.  How hard can a 5-mile easy warm up and 26 miles straight to the heavens be?  Remember, we’d be riding back home, downhill, for 26 miles.

Right off the bat, I start riding like Andy Schlecht.  I’m simply having an un-believable day.  I was passing other riders like they were standing still.  No doubt they were training for L’Étape. I’m not 100% sure, but I was riding 10-11-12 mph.  At this pace, I’d be at the top in around 2 ½ hours.  It was an epic morning.  Skate boarders were riding down the mountain as we ascended.  It was foggy.  My cadence was simply the best I have ever had.  The entire time I’m thinking why am I riding so hard on a training day?  I felt like I was on Alpe d’Huez.

Then, out of the blue, this guy pulls up besides me.  After 45 minutes of riding alone, he was a welcomed surprised.  He said, “man you’re riding great.”  I responded, “Really, you rode up on me pretty easily.”  His name was Tony DiCiacco, an airplane engineer for Southwest Airlines.  It was clear to me that Tony wanted to ride with me as he had dropped his training buddies probably at the car.  He navigated me all the way to Mount Baldy village.  I was thinking, 4.3 miles to go, that’s all?  How difficult could that be?  Why stop for water?  Come on Tony, lets crush this.  He politely said the next 4.3 are pretty tough.  Pretty tough?  After a quick bathroom stop and refill of our water bottles, we headed back on to Mt. Baldy Road.  Holy cow!  Now it’s 30 degrees, we are 4000 feet up, and the road was so steep I literally could barely keep the bike going.  Before I knew it Tony rode away from me like I was standing still.  The next 35 minutes or so was the toughest 35 minutes of my life.  Do these switchbacks ever end?  I was constantly looking for an easier gear.  Not one, but two.  Please god, do I have an easier gear?  It took everything I had to keep the bike up right.  What is going on?  Is it the altitude?  I’ve never seen a road go uphill like this.  I kept clicking my Sram Red shifters.  It was like I was in complete denial.  This is all you have, a 39-28 combination?  There must be an easier gear on this bike.   It wasn’t mountain bike gearing, but easier than a traditional road bike set-up.  I train on a 39-25.  I bought a new cassette just for this section and it’s still not enough?  I couldn’t believe it.  I could barely keep the bike upright.  Kilometer after kilometer I mashed the hardest gear I have ever ridden.  Had I let up for one second I would of fallen over…the road is that steep.   Somehow the end of the road finally came.  The last 35 minutes of my life was the hardest 35 minutes of my life. Tony was waiting for me at the top, smiling.  He said, “Nice job.”  I was too tired to congratulate him on a personal record of 33 minutes.  I was exhausted.  One by one, other riders joined us, all with the same look… L’Étape must be some kind of sick joke.

Tony DiCiacco pictured here training for Breathless Agony. Smiling because he knew he was in great shape. Life is good. Tony finished “The toughest 100 miler in Southern California” in 3rd! Congratulations Tony, and thank you for getting me up the mountain.

