Confessional - My Cold Weather Riding Ritual

I thought it might be fun (and cathartic) to just lay it all out there when it comes to me, riding in cold weather. It's no secret...no secret AT ALL that I don't like the cold. Most winters, I ride a lot off-road because the effort is high and speeds are low. That helps keep me warm. Every now and then, I ride on the road when it's cold. Brrr. I chose to ride on the road today, and this was my strategy, and the results.

I have to start off with something extremely warm for my feet. Bad circulation, maybe? I don't know. But my feet get cold just hanging around the house so I have to make this part count. When I ride off-road, I have some warm winter cycling boots. They don't work on the road, so I have to use shoe covers like these for my road shoes. These bad boys are pretty thick neoprene, and I duct taped the breathing holes on the bottom of my shoes.  Had to be a good combo, right??

Result: Toes got cold.

My hands are a whole different thing. My hands are cold in the summer. Bad circulation, maybe? Can't tell you. But I have to use the warmest thing I can find, on or off road.  These have a wind barrier, and thermal layers inside. Bulkier than I'd like, but not terribly bulky.

Result: Fingers got cold.

My head isn't covered in hair. It used to be, but whatever. Now it's not. So this skull cap is a vital part of my winter riding. It covers the baldness plus my ears and it fits really well under my normal helmet. 

Result: Bald head stayed reasonably warm

I'm a big fan of Craft base layers. I'm embarrassed to say I have some 10-year old versions that I still wear. This is a newer one and it's thin and very form fitting, so it wears well under whatever layer I put on over it. 

Result: warm, except for the failure of the layer I wore over it

I'm going to give my beloved Pearl Izumi jacket a pass. Even though the wind was ripping through this wind-proof and thermal jacket, I'm not going to hate on it. It's TEN YEARS OLD. I just noticed today, when I got back from my windy, cold ride that there are very small perforations ALL OVER this thing! Like, moths have been eating at it. I should have noticed that. And the zipper is getting wonky too.

Result: wind-proof and thermal jacket was neither wind-proof nor thermal

The pride and joy of my winter collection is my very old Castelli thermal bib tights. High quality pad coupled with a fit that feels custom made. They were gifted to me because I could never afford them. But similar to my trusty old Pearl jacket, these are 10 years old. Today, they showed their age in dog years. They still fit well, though!

Result: wind-proof and thermal tights were neither wind-proof nor thermal

Ah, my old clear Tifosi glasses. Naturally, my eyes water in the cold like I just watched the last scene in Titanic. I've found that tears on my frozen face feel terrible. So even though I can hardly wear glasses when I ride due to excessive sweating, I can wear them for a while on winter rides. I have many pairs of glasses, this one just happens to have drawn winter duty for the last few years. Lucky glasses?

Result: eyes only watered a little, despite the wind

Even though it sounds like my winter riding is a real dumpster fire, I'd say it's still a must to get off of the indoor trainer and get outside whenever possible. I've logged some hours inside this winter, but I am lucky enough to have gotten off-road a few times, and unlucky enough to have ridden when it's butt-ass cold. Some of my problems are due to stubbornness (hanging on to pathetic and tattered pieces of under-performing winter wear), and some are due to defective body parts (hands, feet). A cyclist must do what a cyclist must do, I suppose.

Year End Totals and Other Exciting Stuff!

It never seems like I get to ride as much as I want. There has always been things that get in the way, and there probably always will be. I have a lot of hobbies. You know, like housework. And the bike shop. And adult responsibilities. But every year, it's fun to look back and see just how much awesomeness I did get to participate in.

We traveled a bit more this year than in the recent past. We went to Utah, Texas, and saw nearly every square mile of Missouri. We did so many bike races.  Well, Eli did more races, but the Beautiful Mrs. K and I did some races and traveled to all of them with Eli. St. Joe State park, Poplar Bluff, Springfield, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Warsaw, and all over St. Louis. 

In the end, my personal mileage totaled 3001. A bit more than last year, a bit less than 2020. I just got over that 3000 mark when I got off work tonight. I couldn't leave it at 2995. Duh. I achieved the 3001 with a myriad of bikes and in a myriad of situations. 

Road: I used a few different road bikes this year. My trusty no-name carbon mountain bike with slicks (Carl the Carbon Sheet Bike), the Giant TCR (since requisitioned by Eli), and the loyal, ever-suffering Schwinn Fastback from 2001. Somewhere around 1500 road miles between these bikes.

Off-Road: The two Giant Trances got the bulk of the off-road mileage, followed by the Anthem, the Scalpel, the Blue Sheet Bike, the Tempt, and Green Goblin. A bit under 1200 off-road miles this year. 

BMX Bikes: Like last year, it's always surprising to total up the mileage on these bikes. Last year was an all-time high. Something like 570 miles. This year, I was able to take more time and ride the "big boy" bikes more, so between the Redline Proline and the GT Pro Series 24 I logged 430 miles. 

