Another Year Down, Nothing Stops the March of Time

 

2023! Wow, and it's already over. We did a LOT of stuff this year. I came, I saw, and I raced. Sometimes poorly, but I just can't give up. Seems like a good way to go out...racing and complaining about it.

The Hostess with the Mostest. The Beautiful Mrs. K is really the force behind most of what goes on around here. South Side Cyclery wouldn't be in business without her. We would also go hungry at home. 

Tyson started riding bikes again. He and Eli went to, of all places, Bentonville. It made us happy to see him enjoy something so much.

Less surprising, but still very impressive, is Hanna's relentless pursuit of fitness. She has shifted her focus to strength and muscular development. Biceps for days. You lookin' at me, punk? Everyone should let her know that they have really nice gyms in St. Louis, too. Just sayin'.

Eli is a senior this year. He progressed in amazing fashion, ending the year with a bunch of wins and a State Championship jersey in Cyclocross. Time flies crazy fast. Don't let it pass you by, or you'll be looking at baby pictures while your favorite photographer is taking High School Senior photos of your baby. The baby wearing my shirt, I might add.

Just in case you thought we were getting old and boring, you have to remember that we dressed up together in otters costumes. Willingly. 

And because everyone is doing it, I'll post my 2023 Strava score card. I could have sworn that I rode more, but numbers don't lie. The only defense that I have is that many of my miles are off-road, so there are fewer miles, and slower miles. That's my story anyway. Happy New Year!

Funny Products Names, are you serious?

 

Why do product managers choose such ridiculous names for their products? This one was on our own shelves at the shop. Grizips. Like..watching too much Snoop lately, guys?

I like granola bars. I probably eat too many. But I've never had Llama-Rama granola bars. I just can't put together a thought process that would pair up Llamas and Quaker Chewy Dipps.

Freakshow wine. Are we thinking that your next party will go from Grandma and Aunt Gertrude sipping tea to a FREAKSHOW with Cousin Eddy cleaning the toilet of his RV in the driveway?

While it may seem quite benign on the surface, dig down a little. The marketing guy at Post went out to the farm, walked across the wheat field, grabbed a handful of stalks, shoved them into a box, and said "That'll be $4.99. Plus tax."

Someone has been to our house.

Really? With a name like this, I expected to see the box graphics totally different. Where is the picture of a clapped out Pacer or Gremlin? Maybe a flaming Pinto? They really missed the boat on this one.

This one is awesome. I can't for the life of me understand why Snoop would be on a bottle of red wine. Maybe on an edibles package.  But wine? You think Biff and Shelly are going to want Snoop staring back at them while they're staring into each others eyes over the Yuzu Miso Roasted Salmon??
 

Well Done, Son

Sunday marked the end of Eli's racing season. It was an almost entirely UP season, starting in March as a Category 2 mountain biker. He raced so many races, he'd have to count them up for you as I can't really keep track. The Missouri State Cyclocross Championship race was at Sylvan Springs, a favorite venue of ours. His competition in the Juniors category came mainly from his fellow NICA racers, as the top 4 finishers were all NICA veterans.

It was a super fast race, with the top 4 guys averaging 10.5mph, close to the older fast guys speed. I loved watching Eli over the barriers. For some reason, they are his super power.

A very tight race until the end, Eli pulled it out in style and got his first gold medal. About an hour later, he raced in the Cat 4 race with his buddy and team mate Brodie, who got his first State Championship medal, a Bronze. Well done, boys! Now for some rest, some goofing around, and an eye toward 2024's racing season. Onward and upward!

Thank you to Flannery Allison, who has provided us with spectacular photos all year that capture these valuable moments.

https://flanneryallison.instaproofs.com/gallery/#events

 

Wild Animals Among Us

 

Upon entering my room, I was greeted by the sight and sound (snoring) of this wild beast. I obviously caught him sleeping off a whirlwind day of hunting vicious squirrels the untamed plains of Affton (our back yard).

Known for it's unorthodox sleeping habits (sleeps through thunderstorms, wakes up if a neighbor down the street sneezes), I approached with caution. It's legs are abnormally long, with dangerously large paws (he needs his nails clipped), so startling him is never a good idea (he moans loudly if he's awakened before he likes).

