The 2024 triathlon season is slowly but surely drawing to a close. With the Grand Final of the T100 World Tour, another major chapter has closed for this year, following the Olympic Games in Paris and the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice and Hawaii, and only a few races remain before the end of the year. However, one last world championship title will actually be awarded just before Christmas, on December 15th – at the IRONMAN 70.3 distance in Taupo, New Zealand.
It feels a bit strange and surreal to be packing my suitcases with competition equipment, applying for various visas and an international driver's license, and completing training sessions that would normally be scheduled for spring. Instead of gradually getting into the Christmas spirit and looking forward to cozy evenings on the couch with cookies and tea, I, like some other professional and age-group athletes, am heading towards the Southern Hemisphere, essentially taking a direct route back to summer.
Many colors for all conditions | Photo: Simon Gehr / Till Schenk
First, I'll be making a two-week stopover in Australia, and from there I'll travel on to New Zealand's North Island, which is "only" a six-hour flight away. After the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, I'll be spending the rest of December there. So, until January, I'll be trading the cold and snow for a spacious campervan and, hopefully, many hours outdoors in the sun. I imagine I might have made some of you reading this a little envious, but I want to reassure you about the thought of winter, ice, and snow: Invalence got your back!
You're truly well-prepared this year when it comes to the impending sub-zero temperatures and the fight against them. And the secret weapon is, in short: merino wool. The latest merino collection, featuring five new styles, has just been released. And anyone who's stocked up on Incylence's undisputed winter favorites, made from 45% merino wool, over the past two years knows exactly what I'm talking about when I say: these socks are an absolute game-changer when it comes to preventing cold feet while running or cycling in winter. As a staunch Zwift boycotter, I swear by the combination of merino socks and waterproof overshoes. With this setup, even in sub-zero temperatures on your road bike, very little can go wrong (as long as the road surface isn't icy).
No chance for cold feet | Photo: Marcel Hilger
Incidentally, relief is also on the way for cold ears and wet hair after swimming: The new Incylence beanies will soon be launched as an all-purpose solution for before, during, and after sports. Naturally, the tried-and-tested merino yarn is used here as well. But what exactly is so special about it?
To get to the bottom of this question, we actually have to take a step back to summer in Australia, because that's where most of the largest farms of the animals that keep our feet nice and warm in winter are located: Merino sheep. While they are now also found in Europe and other parts of the world, the Merino sheep whose yarn Incylence sources for its Merino products mostly live on the east coast of Australia. The Südwolle Group, a German company, manages its largest company-owned farm there, in Mount Hesse, at the easternmost tip of Australia, very close to Melbourne. It is characterized by high ecological standards and exemplary chemical management. An often overlooked, but particularly important aspect for Incylence with regard to animal welfare, is Südwolle's renunciation of mulesing: This procedure involves removing a fold of skin around the tail of sheep without pain relief. It is particularly common in Australia to prevent parasite infestations and is highly controversial from an animal welfare perspective. When buying merino products, we should therefore always make sure to choose mulesing-free textiles.
A question I kept asking myself while researching Merino sheep in Australia, and one that might have crossed the minds of some of you reading this, is: How is it that the sheep down there in the Southern Hemisphere don't sweat all day long with their cozy, warm wool? The answer is as simple as it is ingenious: Merino wool isn't inherently warming, but primarily temperature-regulating. This means that the heat-regulating mechanism works in reverse, so Merino wool not only warms you in the cold, but also cools you in the heat. This also explains the breathable and moisture-regulating properties of the material, which is also antibacterial and less prone to developing odors. As a result, Merino textiles can be worn more often before needing to be washed, making them ideal for biking or backpacking (or my multi-week campervan tour in New Zealand, where I probably won't want to be constantly refilling the water tank).
Merino wool is the ideal companion for bikepacking adventures | Photo: Till Schenk
Another positive quality, which I was completely unaware of, is the natural UV protection that merino wool offers its wearers (first and foremost the sheep themselves, but also, of course, the people who wear merino textiles). No wonder the Merino Light collection from Incylence is no longer a secret, even in summer and warm weather. I certainly packed a few pairs of them in my suitcase for my trip south.
