Ramp it up!

Well, it's not even the new year yet but we are already ramping up here at Rocket Science Sports.

While Marcin is in town doing our photo shoot for the new catalog I was able to get us a meeting with the local paper to do a story. The writer (Pamela LeBlanc) and Marcin seem to know a lot of the same people in the local swim community and at the University of Texas. It turned out to be a great connection.

During the meeting we got word of Steuart Martins placing 2nd only 0.04 seconds behind at an international swim event in San Sebastian Spain while using our Rocket Skin. It's apparently one of the fastest meets in the world and was televised in Europe. Congratulations Steuart!

I am currently working on building our independent product rep force in the US and gathering information on events we may want to attend this year. We are already planning on being the swim course sponsor for the Capital of Texas Triathlon in May as well as doing the same for the Redondo Beach Triathlon and possibly something with the L.A. Triathlon. I have many more to plan yet. It's going to be a busy year.

On the immediate horizon we may be going to Fort Worth (Kelly) to attend an expo/demo day with Dallas Sports University on Sunday Jan. 11th. Thanks to Chris Jones for contacting us about this. It will be a great opportunity to let people demo some of our products and see what is new for '09.

Two days after that I fly to Shanghai to meet with Marcin to go over our 2010 products . We will also travel to Hong Kong and Shenzhen. I am looking forward to my first trip to Asia and hope to take lots of pictures.

Cheers!
Darren

Holiday Gift Ideas

It's not too late to score some of the most sought after

cycling/triathlon gifts for this holiday season.

Rocket Bottle MSRP$9.99

The 2nd most cost effective performance benefit in the world! (1st is diet)
Wind tunnel proven to have 16% less drag than a standard bottle, this 21oz Rocket Bottle is calculated to reduce 40k time by up to 53 seconds and it fits any standard bottle cage!

Elite Bag MSRP $114.99

The Elite Bag is what started it all! A place for everything you need whether you're a triathlete, roadie, MTB'r, gym junky or commuter. Compartmentalized so nothing is forgotten. Clam shell design opens wide for easy access. Includes wet compartment, rain cape and race mat.

Check out all our products at www.RocketScienceSports.com

Happy Holidays!

RSS and ISM Partner In New Product Promotion

Our friends at ISM have designed a new behind-the-saddle hydration system. Below is a message direct from them:

"The long awaited Quick Draw hydration system is finally hitting the market. We’ve spent the last 9 months testing prototypes in the wind tunnel and on athlete’s bikes. It was worth the wait. The staggered position and angle of your bottles is not only the most aerodynamic of rear hydration systems, but it’s easy to reach while staying on your aerobars. And we have yet to “launch” a bottle from the system. Pretty good considering we train on some pretty rough roads.

The system works on all model seats. We are taking pre-orders now and anticipate shipping Quick Draw product December 15th. Please call 512-968-1888 or email dave@ismseat.com to reserve your Quick Draw today. MSRP $99.95"

While supplies last, ISM will ship with one FREE Rocket Bottle for each Quick Draw ordered!
You can get more information about the Quick Draw at http://www.ismseat.com/products_quickdraw.htm. Did I mention that the Rocket Bottle fits perfectly in a stocking? For technical data on the Rocket Bottle, go to http://www.rocketsciencesports.com/Dimples.php

Invitation By FINA

Rocket Science Sports is honored to have been invited by FINA to attend the swimwear manufacturers meeting in Switzerland this coming February.

This meeting will be extremely important in that the manufacturers attending will be able to discuss potential amendments/improvements to the current criteria/rules regarding materials used in manufacturing swimwear.

We appreciate FINA's recognition of our company as playing an integral part of discussion pertaining to the future of international swim competition. We look forward to a fantastic relationship with FINA as a proud supplier for the sport.

Rocket Skin Updates

The swim skin controversy has heated up since the press release has gone out about FINA approving our long sleeved design. It seems to have put swimmers at odds with each other, some feeling that technology should be limited and others that welcome it with the advance of equipment in other sports.

I guess the big question is where should the line be drawn? As long as swimmers have to wear something there can be advantage in some materials over others, all beit a small difference.

Regardless, our perspective at Rocket Science Sports is to challenge and push the limits of performance yet keep them within the legally stated boundries within the sport we are making our products for. FINA has approved our swim skins so we are fine with that.

So now we have an onslaught of swim teams and individuals interested in testing the most advanced suit on the market, go figure. Among those knocking on our door include a bunch of current world record holders and Beijing medalists. This Friday I am travelling to a swim competition in College Station Texas to meet with some swim teams that have asked to test our skins.

Outside of this we are trying our best to tie up some last minute skinsuit orders for early delivery in '09. Those dealers who wait to order will be out of luck as it seems demand may rapidly grow over the holiday season, but our production numbers have to be based on what orders we have now. So if you are a dealer, and you want to get on board, please contact us asap for pricing. sales@rocketsciencesports.com

FINA Approves First Long Sleeve Swim Skin

Rocket Science Sports, the leader in technology driven triathlon and multisport gear and apparel has just established their spot at the top of the food chain in swim competition by having the first long sleeved, full body swim skin approved by FINA.

The Rocket Skin™ is the newest and most advanced product in a succession of specially coated, low drag swim skins made by various companies which have chalked up numerous performance records in the past year including the Beijing Olympics.

Marcin Sochacki, founder of Rocket Science Sports and aerospace engineer/designer explains “What sets our swim skin apart from anything seen before are several unique features to solve the issues that plagued other designs. The first is the material thickness. We are using the thinnest and most stretchy 0.3mm fabric on the market which is coated with super low drag Yamamoto SCS coating and allows for better fit, less heat buildup and the freedom of movement expected by pure swimmers.

Because we now have the stretch and most freedom of movement we were able to cover the shoulders and arms with the Yamamoto SCS coating which has 50 times less drag than the human skin. This makes our suit 40% more efficient in the water than other sleeveless models. The difference in glide stroke is especially amazing! ”

“The Rocket Skin™ has already been used in triathlons for non-wetsuit legal races and we have seen performance advantages of up to 6 seconds per 100 meters and 1500 meter races done in 87 degree water with no issues of overheating,” Marcin continues,

“The last two barriers we have addressed are that of lifespan/durability and potential buildup of water inside the suit in longer events. Because of its amazing durability our Rocket Skin™ is covered by a 1 year warranty. During design we heard of other full body suits having water buildup issues so I designed a panel which allows the body’s natural movement to pump out any excess water that may build up at longer distances.”

