There was Candy for Halloween - There was also Mountain Bike Racing

On Saturday morning, we traveled to Jefferson City for the last mountain bike race in the NICA series. We started the series in the blistering summer heat and humidity, and we ended it with the chilly winds off of Binder Lake.  Rain had pelted the area for a few days, so Saturday practice was delayed, which gave the South City Otters plenty of time to decorate the team tents with Halloween stuff.

The Beautiful Mrs. K rode the course with the coaches as they always do the day before the race and yes, it was slimy and slippery and a bit muddy.  Eli also rode the course and his bike (actually my bike, which I will now certainly forfeit to him) was muddier.  So it appeared the course was deteriorating with all the tires running on it.  It was then I knew that my evening would be spent cleaning bikes.  But first, we had the tent judging.  As the sun started to set, the judges came around and checked out all of the tents and the decorations.  There were some super cool tents from the other teams from around the state, but sure enough, the South City Otters won the contest!  The theme was movies and tv shows that involved bikes.  The older kids all went with the "Stranger Things" costumes, but there was no Mongoose to be found.

This morning at race time, it was cold.  46 degrees.  Cloudy and windy, too.  At least yesterday there was an abundance of sun.  Didn't seem to matter, and Eli certainly didn't care.  He was using clipless pedals for the first time off-road, but...he wasn't too uptight about it.  I was probably more uptight about that and maybe my bike (sorry, Eli's bike, I guess) getting trashed.  They start calling up the different rider groups about 15 minutes before start time.  Eli is in the Sophmore "A" field.

When I'm racing, this is the time that I feel like puking.  So many jitters.  Eli just turns his focus to the task at hand, and if he has jitters, it certainly doesn't show. He got a good start and had some really consistent lap times.

It looks like I'm giving Eli some harsh words here, but I'm not.  This was just into his third 4-mile lap, and I'm telling him he's doing great, one lap to go, and to make sure he's drinking water.  Thanks to Jim Stratman for this photo.

I ran back to the finish line area, just in time for the sun to come out in full force.  I caught Eli coming through the last super slippery turn (The finish line is up to the right about 75 yards). Neither the course nor the pedals gave him much trouble. He finished in 8th place for the entire series.  I'm so proud of him as he only started riding mountain bikes late last year!

Of course, the rest of the day was glorious, with perfectly blue, sunny skies.  After all of the races were over, it was time for awards.  This crowd gathered in front of the podium presentation to grab some free stuff that the race crew was throwing out.  See how many people come out to these things??  This photo covers only about 1/2 of the folks that showed up, racers and families alike.

So many of the South City Otters did great!  One notable rider was Lauren.  Lauren helps out at the shop one day a week, and today not only did she win her class, but she won the entire 2021 NICA series in Missouri!

More good news came when we received the 3rd place team award for the day.  On top of that, and perhaps the greatest honor: we were 3rd place for the entire series!  Go OTTERS!

The best news for the Hound Dog was that we came to bring him home.  He had a sleepover with his favorite friend Vader.  He loves Vader.  But he loves it when we come home, too.  And he doesn't have to clean any bikes!
 

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.