What do you get when you mix 120 of our rockstar ambassadors from across our company and our hometown of Vancouver? Three days of lululemon culture, development, and fun: aka, our first ever lululemon Ambassador Summit. As a company, we are passionate about creating strong relationships within our communities, and our ambassadors with each store are a true testament to this. To celebrate their amazingness and thank them for being such role models in their communities, we are welcoming them to Vancouver for three days of elevation, inspiration, and relationship building.

We're going to get connected, explore our hometown, and elevate to a new place of inspiration in our lives! Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? It all kicks off today so stay tuned for a follow-up where I will share with you all the exciting adventures we had.

• Learn more about our ambassador program
• Learn about our elite ambassadors
• Apply online to be an ambassador!
• Meet an alumni ambassador

I recently travelled with the team for the Tour de California and tested out this product.

It’s very functional, technical, and rear-end protecting. Hey, if it’s good enough for Andy Schleck, I trust it's good enough for me. I may not be able to ride like these guys, but there is no harm in trying and looking like an official team member while I do it.

Purchase the Team Saxo Bank 2010 Kit for women
Purchase the Team Saxo Bank 2010 Kit for men
Read more about our relationship with Team Saxo Bank

lululemon and a professional cycling team: what’s up with that?

Here at lululemon we pride ourselves on being unlike any other company. We continually push ourselves to find creative ways to introduce the world to our culture and our brand. Recently, as a fantastic example, we entered into a supportive relationship with a male professional cycling team, Team Saxo Bank.

Jens getting ready for time trial at the Tour of California

Team Saxo Bank is one of the top ranked teams in the world, competing at the highest level of international competition, and includes many cycling superstars, including Andy Schlek, who is favored to win the Tour De France this year, and Fabian Cancellara, the “it” rider of the this year’s professional cycling scene.

Eric (on the right), our Director of Community shows Team Director Bobby Julich how it’s done

I know what you’re thinking… “Um, last time I checked, lululemon doesn’t make cycling gear.” Right you are, we don’t. What we do though, is make the best technical cross-training apparel in the world, and these guys, being indisputably some of the best athletes in the world, are testing our garments for all of their off-bike training and lifestyle needs and providing us with invaluable feedback for the further development of our mens’ line. Further, as the staple of our culture is yoga and our belief in the benefits of yoga for athletes, we are excited to be introducing yoga to a sports demographic that has not seen much of it as of yet. I think none of us would deny that cycling = some really tight hips.

Regional Community Guru Jacki helping Matti Breschel (team rider) achieve the perfect warrior in our Calabasas store

In the spirit of conversation generation, a group of us lululemoners travelled as a support team with the Saxo Bank team a couple of weeks ago for the Tour of California. Cruising down the Coast of California in our beloved “Vanna” we enrolled fans and riders alike in the excitement that is lululemon. It is truly a thrill to introduce so many European athletes to a brand unlike any other and unlike anything they have ever experienced. From impromptu yoga, to hotel-room pant hemming sessions, to fueling the Team Directors with their morning caffeine, this team is now very clear that support is our mission, in any capacity it is needed.

Jacki, Jessica, and Allison in front of Vanna with Jakob Fugslang and Andy Schlek (team riders)

Welcome Team Saxo Bank to our lululemon family. We look forward to you killing it at the Tour De France in July!

Cycle on,
Allison

When I received the call three weeks ago that I had been nominated to run with the torch, I was… well, not that excited. I know that sounds bad and I by no means was taking the honour lightly, but in the spirit of full disclosure this was what was going through my head: well, your goal was to win the Olympics in Vancouver, but I guess carrying the torch is kind of cool.

You see, as a two-time Olympian who was forced into retirement through injury, my past Olympic experiences had consisted of operating within an insular bubble of train-rest- compete-leave. I was not exposed to what the world around me understood. I admittedly pretended to understand what this “Olympic movement” was all about.

As an athlete who competed continually throughout the two weeks, I only left the security of the Village to train or compete. All of my down time was spent preparing for the next competition. In preparation for the Olympics in 2002, I decided not to attend the opening ceremonies. As unfathomable as this is to many, I felt like it would negatively affect my competition. Looking back now, I regret that decision. I had not absorbed the spirit of the Games, I just wanted to win.

Well, it took two Olympics, and a 300m run with a torch, but I’ve finally got the spirit! When I boarded that bus with my 15 fellow torch bearers, who together would cover a whopping distance of 4.5 km, something happened, something changed. I don’t know if it was our guide who could barely speak of the Olympics without crying, or the woman who was running in honour of her daughter Hope who had recently passed away, but I started to tingle as that bus took off. 

Allison's biggest/littlest fan

We cruised down the streets lined with people waving flags and kids chanting and the tingles turned to tears. By the time I actually took off with the official flame for my 300m segment, I knew what I think others knew all along. The Olympic Games represent so much more than sport. They truly are a peace movement, where a country first comes together to carry a torch a total of 45,000km, and then welcomes the rest of the world in the celebration of challenging the human spirit. I apologize if I am telling you all something you already knew, but I just wanted to share that it took the torch to teach me this, and I will always be grateful. Go World!