The Rocket Skin™ is expected to be available at the beginning of February, 2009 and will be made in 3 versions including long sleeve with welded construction, a stitched long sleeve and a sleeveless model. MSRP is reported to be between $299 and $499. These models are also certified by USAT for all non-wetsuit legal triathlons.

About Rocket Science Sports
Rocket Science Sports designs and sells a complete line of triathlon sporting wear and multi-sport accessories. The company's products are based upon detailed scientific research and the application of engineering concepts. Products are specifically designed to maximize aero and hydro dynamics, durability, efficiency, and of course, style. For product details, visit the Company's web site at: http://www.rocketsciencesports.com/ For sales information contact sales@rocketsciencesports.com

Rocket Skin - FINA Approved!

This just in! Rocket Science Sports Rocket Skin has been approved by FINA for swim competition!

Tests and competition results of the triathlon version of our long sleeve suit compared to the sleeveless, short models of swim skins show an improvement in drag reduction and speed of up to 6 seconds every 100 meters. What's best is the durability. The Rocket Skin has an extremely long life span compared to the 3-4 competition span of some other brands. Our suits should last at least a season due to the special design and materials we use. Being only .3mm in thickness, you can be assured it is very hydrophobic and reduces overheating. We have already had competitors using our suits in 87 degree water at 1500 meters with no overheating.

Pricing on this special design with welded seams will be soon to come. Availability will be first come, first serve. Deliverable in February of 2009. Dealer pre-orders recommended. Please contact sales@rocketsciencesports.com

Rocket Skin Triathlon model. Pics of FINA approved model soon to come.

Rocket Science Sports Expands Into Europe

Austin, Texas, Oct 6, 2008 – Rocket Science Sports Expands Into Europe

Rocket Science Sports, designers and manufacturer of multisport equipment including the world’s most advanced wetsuits, skinsuits and race suits has announced its expansion into Europe by signing a distribution agreement with German based company Triathlon-Elite.

“Due to the high volume of inquiries from Europe for the U.S. based products, Rocket Science Sports started looking into distribution for the EU market about 6 months ago” states Marcin Sochacki, CEO and founder of Rocket Science Sports. “Things moved along very quickly and we are getting new outlets tying into this distributor almost weekly” Marcin continued.

Peter Lehman, Triathlon-Elite’s CEO said “We are honored to announce the launch of Rocket Science Sports products into the European market and are looking forward to supplying the European Triathletes with these amazing new designs. RSS scientifically and mathematically designs, tests and proves to break the old performance barriers run up against in standard multisport product manufacturing. These fresh technologies are already making their mark on the sport.”

Triathlon-Elite can be found and contacted through their site at www.Triathlon-Elite.com.
Ph. +4967012020984
info@triathlon-elite.net

Interbike

It's that time of year again. Time for all the triathlon, bicycle and multisport dealers to converge on that highly lit strip in Vegas to see what all is good and right, shiny and new. I am talking about '09 products of course!

So we are shouting out to the industry to let dealers know that we will be there and to set up an appointment while they can. We will bring with us some really cool things, some really soft things, and some really fast things.

I want to stress that we will be showing off a new innovation in wetsuit design and construction which will change the way you swim, whether a beginner with an entry level suit or a seasoned professional using our new top end Rocket SL. We've done the math folks, and we can prove the difference. Come see how we've done it!

Booth #1058 Sept. 24th-26th
Send your preferred time and day to meet and contact information to Info@RocketScienceSports.com

See you there!

Rocket Science Sports At Chicago Triathlon

Just a quick announcement that we will be at the Chicago Triathlon in booth number 222. Please come by and say hi if you are able to make it to the event. We'd love you meet you and show you some of our newest products including the much talked about Rocket Skin!

Cheers!
Darren

Beijing Olympics Triathlon

We had been working hard to try and get at least some of our bottles in with the USA Triathlon Team (all other categories were previously sponsored) to give them that little bit extra advantage for their bid for the gold in Beijing.

Thanks to USAT our bottles have been passed onto the athletes but I do hear that it will ultimately come down to the individuals sponsors as to if they can use our bottles or not. Gee, I hope they can.

It just came to our attention today that by way of a friend that a shop in Hong Kong (TriSports Hong Kong Limited) who is carrying some of our products provided some tri equipment for this magnificent display for the corporate sponsor of the Chinese National Triathlon Team's top athlete Daniel Lee Chi Wo . It looks like they may be using our Rocket Bottles at the Beijing Olympics.

A friend of Rocket Science Sports saw this display at the Causeway

Bay MTR (subway) station in Hong Kong and alerted us.

These are items used by Daniel Lee Chi Wo. I looked up his name in Wikipedia and this is what I found out: Lee is the leading triathlete in Hong Kong, being the first triathlon representative from Hong Kong in the Sydney Olympic Games. Lee competed at the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He placed forty-third with a total time of 2:03:30.39. During the 2006 Asian Games he claimed the silver medal.

Well, so I guess that is the risk of doing business internationally. With an aero advantage of up to 53 seconds per 40k over standard bottles I only hope that our American team can match him in their choice of bottles. We have done all that we can.

In the spirit of international competition I do wish all the athletes superb health and hope we all see one heck of a fight for the gold!

Cheers!

Skin In French

Now that I have your attention, I thought I'd brag about our new Rocket Skin showing up on the main page of a very popular French online magazine called XTriathlon.com. So if you have French roots and would like to read about our Rocket Skin in French, check it out!

Bon appetit!

Rocket Science Sports Releases New Swim Skin Design

Rocket Science Sports has just released for sale a limited supply of the world’s first full length, long sleeved swim skin called the Rocket Skin in time to be used by top competitors in Kona.

Due to the full length of the arms and legs with the special low drag coating, the Rocket Skin reduces drag by 40% over sleeveless designs. Additionally, Rocket Science Sports had the Rocket Skin approved by USAT for use in non-wetsuit legal competition. “I knew that because this product looks just like a full wetsuit that there might be confusion and questions at non-wetsuit legal races.” commented Marcin Sochacki, designer and founder of Rocket Science Sports. “To avoid potential issues we worked with USAT to put a label on the chest which indicates official approval by them for use in non-wetsuit legal competition.” Marcin also commented “Our underlying fabric is very different from anything else ever used in swim skin designs making it stretch 30% more than what is currently on the market which means it can fit like a second skin but have no restrictions of movement.”

Only a small number of Rocket Skins were made this summer and sales are limited but they will be in full production next spring and available only through official Rocket Science Sports dealers. Dealer inquires welcome.