Here is where the day went from ecstasy to almost tragedy.  Now I have to ride straight downhill.  Tony waited for me about a mile down.  Then, like the wind, he was gone.  As I braked hard, harder than I ever had in my life, my front tire blew right off my rim.  Rare, but massive heat is created when carbon fiber rims are under constant breaking pressure.  The rim expands and eventually the tire will blow off.  That’s exactly what happened.  Thankfully, I had decelerated enough that I didn’t crash.  As I was changing the tube, which was destroyed, the reality was starting to set-in.  Is this rim damaged?  Where is Darren?  How do I ride down a dangerous mountain, full of switchbacks, at speeds over 40 mph?  On top of that, I could not stop shaking.  The cold weather, on top of the shock of almost crashing, had taken its toll.  I was coasting down the mountain, looking for Darren, and shaking uncontrollably.  I decided I better hitchhike off the mountain.  One local from Mount Baldy gave me a ride, but he was heading down a different road than we rode up.  He graciously drove me back to town and wished me good luck.  I attempted to get back on my bike and coast down the mountain.  There is no way to coast.  I was still shaking nonstop.  Hypothermia?  I don’t know, but my whole body was shaking.  I decided to try to hitchhiking again.  If I flatted again, I was out of tubes.  If I crashed, who would find me on this road if I went over the cliff? To make matters worse, I had lost all faith in my bike.  About a mile away I could see this white van slowly navigating its way down GMR.  I flagged it down.  The couple pulled over and exclaimed “Do you need a ride? We’re Christians, get on in.”  They thought I needed a ride for a mile or so.  Instead, I said, more like 20.  They were so gracious.  They said, no problem.  His name is Donnie V and his wife is Leonetta. If you ever want to check out an outstanding Christian Blues musician, go to the Calvary Chapel, any Sunday, in Rancho Cucamonga.  His music is also available online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/donniev2. I’m not a major fan of blues, but we listened to the entire CD Leonetta generously gave me, at the office.  It is really good and I’m a hair band addict from the 1980’s!  Thank you Donnie and Leonetta!

I’m guessing an average person might of opted out of L’Étape after what I went through.  I remind you that the pain was beyond description, and of course, optional.  The mountain beat me.  I laughed at it for 2 ½ hours and she decided to remind me that she is the boss.  The next two weeks I pondered if the risk was worth the reward.  The conclusion, not really.  Going off a cliff at 40 miles an hour and dying was obviously a risk that was outweighed the rewards.  Pass up a once in a lifetime experience, no way.  If I could ride the first 40 miles easy, without crashing, I knew I could manage the last 35.  Darren and I decided to do it.  I even rode the same wheels and gearing I test rode 2 weeks earlier.  I wasn’t going to spend $300.00 for more parts just to ride the last 4.3 miles.  If I could ride 71 miles, I could find the strength to ride the last 4.3, right?   What occurred on the day of the event was really something I didn’t expect.  As planned,  I rode the first climb, which was about an hour, straight up, relatively easy.  It was very difficult to “hold back.”  I kept saying to myself, just go easy; the race starts at 50 miles.  The problem is, as I started the decent on the backside of the mountain, I hit a ferocious head wind.  At 155 pounds, I couldn’t even descend!  I was barely moving.  I let a few heavier riders go past me, but the wind kept howling.  I was loosing time quickly.  I kept trying to stick to my plan, ride the first 50 miles easy.  Then, out of nowhere, a pack of 20 guys came flying right behind me, quickly sweeping me up.  It was easy to enjoy 20 guys breaking the wind, despite the fact that I didn’t know these guys, and we were riding at over 30 miles an hour.  Then, I look up, and one of the guys is a training partner, Sol Sim, a neighbor of Thom’s and a very good cyclist, mountain biker, and athlete in general.  Sol looks fast sitting down.  I knew I was going to pay for this later, but my ego got the best of me.  I simply couldn’t let these guys pass me.  There we were,  20+ strong, flying down the dangerous back section of Mount Baldy.  We were laying our bikes down into the corners like motorcycling champion Ben Bostrom, who was also riding in the event.  The motorcycle champion is an outstanding cyclist.  Un-official results have him finishing in 5 hours and 4 minutes.

