Kansas City Trip for NICA

We loaded up the car with bikes, bags, and bodies Friday. We were heading to Kansas City (Liberty, to be exact) for the penultimate Missouri NICA race.  Eli has done them all this year, despite having a full schedule of football games for school.  He injured his elbow last weekend, which nearly caused us to cancel this trip.  We were glad that he decided he'd be fine on the bike.  The races were moved from Sunday to Saturday because of the threat of rain.  Saturday started out windy and chilly, but no rain as the skies were ominous but kind.

The local St. Louis race scene needs an injection of these kids.  Just one of the three girl's races had more participants than our Cat 1 fields have. I can't wait until these future stars start showing up at the trails and races outside of NICA!  300+ kids at each race.  I get to watch all of the fields line up and do their thing all day. But I don't get to sit around and be lazy.  The Beautiful Mrs. K has been the finish line marshal for all of the races so far, so I end up being the pit crew, food service, gear sherpa, and general secretary for her and Eli.  I call it payback for all of the races the family has been to over the past two decades.

The older boys race later in the day.  That was a good thing because it warmed into the 50's and the wind died down by the time Eli's race was coming around.  He normally does not look like a chipmunk, but I caught him mid-chew with his pre-race granola bar.

The course was fun.  Technical, lots of turns and very busy, exactly the kind of course that Eli likes.  Not much in the way of sustained climbing, another Eli favorite.

Here he's at the start of his third and last lap.  I was shouting words of encouragement, and Mrs. K asked if his elbow was alright.  He said, "Yes, but I'm going to need lots of food when I'm done." Great day of racing, awesome meal with the team at a BBQ place, and a good night's sleep and we were back on the road driving home Sunday morning at 10am.  Yes, it was cold and raining cats and dogs until Columbia. It began to dry up and warm up.  Who knew?  By the time we passed Wentzville we were making plans to go mountain biking when we got home.  I went to Greensfelder and Deanna met up with the Woohoo Crew at Cliff Cave.  Eli opted out, guess he was pretty knackered from racing on Saturday.

I can't believe I forgot to tell everyone about my new shoes.  New RED shoes.  Pretty exciting, huh?

Almost as exciting as my new mountain biking helmet.  I've been wanting a Fox helmet for a long time.  We got a red one in at the shop and I have been eyeing it for a while. Now...it's mine!!  

Before this weekend was done, we gathered the crew to eat together.  Tyson was working tonight (Aya Sophia) so naturally we chose to go there.  Always wonderful food, always wonderful service...and I'm not just saying that because Tyson was our server.

Oh, we got dessert, too.  The baklava at Aya is to die for. 

Tyson was gracious enough to take a selfie for us.  It looks like a board meeting for South Side Cyclery. We talked some business and got down to the business of eating.  Next weekend is Jefferson City, the last race in the series.  Hope it turns out as good as this weekend did.

Car Watching - 1963 1/2 Ford Falcon Futura

We had a customer stop by the store the other day for some things and I noticed his car.  I asked him if he was driving a 64 Falcon.  "63 1/2," he said.  And that matters, as Ford was pretty big on mid-year introductions for cars in those days.  I asked him if he minded if I took a few photos and he welcomed me outside to check it out.

It's a real beauty, super gloss black, and very straight lines.  The Falcon is very well proportioned versus a lot of 60's cars.  The hood length and trunk length look just about perfect to my eyes.  Kind of funny that the first Mustangs were built on Falcon platforms with their long hood/short trunk profile.

Bumpers looked great, and I've always been a fan of the round tail lights that were on many early 60's Ford models.  We got to talking and I totally forgot to take a photo of the very, very cool red vinyl interior.  Trust me, it's really nice in there!

And under the hood is the perfect engine, a 170 cubic inch inline six.  No fire-breathing V8's here, although this would have been the first chance to get a 260.  This engine bay was impressively clean and tidy.  It's so nice to see someone care for a 57-year-old car that is not the typical 60's muscle car.  Just a nice looking cruiser!