About Rocket Science SportsRocket Science Sports designs and sells a complete line of triathlon sporting wear and multi-sport accessories. The company's products are based upon detailed scientific research and the application of engineering concepts. Products are specifically designed to maximize aero and hydro dynamics, durability, efficiency, and of course, style. For product details, visit the Company's web site at: http://www.rocketsciencesports.com For sales information contact sales@rocketsciencesports.com

Rocket Race Suit

Rocket Science Sports has done it again! The Rocket Race Suit breaks all performance barriers in race suit technology. This suit is made for use during the entire competition and has components to compliment your performance at each stage of the race.

Lightweight material - This special material is super lightweight and breathable.

Low Drag Finish - Our material has been specially finished to have a low drag coefficient.

RSS Chamois Technology - We have designed the first triathlon chamois which actually reduces road vibration. It is water proof, antibacterial and it is thin enough to swim and run in.

Vortex Generators - Made famous on our 1st generation Rocket XP wetsuit, these small "V" shaped ridges reduce drag by an additional 6% in the water. This equates to approx. 1 sec/100 meters!

Leg compression - Special panels in the legs not only reduce drag in the water and on the bike, but also perform the duty of muscle compression for your bike and run events.

Now available!

MSRP $199.99

It IS rocket science!

Independent Sales Reps Wanted

Established independent sales reps
needed in most U.S. territories for
cutting edge tri apparel, wetsuit and
accessory manufacturer. Rocket Scientists
need not apply, we already
have one. Please email resume to
Darren@RocketScienceSports.com.
Company and product details available
at www.RocketScienceSports.

Rocket Science Sports Open Water Swim

You know that new Rocket Skin I just posted about? Sure, I bet you've been frothing at the mouth ever since I mentioned it.

Anyway, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make you froth even more. YOU CAN GET ONE FOR FREE!

This isn't April, and I'm not playing anyone for a fool. This is for real!

August 17th just outside of Austin Texas we will have the first Rocket Science Sports Open Water Swim. The competition features a 1.2 mile and a 2.4 mile course. The overall male and female winners and winners of the masters men and women 2.4 mile course gets a brand spankin new Rocket Skin! Thanks to Joey Trimyer and Austin Triathletes for setting this up!

Now this just begs the question to be asked, do you think anyone is going to buy a Rocket Skin BEFORE the race so they can win another one?

Hope to see you there with or without a Rocket Skin, but either way, frothing at the mouth.

Cheers!

First Rocket Skin Photos

I have obtained the following images from a top secret source within Rocket Science Sports, well, okay, it was me. But I'm excited to share these with my peeps. And yes I consider all those out there who subscribe to my post as "my peeps", thanks for your support! These are the first pictures we have of the world's first full length, full sleeve swim skin. I do apologize for the quality of these photos as they were taken with a cheap camera in poor lighting. Plus, I thought it was cool to present it in a slightly covert style. Tell me if it works for you. BTW, we'll have real pictures sooner or later on our website and an ad for this suit in September's Triathlete Magazine.

Men's and women's cuts

Approved by USAT to use in kicking everyone's butt in any non-wetsuit legal race!

Special drain design keeps water buildup from happening inside the suit on longer swims.

This suit even has to come with it's own warning. It says "WARNING: This skin suit was designed for serious athletes who want to be first. If you are one of the brave, put this on and let them see you win. RACE WITH ATTITUDE!"

Because this swim skin is full length and full sleeve, it will reduce drag by an additional 40% over sleeveless, short leg swim skins! As a comparison, our vortex generators on our Rocket XP Wetsuit reduces drag by 6% which trims 1sec./100 meters for a pro. So with the Rocket Skin we are looking at a 6.6sec./100 meter advantage! HOLY SHINTO! Did you hear that?

Now let me say this, we have a VERY limited quantity of these for this summer leading up to Kona and almost half of that is already pre-sold to dealers. So please, if you want one just to say you have one and aren't planning on attending the highest profile events remaining this year to kick everyone's butt, then please, please refrain from buying one until next spring when we will have a full production run.

If you have the killer instinct, are not timid of heart and going to some high profile races this year then get one ASAP! HURRY! Send an email today to sales@rocketsciencesports.com and let us know what size you need. They are priced at $399.99. Sizing information is the same as wetsuit sizing in men's and women's but S,M,L,XL only.

Cheers!

CapTexTri 08

This year's CapTexTri was better than ever! Typical of Texas it was good and hot but thankfully we got a few morning clouds for patches of relief. Thanks to all the volunteers who made our Rocket Science Sports water stop the favorite watering hole on the course!

Early morning setup

RSS water crew

Putting the kids to work! (My little Niko is on the right)

The aftermath.

Peterborough Triathlon

One of our newest dealers north of the border would like to invite anyone going to the Peterborough Triathlon on July 5th and 6th to come by his booth and give him a big "Howdy"! If you feel silly using our Texas word for hello, please feel free to use your own personalized greeting.

Paul Parker from Hello Velo will have plenty of our Rocket Bottles on hand as well as give you the opportunity to see our newest Rocket Bag first hand. As well, he will have some demo wheels from our friends at Blackwell Research. Have fun!

CyclingNews.com Reviews Rocket Bag

CyclingNews.com has been the internet world's pinnacle of pro cycling race and industry news for many years. If you want to know the daily buzz of what's going on or what might soon happen in the cycling world, this is where you go.



Along with that CyclingNews.com has the very latest on cycling technology and gear. Their tech editors get into the pits of these pro teams and capture the first images of products that you and I won't see on the store shelves for at least another 6 months to a year after reporting! This is where pre-production testing occurs in the most demanding of circumstances and where company's new products either cut it or hit the trash heap.

With this gratuitous plug of CyclingNews.com I am happy to announce that they have just put out a review of our new Rocket Bag.

According to CyclingNews.com tech editor James Huang "Rocket Science Sports' new Rocket Bag is primarily intended as a gear hauler for the multisport crowd but its convenient form factor, capacious volume and well thought-out interior works surprisingly well for dedicated road and off-road cyclists."

I hope you have your own Rocket Bag to enjoy. Cheers!

So Close!

It may be no surprise to anyone that our Rocket Bottle has been quickly reaching the top of pro cycling and triathlon.

We currently have 3 bottle cage/hydration system manufacturers using our bottles to make sure that their new designs work optimally with our unique bottles. Not that our bottles don't already fit in any standard bottle cage, but these high end manufacturers want to eek out every bit of efficiency possible. How's that for a compliment!