Mile marker 45 came quicker than I expected.  I had about 5 miles to eat and fuel up before the second climb, up the infamous GMR.  The pack quickly disintegrated and I found myself, once again, all alone.  This time, it was much different.  I was struggling.  I had been riding for 2 hours and 45 minutes and I knew I was in trouble.  How was I going to continue?  My back had tightened up.  My stomach was in knots.  My heart was pounding way too fast and hard, and I couldn’t get it to slow down.  If I could just back off, would any of this go away?  I couldn’t believe how slow I was going.  I was in total agony.  I really didn’t think I was going to make it.  I was spent.  My legs were rocks, and I literally had no energy.  No matter how much caffeine, water, sports drink and PureFit bars I consumed, I couldn’t get my energy.  I wanted to quit.  Why not?  It wasn’t technically a race.  It was supposed to be fun.  Somehow the fun of going 40 mph was far different then the death crawl I was experiencing.  Just 2 weeks ago I had crushed GMR.  Now, I knew I had left my legs back on the course, around 15 miles ago.  Somehow, against all odds, I continued on.  I thought about Aron Ralston cutting off his arm to escape dying in the Utah desert.  Why, because that had to hurt more than this.  In other words, at this point I was in agony and was trying to prove to myself I could endure anything.  I simply could not comprehend the depth of pain I was in and my own ability to push on.  Why?  Where were Sol and those other guys?  Had the mountain beaten them too?  There were very few guys to ride with and I didn’t have the energy to encourage them.  We were all in our own pain.

Eventually, I rolled into the village of Mount Baldy; I was too tired to stop at the last rest stop.  I knew if I got off the bike, I would not continue.  I had water in one bottle and sports drink in the other. Just enough to get me to the top, but no an ounce extra as the weight would have been detrimental.  It took everything in my soul to continue.  I had gone 70 miles and I really had nothing left.  I was spent.  I kept telling myself over and over again, “4 miles to victory.”  4 miles.  I was talking out loud, “you can do it, you can do it.”  My speed was 4.1 mph.  Anything slower and the bike would have fallen over.  2 weeks ago I rode the same section at 6-7 mph.  How could I continue?  If someone offered me a ride I was going to take it.  If I got out of the saddle, my legs would cramp.  So, of course I pushed on, at 4 mph, wondering if the top would ever come.  It was getting so difficult; I thought I was going to pass out.  My cranks were creaking so loud I thought they were going to break.  I actually hoped they would so I could be done.  They had been creaking worse and worse for over 2 hours.  When would they explode?  I seriously thought I was going to die.  My heart had never beaten so hard and my body had never hurt so much. Then, there it was, 1 kilometer (. 6 miles) to the end.  With every ounce of energy I could muster, I pushed on.  I wanted to stop.  I really wanted too, but the road was so steep, I probably would of crashed.  And then, with ½ mile to go, my body gave out.  I pulled over, too tired to continue.  A young girl had a soda stand and I asked her what she had.  She said Sprite and Dr. Pepper.  I threw my money at her because it was rubber banded around a credit card, and an old drivers license. I asked her, completely out of breath, for a Dr. Pepper.  She said it was a $1.00.  I told her to take $2.00, but she refused.  I poured the Dr. Pepper into my water bottle, and started pushing my bike up the road.  One by one, guys were passing me.  Every one asked, “did you cramp up?”  I was too tired to respond.  Walking in cycling shoes, I was dragging my feet.  I was simply going to push my bike to the top if it killed me.  I didn’t care guys were passing me.  My desire to finish had long surpassed my competitive spirit from over 3 hours ago.  I was so close, but I could not see the finish.

Finally, I reached the flat section, just ¼ mile from the top, right where Tony and I had shared a laugh and a moment to appreciate life, just 2 weeks earlier.  I jumped on my bike.  I could now see the finish line.  Just one switchback left.  Lookout for the potholes.  The road was destroyed by the winter rain and snow.  Finally, I crossed the line in 5 hours and 34 minutes.  I walked over to the food tent.  Guys were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, drinking cokes, and laughing.  I thought, wow, there aren’t that many guys up here.  I sat there, with a sense of accomplishment I haven’t felt since completing a marathon almost 20 years ago.  I had finished.  It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was beautiful.

