A Tumultuous Month of May

 

Things seemingly started off well, with great weather for the Greensfelder Challenge mtb race. Eli and I started fast (you know this, man!) but neither of us finished as well as we wanted. We both had a bad day. My day got worse when I got home, as I developed a really awful stomach ache and I felt quite bad.

But we couldn't let such things bother us, as we had a Mother's Day ride to go on with Deanna and her bestie the next day. Strangely, I was left as backmarker for most of the ride. But Mrs K enjoyed the day out, and that was the important thing.

I came home from work about noon on Monday and had to lay in bed for the next couple days. By Wednesday, really unable to eat or drink for 3 days and down 6 pounds from my pre-race weight, I had to do something. 

After a bit of back and forth with the blood testing folks, I got in late on Wednesday for a blood test. 

Thursday, after determining that it was, in fact, another bout of pancreatitis, I went for a blood transfusion. Ok, not really. Some IV fluids generally always do the trick to bring me back out of the pain cave. Only, it didn't really do it's thing like it has in the past. I was still very weak and tired to the point of disorientation, which is not normally a symptom that I have when I get an attack. 

I don't think I would have been so stressed about it if I wasn't fearing missing out on one of our favorite events of the year: Wolf Creek. I didn't want to let my teammates down, and I didn't want to let Mrs K and Eli down, either. I made the event and mustered up enough energy for 5 laps. My team didn't win, despite the Herculean efforts by JR and Party Guy. But both Deanna's team and Eli's team won their classes! I'm so proud of them!

This week, eating better and feeling better, I got back on the bikes and things improved. Until a suspension part for my bike clearly didn't hold up to it's 15nm torque setting. Shoulda stopped at 12.

Despite the efforts of my pancreas and my bike to stop me, I made it to Forest City on Sunday for a couple laps. Ironically, I snapped this photo around 11am when I had finished...

...and getting into the car I had a text that Eli had crashed and hurt himself. He WAS wearing his helmet.

But he won't be wearing this one again. He suffered a pretty stiff concussion, as well as some deep cuts around his face and rashing on his shoulders. I won't show those to you, but needless to say we were very worried and are happy that he'll be alright. 

June will be better, I just know it.

Sometimes you gotta get outta town

I've been lucky enough to get some real off-road time lately. Between riding and racing with Eli and the Wheels UP XC team, I've hit the dirt quite a bit. But there is always the alure to riding someplace different, someplace out of the ordinary. When Matt from Loki Events put it out there that he wanted to have a pre-ride at Wolf Creek trails in Poplar Bluff, that tickled just the right amount of fancy. Deanna and I were more than happy to take the trip and put in a couple laps before the endurance race is held there on the 20th. 

A cool group showed up and we did one lap as a smooth recon.  All left turns except that one right.  Got it! After that, everyone did another lap at their own pace. Myself, I wanted to hammer a fast lap. Like clockwork, the Missouri skies got angry and poured rain on me for just a couple minutes about 3 miles in. Enough to put a sheen on the rocks and splatter my clean South Side kit. But it was fine. The course holds water really well and I turned in a respectable race-ready lap time. 

Great course, can't wait for the 20th! And great Mexican food afterward. 

 

Getting Beat has NEVER felt this Good

After some incredibly bad luck last weekend in Fayetteville, Eli was really needing another race. Hitting another race really quickly after a bad one has a way of washing away the pain. We found that Landahl Park in Blue Springs was having a dual enduro/XC race today... and that none other than Matt Johnson was part of it. Landahl was the scene of XC races for me 20+ years ago.  It was always a rough, brutal course and I liked it that way.  So we got up early and drove to Landahl this morning, and Eli got himself a selfie with the king of selfies.

Not to be outdone, I had to get a selfie with Matt as well. 

