Concordia Bubba Cross

Last year, I thought I was on the way to winning the A race at the Concordia Seminary Bubba Cross event.  It's a rough little course, and it suits me just fine.  On the last lap last year, Josh Johnson put an end to my frivolous ideas and I got second.

Imagine my delight today when I realized that Josh had not made the trip to Concordia.  Surely I could win this year?  No.  Even the though the course was even rougher this year, not only did I not win, I couldn't even muster second place.  Good ol' Pete Henry smoked by me in the first 60 seconds of the race and that was that.  And Scott Ogilvie made sure that I didn't get too comfortable in second place, either. 

Anyway, I still really like Concordia, and third place will just have to suffice.  Great race, just beat the rain, what more can I ask for?

Photos from Bubba Cross at Buder

 There was this cool gravel mound on the backside of the course at Buder park Sunday.  This first photo was pretty cool.  Right click and open the photo in a new window and you can see every detail, as it's a BIG photo.  The coolest thing is that my front wheel is actually not touching the ground.

This is obviously NOT a good photo of me, but I think it's hilarious.  Scott Ogilvie is the rider in front here, and he looks like an elf in front of the big, bad TK.  Although he is smaller than me, we are not THAT different in size.  It does illustrate how badly I sit up in the wind on my mountain bike, though.  Sort of looks like David and Goliath.  True to that tale, Scott (David) smoked me (Goliath).

Bubba Cross at Buder

Before today's race at Buder Park, a friend and I were talking about the course.  It didn't really suit my, ahem, "strengths".  I was comparing it to Faust Park in Chesterfield, where I have never done anything except suck (and complain about it).

However, it didn't turn out so badly today.  I was hurting the whole time, and I lost contact with two guys on the last lap.  That aside, I got 8th place and it seemed like I was actually doing some racing rather than just hanging on for the beatings.  No doubt, the long straights killed me, and no doubt Butthead was 1/3 of a lap ahead by the time we were done.  But it could have been worse!

Onward and upward.

My first CD player

The year was 1994.  I bought my first CD player from Circuit City, and my first CD was Stone Temple Pilots.  My second CD was Sinister Dane.  I still use this old thing sometimes in the basement when I'm riding the trainer.  Works like a champ.  Wish modern electronics could last 20 years.  Hell...how about 2 years??

Skate Park Horror Stories

 We took another trip to the little skate park adjacent to the Webster Groves community center.  Hanna wanted to try skateboarding on an ancient little board.  She did a lot of this.  But she's getting better and she has Vans on, so it's all good.

 Eli loves the skate park.  He's the one that gets us all jazzed about going.  He is very good on a bike for 7 years old.  Here, he sits on the box next to the quarter pipe.  It's about 4 feet, maybe 4 1/2 feet tall.

This is where the horror part comes in.  This is a photo of my Redline, sitting on the other side of that quarter pipe box.  Tyson rode the Redline up the quarter, onto the top of the box (which you can plainly see here above my bike) and fell head first off and landed on the ground right where my bike is sitting.  Hanna, Eli, and I watched this from the OTHER side so we just watched Tyson disappear over the edge.  One Mississippi, two Mississippi...Tyson jumps up from behind the box and gives us two huge thumbs up.  That was the longest two seconds I can remember.  He was perfectly fine.  The Redline might need new grips.

Car Watching: 1968 Mustang California Special

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of getting a good look at a pretty special vintage Mustang.  The 1968 California Special was a really just an appearance package, but it was something different from the every day Mustang and now it's highly collectable.  This one may or may not have been an actual GT/CS, but it's pretty convincing despite it's dusty condition.  This one was pretty nice.  I was happy about it the rest of the day!

Eli as Harry Potter again

Just had to share another Harry Potter photo of Eli. 

Car Watching: Viper GTS

A little bit ago, we saw a drop top Viper.  Well, this Viper is the good looking one in the family, the hard top GTS.  This thing is as mean looking as a car can get.  Right click on the photos, as they are bigger that way.

Crazy Hair Day at Eli's School

The kids have all kinds of cool special days at school these days.  Today was Crazy Hair day for Eli.  The beautiful Mrs. K did his hair up all wild and crazy-like.  I was impressed.

Sylvan Springs Bubba Cyclocross Race

Thanks to Mike Dawson for the great photo!

I have raced at Sylvan Springs 3 times now, twice last year and once this past Sunday.  I love that place.  The elevation change in that little park makes for some fun races and very interesting courses. 

I'd say this past Sunday was the best course yet.  Hard, yes.  But fun and challenging as well.

And, I pretty much sucked.  I finished 12th out of 25 guys.  I felt like I was going pretty well, but I just couldn't crack the top ten.  But as I always say: It's better to look marvelous than it is to feel marvelous! 

Alright!  Gateway Cross Cup is Sunday and there is a masters class there.  It will be a hard masters class, but at least it will be all old guys and I can see what it's like to race a big 'cross race.

Onward and upward!

Rex and my Pillow

Not sure why he has a bandana on.  That aside, every time I walk into my bedroom, Rex is on my small pillow.  He must like the way I smell.  Hmmm, is that a good thing?

Kids make Halloween more fun

Harry Potter and his beautiful sidekick at a Halloween thing with Chilli.  What more could someone want?

Simpson Park Cyclocross: Chip Asher Photos

 My long time friend and riding partner is also a pretty good photographer.  He wasted his Sunday last week at Simpson Park, taking photos of the A race.  First photo above, and you can see me foolishly sprinting out in the front of the big field of riders.  I will pay for that later. (Right-click on the photos and open in a new tab if you want to see them full-size!)

 Still in the lead, my long time peer and fellow mountain bike rider Sam Moore and I are kicking it!

 Later in the race, I'm no longer in the lead.  But doesn't that Gateway Cycling kit look great with the fall colors??

 Struggling to stay fast on the asphalt.  I can see Rock Wamsley back there, and he is going to pass me.

 Battling it out over the barriers with Matt Davidson.  The whole race I was saying "I can't be beat by a triathlete!" and he was saying "I can't get beat by a mountain biker!"

 I included this one because if you look closely, you can see my body is in mid-air.  Great shot!

And I am glad that's over!  9th place and that's all, folks! Thanks for the great photos.

Car Watching: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS

It's hard not to like this car.  I mean, it's a piece of automotive history.  This first generation of Camaro has gathered more followers than any other model.  The SS 396 was a real beast, too.  This one was being trailered through Missouri to some unknown destination.  It was in fantastic shape.  Only a true Camaro freak would be able to tell what is concourse correct and what is not, but to my untrained eye, it was perfect.

Car Watching: Lotus Exige

 Car watching in Chesterfield is always exciting.  This little beauty has always attracted me.

It's a Lotus Exige, although I know there are specific models and this one might be something other than strictly an Exige.    The interior is pretty cool, but I didn't feel like I could stick my camera in there without incurring the wrath of the owner.