A Day in Follow Hollow Performance Alpaca Socks: First Impressions

Image Credit: Follow Hollow

Brian Davis, the guy who brought us Fix It Sticks, the Back Bottle and the Weatherneck has a new product he has just launched on Kickstarter. Follow Hollow is a performance sock manufactured in the USA using premium alpaca fiber from Peru.  Made with 80% baby alpaca, 15% nylon and 5% spandex these socks are designed for comfort, temperature regulation, durability and all day wear.

Brian sent me a sample to test on my commutes and other bike adventures. I wanted to see how they performed in a variety of conditions so I decided to wear them for 24 hours on the day I was to race The Filthy 50 in Lanesboro, MN.  This day would put Follow Hollow Performance Alpaca Socks through one extreme to the other in terms of temperature regulation.

The day started out with Follow Hollow socks as one of my cold and wet weather apparel choices for what 4+ hours in the saddle would bring at this year's Filthy Fifty.  Once I got to Lanesboro I put on my Lake cyclocross boots and shoe covers and got ready to race.  From the start line it was 33°F with winds around 20 mph and gusting to over 30.  During the race it started to snow pretty good making the Fillmore County gravel roads wet, soaking me and my bike.  After the race my feet we were dry and had remained comfortable despite the frigid temperatures.

I got into dry clothes and kept the Follow Hollow socks on to continue my day. After a two hour drive home I showered and changed again putting the Follow Hollow socks back on my feet.  Being antimicrobial, after all of what these comfortable socks had been through they were dry and didn't smell.

They did a wonderful job of regulating my foot temperature and wicking any perspiration whether it was on a long, chilly bike ride or walking the cold wood floors at home. These socks are so comfortable that I even wore them to bed and my feet never felt hot. I didn't have any issues with them sliding down either, they simply stay in place.

Winter will be here before we know it and I plan on wearing Follow Hollow through to next summer because they wick and regulate temperature so well.  They are not bulky or itchy but cozy, extremely soft and comfortable enough for everyday wear.  Kudos to Brian Davis on another great cycling product.

Image Credit: Follow Hollow

You can get more information about Follow Hollow Performance Alpaca Socks on the Follow Hollow website and Kickstarter page.  You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

*Disclaimer:  Follow Hollow provided a sample to test but offered no other form of compensation for this review.

Four Twin Cities Area Fall Color Rides

The Twin Cities metro area has miles of roads and trails that offer great views of the fall colors.  This is my favorite time of year to ride not only for the vivid change on the trees but cooler temperatures make riding much more comfortable.

Image Credit: MN DNR

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fall Color Map is now live and will be updated by State Park and State Recreation Area (SRA's) staff.  With the wet Spring Minnesota has had and a good growing season during the Summer, trees are very healthy and a magnificent color display is expected throughout the state now through mid-October.

Below are some of my favorites near the Twin Cities that I try to visit this time of year.  They will be posted as a RideWithGPS route that can be used to print cue sheets, download files* for your gps device or use with the RideWithGPS app.

*FIT is the best format for turn-by-turn directions on modern Garmin Edge Devices.
*TCX is compatible with most modern GPS units. Provides turn by turn directions including custom cue entries, but may consume more space than FIT.
*GPX is useful for any GPS unit. Contains no cuesheet entries, only track information (breadcrumb trail).

St. Paul Fall Colors Along the Mississippi River

21.3 miles

823 feet elevation gain
FIT Course (.fit)
TCX Course (.tcx)

GPX Track (.gpx)

Cuesheets

Lake Minnetonka Fall Colors Loop

35.2 miles

884 feet elevation gain
FIT Course (.fit)
TCX Course (.tcx)

GPX Track (.gpx)
Cuesheets

Tour of Hastings Fall Colors Ride

37.1 miles

1,214 feet elevation gain

FIT Course (.fit)

TCX Course (.tcx)

GPX Track (.gpx)

Cuesheets

UMore Park/Vermillion Highlands 

Mixed Surface Fall Colors Ride

31.3 miles

590 feet elevation gain

FIT Course (.fit)

TCX Course (.tcx)

GPX Track (.gpx)

Cuesheets

Note: "Vermillion Highlands is open to various hunting activities during specific times of the year. Trail users are advised to wear blaze orange clothing during these seasons. Please visit the Wildlife Management page or call the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at 651-322-4643 to learn more."

Don't delay as the fall colors won't stick around for long.  Take one or several of the rides mentioned in this post and experience some great Minnesota scenery on a bicycle.