Why Do JUST ONE THING?

 Trying a little bit of THIS

And a lot of THAT

Oh how they GROW

 

Gen 2008 Super Star

Gen 2022 Super Star

An obvious resemblance, don't you think?

Now THAT'S Progress!

 

HOW IT STARTED

HOW IT'S GOING

Going through old blog posts and I just couldn't resist!

Sometimes, We Live in a Hallmark Movie

 

Often, we look around at the area we live in and it feels like we live in a Hallmark movie. Not necessarily Affton, but the near-South City area.  Beautiful parks, bike paths, Frozen Custard stands, etc. Anyone who has ever lived in the Francis Park area can testify to the Hallmark-ish feeling around Candy Cane Lane. Tonight, the Beautiful Mrs. K talked Eli and I into going to Francis Park for the Christmas Tree lighting. The park has done it every year for like 33 years. There were hundreds of people there. Not one of them asked Eli if he was wearing pajama pants.

Hundreds. Old and young. Lots of kids running around, free hot chocolate, Santa and Mrs. Claus, the St. Louis City Mayor, Fred Bird and the Blues mascot (can't remember his name).  It was quite a scene. Eli and I were taking bets on which kid was going to do a faceplant into the mud puddle that was really close to the tree. Sadly, not one of them obliged. But the tree lighting was pretty spectacular, so we had that going for us.

I'm a Bad Blogger, But I Make the Effort

 

We have had very little time to breathe lately. Work, events, races, travel, etc. have put us onto the back foot for weeks on end. Things seem to be normalizing as the season winds down, and the weather and daylight go south. The Beautiful Mrs. K has worked tirelessly on keeping the Girls Night Out (GNO) rides rolling every Thursday, and they came to an end this past week. We're very thankful for all of the riders who've come out to enjoy the exercise, the weather, and the camaraderie (as well as the drinks!) with us each Thursday. Already looking forward to next year.

My faraway child Hanna has taken it upon herself to run a half-marathon in December. As I've said before, she does not play around with the fitness. She's either in the gym or on a run. The Beautiful Mrs. K and I are going down to Dallas to cheer her on. So exciting!

Eli wrapped up NICA season two weekends ago in Springfield. Super solid performances at every race in the 5-race series saw him on the podium 4 times. 

He managed 5th for the entire series in points in the Varsity class. That's a lot of progress and growth in just a year. I guess I'll have to race him in Cat 1 local races in 2023. I doubt he will take it easy on me.

Although I'm not one of the top riders in our area anymore, I don't intend to roll over and die. I raced today at Sylvan Springs in another CX race and pulled out a win. Very tough course, I thought, with wicked-leafy turns and no place to really open up.  But I did work on my tan.

Eli raced today, too.  In fact, he did two races.  He did the juniors race, and an hour later he did the Cat 4-5 race. He was on an actual cyclocross bike, as he flat out said last time he didn't want to ride Green Goblin (official name of the Green Sheet Bike). He actually won both! However....

It was not without extreme effort, as he collapsed after crossing the finish. He started the 4-5 race with his usual verve, and built a bit of a lead by the end of lap 1. Riding super solid laps, he was eventually joined by a big strong dude who made Eli WORK to stay ahead.  It came down to the last of 6 laps but Eli won by a couple of seconds.

After helping him sit up, he admitted that this was the deepest he'd gone yet in cycling. You can see here that I'm telling him dad jokes and promising him ice cream later. 

We wrangled the top three finishers from the 4-5 race to the podium for a pic. Worthy competitors, for sure. Collin was the 2nd place guy and certainly a powerhouse! 3rd place was none other than Mr. Beauvais, who has become quite a solid CX racer and has always been an awesome dude. I had to apologize for Eli, who, standing next to Mr. Beauvais on the starting line stated: "There sure are a lot of old guys in this race!"  Sorry again, Jay. He calls me old, too.

After the race, we got Fortel's pizza. And while I was busy cleaning the mud off of the CX bikes, Mrs. K finally was able to take off her cheerleaders outfit that she so dutifully wears at all of the races and put on her cycling kit. She got together with her crew for a fast and furious ride of their own. 

And yes.  Later, we got ice cream.

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.

NICA Mountain Bike Race Weekend in Warsaw

 

First off, I was no fan of the NICA race course or the venue last year. We were so pleasantly surprised when we arrived to this years version and saw the beautiful lake, and the great course that the fine people of Warsaw laid out for us.  Wow.  If you pan left on this first photo, you can see just how many tents there were. These races are HUGE!! Reminds me of national BMX races in the 80's.