I want to thank first and foremost my best friend Susan Steiner for everything.  She puts up with a lot.  She sacrifices more for me than I can put into words.  She met me at the top and drove me and several other cyclists down the mountain that tested our physical and mental strength beyond the limits of anything we could ever imagine.  And for Sol who maybe thinks I beat him.  He rocked a 39-26, which is simply unbelievable.  Nice job buddy.  I don’t know if I’ll get the opportunity to ride baldy again, but if I do, trust me, I’m bringing a mountain bike.

This is the start of the ride.  I’m on the far right of the photo.  The police escort was great.

Robb Dorf, Founder & President - PureFit Nutrition Bars

Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, wrote his account about how he beat cancer and came back to win the world’s toughest bike race for a record seven times in a row.  The book is called “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.” Every one of my friends and family who have read the book say they loved it and that it inspired them.

The reason this blog entry is called “It’s About The Bike” is because I too want to inspire you — but in a different way and for different reasons. I want you to finally attain and maintain your fitness goals. At age 42, there are specific reasons why I still weigh155 pounds, am fairly flexible and enjoy a healthy body fat level.

I attribute this healthy maintenance to five specific tips that I know work. I’m living proof that they work because I work them. I’ve got no short cuts for you. No magic pills here. No mystical drinks, powders or diets.

Here are the 5 things I do to stay lean, strong and energetic:

1. Cardio, cardio and more cardio. It’s about the bike for me. I ride, I burn calories.  OK, I’ll admit I’m addicted to it. I love cycling, spinning, running, walking and pretty much anything else that qualifies as “continuous aerobic activity.” And please, don’t take offense, but sitting on a recumbent bicycle, talking to your friend on your cell phone or reading a book, isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a 60-minute spin class that leaves you spent. Or a 45-minute Zumba class that leaves you drenched in sweat. If you’re not working your tail off you won’t get results. That power walk with Fido doesn’t count either, unless you are seriously huffing or puffing for 45 minutes.I do seven to 10 hours of cardio a week.

2. Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. There are nutritional philosophies like the 40/30/30, (you can download a free copy of our 6-week Fat Burning Guide here: http://www.purefit.com/choose-the-right-bar/15.html). The 40/30/30 program is generally undisputed by healthcare and fitness professionals and if followed correctly, works in the long term. Why? Because it is based on how the body works. It is based on how the body chooses to burn stored body fat over sugar. It’s not a diet, and every successful nutritional program since the book “The Zone” was first written has borrowed parts of 40/30/30. Now, some 15-plus years later, nobody has proven Dr. Sears wrong and everyone is borrowing his moderate carbohydrate approach. I eat a moderate carbohydrate diet. The benefit, of course, is that my cycling is stronger and more enjoyable when I eat healthy.

3. Stretch, stretch, stretch. Over the last year I’ve added Bikram yoga to my exercise routine. I got a little burned out after 10 years of Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. As I’ve stated before, while the benefits of yoga are far too great to cover in a single blog post, I can tell you that my regular Tuesday evening yoga class — which I’ve been working into my schedule for 10 years now — has dramatically improved my life. First of all, I feel better. I don’t feel 42 years old after that class, and that feeling lasts through at least the next day. My body feels younger, more fluid, less stiff. In spin class — the day following yoga — my knees don’t ache. On my road bike, my neck is less stiff, and my body feels more “at one” with the bike.

4. Rolfing. Despite all of my stretching and rest, the body does break down from time to time. I have found that deep-tissue massage is vital. Not all therapists will call their technique Rolfing. I have worked with Brian Dorfman and his clinic in Solana Beach, Calif., since 1993. He performs very deep tissue massage and I’ve never heard him call it Rolfing. My point is simple: It’s important to reorganize the connective tissues — called fascia — that permeate the entire body. Find yourself a certified Rolfer, or a massage therapist who understands this procedure and is qualified.