All-in-all, it was a good year for me. Now if I could just get rid of my other hobbies....

 

Dallas Visit. Or, not being towed is awesome.

The Beautiful Mrs. K and I drove to Dallas last week to see Hanna.  Originally we were going to watch her run a half marathon, but life gets in the way and we just made it a more relaxed visit. Except for the towing incident. Which I won't mention. Ever. Well, maybe. But not here.

Hanna is very much a foodie. Almost never does her foodie-ness include junk food. However, she has a knack for picking out the most amazing deserts that she can indulge in on special occasions. We thought it was a special occasion, you know, us visiting her in Texas. So we went to this place. I have no idea what the name of it was. But...cinnamon rolls. Think about the best cinnamon roll you've ever had, and that would not cut it against these beauties. Wow. 

The next morning, after eating the world's best cinnamon roll, we hopped over to have some of God's coffee. I'm pretty sure God didn't make it. It is served by the coffee shop in a Texas-sized church, though. So maybe God had something to do with it. Regardless, it was awesome. 

Lest you get the idea that all we did all weekend was go to fancy eating places, I must tell you that we did more than eat. We ate, yes. A lot. However after God's coffee we went to gym with Hanna and got all swole up. Perhaps in anticipation of yet another awesome culinary experience, you might say. We drove over to the Ice House, which makes it's home on Dallas' Katy Trail. It's an amazing place, with tons of outdoor eating (with heaters and open fires and blankets to keep your arse warm!). So many cute dogs brought along their humans, too!

After a too-big chicken salad salad, we had to take another selfie. Then we walked along the Katy Trail. Their Katy is so different than ours. Yes, it's a rails-to-trails entity, but it's a shorter urban route and it's also paved. It's about 6 miles total, and the Ice House sits dead center.  One direction goes into the heart of downtown Dallas, the other direction heads out along the city. We got in a couple miles, saw some of the downtown sights, then moved on to the next adventure. 

The Bishop Arts District is similar to the Loop, or the Central West End here in St. Louis.  Only it's Texas-sized, of course. There were restaurants, bars, trinket shops, ice creameries, coffee houses, and naturally, a full band playing on one of the corners. Very cool!

Part of me wanted to get these, but it seemed a little self-congratulatory.

I caught these two beauties, sipping on some holiday coffee, enjoying the warm sun on a chilly day.

I really think the Beautiful Mrs. K and I should be models and spokespeople for Wiley X sunglasses, don't you think? Right?

Dallas has it's own arch. Sort of. Not quite as high but really impressive nonetheless. 

I see you!

Of course, we ate more. We went to some crazy good Tex-Mex place. And a Lebanese place. And a cool speak-easy like basement bar where the waitress spilled a Mojito on Hanna's pants. And we played mini-golf. I won. We were all terrible. I was just the least terrible. And we took a nice walk on the multi-use path around White Rock Lake, soon to be home to Hanna's bicycling endeavors!

I probably missed something. Suffice to say we did a LOT of stuff. There may have been a high-speed, Grand Theft Auto style chase, too, but that's part of the unmentionable thing I said I'm not going to mention. Ever. Well, maybe sometime. But not here.

 

Cyclocross State Championships, Last Race of the Year

Eli raced a lot this year. He extended his off-road racing season by doing some of the cyclocross races, and had some real success. But today didn't go so well. He'd been sick all week with some respiratory nastiness. I was in favor of him skipping the race altogether, but he insisted that he was fine. After a killer first lap, it looked like he was going to crush it. Then he had a few coughing fits and suffered to the finish, getting 5th place. A bummer, but not hugely important in the big scheme. He will get into his off-season training as soon as he gets rid of the cough and congestion.

I didn't race much this year, and it shows. My placement was a bit better than Eli, but I probably feel worse about my race than he does about his. I managed a 3rd place, but it was a very distant 3rd. I got waxed by some really good guys and I keep telling myself that I should be competing with them. The course was fun.  I wish I was better.

This was as close as I got to first and second place all day :)

A bronze medal for 3rd. If I decide to race cross again next year, it will be with an actual cross bike. And I will spend time riding it before racing, as well. There is really no sense in racing something if there is no real intention of getting better at it.

Thanks to the Beautiful Mrs. K for being at every race not only for us, but for so many of the wonderful families and racers we have met. And thanks to Flannery Allison and her support for us, not just fantastic photographs.

 

Over-Complication will eventually End Us All

All I wanted to do was replace the one plastic guide wheel on the top rack of the dishwasher. Just one broken wheel. I wasn't trying to solve complex equations. I wasn't trying to find a cure for the common cold. I don't care what's actually in a black hole. I just wanted to replace. One. Wheel.

Do you ever get the feeling like everything is overcomplicated?

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.