Throwing caution to the wind, I got up close to take a shot of his large head (and floppy hound-dog ears). I froze momentarily as I thought the sound of my phone taking the photo might have stirred him (he just snored louder). In the end, I was able to escape this encounter with danger, having gotten priceless photos to share with my devoted readers. 

 

Whirlwind Weekend

Eli and Tyson took a boys weekend down to Bentonville this weekend. They rode everything they could get to in a couple short days. Then Eli popped down south a bit to do the Old Post Challenge cross country race (2nd place!).

A bit more surprising is Tyson's debut as a mountain bike rider. Oh yes, he can ride mountain bikes as well as throw a baseball. He's having the time of his life, wishing for an e-bike.

In a rebound from last weekend, I had a spectacular day on the bike at the CX race at Vlasis Park in Ballwin. The course was literally the most fantastic cross course I've ever ridden.

And combined with 68 degree, sunny weather, I made the podium. Funny story: The guy on the top step here is the brother of the guy who beat Eli into second place last Sunday at St. Vincent! I mean...what are the chances??

We are very happy with the turnout of young athletes and South Side club riders. Thanks so much for coming out and supporting the shop, the club, and racing in St. Louis and beyond.

What can't be overstated is the Beautiful Mrs. K's commitment to getting others into riding and racing. She has been such a driving force behind South Side's clubs and teams. 

 

Cyclocross in the Mud at St. Vincent

I can't really tell you why I raced cross this past Sunday. As you all know too well, I avoid riding (and definitely racing) in the mud. I've had my fill of it over the 44 years of racing. Eli was dead set on doing the cross race at St. Vincent, so maybe that was it. My race was after his, and he and his podium mates don't look too bad here. Very proud of his second place!

As much as I love to race at this venue, the wet conditions did me no favors. The course wasn't too bad when we arrived in the morning. Not surprisingly, with all of the wheels rolling and the occasional quick shower, it deteriorated. After my race started, there was a steady rain to go along with the steady cold. I was slip sliding away and riding terribly, despite working very hard. 10th place was all I deserved.

There was no escaping the clean-up. The mud was not sticky, but the grass on the course combined with mud wound it's way into every orifice on our two bikes. We stopped at Imo's on the way home to celebrate Eli's great race and my malaise, but after that I went to work. Three hours later, the TCX's were spit shined and waiting for another race. 

However, if the next race is muddy Eli will be the only Kakouris racing that day. 

 

Halloween Girls Night Out

Each year, the Halloween GNO ride has been a big hit. The Hot Hostess (otherwise known as the Beautiful Mrs. K) has grown the Thursday Night GNO rides into something everyone can enjoy. 

I normally put my 2 cents in by setting up snacks and drinks for the riders return. For the Halloween ride, it was probably on 1 cent, because Mrs. K herself shopped for Halloweeny stuff and I just arranged it. And Tyson put up the decorations. So I guess I just stood around and looked pretty.

But there were so many eye-catching things lurking around, it was tough to notice the pretty guy guarding the drinks. I mean, just look at these people. I feverishly scanned the news reports for any escaped lunatics.

This one took a double take. A triple take, actually.

Before liftoff, I managed to get a signature panoramic photo. I wish you could see some of the costumes better. You'll just have to trust me, they were good. We had a raffle and a costume judging when everyone returned. I'm sure everyone was sad to see GNO hibernate until the spring, but we're hoping for a mild winter and strong legs in March. Thanks to all that came out this year, because there is no GNO without you.




 

You TOTALLY can't tell We're Not Real Otters

 

You just never know what you're going to see at a NICA race these days. Especially at "NICA-ween", the official Halloween celebration. While there were many, many better costumes than these oversized, hot, and very itchy otter suits, I think the Beautiful Mrs. K and I embodied the spirit of NICA-ween really well. I wasn't smiling very well because I had Skittles in my mouth.

Birthdays, Baseball, and Grabbing the Leaders Jersey

I feel like I need to prove that we do things other than ride bikes. Or sell bikes. Or talk about bikes. Something, anything, other than bikes. And we do. This past week, we celebrated a birthday. Deanna's mom just turned 40, so we had a fantastic dinner. And in true Zimmer fashion, they played cards. Oh, and there was cake. Mmm. Cake.