Eli has had a rough go of it lately.  He had his wisdom teeth pulled in August and quite a few complications have ensued.  Since leaving Texas last weekend, he's been suffering with more tooth pain. We asked many times if he'd like to skip the Warsaw race but he really wanted to do this one. The solid turnout meant he had a lot of fast people to race again. Great weather, great course, it was hard for him to say no.

It is great to have the varsity riders go off as the first race of the day.  For one, there's is the longest race and that means heat is always a factor. And two, who likes to wait around?? He was in great spirits and although I was a nervous wreck, I survived watching them take off.

After a blistering first lap, Eli was second wheel in a 6-man train. I was over the moon with excitement, because that is a pretty elite group. He had two more laps to get the job done. At the end of the second lap, he was holding fourth, battling it out with one of his usual rivals. Still looking strong, too. As I saw him come around the last corner in his finishing lap, I saw that he had given it his all and he finished a very impressive 5th place, again making the podium.

Even though he finished his race around 10am, the award ceremonies don't occur until 4pm. Most riders and families stay, because it's important to be there for the other riders, and even more important to recognize the hard work by cheering the podium finishers. This was just a portion of the people supporting their teams and their riders.

The final Varsity podium.  So proud of Eli, and so happy that he has found joy in something that is so healthy and fulfilling. Two out of three podiums so far, he's hoping to be in the top five points at the end of the season in October.

Long Drive, Quick Visit, Totally Worth It

Hanna moved to Texas a few weeks ago, and it was absolutely time to go visit her in her new home.  She moved to North Dallas, a busy and bustling part of the world. Eli and I arrived and it was hot and sweaty, although St. Louis was actually hotter. So we took a selfie.

Hanna's new place was fabulous, although still lacking a bit in the personal touch department. I liked the place, as it was big and pretty quiet considering how noisy the Dallas area can be. Our bikes and gear took over the place, naturally. 

Hanna has the greatest taste in food, and she has been checking out the great places around her area. She found a Greek place that serves up Subway-style, where you can just pick whatever you'd like to make your meal. I ate until I had a stomach ache.  Then we went for ice cream.

I've already told you that she's a marketing maven for Wiley X sunglasses.  Sure enough, she had a couple sample pairs on her kitchen counter.  I chose my weapon for the weekend and wore these babies all the way up until she took them away from me as we left.

We got some riding in on the bike paths close to her apartment.  The area is full of them, but it does take a bit of reconnaissance to scope out the safest routes.  I did some exploring the next morning as Eli did his schooling online, and Hanna worked from her home office. Later in the day, we all went for a fun ride. She was riding as strong as ever, and even took a local QOM on a climb!  Atta girl. 

She took us to downtown Dallas on our last night there.  We had dinner at a fantastic Mexican place and I ate until my stomach hurt.  We walked around a cool part of town that reminded me of the Grove, and then we got ice cream again. 

Overall, it was a great trip. We have been missing her since she left, and it was great to be able to see her in the new environment and get a chance to see what she does for a living. One thing that hasn't changed is her commitment to her fitness. After riding together a couple of times, it's clear that she hasn't gotten any slower. Of course, she sends me photos of her recent gains from the gym. Ok, girl! You win! I used to try to keep up with her, but I've just given up and told her I'll never have muscles like her again! Can't wait to see her again. 

A Conversation with...The Hound Dog

Me: Remi! What did you do?? Mommy spent all day cleaning up the office! What is this mess?

Remi: What mess are you speaking of?

Me: All the stuffing!  What do you mean WHAT MESS?

Remi: The stuffing isn't a mess.  It was the internals of a stuffed toy and it had to be liberated.

Me: You can't just go "liberating" the stuffing out of everything.  And everything isn't a chew toy!

Remi: Alright, this isn't just about the stuffing, is it? Something has upset you. Bad day at work?

Me: REMI!!!

Remi: Can we play with the frisbee now?

Let's talk about OLD SCHOOL for a Minute

Over the last 2 years, I've been around a LOT of younger riders. A lot of the kids involved in mountain biking and mountain bike racing are in NICA, the school-age racing organization that has taken the country by storm.  So many new kids are joining the wonderful world of bikes! I've talked to many of them about "the old days" and how things were when mountain biking and racing were fairly new. The oldest photo I can find of myself was this gem from 1989. Yes, that's a cotton Nike shirt, along with cotton gloves...flat pedals...horrible helmet...and one of those old mountain bikes that nobody would want to ride today, equipped mostly with warmed-over touring bikes components. Racing in the mud was not at all uncommon, and racing on an old motocross course was VERY common. I was 22 and pretty sure that bikes couldn't get much better than this. The racing classes were more vague then, so I just signed up for whatever the top class was and lined up to race.