Annnnnnnd.... the after-selfie. What transpired over a two hour period was worthy of an epic novel, so I'll spare you every detail and tell you the important stuff. The course was so much more brutal than it was in 2002. Even with our modern full-suspension bikes and 29 inch wheels and tubeless tires, it was bone-rattling goodness. 21 miles of rocks, boulders, roots, switchbacks, and mayhem. I started well, and within 2 miles Eli passed me. Yep, we raced together in the "Expert" or "Cat 1" class. I fought very hard and had a few glimpses of my youngest boy kicking my ass. But I never caught him. He finished 8th out of 23, and I finished about 20 SECONDS behind him in 9th. How is that for a fairytale passing of the torch?  And Matt was not only the celebrity selfie guy, he was the announcer.  He made it painfully clear to the audience that he was enjoying the father/son battle.

Eli and I enjoyed it, too. He's really good and wants to get better. Best of all, he loves it and doesn't have the angst and emotional baggage surrounding racing like I do. And lest anyone think that I let him win, I present my heartrate data from Strava. Bad picture, but knowing that my max heartrate at 56 years old is only 173...yeah. I was going as hard as this old body could go. 

What a great way to lose. 

 

Happy Birthday Eli - Keep up the good work!

Although he isn't following in my footsteps, our youngest man is becoming a fine cyclist in his own right. He turns 17 today, something I never could imagine 17 years ago. It's always been hard to wrap my head around the future and what it holds. A couple weeks ago, Eli entered his first Cat 1 local race and did a bang-up job. It was a hard nasty race and he did fantastic. Still 16 in this photo, happy as he can be holding his expensive mountain bike that has been thrashed for two hours in the mud. Sigh.

Never would I have thought he'd be doing what he's doing today. He was just a little dude with a bright future, whatever that might be. Not really thinking about bike racing then. Not really thinking about high school or college. Not really thinking about much except how to keep him in clean diapers and how to get him to fall asleep before 2am.

Just last weekend, he and I took a guy's trip to Arkansas for one of their State Series mountain bike races. Arkadelphia, to be exact. This was the dam just below Iron Mountain, and it was glorious. Eli was signed up to race, but I wasn't. There was a few moments on Sunday morning where registration was still open and I was feeling good, but something told me not to. I went on this trip with the idea that I was going to be the pit crew, so I just stuck with that plan.

Since this was a USA Cycling race, he had to race his category. We tried to sign him up to race Category 1 but he was technically only a Cat 3. We petitioned USAC and they upgraded him to Cat 2. The course was fantastic and Eli was quickly out front. He and another Cat 2 rider were flat out flying, passing through the older Cat 1's and looking every bit like they could have raced the higher category.

This was exactly why I didn't race. Why I shouldn't have raced. This moment right here. I was able to witness his first real mountain bike win. I was beyond proud. I'm sure everyone at the race knew that I was the proud father from my shouting. 

Worth every ounce of effort. I constantly forget that he's so young because he carries himself like a much older person. I've worked very hard not to push my kids into things that I like to do, to not live vicariously through them. When I say that it has been 100% his decision to take up cycling, it's the truth. He even does it for different reasons, and gets something completely different from it than I do. He is truly someone a lot of people can look up to and gain inspiration from. To say that I'm proud of the person he has become is such an understatement. 

Happy birthday, Eli! 

Last Birthday Post - Electronic Edition

After food and soft goods, the last thing I'll say about my birthday is how electronics were the finishing touch. Hanna, who we all know is practically the most fit person on planet Earth, uses Whoop. When she first told me about it some time ago, I figured it was just another fitness app. But she sends me her metrics now and then and it's pretty fascinating. I'm not sure if she's trying to tell me to firm up the old dad-bod or she wants me to share in her fitness glory, but she sent me one for my birthday. Thank you either way, fabulous daughter of mine!

The other part of the electronics equation: just how many awesome, wonderful, thoughtful, and heart-felt birthday wishes that I received. I'm humbled by how many people take the time to say "Happy Birthday" to a guy that has birthday cakes that would be considered a fire hazard with all the candles. And, although not electronic, I did get actual cards from beloved family members that were just perfect.

