Even a Blind Squirrel....

I haven't raced a crit in a bit more than 6 years. Not having the time, and plain old fear have kept me from even bothering. But after watching Eli kill it in his first real attempt a few weeks ago, I knew I had to give it another shot.

Now I think we all know that the Tuesday night crits (TNW's for the cool kids) are not hard core criteriums like the big ones, but people go pretty hard anyway. I felt pretty good the whole time and I put myself in the right places (mostly) and I gutted out a 2nd place. I'm actually VERY happy about that. Like my old friend Dirk has always said: "Even a blind squirrel eventually finds a nut."

The Beautiful Mrs. K gathered up the 1st and 3rd finishers tonight for an ad-lib podium (with no actual podium). Chad Brown killed it, and Kellen got 3rd. I, looking like 10 pounds of shit in a 9 pound bag in my skinsuit, got 2nd. I like my socks better than their socks, though. And I'm 100% sure I'm 40 years older than they are. Bonus!
 

When a Sump Pump Creates more Problems than it's Worth

 

If you own a newer home with a basement, chances are you have a sump pump. We have one. The sump well has a trickle of water in it most of the time. When it rains really heavily, I'll hear the pump kick on for a few seconds and then I won't hear it for another hour. Maybe not until it rains heavily again. Since we've had a LOT of rain lately, the pump kicked on while I was lifting weights in the basement. I saw an awesome stream of water rocketing toward the wall and thought...that's not right. Sure enough, the check valve had sprung a leak. It's 20 years old, after all. After dousing myself in water after disconnecting the valve, I skipped off to Lowes for a replacement.

17 George Washingtons later, I had a new check valve, complete with new connector hoses! Bonus! "Not so fast!" the new check valve muttered. Upon connecting the new valve, I was again doused in fresh water because...drumroll please...the new valve was cracked all of the way around it's bolt-pattern. Leave it to Lowes to have a generic, faulty valve right there on the shelf for me to buy. And leave it to me to be the sucker that buys it.

It's Been a Lifetime

It was 20 years ago this month that I had the worst accident ever in cycling. Worst ever, period. I was hitting it hard at the front of the dirt crits at Castlewood. Ryan Pirtle was trading the lead with me, only a couple laps in. We left the field and went into the woods and BAM! 

I had hit a root sticking up pretty far out of the ground. Both my hands popped off of the bars, and I did a slow-motion Superman towards a fairly small tree. I hit the tree, arms outstretched, between my left arm and my head. I remember it sounding like a bag full of aluminum cans. I immediately sat up, searching for my bike. But no air. None. I had ceased to breathe. I crawled around on the ground, trying to get to any air that I could. There were people standing around. I actually reached out to one, but had nothing. I rolled onto my back. There were more people gathering. Still no air. But more people. 

After an excruciating ride to the hospital in an ambulance, I finally got to see Deanna. She was there, on one of our first few dates, watching the race. She was told by the other spectators that I had a crash. That was a lot for someone to handle, seeing your Thursday night date was in critical condition. But there she was. 

8 broken ribs in my back. Punctured lung. Broken coracoid process. 3rd degree Acromiclavicular separation. I slept upright in a chair for 5 weeks. My shoulder is still ugly. I never got it fixed. Never had surgery. Perhaps I should have, perhaps I should have completed the physical therapy, too. But the ambulance ride alone was $1000. We won't go into the physical and psychological costs.

But she was there. Bad date night or not. That's love.

 

Klaus Park UFD Mountain Bike Race

Oh, the joy of riding a mountain bike on fast, tricky trails! I've enjoyed Klaus Park for many years now, and it keeps getting better. Myself and two of the three South Side mountain biker boys ventured south to Cape Girardeau for the race there. It was hot but a nice breeze kept me from melting. I'd say that the camera angle was a little funny, because Eli and Brody look very fit, and I look like I have a beer gut. (Flannery Allison photo)

Regardless of my fondness for this trail, I wasn't that fast. FEELING fast and GOING fast are two completely different things. Man, I felt like I was flying! I felt like I had the trail totally dialed in. Weeeelllll.... (Flannery Allison photo)

Eli not only felt fast, he was fast. He hung on to Brody the Destroyer for about half of the race, and ultimately finished 2nd. Brody did his destroying for 1st place and beat out Eli for fasted lap of the day, too. Eli finished comfortably ahead of me, of course. When I say comfortably, it was a few minutes. I won't divulge the number of minutes. (Flannery Allison photo)

Although not completely OK with my finish, I'm always very happy for Eli. Just like Klaus Park, he keeps getting better and better. And he never makes fun of me. Onward and upward! (Flannery Allison photo)



 

FITFL Fitness in the Fast Lane!

 

If there ever was a person you should get to know, it would be Hanna. Of course I have a massive bias, being my daughter and all. But I don't think I'm off base here. I'm forever surprised by her thirst for knowledge and self-betterment. Very recently she's turned her health and fitness ideas into a business venture. It's pretty fresh and still evolving, so it's the perfect time to check it out.

Website: 

Fitness in the Fast Lane

Blog: (also clickable at the bottom of the landing page)

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Lees-McRae Orientation

The Beautiful Mrs. K and I took Eli to North Carolina for orientation at Lees-McRae College. It's a long drive, but going to college is a big life event and something you don't want to miss.

This small school is tucked into the mountains. Like, RIGHT THERE in the mountains. It's got such old-world charm. And everywhere you look, there is something that makes you smile. We had parent orientation while Eli got acquainted with teachers, TA's, and the grounds. Deanna and I stayed in the AirBnB while Eli got his taste of dorm life for a few days. Such an impressive staff, very dedicated to the students.

And there was riding. Oh yes, very good riding. Besides visiting awesome restaurants and awesome coffee shops, we rode mountain bikes. On the school grounds, there is a gnarly set of trails that would turn a person into a mountain biker if they weren't already. And if your climbing isn't good, it will be after staying here a while. 

We all visited Beech Mountain to ride the trails there. Wow. Some moderate single track, but the bulk of the trails were absolutely gnarly. Drops, roots aplenty, sharp ups and downs, etc. We were hitting 200 ft. per mile climbing. At 5200 feet, the altitude was also a thing, at least for us dead-flat landers. When we we had our fill of the dirt, we climbed the last half mile or so on the pavement to the top of Beech to see the downhillers tackle the mountain. Right about this moment, Eli is putting the hammer down on the old man.

After riding, we ate lunch at the resort at the top. We were able to watch the riders riding the lifts up and blasting down the different courses. What a beautiful place to spend time. Mrs. K and I are quite jealous that Eli gets to spend the next few years here...hopefully getting a good education here on top of riding his bike.