Things progress pretty fast in life. And in mountain biking.  Product development gave us lighter and better-functioning equipment, along with things to wear other than cotton. Lots of choices in actual mountain bike tires, not just warmed over cruiser stuff. Different component groups from numerous companies. No suspension fork yet in 1992, although they were making their way onto most bikes by then. Racing classes were Beginner, Sport, Expert, and Pro. Sometimes as Experts we were lucky enough to have a couple Pros sign up so we could get our butts kicked in really, really well. Traveling to national races, I remember having more than 60 guys signed up in my age group, and age groups were set up in 5-year increments!

Carbon fiber, titanium, suspension, lycra, sealed-bearing everything, Kevlar beaded and belted tires, V-brakes, and just after this photo from Greensfelder in 1999, tubeless tires!! Mountain biking was in full swing around the world. Cross Country races were everywhere, with at least three series going on in Missouri alone this year. Companies were still very eager to find aspiring racers and give away parts and bikes and kits. Big, big events, outside of the national races, were everywhere. Tour de Wolf in Memphis had huge cash purses and pros and amateurs alike came from all over the country to ride a flat, fast course for a chance at glory. St. Louis had the American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC) race which was amazing considering how few places around the country scored the huge event. 

(Thank you to Flannery Allison for always making me look faster than I am)

 And 2022? So much equipment progress. Big wheels. Big tires. Disc brakes. Carbon fiber in every direction. Electronic shifting, some wireless even. More suspension in one bike than any 10 bikes had from 1990! Cross country racing had taken a back seat to other types of mountain bike competition over the last 10-15 years. Enduro. Downhill. All types of dual-slalom type racing. But as fun and inclusive as those types of racing are, I think that organizations like NICA have turned an entire generation of youngsters on to XC racing again.  I get the feeling when I'm at these amazing events that XC racing (and mountain biking in general) is on it's way to the next big explosion of participation. It's so exciting. I'm blessed enough to be involved in the business of bikes, and my wife and I are so pleased to be a sponsor of the Otters, the South City Composite team. And lastly, my youngest son has taken to mountain biking, big time. 

It's fun to look back on the last 35 years, at least from one man's perspective, and see how far we've come. But it's more exciting to see where it might be going.

Reaching for Goals and Getting Them

First off, let me tell you how proud I am of my three kids. Tyson is in his last year of college at Fontbonne on a 100% baseball scholarship. Hanna has moved to Dallas for an amazing marketing job at WileyX Sunglasses, her first job straight of college. And the youngest, Eli, has set his sights on becoming a great mountain bike racer. It's not their accomplishments exactly that I'm proud of.  It's their drive. It's their tenacity. It's the idea that their lives are going to be better because of things they've worked hard for.

This weekend was the kickoff of the Missouri NICA race season for 2022 at St. Joe State Park. The school-age mountain bike racing organization keeps growing and growing. The Beautiful Mrs. K and I tagged along to watch Eli race in his first Varsity class race. At the end of last year's NICA season, Eli vowed that he would make the podium in 2022.  He's worked hard at this goal and has made incredible improvements in his riding.

As we've come to expect from NICA races, Sunday morning was buzzing with excitement and the crowds were huge. 400-ish kids, more teams than ever, and a big, big group of people hovering over the start line to see the Varsity kids take off. So encouraging to see this many people at 9am, when the racing would go on for the different classes for 6 more hours!

I actually struggled to get a shot of Eli in the starting chute, as the spectators lined the snow fencing. He had a third row start, which is not bad for him as he is a very fast starter. I held my breath for 18 minutes, waiting for his first lap to be over and he came through in great position. Two to go. After the second lap, he still had great position and was looking strong when I handed him a water bottle. One to go.

If there is anything I've learned about having kids, it's that hoping for the best for them is the most painful and glorious thing in life. My hope for my kids is that they reach whatever it is that they want the most. I stopped breathing again when I saw Eli swing out of the woods and onto the pavement for the run-in to the finish.  He had a very good rider just a few feet from his back wheel.  Eli is a super strong sprinter so when he flew onto the grass toward the finish, I yelled LIGHT IT UP ELI!!! and that's exactly what he did. His huge effort was enough for a solid 4th place. I could breathe again.

No words.

There are moments in life I won't forget. This podium shot is one of them.

Great job, Eli!