Until next year, when the fire department (or coroner) will surely be called, thank you to everyone!

 

More Birthday Stuff - Soft Goods

Eli and the Beautiful Mrs K went the soft goods route for this incredibly important birthday. Adidas are sort of my go-to brand these days and they came through. Cushy kicks for work!

Eli has been hinting around that I borrow his sweatpants an awful lot. I usually don't remind him that he borrows my bikes, my clothes, my shoes, my razors, my...well, you get the picture. Thus, it was not a real surprise that he gifted me with my very own sweatpants. Yes!! 

 

I'm 56 - What I got for my Birthday (food edition!)

 I've gotten a lot of great gifts for my birthday this year, and this posting is going to focus on something near and dear to me: Food. The Custis family knows this. A bit early for my birthday but welcome at ANY time of the year (hint, hint) is the famous guacamole. Oh. My. God. 

Um, yeah. The incredibly thoughtful and youngest member of their clan brought brownies. Not just any brownies, but homemade brownies. As you can see, I really only ate a couple bites as the other people at the store helped them to disappear. 

And thanks to Wes, who knows what washes down a big mouthful of brownies!

Seriously Neglecting the Hound Dog

 

It's not as if Remi is not photogenic. He's quite handsome, really. But if you look back at our other beloved dogs, most of them have had a lot more blog time than the Hound Dog.

I blame it all on him. He's a mess. So stubborn, so willful, so unpredictable, so uncooperative! Just try to get a good photo of him. I probably have 10 blurry photos for every one that is moderately in focus. 

I get lucky once in a while, but I did not get this one. Credit has to go to the beautiful Mrs. K for taking this while Eli and I were in California.  Yes, he was sleeping in my spot on my bed.

This is the best I've done lately I caught a glimpse as he was sunken into the bean bag chair in the basement. It's not even a good quality photo, but it's awesome because he was invisible until I called out his name. His head popped up from the deep chair and it was a rare, funny Remi moment that I caught on camera. 

And if I'm really quiet, and if I don't point my phone at him, I might get another one like this. He's like a kid that doesn't like to have his picture taken. I swear he knows.

Sounds far-fetched, but I'm in a Hall Of Fame

 

When I was first approached about being inducted into the Missouri Motocross Hall of Fame, I'm sure you can imagine my reaction.

"Well...I've never ridden a motorcycle. I take that back, I rode Dru Potts Ninja and racked myself on the gas tank when I snapped the throttle closed 100 yards from his driveway."

Come to find out, it's a bit of a misnomer. This hall of fame aims to honor two-wheeled riders who've made an impact on the sport in Missouri. It was started in 2020 and includes motorcycle racers, bicycle racers and freestyle riders, and industry people. 

Ok. I'm in. Thank you and I'm very flattered!

Only, that wasn't the end of it. There was to be a ceremony in Springfield, Missouri and Craig Stagner (the driving force behind the Hall of Fame) really wanted the inductees to actually attend. Really? I have to go and accept this award in person? It sounded very uncomfortable to me. I just don't like that sort of attention. But even though Eli and I had JUST gotten home the night before from California, the Beautiful Mrs. K INSISTED on us going. No discussion. We were going. And since each inductee was to have a 'presenter', she was more than happy to introduce me with a heart-wrenching little story to get me all teary-eyed before I had to get up and awkwardly give thanks.

Don't get me wrong. I was so flattered to be considered for such an honor. But I bragged and boasted plenty as a cocky 18-year-old about my racing. That was not something that I enjoyed anymore and wish that I could turn back time and shut myself up. So whenever this type of stuff comes up, I get squirmy and would rather prop up some of the other deserving athletes. And in this place...there were some amazing people already in the hall of fame. Plus the other people that were getting inducted for 2023. Here, the man himself, Craig Stagner congratulates me and I gave a few words of thanks before I sat back down.