5. Balance. If I don’t balance my personal life, I don’t have time for me. I have to make time to go to spin class. I have to make time to go to yoga. The bottom line is make time for yourself. The excuse I hear the most is, “I don’t have the time.” I get it. I understand. If it was easy, we’d all be thin and more energetic. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely not impossible. It takes time every day. The weight did not come on overnight, and it’s not going to come off overnight. Come up with a plan. Re-arrange your schedule. Be honest with yourself. Do I have to work this much? Am I just making excuses to not go to the gym? There are more ways to work out than ever before. Find something you truly enjoy, set a goal, and hold yourself accountable.

In my case, I just happen to love my bike and the enjoyment it provides. So for me, it’s all about the bike. What’s it about for you?

Robb Dorf with John Wooden

As many of you know, legendary UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden passed away this week. I had the pleasure of meeting him, and working with his grandson, Greg Wooden, for almost six years.

Greg and I worked at Adopt-A-Highway together and often had lunch with his brother, and even his dad Jim — John Wooden’s son. Both are genuine, funny and successful in life. I always enjoyed the time I spent with the Wooden family. I even attended the 2001 John R. Wooden Awards, the year Shane Battier was honored with the John R. Wooden Award Trophy, presented to the most outstanding college basketball player in the United States. The Wooden’s are simply a class act. The entire family treated me like I was a part of their family.

Basketball signed by Coach John Wooden for Robb Dorf

I think the true measure of a man is not what he accomplishes in his professional life, but what he brings to this world in his personal life. The point is, Coach Wooden’s legacy will always be UCLA basketball. I’m not trying to take anything away from that. The point I’m trying to make is that Coach Wooden also did his best to raise his family — to be there for his kids and grandkids. He never lost touch with what’s really important. I think he was equally proud of his accomplishments both on and off the court, and that includes placing a major emphasis on  family.

You can name all the awards, scholarships, courts and tournaments you want after Coach Wooden. But if you want to honor him, be a good person, treat your neighbors well, always do the right thing, and always give 100 percent.

Rest in peace Coach. We will all miss you.

Anyone who has spent more than a minute with me knows that I’m young at heart. It’s difficult to know when I’m being serious because I love to laugh so much, and more importantly, make other people laugh too. My mission in life is simple: Enjoy Life.

Most guys turn 40 and then run out and get a sports car. I sold mine. Maybe it’s my way of simplifying my life. Who knows? But what I do know is, I’m not getting any younger. My good friend, Darren Field, and I rode our bikes from Solana Beach to Irvine. It was a 70-mile ride that took us a little more than four hours. Not a century (i.e., 100 miles), but proof “I still got it going on.”

I may not be able to peel off five-minute mile repeats, or run the 400 in under 65 seconds, but I’ve never let myself go. I still jog, take spin, do yoga, and remain very active.I encourage anyone reading my blog to never forget to keep moving, literally. It’s important to continually push both the body and the spirit. I wanted to run a marathon, so I did. I wanted to break 33 minutes for 10K, so I did that too. I wanted to start a company, and I did. I also wanted to turn 40, but look younger than anyone I graduated from high-school with. I believe I’ve done that too.

We all need goals, and then we need to sincerely pursue them. Seriously… start a bucket list (things you want to do before you hit the bottom of the bucket) and make it happen. It’s a cliche but life is short. We can’t go backwards in time.

I’d really be curious to hear from you on what you wanted to do. Maybe you thought you couldn’t but against the odds, you did. To me the harder something is to achieve, the greater the reward.

Make it happen!

I know this guy named Robb who likes to jog,
Every day he goes to work and brings his dog.

He works at a company that sells the best nutrition bar,
Some days he does not bike there but drives his car.

But now that he is turning 40 that all may change,
Old and Traveling to work may rearrange.

Because he is older things are getting tough,
Just kidding with you as 40 is not that rough!

Happy Birthday and many more to enjoy!
Enjoy the day and go get yourself a nice toy!

Happy Birthday, Robby Boy!!

