My First Pedal Hard Training Center Session

I finally got into the Pedal Hard Training Center for a session yesterday.  It has been hard to walk past their enclosure day after day and watch riders get their sweat on while I've been injured.  It opened 24 hours before I broke my leg at the state cyclocross championship on December 8, so it has been timed perfectly to frustrate me.

Yesterday I did a pretty routine workout (I overdid it, of course) and now I have a 20 minute power test scheduled for next week.  It's going to be a bit humbling, but one has to know where one is before one can get where one wants to be.

I love creepy photos

 Hanna and I share a love of creepy movies, creepy photos, and generally anything creepy.  So, as we left the Chocolate bar tonight, we were enthralled with the small alley ways between the buildings in Lafayette Square.  The one with Hanna is very creepy, don't you think?

We did one with Eli, too, but he didn't want to stand there long enough for me to get a good photo.  Still pretty cool, eh?

They grow up so fast

Although he has yet to crest 8 years old, young Eli is eager to start shaving.  I helped him out tonight with his shaving cream, and he did the rest.  (That's a simulated razor for all of you who would call me a terrible father!)

I'm ready to Ride!

My broken leg is on the mend and I'm dying to get out on the 27.5.  I had very little saddle time before getting laid up.  The weather is making things difficult, too.  The last thing I want to do is fall again on ice.  I have to be satisfied with the trainer for now.

Skate Park with Hanna and Eli

 We started off at the little skate park in Webster.  Eli has this one wired.

 Hanna got a new skate board for Christmas, and is getting the hang of it.

 Making progress.

 From there, we went down to Silvan Springs, which has an honest concrete skate park with some very challenging features.  Check out the guy behind Eli getting a little rad.

 It really is a cool skate park.  Eli eventually did go up and down some of the bowls, although he biffed it several times at low speeds.

Photo Evidence of Christmas

 Eli, reading the note that Santa left for him Christmas morning.

 Eli, digging in at Grandma's.  Max appears to be meditating.

 Hanna, hiding behind the couch with her pile of goods.

 Hanna getting deep into presents.

Tyson is very happy about his Under Armor hoodie.

Rex finds Hanna a curiosity

Whenever Hanna comes to visit, Rex will not leave her alone for quite some time.  On Friday, he would find any way he could to be on top of her.  He is sneaky at first, just slowly moving forward until he's touching her in some way, then crawls all over.  He's every bit of 60 pounds, too.  Just a big, loveable sack of potatoes shaped like a dog.

Photobombs by Hanna

Don't leave your phone unattended around Hanna.  It was a cute photobomb, though.

Car Watching: Aston Martin

Ah, Chesterfield.  How you do entice me with your excellent assortment of automotive taste.

Broken stuff

 (photo by Mike Dawson)

This was how I started Sunday at the Missouri State Championship Cyclocross race.

And this was how I ended it.

I fell soon after the photo was taken.  Not hard at all.  Just twisted my ankle 90 degrees to my leg on the way down.  Felt (and heard!) it pop.  Had some very kind people escort me to my car, drove myself to Urgent Care, and x-rays confirmed that my fibula was broken.

It hurts.  But it will only be 3 weeks before I can put weight on it.  That's New Years Day for those that are counting.  After that, it's a new assault on mountain bike racing.  It's time to do what I have to do.

Queeny Park Bubba Cross Race

Thanks to Ryan Barr for the fantastic photo!

After last weeks horrendous race in Chesterfield, I was hoping to redeem myself in Queeny Park today.  Queeny usually presents a pretty fun course, and today the Big Shark boys did not disappoint.  It was super fun!  Still, I only finished in 8th place, but it truly was my best and for that I have to be satisfied. 

Next weekend is the State Championship race, and it's being held at my second favorite venue:  St. Vincents.  One big problem:  weather.  It's supposed to take a turn for the worse.  Oh well.  My best is all I got!!

Onward and upward.

Mount Pleasant Bubba Cross

Thanks Cindi Inman for a great photo!

In an event that may never repeat itself, I raced two cross races this weekend.  After finishing yesterday's race at Concordia Seminary, I was spent.  I had decided not to race today at Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta. 

But, the huge all-day rains never materialized and it was 70 degrees this morning at 9am.  Even the fatigue in my legs couldn't hold back the desire to hit this race for the 5th year in a row.

40mph gusts of wind notwithstanding, I am certainly glad I went.  After 8 (or was it 9?) laps of the hardest Mount Pleasant course ever (and that's saying something, because it's NEVER an easy course), I had conjured a 5th place.  That's my best finish there.  Yay, me.  I would say the cheers of the crowd helped quite a bit, although my home-based cheering squad did not come today which is always a bummer.

Now that I have consumed everything in sight for the last 5 hours, I think I might be OK.  Now I know why I don't race two days back to back.

Concordia Bubba Cross

Last year, I thought I was on the way to winning the A race at the Concordia Seminary Bubba Cross event.  It's a rough little course, and it suits me just fine.  On the last lap last year, Josh Johnson put an end to my frivolous ideas and I got second.

Imagine my delight today when I realized that Josh had not made the trip to Concordia.  Surely I could win this year?  No.  Even the though the course was even rougher this year, not only did I not win, I couldn't even muster second place.  Good ol' Pete Henry smoked by me in the first 60 seconds of the race and that was that.  And Scott Ogilvie made sure that I didn't get too comfortable in second place, either. 

Anyway, I still really like Concordia, and third place will just have to suffice.  Great race, just beat the rain, what more can I ask for?

Photos from Bubba Cross at Buder

 There was this cool gravel mound on the backside of the course at Buder park Sunday.  This first photo was pretty cool.  Right click and open the photo in a new window and you can see every detail, as it's a BIG photo.  The coolest thing is that my front wheel is actually not touching the ground.

This is obviously NOT a good photo of me, but I think it's hilarious.  Scott Ogilvie is the rider in front here, and he looks like an elf in front of the big, bad TK.  Although he is smaller than me, we are not THAT different in size.  It does illustrate how badly I sit up in the wind on my mountain bike, though.  Sort of looks like David and Goliath.  True to that tale, Scott (David) smoked me (Goliath).

Bubba Cross at Buder

Before today's race at Buder Park, a friend and I were talking about the course.  It didn't really suit my, ahem, "strengths".  I was comparing it to Faust Park in Chesterfield, where I have never done anything except suck (and complain about it).

However, it didn't turn out so badly today.  I was hurting the whole time, and I lost contact with two guys on the last lap.  That aside, I got 8th place and it seemed like I was actually doing some racing rather than just hanging on for the beatings.  No doubt, the long straights killed me, and no doubt Butthead was 1/3 of a lap ahead by the time we were done.  But it could have been worse!

Onward and upward.