Hall, who has spent the season focused on track events competed in the Sprint, the Kilo, the Points Race, and the Scratch Race.  While he posted respectable results in all events, it was in the Match Sprints where he really made his mark by winning the Cat 3/4 overall.

Hall sailed through the initial qualifying rounds by posting personal best times and still saying that he was “certain to do better next time by trying one gear smaller.”  As he entered the match sprint rounds he bested riders from several teams with a combination of power and sound tactical decisions.  In the championship round, however, things got interesting as he was paired up against former teammate and regular training partner Bo “Robster Craw” Lee.  Chris was not worried and said, “I beat Bo before and was feeling confident against him.  I knew what he had to do to beat me so I would just have to do my best to prevent that from happening.”  The two played a nerve wracking game of cat and mouse until Chris decided the moment was right.  He said, “I hit the inside and just put my head down and went and Bo was right on my wheel.  Of course I never looked back so I didn’t realize until afterwards that he was right on my wheel.  We stayed that way the rest of the lap and he couldn’t come around me so I took the win.”  From his description, it all sounds so easy.

Though practically every member of Whole Wheel Velo Club will freely admit that they don’t understand track racing or the various track events, the team is proud of Hall’s win, especially as it comes over such a respected opponent and friend of Whole Wheel.  They will now be looking forward to seeing Hall once again sit in the back of the off-season group rides, pretending to have something wrong with his shoes until the next sprint point comes around…

When Gamjams asked for volunteers to review this product, I was initially very excited.  “Let me get this straight: you will send me a free cooling device and all I have to do is try it out and write about it?  Sign me up and bring on the schwag!”  When it got here, I was more than a little disappointed.  In fact, my initial impression was something more akin to “is it too late to send this back so I don’t have to write a report?”  Let’s be honest; out of the package the collar is just a small handkerchief that has velcro on it.  It’s nothing.

But because I am a sucker for anything free, I went ahead and followed the instructions.  I put the collar in some ice water and let it soak for about thirty minutes.  When I returned a magical transformation had occurred and all the mysterious “crystals” had expanded to the point that this collar now was as thick as a golf ball and ice cold.  The Luddite within cried out “what manner of devilry doth this be?”

I then tested the collar in two basic circumstances: during- and post-workout.  Since I do most of my structured training indoors, I thought the collar might be the perfect device to keep me comfortable in my hot, humid basement.  It worked, but not all that well.  I put the collar on during my roller workout and, despite an initial sensation of cool water on my neck, I found the collar to be too loose and soggy to be really comfortable while riding.  Plus I think the principle at play is evaporative cooling and there just isn’t enough air flow on my neck to accomplish this.  It might have cooled me off a little bit but I really couldn’t tell any difference.  Perhaps it works better outdoors?

When I tested the collar after a workout, however, I think I found the perfect niche for this device: recovery tool.  Basically I soaked the collar in ice water during my workout and put the collar on when I was finished and enjoying my recovery drink.  Under these circumstances, where I could sit down on the porch or walk around, the cooling sensation on my neck provided an instant relief.  It might have been psychosomatic, but it really did feel like my whole body was cooling down quicker.  I stopped sweating more quickly and I felt very refreshed.  It was a very pleasant sensation (and I didn’t feel like a freak riding my rollers with a wet tube around my neck.  Instead I was “recovering smartly with a cooling device while sipping Ovaltine.”  It’s all about image.).

So, why would I buy this?  I think this is a great and inexpensive tool for post-effort recovery.  It is, essentially, no different than having some cool towels for after a race but it stays cold much longer and gives you plenty of comfortable recovery time.  It would be a great way to cool off after an interval session, the Tuesday Night World Championships, or another Page Valley Road Race if you took it with you in a cooler with some ice water.  Riding with it on, however, seems to me to be much less effective or comfortable.

The collar can be purchased at www.theaspencoolcollar.vpweb.com.  But you should probably get to the site by clicking the banner on gamjams.net so the good folks who run that site get credit for their advertising efforts (and we get more free stuff to review!).

Thanks for reading!