So, we were about 2 hours into a cold, windy ride when we made the great climb up Solanum Way.  Just after the crest is a road allowance that runs from the north end of Glamorgan Line over toward Bethany.  We turned onto this at a good clip to find huge, bike-and-maybe-even-car eating puddles with only skinny ridges between them.  Perfect fall riding!  My focus went immediately to keeping the speed up and my little tires (that's right, we are riding road bikes!) on the crest of the ridge.  I was focusing all my energy on the dry patch I could see approaching.  About 15' before hitting the dry section my front wheel slipped right and dove axle deep into the muck.  Not to be outdone, my rear wheel went left and I flew starfish-style into the muck.  Flat on my back and slightly winded the brown ooze closed over my chest.  I was in ...deep.  I groveled out to the laughter of my mates.  It was pretty damn funny but it was also 3degrees, windy and we were still about 40km from home.  But (here is were I draw it all together!) I was wearing nothing but merino.  Underlayers, jacket, bib-tights and socks; the lot.  In fact the only thing I did not have covered in wool was my hands and they froze!    In the 11/2 hours it took us to grovel home I was actually pretty comfortable.  Maybe the ½" of muck that covered me was keeping me warm but I like to think it was all down to the merino wool.

So, I like my sheep wooly.  Since my first experience wearing Icebreaker in the mountains of Peru in 2006 to my most recent escapades I have come to love the longhaired merino sheep that give us all this fabulous clothing.  Hardly a day goes by that I don't find myself wearing something made from merino wool.  From boxer short underwear (every single day!) to t-shirts in the summer, from cycling shorts and jerseys to sweaters in the winter all of my favorite clothes come from those fuzzy creatures. 

This season Wild Rock is very happy to introduce Ibex to our mix of apparel.  Ibex is an American company that uses pure New Zealand merino fabrics but manufactures most of their goods in the USA.  Ibex has never been shy to experiment with different gauges of merino wool to achieve great performance in a huge range of activities.  The Ibex line ranges from t-shirts to sweaters and outerwear but a few pieces really stand out as unique.   Their Shak garments, for example, are made of a heavier-than-normal 21micron wool, which is every bit as tough as it is comfortable.  I have been wearing one of the Shak full-zip styles for over a year now (ok, not every moment of every day, but I have worn it a lot!) and it is one of the most versatile pieces of clothing I own.  It has gone traveling with me, been worn rock climbing and has consistently been my favorite piece of clothing when I have to dress up a bit.   Ibex also has a great collection of cycling clothing.  As you already know, I can say conclusively that merino wool makes up the best cool weather cycling clothing I have ever worn. 

With Ibex on our sales floor Wild Rock is able to offer an additional range of versatile, comfortable apparel to our loyal merino wool customers.  Whether you like to grovel in cold muck or just love the comfort of merino I reckon that is a fine thing. 

Yours in muck,
Kieran