On the other side of things we've been approached by 4 pro cycling teams (Toshiba-Santo presented by Herbalife already use our bottles for their time trials) seeking the use of these wattage savers. One team was trying to get them to use for this month's Tour de France but unfortunately have a competing bottle contract that they could not break. We'll talk later.

Do you have Rocket Bottles yet?

TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife Strong at Tour of Atlanta

The TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife squad had a strong showing at the inaugural Tour of Atlanta, a five-day, seven-stage race in and around Atlanta, Georgia.

The stage race is a part of the Georgia Cup Series of events (www.georgiacup.com) and boasted heavy hitters from top US Professional squads in HealthNet, DLP Racing, and Jittery Joe's, as well as regional squads from South Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia. A strong TOSHIBA squad, Frank Travieso, Yosvany Falcon, Bobby Sweeting, Predrag Prokic, John Fredy Parra, Carlos Alzate, and Joe Fernandez, looked to build its racing form as final preparation as it looked forward to the next month's heavy schedule of racing in USA CRITS stop #2 at Tulsa Tough, CSC Invitational, Commerce Bank Series known as "Philly Week," USA CRITS #3 Harlem Skyscraper Classic, and USA CRITS #4 AT&T Downtown Austin Criterium.

Stage 1 - Individual Time Trial, 7 miles, Buford, Georgia
With the first stage in the Tour of Atlanta an individual time trial, valuable seconds would be contested on the busy streets of Downtown Buford this Memorial day weekend. An out and back course saw five of the top 10 spots gobbled up by TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife riders.

1. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis, 13:31.7
2. Chris Butler, Hincapie Barkley, 13:58.6
3. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 14:02.7
6. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 14:13.0
7. Carlos Alzate, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 14:16.08
8. Yosvany Falcon, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 14:21.6
9. Predrag Prokic, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 14:23.9

Stage 2 - Sprints "Under the Lights," Buford, Georgia
With heavy weight on the sprint finish bonus seconds (1st round, :10, :07, :05; 2nd round, :15, :10, 05; 3rd round, :30, :20, :10), every finish counted. In round 1 Travieso, Sweeting, Falcon, and Alzate all advanced to the semi-final round. In the finals round, it was Sweeting, Alzate, and Falcon representing TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife.

1. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis, :55 bonus
2. Carlos Alzate, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, :45 bonus
3. Leonardo Martinez, Blue Star, :25 bonus

GC after Stage 2
1. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis, 12:37.00
2. Carlos Alzate, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 13:31.00
3. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 13:51.00
4. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 13:56.00
6. Yosvany Falcon, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 14:02.00
10. Predrag Prokic, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 14:24.00

Stage 3 - Circuit, 1 Hour, Johns Creek, Georgia
The heat was on after the first two stages to make up time on a strong Murphy. Halfway through the race, Parra went away by himself and put panic in the charging field. With approximately 10 laps to go it was all back together for a bunch gallop to the line. This would be the first true test for Travieso after injuring his wrist at the Athens Twilight. The red train went to the front with 3 left to go and the rest was up to Alzate and his leadout man, Travieso. Not being able to come around Travieso, Frank ended up winning the 3rd stage of the Tour of Atlanta and valuable finish seconds to slowly chip away at Murphy's margin.

1. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
2. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis
3. Yosvany Falcon, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
4. Carlos Alzate, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
8. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife

Stage 4 - Team Time Trial, 10 miles, Monroe, Georgia
Being a team time trial, this was a perfect stage for the boys in red to perfect their time trialing form and make up lost time on Murphy's one minute lead. The team did not disappoint, winning by a commanding :43 seconds, placing Travieso 17 seconds back from Murphy going into the second stage of the day.

1. TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 25:41
2. Composite Team, 26:24
3. Herbalife/Bike America, 27:12

Stage 5 - Monroe Road Race, 90 miles
In a stage marred with crashes and erratic weather which included rain, winds, then oppressive heat, also saw TOSHIBA's second place GC rider Alzate flat in the first 5k and have to abandon the race. The TOSHIBA squad had to change its strategy on the road and again flexed its muscle with two laps to go in the road race, calling all the riders to the front to pull in a strong break of six and a pesky lone rider, Thad Dulin of DLP Racing to end up taking the win in a disintegrating bunch sprint against local Miami rivals, Ricardo Hernadez of Blue Star and Hector Pastorino of Herbalife/Bike America, grabbing valuable bonus seconds. Murphy ended up flatting with 1 k to go and received the same time as the main group.

1. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
2. Ricardo Hernandez, Blue Star
3. Hector Pastorino, Herbalife/Bike America

GC after Stage 5
1. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis, 4:48.50
2. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 4:49.10
3. Bobby Sweeting,TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 4:49.36
4. Yosvany Falcon, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 4:49.39
5. John Fredy Parra, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 4:50.24

Stage 6 - Criterium, 60k, Gainesville, Georgia
The last time the TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife rolled into Gainesville, Mark Hekman and Travieso placed first and second respectively. The team was looking to repeat its success from a few months before, and they did not disappoint, with Travieso winning his 3rd First place finish in as many days.

1. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
2. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis
3. Hector Pastorino, Herbalife/Bike America
4. Yosvany Falcon, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife

GC after Stage 6
1. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis, 5:46.44
2. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 5:47.00
3. Yosvany Falcon, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 5:47.43
4. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 5:47.45
5. John Fredy Parra, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 5:48.33

Stage 7 - Criterium, 60 minutes, Buford, Georgia
Everything makes a full circle as the Tour of Atlanta wrapped up in the same city that kicked off the first stage of the tour. Sweeting went away early with six other riders, including Tim Henry of Jittery Joe's, Phil Gaimon of FiordeFrutta, Bruno Langlois of Myogenesis.com, and Chris Butler of Hincapie/Barkley. For several laps it seemed Sweeting would pull an upset over Murphy, winning several MAR bonus second primes and putting enough time into the main field. Sweeting's breakaway companions, unfortunatley, were not committed to lapping the field or put a sizable gap into the peloton. However, with 5 laps to go, Henry and Gaimon attacked and ultimately took first and second place (and the finish seconds), to ensure Murphy's grasp on the overall.

1. Tim Henry, Jittery Joe's
2. Phil Gaimon, FiordeFrutta
3. Leonardo Martinez, Preferred Alliance

Final General Classification
1. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis, 6:48.05
2. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 6:48.23
3. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 6:48.46
4. Yosvany Falcon, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 6:49.07
5. John Fredy Parra, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 6:49.57

With the finale of the Tour of Atlanta, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife racked up 4 stage wins, first in the Team General Classification, and 4 of the final podium positions.Next up for TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife is Tulsa Tough, the second stop of the USA CRITS Series, the CSC Invitational, and the Commerce Bank Triple Crown. Follow all of the adventures of the boys in red at www.toshibacycling.com.