There are so many years of two wheeled adventures in this photo, it's hard to believe. I loved listening to the stories of these great people. Two of the inductees had already passed away, and their families attended to accept the honors. 

My fabulous support crew. It's amazing to have such support, and to feel so loved. I mean, I'm just an old dude who loves to ride bikes, right? The room where the presentation was held was packed, wall to wall, with Hall of Famers and their families and friends. 

Chad Brixey was inducted in 2021. He's an amazing rider and an ardent supporter of the Hall of Fame. He is the guy that convinced me that this was a good thing and that I deserved to be in it. I'm very grateful for his support. 

I can't express my gratitude enough, both to my family for their support and to the Hall of Fame for considering me. Thank you all. 

California in February For GRA

Ask most St. Louisans if they'd like to go to California during the winter months and I doubt you'd get many of them to say no. Eli and I said yes to GRA (Giant Retail Academy) last week, located in sunny Newbury Park. The focus for this training was service (repair-type things), some specific and some general. 

The hotel we stayed at was old with a recent refresh. And although it wasn't the focus of our visit, it was nice. The pool was warmer than you'd think for February, but not warm enough to go for a swim. They had a great buffet each morning, which is never a bad thing.

As you'd imagine, I was hungry when we got to the hotel. Eli had to check in on his computer for school, so I went walking. About 100 yards from the lobby, I found this. Del Taco. A favorite from my youth. Actually, in our neighborhood (Hi-Point area), it was Naugles. Then it became Del Taco. I spent many late nights waiting in the drive through for a huge, greasy Macho-Combo burrito. Which is what I ordered and it was awesome. (On a side note: $19 per hour!)

We arrived at Giant bright-eyed the next morning and got a nice tour of the facility. So much cool stuff. It was very cool to see the latest and greatest on display. 

A highlight of the showroom for me was the ancient Ford Ranger used as a prop for the mountain bikes. I never asked if the old sled would run or not.

My heart would be so happy if the view out of the back door at South Side was similar to this. The California hills are everywhere and add so much to the experience.

After a few hours of class time, we were given some goods. The Cuore stuff is top notch. Eli chose a mtb jersey and I chose the road version. That's because were goin' ridin'!

On this first day, Eli and I both chose "analog" bikes...non-E bikes. We rode a couple top of the line Anthem full-suspension bikes. Lots of ups and downs, high-speed off-camber, and loose on top of hardpack surfaces. The trails are not groomed like the stuff in St. Louis, and you can tell they get a ton of use. Even so, the riding in these low hills is super fun. There are trails EVERYWHERE!

Naturally Eli and I pushed the uphills and stopped to wait for the others. Perfect photo-op with the Pacific Ocean in the background. 

The next day was hands-on. Even though I have rebuilt suspension forks and dropper posts, Eli has not. It was great to have all of the tools and parts on-hand, right at our fingertips, with the chief engineers giving tips and best-practices. And I have to admit it's never a bad thing to keep learning about things you think you know.

What we hadn't seen before is the CADEX wheel line. They're very sophisticated and built very precisely. We had the chief engineer and Giant's CADEX service specialist giving us the complete rundown. 

On this last day, we opted to ride e-mountain bikes. There are a lot of opinions out there about these things, and all I can say is you have got to try one before you pass judgement. Eli and I had so much fun riding with the Giant crew. We were HAMMERING on the bikes. So fast at times, and climbing some WICKED steep hills like nothing. On purpose, I used the lowest power setting so I could get a feel for it and I was wasted when I was done. The motor is the great equalizer: it allows people of all different fitness levels to ride together and get exactly the kind of ride or workout they want. Had I upped the boost one or two levels, I would have had just as much fun but with lower effort. It's just that simple.

These types of trips are great for so many reasons. We learned a lot of great info, met a lot of cool people, and got a fantastic winter break.

