It's Cyclocross Season!

 

First off: The struggle is real. No matter how great the racing season is going, there is always going to be THIS.

Second: It's cyclocross season! Yeah! I love watching it, kinda like racing it, but absolutely embrace the feel of the wonderful fall weather and atmosphere that surrounds it.

I'm not that good at this sport, that's why I ride a mountain bike (also known as 'The Blue Sheet Bike') and ride in the masters class.  But anyway, Sylvan Springs is a favorite of mine, with much climbing and tricky, acorn-strewn turns.  Big Shark always puts on great races here. I had a nice battle with another Tim, who puts me to shame in the straights and never seems to make any mistakes. 

45 minutes of suffering later, I pulled out a win. Lucky for me the climbing was intense (a bit over 100ft per mile). I was gunning for the "younger" 40+ masters, but didn't catch them all. I didn't really care, because the race was so fun.  But I also had another very big reason to finish quickly....

Starting just moments after I finished was this dude. He's had a great NICA mountain bike season so far and has one more race to go this coming weekend. Despite a full schedule, he was very gung-ho to do this race. Obviously he shops at the same places I do, and he was in full South Side kit and piloting his very own Sheet Bike ('The Green Sheet Bike'). I have known for a while that his gains over last season are astonishing, but I wasn't really expecting this sort of performance.  He started fast (he is my offspring, don't forget) and just kept going full gas.

He went on to develop quite a lead, despite losing his chain and having to get off and thread it back on. He looked very comfortable out there, proving once again that his bike handling is super solid and that his fitness has improved so much in 2022.

Here Eli is trying to explain to me that no, there was, in fact, NO MOTOR hidden in the Green Sheet Bike. His performance was do to good old-fashioned hard work and a love of riding bikes.

Thanks again to Flannery Allison for providing wonderful pics of Eli, and to the Beautiful Mrs. K for wrangling the Hound Dog while cheering for us all over the course.

NICA Weekend at Jefferson City - RACE #4

 

Weather was great. Track was great. How could the NICA race at Binder Lake in Jefferson City NOT be great? Well, it was fantastic. We drove to Jeff City Saturday morning and helped set up the South Side Composite Otter's Pit Zone. Then it was on the bikes for Coaches pre-ride and athlete pre-ride.  The track was pretty challenging, with a lot more climbing than expected and more than enough roots and rocks for a 4-mile track. 

Practice day done, Eli, Myself, and the Beautiful Mrs. K set out to find food.  So we invited Eli's girl and her sister to join us.  Then we invited more.  Then more showed up.  And still more.  Soon, there were 35-40 kids and family members from the Otters team driving the wait staff crazy.  It was a madhouse. Food was good, too.

The Varsity kids race early on Sunday mornings, and it was c-c-c-cold.  But as you see here, Eli is not cold natured like his old man. He busted out in short sleeves and shorts.  The front of the Varsity class is quite competitive, and Eli has consistently been in the front 5 guys. With a good start, it was looking like he was going for another top finish. Tough, tough racing. Lots of crashes, plus slide-outs in the gravely corners were the order of the day.

Upon finishing his 2nd lap of 3, Eli let us know he'd smacked a tree with his pinky.  But as you see here, he was upright and flying so rubbin' is racin', right? One lap to go, still in the top 5.

With a solid final lap, Eli finished 5th. Pinky finger intact, he had made the podium again. 

NICA races are a mix of 11-year-olds that just started mountain biking and 18-year-olds that are going to college next year on racing scholarships. It's hard to make the podium in any of those classes. We're all very proud of this young man.  Not only has he made great improvements in his riding and racing, but he's also a solid character off the bike. The South City Composite team has many younger riders and a lot of them look to Eli for advice and he is quick to help. Also, he's made friends with kids from all over the state, even some that are his competitors. 

We're looking forward to the last Missouri NICA race of the season in two weeks at Two Rivers in the Springfield area. Fingers crossed for another great event.