For more information please contact:
Joe Silva Public Relations
pr@swagger.us
Ravi Rajcoomar Managing Director
ravi@swagger.us

Rocket Girl

Rocket Science Sports would like to invite you to come by our booth at the 2008 Capital of Texas Triathlon Expo this weekend and meet The Rocket Girl. Saturday May 24th between 2pm and 4pm. See you there!

Rocket Science Sports Gets Pez'd

I had sent the story about Rahsaan Bahati's incident at Athens to Pez Cycling News who posted this very entertaining story about it. Take a look here. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it, but it's worth the work your finger will do. Cheers!

Where In The World Is Bahati's Bag?

Terrible news comes to me from the cycling world today.


The 2008 Athens Twilight Criterium was marred by a most despicable act. Dark days are among us my friends when awards given to race winners are misappropriated to satisfy ones own selfish wants.


I contacted Rahsaan Bahati from Rock Racing today to check up on him and see how he liked the Rocket Bag we awarded him as winner of the Athens Twilight Criterium. To my horror he said that the bag never made it back to the car with him. He also lost his hat and Oakley racing jacket sunglasses which he had put in the bag shortly before it disappeared.

I told Rahsaan that this didn’t surprise me too much as our Rocket Bag has been in such demand that our first shipment sold out before it even landed. As well, we had a story from a dealer in Austin that customers were trying to out-bid each other for the last one they had. Luckily we have these in stock again.

Regardless, I think it’s a terrible shame that someone made off with the 2008 Athens Crit Champion’s Rocket Bag. I have sent this story out to a couple of industry news agencies in hope that the culprit will be found.

Here is the only known photo of that terrible night capturing Rahsaan’s first and last moments of happiness with his new bag. If you look close you can read it in his eyes that he can’t wait to check it out. Sad, sad night.

On another note, Rahsaan tells me that he has been having trouble with his hip and may need surgery. He could be going to the same guy that did Floyd's hip. Anyway, we wish him the best with this and hope for a speedy recovery.

Cheers!

Rocket Science Sports Updates

I wanted to let you all know what Rocket Science Sports has been up to over the last couple of weeks. Here is a quick run down:

April 26th - Had Rocket Science Sports booth for stage 6 of the Tour de Georgia at Brasstown Bald.

Night of April 26th - Drove down for the Athens Twilight Criterium. Special guest of race director Ravi Rajcoomar from Swagger. Defending Athen's Champion Mark Hekman and Crit Series Champion Frank Travieso both from Toshiba-Santo presented by Herbalife went down in an early crash and were unable to contest the finish. Ultimately the race was won by Rock Racing's Rahsaan Bahati who enjoyed flowers, girls, and our new Rocket gear bag.

April 27th - Not only my lovely wife's birthday, but the last stage of the Tour de Georgia. I set up a booth in Atlanta in the infamous Centennial Park where we were rained on for the first half of the day. Luckily the rain held out during my setting up and tearing down. Thank you very much! It was amazing to look around at the buildings downtown and see all the cracked and missing windows from the tornado which hit there only a few weeks before.

Interesting note, two of the pro teams involved in the tour are very interested in our Rocket Bottles and our gear bags. I'll keep you all in suspense of who they are until the details are worked out. :)

May 1st - I flew to Los Angeles where I was picked up from the airport by training coach Robert Keating and whisked away for a 6 hour drive to Lake San Antonio for the Wildflower Triathlon. Robert carried with him what seemed like half the content of Triathlon Lab's store from Redondo Beach for the expo.

Included in that was 2 of the first Rocket race suits to arrive in the country, one medium men's and one medium women's. We dressed up a female mannequin in one and go figure, we got a lot of attention. What especially drew the eyes to our new garment was the very unusual "v" shaped ridges on the back of the shoulders and the lower back. "What are they?" you ask. Well, they are vortex generators, the first ever used on race suits. We also were the first to employ them on a wetsuit.

What happens is that an air bubble is formed behind the shoulders and buttocks while swimming which creates pressure drag. The vortex generators break up this bubble so that there is less of a bubble, and therefore less pressure drag. We are looking at about a 6% reduction in drag. Because the race suit is worn while on the bike, you can bet it aids in drag reduction during this part of the race as well.

Okay, enough tech talk. I've got lots to catch up on. Our next event is luckily in Austin, our home town. Hope to see you all at the Capital of Texas Triathlon May 25th. Cheers!

Rocket Science Sports at Tour de Georgia

For the first time Rocket Science Sports is formally introducing and selling our innovative products at a cycling specific venue, the 2008 Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T. In addition we will be donating one Rocket Bag each day of the race for the VIP silent auction to benefit Children’s Health Care of Atlanta.

Until now, we had been targeting the triathlon market with our products, but due to the enormous popularity of our products we have been encouraged by our dealers as well as the consumer to promote our line among the cycling community. Our Rocket Bottles have also made a big splash as the first aero bottle designed to fit in any standard bottle cage, reducing drag by 16%. Pro Cycling Team Toshiba-Santo presented by Herbalife is supplied with the Elite Bag for traveling and the Rocket Bottle for their time trial events.

We will have a booth during the last two stages of the Tour de Georgia at Brasstown Bald on Saturday April 26th and then at Atlanta Centennial Park on Sunday April 27th.

In nearby Athens that Saturday night we will also be awarding the winner of the pro men, pro women and hand cycle events our bags during the podium ceremony at the most prestigious criterium in America, the Athens Twilight Criterium.

If you happen to be out at the event, please stop by and say hello to me. I am always looking forward to meeting our wonderful supporters.

Cheers!
Darren Zielinski

Review of Triathlon Wetsuit Demo

Last October I posted a video we did with fitness model Karena Dawn demonstrating our preferred method of putting on and taking off a wetsuit. I figured since everyone is really starting to get into the swing of things this spring I'd bring it back for an encore.

Enjoy!

If you would like to embed this video in your own site, visit this link to get the code.

Cheers!

Team Dominance

TOSHIBA-Santo Pro Cycling Team presented by Herbalife

Dominate the Gainesville Georgia Cup

I wanted to send out congratulations to the guys of TOSHIBA-Santo Pro Cycling Team presented by Herbalife for an amazing show in Georgia. Check out their podcast reports on the main page. Below are the stage results and all other race reports can be found here.