Whirlwind Weekend

The weekend didn't start off exactly the way we had planned it.  The Beautiful Mrs. K and I rushed after work to catch Eli's football game.  The team was playing at Vianney at 6pm so we were late anyway.  It was cold and blustery, with a little rain here and there.  A bit before half-time, Eli grabbed the team doc and they had some conversations about his elbow.  He got bashed right about the funny-bone region by a helmet pretty hard and lost feeling in his hand.  So the lovely photo of me is from the Urgent Care examination room.  Don't lie, I look very sexy when I'm cold, tired, worried, and about to spend a ton of money on healthcare...right??  He's going to be alright, just sore.

Another big day at the shop on Saturday, so Deanna and I both locked up and went for road rides afterward. When we got home, we both knew that it was time to take the Hound Dog for some outdoor therapy.  He's been going insane being home alone so much lately due to our hectic work schedule.  We planned a big hike for him Sunday morning at Rockwoods.  We hiked with him there last year, when he was a wee Hound Dog.

Bright sun, crisp temps, and one VERY excited Remi.

Hard to believe how much water this spring pumps out.  This is a panoramic (my fave!!) of the spring.

It's crazy how rugged the trail gets once it goes upward.  Remi has no trouble with all-paw drive, but it's a nice workout for us bipeds. 

At the top of all the climbing, there is a nice bench.  I tried so hard to get the stubborn Hound Dog to face me so I could get a good shot, but he's surprisingly adept at photo avoidance.

On the way down, there is a cool rocky drop-off thing.  Remi seemed impressed.

Once back to the bottom, we got a great view of the kiln.

Definitely wore out the Hound Dog.  His energy level is very high, and most of the time a simple walk does nothing but get him revved up.  A good, long hike usually does the trick.  He slept most of the way home from Rockwoods.  As I write this, he's back to being a jackass.

Once home from the hike, I again hit the road. This time with my mountain bike.  I didn't think the trails would be dry enough to ride after the week of weather that we had, but I was wrong.  Greensfelder was incredible.  It was also fairly crowded.  I usually don't go in the early afternoon, but I had promised Mrs. K I would ride with her later in the day.  I finished 16 miles or so and sped over to Cliff Cave.

I met Mrs. K, put on a clean jersey, and we attacked the trail. We passed the scene of the crime (where she fell and broke her collar bone earlier this year) without incident and had a great ride. She's coming around really well.  Truth be told, I was a bit tired and wouldn't have ridden again, but when my honey asks, I find it hard to say no.

We rewarded ourselves with Fortel's Pizza. Lawdy, lawdy, I love this stuff.  I never get the leftovers, though.  Eli will undoubtedly get up in the middle of the night and finish it off (and leave the box in the fridge).
 

October is Flying By

We've done a bit of whirlwind traveling lately.  Eli, myself, and the Beautiful Mrs. K have been hitting the NICA races across the state.  We traveled to Nixa (think Springfield, MO and you're pretty close) a couple weeks ago.  Rain was forecast the entire time but it didn't really factor into the race.  The night before, we got together with the Team (go Otters!) and Mrs. K wore pigtails.

I don't know why this is blog-worthy but it truly is: this was the best chicken pot pie I've ever had.  

Just look at that!  The Otters NICA team has an awesome set up for the races.  Two tents, and always a nice spread of food for the kids that were racing.  I usually sneak a bagel or a muffin.  Or two.  Sorry.

Kids at the races are pretty much like adults at the races.  Only more interactive than uptight adults.  And somewhat smaller.

This was the way the start of each wave looked.  Parents and coaches lined the starting shute and cheered like it was the Hunger Games.  Seriously, is there a better sport on Earth right now??

After a hard-fought race, we saddled up to drive home.  If you are far enough west on highway 44, you will eventually have to get gas at one of these.  And I always need a photo.

Back at home, Eli and I were lucky enough to attend the Funduro at Bluffview.  There is a new, kick-ass downhill run there and Matt Johnson and his Loki Events team put on a killer show.  That downhill is NO JOKE.  I still can't jump.

Eli had his first crash.  I kid you not, this kid is like a Weeble.  He may wobble at times but he doesn't fall down.  Even this crash was really just a scrub against the trail wall after the big step up.  He's pretty proud of these scrapes!