First and foremost, I want to thank Jenna Brien, our enthusiastic in-house sales associate. For those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Jenna, you know she’s a ball of energy whose true passion in life is teaching spin and being around her husband Will. Jenna and I laugh so much together that our office manger, Belinda Jordan, said we’d sell an additional million bars if we’d simply quit goofing off so much. From that moment on, I realized that Belinda, a 20-year-old college student, was the smartest employee I had! The problem is, she laughs at all of my jokes and impersonations, and that of course only fuels my antics. Regardless, Belinda’s a real gem and things just wouldn’t work around here with her.

This post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Darcy Pendarvis. Darcy could be the CFO of a major corporation but prefers to help out Orange County, Calif., companies with their bookkeeping, payroll, and banking/financial strategy. As a QuickBooks Pro Advisor, Darcy is able to provide me with all of the financial info I need at a moments notice. Without her, I know we wouldn’t be around. She has saved me many times and I cannot thank her enough.

Christian Riggs is one of our freelance graphic designers. He’s outrageously under-priced, lives in Utah with his wife Amy and their four gorgeous kids, and is one wickedly cool guy. Check out his work at www.riggscreative.com. Christian is responsible for our new logo and packaging (thanks to Becky Nelson for giving us the original concept), and he also does a great job on our print ads, eNewsletters, and many of the other collateral materials that keep us in business. Thanks, Christian!

No one laughs more at me or my jokes than my publicist/business consultant, Stan (last name withheld for fear that he’d come to my home and waterboard me for getting his name indexed by Google or some other search engine). Stan’s more than just my publicist and business consultant… he’s a true friend and a brilliant business tactician. Thanks, Stan!

Here at PureFit, we work with so many nutritionists and Celiac specialists that it’s hard to thank them all. Nevertheless, I’d like to mention Kim Brown, Danna Korn (author of Gluten-Free Living For Dummies), Dr. Bari Rooney, and Melinda Dennis. Thank you–each and everyone of you–for all of your sage advice and referrals!

Needless to say, if you’ve made it this far in today’s post, you must be wondering who I owe the utmost thanks too, and that of course would be my wife Traci, who in 2000 encouraged me to “go for it.” She allowed me to take what little money we had and start PureFit, and now, some eight years later, we’re still here, kicking the nutrition bar industry’s butt. Thanks, Traci… you truly are the best!

Thanks to everyone else who make us great (and yes, that includes you Kilee, and you too Pikachu… the two of you may act like dogs, eat dog food, beg for treats and table scraps, and even walk around the office on all fours, but I know that you know that I know that you guys can read!)

I am an athlete who, like anyone who has had the satisfaction of achieving personal goals, is proud of my own athletic accomplishments. More importantly for my customers, however, the first-hand knowledge I have gained in the process of training and competition has been invaluable in my pursuit of the ideal nutrition bar.

PureFit is, for me and my team, truly a way of life. We are constantly aware of how much misinformation is out there when it comes to nutrition and fitness. Educating people on what it takes to achieve maximum health and fitness is as much a part of what we do at PureFit as deciding what ingredients should go into our next nutrition bar.

My vision has always been to take a holistic approach to one’s health, and like I’ve always said, I like to keep it simple. Life is too short to not do what you enjoy, and regular exercise and good nutrition make doing what you enjoy even more enjoyable.

I am an athlete who, like anyone who has had the satisfaction of achieving personal goals, is proud of my own athletic accomplishments. More importantly for my customers, however, the first-hand knowledge I have gained in the process of training and competition has been invaluable in my pursuit of the ideal nutrition bar.

PureFit is, for me and my team, truly a way of life. We are constantly aware of how much misinformation is out there when it comes to nutrition and fitness. Educating people on what it takes to achieve maximum health and fitness is as much a part of what we do at PureFit as deciding what ingredients should go into our next nutrition bar.

My vision has always been to take a holistic approach to one’s health, and like I’ve always said, I like to keep it simple. Life is too short to not do what you enjoy, and regular exercise and good nutrition make doing what you enjoy even more enjoyable.