Time Trial, 14 k

1. John Murphy, HealthNet presented by Maxxis, 18:48.7

2. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 19:07.4

3. Chris Butler, Hincapie-Barkley Devo, 19:25.2

4. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 19:25.5

6. Dan Vaillancourt, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 19:50.4

7. Alex Hagman, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 19:54.3

10. Mark Hekman, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife, 19:57.8

Road Race, 82 miles

1. Chris Klem, MyogenesisNutrition.com
2. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
3. Alex Hagman, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
4. Mark Hekman, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
5. Tommy Nankervis, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife

Criterium, 60 laps

1. Mark Hekman, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
2. Oscar Henao, Clinica Union
3. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
4. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife

Overall

1. Frank Travieso, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
2. Mark Hekman, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
3. Bobby Sweeting, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
6. Alex Hagman, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by Herbalife
8. Dan Vaillancourt, TOSHIBA-Santo presented by

Way to go guys!

Rocket Bottle Featured In Bicycling Magazine

The May 08 Issue of Bicycling Magazine has included a review of our Rocket Bottle. The section on page 102 is titled "You CAN Buy Speed" and is within the 2008 Spring Triathlon Guide in that issue. You can take a look for yourself here. And for those of you who already own our water bottles, Bicycling has a link for you to add your own reader review. Very cool!

Lucky for us this issue should sell a little better than others (mostly to women) for the simple fact that Patrick Dempsey is on the cover and is interviewed within. We'll take the extra exposure.

If you just want to cut to the chase, here is what Bicycling had to say about our bottle...

Rocket Science
Rocket Bottle
MSRP: $10

Issue: May 2008 Page: BI102
Editorial Review

Forget those goofy aero-shaped bottles; Rocket Science's round, 21-ounce bottle uses the same dimples found on golf balls--and some aero race wheels--to reduce drag. Quick science lesson: As air flows over the bottle, it separates; the turbulence in its wake causes drag. Delay the separation with dimples, and voila: less drag. How much time will you save? Rocket Science tested the bottle with aero guru John Cobb, who found a quarter-pound drag reduction, or about a 53-second savings over 40K, at 30 miles per hour. At just $10 it's worth a try.

Rocket XP Wetsuit Review

The March Issue of Triathlete Magazine had our Rocket XP Wetsuit reviewed and I wanted to re-hash the comments made about our suit. But first, I want to clarify some of our technology so that you may better understand how different our suits really are from the rest.

Brad Culp is the tech editor for Triathlete Magazine and is great to work with. You really have to appreciate a person who is constantly having products thrown at him to test and write about.

Marcin set out to design our Rocket XP from the ground up. First, we spent more time and money designing and perfecting the welded seam so that there would be no chafing threads on the inside of the suit. Marcin was able to find and build our suits without losing the stretchiness at all these panel junctions. It is the most stretchy welded seams I have ever felt.

Next we looked at the neoprene. Again Marcin stepped up and sought out materials from other industries and figured out a way to laminate Yamamoto's super low drag SCS coating onto a non-neoprene material on the inside of the BLT panels in the legs of our Rocket XP to make them 55% more buoyant than standard neoprene and 30% more buoyant than 5mm of the top of the line available to the industry!

The SCS coating Yamamoto uses on their top end neoprene is the gold standard for low drag neoprene surfaces. How we make our Rocket XP even faster and lower drag than that is with the utilization of the "v" shaped vortex generators on the lower back of our suit (see picture below). We are the first in the industry to use this technique. It is because Marcin has a background in aerospace engineering that we have and are able to apply his knowledge to make groundbreaking products. It also helps that he has been a competitive swimmer and triathlete, thus giving him a good base to try and figure out how to make things better.

Before quoting the review, I would like to post the comments made to me by Brad via email immediately after he tested our wetsuit. The timing of getting our wetsuit to him couldn't have been better because ours was the very last one for him to test, so he knew how it could compare to everything else. I also spoke to him right before testing so I could point out for him to pay specific attention to the special buoyancy panels in the legs (the ones I mentioned are 30% more buoyant than 5mm of the top of the line).

Here is what Brad had to say:
"Both Jay and I noticed the leg panels the minute I threw it on -- very nice touch. I like the very low-key arm catch panels too. Some wetsuit makers use these elaborate designs on the catch panel and all it does is cause you to carry a lot of air into the water -- very nice work!"

Triathlete Magazine March 08 Review
"Darren Zielinski at Rocket Science Sports assured us that the seamless design makes the Rocket XP the toughest wetsuit on the market. We took that as meaning we had an open invitation to beat the crap out of the suit, and we did. The suit truly stood up to the test. Aside from being able to withstand any amount of tugging and pulling without splitting, the seamless suit fits extremely well and optimizes range of motion through the arms and shoulders."

Cheers!

Rocket Bottle On Tri-Talk.com

So maybe I've been a bit busy with the daily hustle and bustle of things. One indication might be that I just found out in the last few days that our Rocket Bottle was a featured topic of discussion on Tri-Talk.com episode #59 last month.

While most people recognize John Cobb's name and expertise in the field of aerodynamics and cycling, and he has generously given us some additional information about our Rocket Bottle performance (he gets to play in wind tunnels more frequently than we do), I just wanted to point out that the person who designed our bottle, Marcin Sochacki, was classically trained in aerospace engineering and knew on paper before ever making a sample that this idea would work. Marcin is what makes our company "Rocket Science".

So when you see something that has our logo on it and it has some amazing technical breakthrough in it's design, remember, it's from Marcin Sochacki, also known as M. Sochacki
Designs which you will be seeing and hearing more about in time to come.

Cheers!

Rocket Bag Arrival!

I wanted to let everyone know that our Rocket Bags have arrived at our warehouse. Our staff is very busy packing and shipping all those that have been ordered. So if you've ordered yours, you will see it soon! Cheers!

First Cover

This month marks the beginning of a new era, the era of Rocket Science Sports. Be it an indication of our growing popularity and acceptance as an up and coming brand to be reckoned with, or lucky fluke that our brand stands front and center on the cover of Runner Triathlete News, I think there is only one thing to say.

Here we come!

Photo by Lance Phegley

Rocket Science Sports Goes Running!

Rocket Science Sports has made it's inaugural appearance to the running community at this year's Austin Marathon Expo.


If one could plan weather for an expo and following race, it could not have been more perfect than this past weekends. As all the vendors piled into the Palmer Event Center on Friday the weather was cool and dry. Saturday during the expo it became cold and rainy, which is what most vendors secretly wish for because it helps drive the crowd inside to shop, and keeps them in. Saturday just before closing the expo the sky opened up, the sun came out and was perfect for loading up the trailers and vans. Wow!


