Heartbreaker Mountain Bike Race at Creve Coeur

Wooo doggy, it was a hot one Sunday at Creve Coeur. Eli and I (along with 200 other people!) raced the last event in the United Federation of Dirt's series for 2023. Here you can see the old man getting out a little quicker on the "GO!". 

These things start fast and never slow down. I was battling it out with a fast young dude from Spain...lucky for me he wasn't taking the heat well.  That good battle kept me on the gas for the first 3 of 5 laps. I was feeling a little sassy with the heat so I unzipped my jersey quite a bit and the crowds went wild. 

Eli was behind me but he wasn't slowing down. He could see me ahead of him on the last two laps.

He caught me right after this photo. He didn't taunt me or call me names. He did tell me to get going, which I couldn't. He blazed past me on the last climb before the finish and put about 40 seconds on me. 

I was suffering at the end, but it was a solid race anyway. I felt like I was racing instead of just pedaling around a mountain bike course. Two hours total in the blazing heat was plenty for me, anyway.  I don't know why I always make such goofy faces while I'm racing. 

Eli really gave it all he had. Lucky for him, he had his number one girl to keep him from falling over at the finish line. I'm glad I could push him that hard!

He gave me a big hug to make sure I wouldn't cry after our race. He's such a good kid, even if he does really like to beat me in races. I still paid for Subway on the way home, so obviously I harbored no ill will.

A big thanks to the Beautiful Mrs. K for setting up the South Side Cyclery tents and getting drinks and snacks for everyone on the team and in the SSC club. We had such a nice crowd there and they all appreciate the hard work Mrs. K does. And she cheers and taunts us, too, so there is no slacking while she's around.

These great photos and many more come from our biggest fan and great supporter, Flannery Allison. 

 

Biking can be a Family Affair

There are a lot of things families can do together. Watch Sponge Bob. Buy matching "I'm with Stupid" T-shirts. Go (gasp!) camping. Not us. We ride bikes. Tyson recently joined Eli and I in getting a new Cyclocross bike. His is substantially taller than ours. That's the best way I can think of to make sure no one borrows his bike. Photo courtesy of Eli's BeReal.

The Beautiful Mrs. K got into the off-road action this past weekend at Indian Camp Creek. Thumbs up! Ride ambassador, mentor, coach, cheerleader, friend. Do not believe her when she says she only wants a sip of your soda. Trust me. Photo courtesy of Dan Singer Photography.

Eli raced ICC, too. We are very proud of his steady rise in the off-road ranks. We are more proud of his growth as an awesome person. Dan Singer Photography took this photo.

I raced ICC. And after 44 years of this stuff, you'd think I'd know how to smile for the camera. Instead I did my best interpretation of an old man experiencing a cardiac arrest while riding a very cool bike. Thanks again to Dan Singer Photography.

This is the only one of us that was missing this weekend. I know, I know, this is not a photo of Hanna riding bikes. But I wanted to sneak in this little powerhouse to show that she's not slacker just 'cause she's not riding with us right now. She could probably bench press me and my bike. Photo courtesy of me.

 

Rainbows and Hound Dogs

After a hard race today, we wanted to go to Ted Drewes to get some not-ice cream. The sun just peeped out enough on our way over there to make a cool rainbow. You can actually see the ghost of a second rainbow there, too.

The Hound Dog doesn't give a hoot about rainbows. Or bike races. Or green beans. He wanted Ted Drewes. He laid down at my feet and pouted for a bit when he didn't get any. 

 

"Big" Mileage Week

Something worked out well this week. My riding schedule! 140 miles for the week. Not much by many standards but quite a few by my own. Nothing in the way of mountain biking, though, as the rain just kept coming. This morning Eli set out early to get in a big mileage day, adding intervals in there somewhere. I waited a bit longer and surprise! I parked right next to him in the parking lot at Chesterfield. It was dreary and rainy, but pleasant temps. 

By the time I had ridden the CX bike out the Katy, through Lost Valley and Busch Wildlife, the sun had come out. The first half, though, was soggy and soft. Not like a muddy mountain bike day, but the black mark on my left shoe is the actual color of the shoe...gravel splatter makes everything a drab grey. 30 miles of that was plenty for me.

But I wasn't finished. The beautiful Mrs. K wanted to go on a bike ride, too. Honestly, I was tired. We rode about 30 miles on the road and I was glad that was all we did. Upon finishing, we showered and went to eat burgers at Syberg's. Now I think we'll get ice cream. Probably multiple scoops.

 

What a Bad Blogger you've chosen to follow

 

First off, I've been pretty busy. But really, I've been a bit sour. Ok, more sour than usual. I still haven't gained back any weight that I lost during my crappy bout with pancreatitis in May. Still down 10 pounds and feeling like my energy is somewhere in that 10 pounds. It was probably blubber anyway, but it was MY blubber.

However, there have been some great things happening anyway. Father's Day was a big hit around here. My clever children along with Mrs. K made a fine day for me. So I have that going for me.

We were able to make a nice mini-vacation from the 4th of July timing. Mrs. K, Eli, and I made the trip to Bentonville and stayed in an awesome tiny AirBnB. Lots of riding and hanging out with friends. That was needed so, so much. 

I got in a couple more mountain bike races, too. Rhett's Run in Columbia was pretty good, although that pesky teenager of mine beat me by about 20 seconds. St. Joe State Park wasn't so great. Pretty bad, actually. No excuses, but I felt a LOT like I did at Greensfelder in May before this mess all started.

We had a Tour de France Femmes bash at the shop for one of the GNO rides. Lots of fun, along with teenagers in berets and French wine and cheese.  I mean, we're like, so French, right??

And Remi, although very disappointed to have missed the World Naked Bike ride, is still the best Hound Dog ever. That is despite his love for my spot on the bed.