The next day, the Beautiful Mrs. K and I drove to St. Joe State Park to ride the mountain bike trail.  We've been numerous times to ride the cool paved path, but this was the first time on the mountain bike trail.  I knew she'd like it.  We stopped at the tubes for a couple of tourist shots.

She got a nice picture of my arse.

The obligatory selfie, just to prove we were there.  The weather was so good that it was hard to believe.  Just look at that sky!

 And an up-close photo, which will probably end up as our blog main photo once I figure out how to do it.  I've been doing this blog for 15 years and it still takes me an hour to modify the main page. 

Racing Bikes is in our Blood!

Ah, Gordon Moore.  Not at all my kind of racecourse.  But look at that beautiful panorama. As far as fast, smooth courses go, the folks at the Cyclery set up a good one.  Much cooler temperatures, too.  We packed up the car with the Beautiful Mrs K, Eli, and even Remi the Hound Dog and drove over to Alton.

Eli raced in the first race of the day.  We arrived early and did a loop of the course.  He likes more rocks, more jumping, you know, mountain biking. But he was quite motivated to race and I was glad he was.

Boom!  St. Louis Start!  He did not want to waste time (just like me!!) and he jammed off of the start.  A couple of kids got by him later, but he kept fighting it out for second place with another mountain biker.  

A little surprising that the Juniors race was 40 minutes.  Not surprising that Eli needed a bottle hand-up.  He's handed me hundreds of bottles over his lifetime so I was more than happy to get him one.  This pic caught the cast-off, mid-throw!

In the end, he got 3rd.  He's got a massive head cold, so I'm proud of him doing the race anyway.  I never, ever push the kids to work out or compete when they're not feeling well.  It was his idea and he did well.  We're proud of his grit!

The Hound Dog had a great time.  He was into everyone's business.  He was particularly anxious when we would ride away from him to warm up or race.  Deanna had her hands full holding him back at times.  80 pounds of Hound Dog makes for a good workout!

We had time for a pre-race selfie.

My typical race strategy (blasting off of the line and come what may) didn't work quite right today.  I got a gap, but after 3 laps I still had a guy only 10 seconds back.  Rather than try to hold that for 5 more laps, I slowed down so we could ride together.  There was a nice big gap back to 3rd place, so I figured it was a safe bet.  Well, I had a hard time staying with the guy.  He was super strong.  But I hung on and hit the last climb and barriers HARD and that was enough to squeak by for the win.

Cash Money landed herself and her teammate on the top two podium steps! Super proud of her!

 I don't understand why I always look so ridiculous on the podium.  The look on my face says "I'm not sure what I'm doing here, but I'll just smile and no one will notice"!

Some People can do MORE THAN ONE Sport!

I'm pretty much a one-sport dude.  I ride bikes.  Oh, I run a little.  I've thrown a baseball before, kicked a soccer ball, got hit in the eye with a handball.  But bikes are all I really do.  Eli, my youngest, is just like my other kids...he can do a lot of different stuff.  Right now, he's a football player AND a mountain biker.  He has football practice 5 or 6 days a week plus games.  And yet, we packed up the Murano and drove to Warsaw (not Poland, mid-Missouri!) for another NICA mountain bike race.  This photo is a picture of the Sophmore "A" field.  The fields of kids were all this big!!  Mountain biking is alive and well, for sure.  Four hundred plus riders were signed up.

I rode the NICA course the day before and although it was not difficult in terms of skills (lots of gravel switchbacks and tight corners, though), it was hot and darn near 100 feet per mile of climbing.  Eli can ride anywhere and ride anything, so for him, it's never a question of skill.  He's not a trained bike racer but he's an awesome mountain biker.

He's been racing my bike lately, which is good because his Trance X is a legit trail bike and the NICA courses really don't need that.  I'm sure he'd rather be jumping off of something or barrelling down some super fast rocky shute, but he does like the speed of the Anthem.  

He had a football game tonight and made some tackles as well as a pass reception.  Tomorrow, he has NICA practice at Bluffview.  Sunday, he's going to do the cyclocross race in Alton with me.  

So glad my kids are not as single-dimensional as I am!