The whole thing was made possible by RunTex who has recently picked up our products including our race belts, our gear bags and some custom timing chip straps we made with their logo on them. We set up right in the middle of all the action and it was go go go all day!

Nick Sullivan who is our dealer in Loveland Colorado (3XFast) came down to our lovely town and ran a very respectable 1:56 half on our course which was pretty hilly. Way to go Nick! Sorry you had to return to cold and gloomy weather after enjoying our early spring.


I wanted to give a big thanks to Kim Larson of Tri-DC Magazine for sending some of her friends by to meet me from TriTeamZ. Everyone was very attentive to my product demonstrations and get an A+ for product support. Kim, you can be proud. I hope I did well at making them feel welcome in Austin.

Cheers!

Training Camp Part II

Sunday morning started very early with a lot of squawking, meowing and knocking. Have I gone nuts? No. The squawking I’m referring to is from the geese that hang out at the pond near the cabin I was staying at. For some reason they don’t have any respect for people sleeping and randomly let out collective fits of noise through the night. The meowing would be the very friendly black cat that would show up the door whenever we got in. Each night we’d let it in and it would curl up on the couch and stay cozy and quiet all night. For some reason it decided to play all night, howl and knock something around that sounded like a refrigerator. Kitty was evasive the first two times I tried to coax it outside so I could get some sleep. Persistence paid off the third time though. However that unfortunately wasn’t all I was in store for. Starting at around 6am a woodpecker starting pecking the heck out of our log cabin. At least it was on my cabin mate Brandon’s side. Smart guy brought earplugs while I expected to be away from all those loud city noises. I guess I was.

Bleary eyed I packed my stuff and dragged my bones out to the team car Brandon hijacked to get us to our offsite cabins. It was a cold morning, frost covered everything. We went back to meet with the rest of the team and have breakfast at our favorite hang out, the Hiker Hostel. After feasting on pancakes, eggs, grits, oatmeal, fruit, biscuits and coffee, the team kitted up and headed out to R-Ranch to meet with a local group headed up by the owner of Dahlonega Wheel Works, Jon Dalman.

Meeting up with the locals at R Ranch

The ONLY semi flat stretch in the area. Well maybe not, but it sure seems that way.

We did a relatively small loop back around to the R-Ranch again, maybe a little over an hour and that’s where I broke off. It was either that or continue on to do 6 gap which this Austinite could not have trained enough for in a year, especially with my work schedule, and at their pace! Don’t get me wrong, Austin has its share of hills, but they aren’t bunched all together in a relentless onslaught of climbs of these lengths like they are here.

Neels Gap - 3,094 ft
Jacks Gap - 2,958 ft
Unicoi Gap - 2,941 ft
Hogpen Gap - 3,454 ft
Wolfpen Gap - 3,320 ft
Woody Gap - 3,159 ft

When I got back to the Hiker Hostel I had enough time to defrost, break my bike down and pack it, eat, and then off I went to be dropped off at the MARTA. This is Atlanta’s Rail system that would take me from the north side of the city down to the south side airport. I think it was Bill Cosby who said something about there being a show in every car, but maybe he was talking about New York? Regardless of locale I was treated to a 3 part show, all seemingly to have been carefully orchestrated so that at no time was there a lull of boredom between stops. The best of which was a guy wearing clearly new clothes and decent shoes claiming to be homeless and asking everyone for money. That show came to a stop when one elderly woman came on board and called the guy out. “You’re not homeless!” she said with disdain, “I know your grandmother and she would not be happy with what you’re doing!” The cat played it cool until the next stop and then he quickly exited stage left.

All in all the trip was fantastic. If I haven’t said so already I think that Toshiba-Santo Pro Cycling Team presented by Herbalife is an amazing squad with great talent and an equally dedicated director and staff. Rocket Science Sports is proud to be a supplier for the team and we look forward to a very successful season.

Cheers!

Training Camp

Rocket Science Sports is a proud supplier of the team with our Elite Bags and Rocket Bottles. The guys on the team are blown away by the bag's design and are excited to start using them.


On Thursday Feb. 7th I arrived in Dahlonega Georgia for the Toshiba-Santo Pro Cycling Team presented by Herbalife training camp. Dahlonega is an insanely hilly area. Mostly all the climbs are at least 2-5 times longer than most in Austin and are all squashed together giving no rest for the out of shape Austinite (me).

Friday morning we went out for a leisurely stroll in the hills. The first few hills went by without a hitch on my part. Yeah, I've been training real hard for the for the past three weeks! So I guess it wasn't much of a surprise that my lungs gave out and I removed myself from the group. As I drifted backwards I thought I'd just pull to the side waive my hand and have the team car pick me up. So I turn around and the vehicle that I was hearing behind us went around me and sped off. It wasn't the team car! Where's the car? Oh no! Where's the team car! I looked up the road and already the group was around the next bend and I was breathing like a fish out of water. All I could do was keep on the main road and hope they wouldn't turn off or the team car would come rolling up. As things would have it, Mike Gann came back for me when they realized they were short a duckling. I guess I wasn't too far behind because we caught up with them pretty quick because they had stopped for a nature break. Lucky me!

So as we all got rolling again Mike alerted me to the option of making a right turn and getting back to the base camp. I took it. I'm not crazy. After checking my computer when I got back I could see that I was in working at 94% of my max heart rate for most of my hour ride. I can't wait to get back to Austin, it's going to be soo easy after this!

Saturday was a big day of handing out team kits, taking individual and group pictures and interviews of the athletes by VeloNews and Road magazines. Ravi then dragged the guys back and forth over some very scenic climbs and decents so we could get some cool pictures of the guys in action. For the action shots all the bikes were fitted with our Rocket Bottles. It was a proud moment. I didn't get any riding in this day. I am looking forward to giving it another shot on Sunday. Maybe I'll be brave enough to talk about it later.

Keith Norris, 2007 U-23 National Crit Champion

BTW, the guys were staying at a place called the Hiker Hostel. If hostels are graded by stars, this one is a 5 star for sure. It's very clean, beautiful and has some awesome amenities including a hot tub and a great backyard deck with a nice fire pit. If you are ever in the area and looking for a place to stay you've gotta give this place a shot. Super friendly hosts Josh and his wife Leigh are the best. They'll take good care of you.

I'll try to get out another update soon. Cheers!

Busy February

It looks like a very busy month for us at Rocket Science Sports.

Already our first shipment of Rocket Bags has come in, sold out and we have people banging our doors down for more. Updates on export traffic and shipping dates now has our next Rocket Bag delivery slated for February 28th at our warehouse in Austin.

