Mo better Embro

Its no secret that I am a huge fan of Mad Alchemy products. You can't argue with the quality of the line and the fact that Pete Smith is a good friend and just an amazingly cool cat just makes it so much easier to love. I always look forward to when new MA embrocation comes out. It reminds me of when Anchor Steam used to come out with their Christmas Ale. I would stockpile it, buy it in big bottles, give it as holiday presents. It was special. Still is really. Pete keeps upping his game. The Gentlemans blend was a huge hit. Really still is one of my favorites. But when Pete announced he was doing a signature line for Cross season with some of my favorite crossers as inspiration I was counting the days until he released them to the public.

Pete not only brews up some of the best embrocation on the planet he is a badass on a cross bike and such a cool guy. Not to use a totally overused term but he gets it. He really does. Its awesome seeing him killing it in the masters!

photo by Doublehop

The list is a who's who of cool cross racers in the U.S. Tim Johnson, Mo Bruno Roy, Molly Cameron. I settled on buying Molly's and Mo's. I chose Molly's as, other than Adam Myerson, she has had the biggest influence on me as a cross racer and has always been a willing mentor. Molly's embrocation has the whole euro thing going for it. It smells and looks amazing. But its been sort of warm here in New England (except today!) so I thought I'd start with Mo's. Mo's is a milder vegan embro. It smells like a spa, has the consistency of an Origins body scrub and goes on shiny! It doesn't change the color of your skin like a tanner like some of the embro but it has a high sheen.

I tried it at Quad last Sunday on a pretty warm day and it felt great. Kept the muscles supple but didn't burn. Embro on a hot/warm day can get crazy if you choose the wrong one. One year at Battenkill I put on some Sportsbalm and literally thought I was going to need to go to the er for chemical burns. Mo's signature embro warms you but doesn't overwhelm. Post Quad I didn't notice any "reactivating." Ahhh you haven't lived as a crosser until you've had the embro reactivate in the shower or later at night while under the sheets. Can be quite invigorating...

This week I had a chance to try it at Weds Am Worlds at Larz and today on a cool and rainy 2 hr road ride. Today was really its best test. It was 50-60 degrees and drizzling with lots of puddles. I put it on sans leg warmers and headed out. I noticed instantly how well it repels water. I could see on top of the cxey sheen beads of water rolling down the legs. Each cold puddle that sprayed my legs with water didn't penetrate to my legs at all and I stayed warm for the whole ride. This time in the shower it did reactivate but in a very mild manner. I love this embro. Its going to be my go to for the early Fall. And yes it does remind me a lot of Mo. Warm but tough. Perfect for cross racing in New England