Since launching
18 Maple Endurance Training in February of this year, I've received numerous inquiries as to why I chose the name 18 Maple. Just this past weekend, while out in a training ride with the new tri kit, I was asked by fellow riders and perfect strangers why 18 Maple?
My first, and easiest, answer is always that it is the actual physical address of where we are located. As a sister brand of Continuum Performance Center, it just made sense and was a way to affiliate the brands.
A solid brand is represented not just through its name but through its look. I was lucky enough to work with an incredible local graphic designer, Scott Gordon-Decoteau (also an avid cyclist), who was able to capture exactly how I wanted the brand to be showcased. The maple leaf was a must.
Having strong roots with family and friends supporting your aspirations make the many miles and long hours worth it.
Ironically enough, I was out on a training ride in a tiny little town on the east side of the Quabbin Resevoir this past weekend in the new 18 Maple Tri Kit. A stranger asked me what 18 Maple was and why the maple leaf. Before I could answer, he told me he makes maple syrup in town and loved the maple leaf. I was dumbfounded by how a perfect stranger, knowing nothing about the brand, could see right through the tri bike, pink and blue kit, wavy lines, a crazy lady riding in the middle of nowhere and see the true meaning behind 18 Maple Endurance Training.
18 Maple Endurance Training isn't just a name I pulled off of a mailing label. 18 Maple is a tribute to my roots and to those who have had my back from the beginning. There may come a day when our physical address is no longer 18 Maple Court and that's okay because we’ll continue to honor our history.