 

Good Versus Evil. Or, How my Brain Works

Since I was a little guy (like maybe 8 years old), I've always thought of winter as "The Bad Guy" and summer as "The Good Guy." Think Lex Luther and Superman. Clubber Lang and Rocky. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Steve Dallas and Opus.  You get the picture. Winter has always kept me from living my best life. It's cold. It's dark. I like warmth, endless sunshine, and dry ground. 

In my early teens, snow would really put a damper on riding my BMX bike. I would gather the hearty and gullible souls that I called my friends and we'd meet at the Maplewood K-Mart.  It had a really musty underground parking garage and we'd fly around the cars and support posts, having mapped out race courses. That lasted until the cops kicked us out or my fingers froze.

At times I would wait to see that the snow plows had cleared a small sliver of pavement in front of my house so that I could jump on the bike and do sprints up and down the hill until my fingers froze. 

Once I got a little older and began to ride mountain bikes, I would go ride the snow covered trails. It's always so quiet in the woods, and the trails would be empty so I would have them to myself. There were drawbacks. Like ice forming on the derailleurs or my water bottle. And sliding out on black ice was a bit of a stunner, too. Of course, it wouldn't be long until my fingers froze and I'd pile my ice-encrusted bike into the car and go home.

As a full-on adult, "The Bad Guy" still kills my riding buzz, but there are SO many more ways it can ruin my day. Scraping ice off of windshields is very high on my buzz-kill meter. Shoveling walkways, driveways, and now the South Side parking lot. When does this madness end? And how quickly do you think my fingers freeze while I'm shoveling?

All I can think of when I see temps hovering in the teens is: "Where are the good guys? Where are you, Opus??"

At least these days there are better alternatives to indoor riding and training. Which is good, because the K-Mart parking garage was demolished a long, long time ago.

Times Have Changed for Indoor Training

 So picture this: 

A bicycle mounted in a trainer. 

That's all I used to use for my first 5 years of  training on an indoor trainer. 1989. No music. No TV. No nuthin'. Just me. My bike. And the trainer. We called them Turbo Trainers in those days.

Things started to change. I started using a CD player with some hardcore songs (Hey Chris and EJ, remember Korn and Def Tones in the 90's?). I'd regularly get together with some other freaks and we'd do some harsh indoor workouts, rockin' out to some really heavy stuff. Oh, and we started using box fans, too. Unless we worked out in one of the guys basements that were so cold that we would start with light jackets on and shed them when we finally warmed up.

Even when we moved into my current house 17 years ago, I still used that formula. My basement wasn't THAT cold so I mounted a fan and just went for it. 

At some point I decided I needed more. I had an old VHS player and a small TV, so I picked up some Tour de France videos. I never bought too many, so I watched the same ones, over and over and over. I usually got the long ones, with every stage, but I bet I only had 4, maybe 5 tapes. Then came my really "advanced" TV with a DVD player. That rendered my old VHS tapes obsolete, so I bought a few DVD's.  You guessed it, more Tour de France DVD's.

It wasn't until 2 years ago that we got a smart TV in the basement and I was able to watch WHATEVER I wanted while grinding away on the trainer. It's not like I depend on the screen to keep me motivated...on the contrary, it keeps me distracted. I love watching World Cup mountain biking, but the Elite level cyclocross stuff is a perfect hour and frames my trainer time perfectly. 

I still use my Garmin computer and Garmin power pedals, along with a heart rate monitor. I don't use Zwift or any of the online interactive apps, although Deanna and Eli do. We also have a smart trainer that we hook their bikes up to. No way would I expect them to go my old-school route.

My current set-up is my 2001 Schwinn Fastback and a 10 year old Cyclops Fluid trainer. And of course, a box fan and a smart TV. Don't laugh at the flea-bitten trainer mat...it's older than a lot of you.

I have seen the light. If I'm going to spend time riding indoors, it's going to be productive and I'm not going to suffer under a dim light bulb staring at a concrete wall. Winter 2023/2024...I might even try the smart trainer!!

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.