If you hadn't seen all the buzz over the last week we had our Rocket Bottle mentioned in the New Tech section of CyclingNews.com with some questions about the integrity of the data. This obviously started quite a stir on popular forums, especially Slowtwitch.com. This has kept me pretty busy over the weekend responding to questions directly relating to our bottles, as well as dealer orders. This design makes a lot of sense for the price point and I expect sales to drastically increase over this spring and summer. Does your shop have stock? Take advantage of the buzz. We'll be working on getting the Rocket Bottle more attention soon.

This Thursday I leave for the pro training camp for Team Toshiba-Santo presented by Herbalife. We are providing them with Rocket Bottles for exclusive use during their time trial events and our Elite Bags for carrying their gear. I am looking forward to meeting the team, staff and other sponsors. I am not so much looking forward to suffering on my bicycle in the cold and the mountains trying to keep up with the guys on any of their training rides. Well, that's not entirely true, it's the suffering that really makes it memorable. I have made an honest effort to get in some kind of shape so I can keep up with them for at least the first few miles. :)

One of the days immediately following my return from the camp I may also be taking a trip down to A&M University's wind tunnel. Source Endurance is holding a time trial clinic Feb. 11-13th and will do some wind tunnel work with John Cobb. I don't know if we'll be able to do any specific tests with our bottles unless any of the individuals who paid for the clinic want some comparisons, but I hope to gain additional knowledge about wind tunnel testing (Marcin is the guru and I just want to try and be a little more like him). I'm sure it doesn't hurt to hang out with people like John Cobb, Dave Wenger and the other guys from Source Endurance either. Maybe I'll also gain some instant endurance or efficiency by being there. I can dream can't I?

Among everything else I've been working on plans to attend the Austin Marathon Expo and promote our products in the RunTex booth Feb. 15th and 16th . This will be our first time showing our products to a running specific crowd, so I'm hoping to learn a lot from the experience. We'll be selling our Elite Bags, RJ Bags, Chip Straps (RunTex custom logo), Race Belts and possibly some Rocket Bottles. Guess you didn't know Rocket Bottles can shave time off of your running did you! Just kidding. No, they don't make you run faster but I've been told by runners that our bottles have a comfortable shape to hang on to and the dimpled surface makes them very grippy. BTW, if any of you are coming down for the event please come by and say howdy.

Cheers!

Rocket Bottle Makes Recent Tech Section Of CyclingNews.com

Our revolutionary Rocket Bottle has made the "Recent Tech" section of CyclingNews.com.

Understandably as was reflected in the news, our bottle can make a difference which may be hard to comprehend. I thought I'd make some additions and clarifications to the article for you all.

First I wanted to mention that this bottle was designed in 2004 by Marcin Sochacki, founder and CEO of Rocket Science Sports. Since Marcin was classicly trained in the field of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas, he didn't need to make and test a bunch of prototypes before getting it right. His knowledge affords us a great advantage when it comes to design and engineering. This base is what we use to create the most technologically advanced products seen on the market. Coupled with Marcin's personal experience in competitive swimming, triathlons and road racing, we are able to understand what the athlete's needs are and resolve them with, well, rocket science of course!

Testing took place at A&M University's low speed wind tunnel. We were sharing wind tunnel time with John Cobb who was there doing some work with Blackwell Research. John was amazed at Marcin's bottle design and the numbers it yielded. He asked if he could take the data with him to do some additional crunching. Off the top the wind tunnels tests proved that our bottle reduced drag by 16% over a standard smooth surfaced bottle of the same size. That's while ON the bike and IN a bottle cage. The cage we used was an Arundel Trident which in my opinion actually covers more of the bottle surface than some other brands. With that in mind the dimpled surface wasn't even allowed to work as efficiently as might be possible with a cage offering less surface coverage.

Although this picture shows our bottle on the down tube,

the best data recorded was on the seat tube.

What John came back to us with was a 40km time savings of up to 51 seconds at 30mph. Now you might be thinking that 30mph is an unrealistic speed for most to attain. Remember though that this could be acheived by a 20mph pace with a 10mph headwind or a 25mph pace with a 5mph headwind. These are very realistic pace and headwind examples.

On the other side of things is Marcin's conservative calculation of time savings is about 15 seconds/40km. How many seconds are between competitors during a time trial? Last year's US Time Trial Championship saw the top 5 people coming in within 15 seconds of each other.

So whether you are a top athlete fighting for podium position or just want to squeeze out a few seconds over your riding buddies for bragging rights, spending $10 on one of these bottles is a no-brainer.

Keep an eye out for our bottles on the US pro circuit. Professional Cycling Team Toshiba-Santo presented by Herbalife will be using our bottles exclusively for their time trial events. The picture below is of Bobby Sweeting at the US Time Trial Championships in September of 2007.

Triathlon Lab Talks "Rocket Science"

Lloyd Taylor from Triathlon Lab in Redondo Beach

California talks about Rocket Science Sports products.

Who's That Pro?

... and what the heck is he wearing? Keep your eyes peeled

this year, especially during the pro swim segments.

It IS rocket science!

Ironman 70.3 Coming To Austin

Austin is in! On January 10th Jack and Adams Bicycles held a press conference to announce that Austin Texas will now host it's own Ironman event, The Longhorn Ironman 70.3. The event will take place on Sunday October 5th and will be the first official qualifier for the 2009 Half Ironman Championship in Clearwater Florida.

Below is a video of the press event. Sorry for the poor quality, it's my first try and I didn't have a tripod. If it helps, you can imagine yourself mountainbiking down a bumpy trail while watching. Cheers!

Rocket Bag News Flash

For all those who have been awaiting arrival of the new Rocket Bag, it's here!


BTW, that's the good news. The bad news is that if you hadn't pre-ordered it, we are already sold out! Fortunately we have another larger shipment coming in at the beginning of February.


Just so you know, because of the great demand I'm not even getting one of these bags from the first shipment. I have only myself to blame because I didn't pre-order one either. This won't happen to me again, don't let it happen to you!


I thought I'd leave you with a few refresher images...

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

The Rocket Science Sports family would like to wish everyone a blessed and prosperous new year.

We would also like to take this opportunity to re-commit ourselves to continue designing and manufacturing the most consistently high quality and eco friendly products in the industry today. We will also relentlessly pursue breaking performance barriers that need no marketing hype to relay. We're about mathematical numbers that prove our capabilities, and maybe a few athletes modeling our products who are easy on the eyes.

Cheers!