The Beautiful Mrs. K went to a Cards game with the fam. I should have gone. But sitting at home in the peace and quiet won out over the chaos of a baseball game. Man, I must be getting old.

Somehow, you knew this was coming, right? We traveled to Jefferson City for the 2nd race in the Missouri NICA mountain bike race series for Eli. We had to go a day early (Friday Night) because there were horrendous storms forecasted for Sunday. So the race organizers opted to race Saturday instead. We had a beautiful Airbnb on the edge of the Missouri river. Great morning view before we had to pack up quick and head out to Binder Lake for the mountain bike race.

The first race of the day is always the Varsity Boys. Eli and the other points leaders get called up, total professional style, to the starting line first. This photo is so great: these guys ride, race, and train together. They're fantastic young men, talented and real role models for the hundreds of kids that participate in these things. 

After a blistering fast race, Eli came second. I figure that my fine readers know that the most stressful times of my life are when my kids are competing. Watching him power up the climb to the finish line took an enormous weight off of my chest.

That second place finish was enough to put Eli in the coveted Leaders Jersey. Every kid that puts their tires on NICA dirt wants one. After his first year of racing in 2021, Eli has been shooting for this. It can change hands again at the next race in the series, but he has worked very hard for this and it's his for this precious moment. 

Bad photo because the light was fading and the skies were getting stormy. Happy to have caught this shot of Eli's best girl putting his 2nd place medal on for his days finish. 

Another bad shot, but I couldn't leave out the podium pic. I shouldn't be surprised by these guys being at the top of the class because I've raced them myself and I know they're awesome. But it's just so darn cool that this group is at the top of the heap at the moment. 

Resplendent in his trusty swim trunks and fresh Leaders Jersey, Eli couldn't be happier. I couldn't be happier, either. I'm so pleased that he's reaching the goals that he set for himself. The best thing a person can do is to accomplish things that are important to THEM. 

Also very impressive: The South City Otters and the Metro Panthers. I'm lucky enough to watch these athletes improve and grow and constantly ride their bikes better and better. They were second in the team competition, which is no easy task. Way to go, Otterpants!

And just when you thought that I had lapsed right back into writing only about biking stuff, we get this photo. I would like to think that I had some kind of influence on this. Pep talks, maybe? Some genetic support, perhaps? Or is this just typical Hanna tenaciousness, putting in hard work and making hard work part of everyday life? The latter, I'll say.

Jam Packed Fall Schedule

It's hard to sit down at the computer and sort photos to tell the story of what has been going on lately. The store is busy and there is so much racing going on. Nica season has begun, so that means we are racing and traveling every weekend for a while. Flannery Alison captured a moment for Eli and I that I won't forget.

Cyclocross has started in our area and the first races are always run in the Alton area. The Superprestige series is a great time. Last week there was a distinct lack of women racing. Just a couple showed up. This week? They rallied up a LOT more and had a strong showing for the wonderful course at Belk Park.

Eli put all of his training to the test in Warsaw the previous weekend. He has so much competition in the Varsity class, and that mostly comes from his riding buddies. They fought tooth and nail, and he came out with a killer sprint finish for 3rd place. This is going to be an awesome series for them all. Another great Flannery Alison capture.

Proud dad moment. 

With local mountain bike racing over for me, I raced 'cross at Belk park. This is the first time since 2013 that I attempted to use an actual cyclocross bike. Man, what a difference 10 years makes. So much control, so much fun. I still have never won a cyclocross race on an actual cx bike, but I was darn proud of my 2nd place. Thanks to the Mileski's for the photo. 

I was very proud of these two. Eli won his Junior's race, and Mrs. K had a much better race than she will admit. Funny thing: We all lined up together to race in the same race, which will probably never happen again. Another Mileski photo. 

The next time I post, I hope to include our other kids. Hanna has an amazing new job in Dallas and I don't get to see her enough. She'll be visiting in a couple weeks and I'll catch up on all that is Hanna and I will have photographic evidence of that! Tyson has taken to riding mountain bikes again and has been riding a cx bike as well. Photos are promised for some of that, too.

Onward and upward!