Holy Rollers 2008

A few pics from last years Holy Roller ride.

ID3 Race Report: TT

Ok, its been a long time since my last post but finally revisited my blog and found several unfinished post. Here is one from the Mill Mnt Time Trail.

Seth and I did a bike race over the summer and made China's CCTV News! Here's the funny part. They were doing a segment on how cycling is a "family" event. We'll my ex-wife and her 2 children from her current marriage were there to watch Seth. After the race, the TV crew saw the 5 of us together, asked if Seth was our son and if the other children were his brother and sister, then made an assumption that we were married. The interviewer said, "you seem like happy family, do you mind if we interview you?" Mary and I looked at each other, smiled and figured it would be too difficult to explain. So, we went with it. Good thing her husband wasn't there too, that would have made the interview very interesting! Its about a 4 min video and we are at the 2:25 and 3:00 mark. Check out the link below for the story.

http://vsearch.cctv.com/plgs_play-CCTV4news_20080719_6392208.html

Below are a few pics.

ID3 Race Report: Crit

My first criterium!!!!!!!

Crash in turn 2

Maybe the picture tells it all. My first crit. I was real excited about racing and also a little nervous. Although I have done several Road & Mtb races, I have never done a crit. Crits are really fast and furious. If you have never watched one, then you need too. Way more exciting than watching generic cars go around a track. And there are no caution flags to regroup the field. Pit stops? Forget about it. Don't have time to stop!!!!!!!! Not to pick on you NASCAR fans but. . . OK, one last jab. I'll even use a Indy Car quote instead.

Ah, now that is racing--Indy style!

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough!"

Mario Andretti

My Cat 5 race consisted of about 25 riders. We line up for the start and the gun sound. My objective is to hang with the stronger riders and DON'T CRASH. After a few laps, I was feeling confident and at ease in the corners. I'm around 5th place and hanging on Gordon's wheel. I knew Gordon was one of the strongest. I begin to pedal a little more in the turns trying to get a feel of the pedal clearance. I knew as the race went on, I would have to increase my speed in the turns and wanted to be as efficient as possible in and out of the turns by getting in a few extra cranks before and after the turns.

I guess I tested it a little too much. I went down in turn 2. My pedal hit really hard sending the rear of the bike out from under me. All I could think about was get the heck out of the way of the other riders. Once everyone passed, I quickly mounted my bike and took off again. Below is Ron on another guy's wheel in the same turn. That is exactly what happened to me.

SLIDESHOW

After getting back on the bike, I took off to try and catch the leaders. Remember there are no caution flags. If you are dropped, then too bad.

Donnie and I worked together and picked off several riders.

Notice the above photo. Check out the little bit of clearance my right pedal has. ahhhhh. Actually, the pedal hit pavement again but not hard enough to throw me off this time. Gordon and the leaders were lapping the field and caught up with me. That was OK. Besides, I wanted to see if I could hang with the stronger guys. My goal of not crashing failed so lets see if I can hang. We take a couple of laps and I'm hanging on. Alright, feeling good, keep it up. Then we hit the main straight and I flatted. AHHHHHGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it. A flat tire. I was now ticked. Wreck. Hey, that's ok. Now I'm out of the race because of a flat. Oh well. Good news is I really enjoyed my first crit and look forward to another one.

Here's a slideshow of this day.

ID3 Race Report: Kid's Crit

This was Seth's first criterium. We'll, mine too. He was pumped and excited about the race. We made a couple of laps around the 3/4 mile course so that he knows the turns. I should have taken a better look at some of those turns. I had a wipe-out in one of them.

I'll save that for the next post.

See the big chopper bikes on the right.
The kids line up and Seth displays his race face. He asked, "Daddy. Which one do you think is the fastest?" I looked at one of the older boys with the chopper bike, pointed to him and said, "He looks fast." He responds, "Ok, I'll hang on his wheel." Yeah, he is already picking up on tactics and race language!!!!!!!!!!!
The guns goes off and the kids are flying down the first stretch. Seth is near the front heading towards the first turn. When Seth and I do triathlons together or just out riding bikes, we talk about the proper techniques of riding and what helps you to go faster. I watch him fly around the course and see he is trying to get in a tucked aero position. I had to smile:)
They make it around the final turn and head for the finish.

Seth is in 4th place trying to catch 3rd.

He stands and sprints for the finish!!!

4th place out of about 12 riders!!!!!!!!!!

Way to Go!!!!!!!!!

Daddy? Where Are You?

It's really cool how children teach grown ups about God. I'm beginning to understand why Jesus adored children and said things such as, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Luke 18:16). In fact, Jesus often reprimanded the arrogance of the adults and stated that our faith should be like that of a child (Matthew 18:4-5).


Seth is always teaching me about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Most mornings I arise well before Seth. Typically, I piddle around on the computer, read and spend some quite time with God. I find the mornings so refreshing. Even if it is for a few minutes, I try to be still and quiet so that I can hear the voice of my Heavenly Father speaking. I hear the birds chirping and the cars whizzing by. And, just as I reach the point of quiet surrender, I hear a familiar voice call out, "Daddy, where are you?" I respond loudly, "I'm upstairs." Seth says, "Ok. Just wanted to know." Twenty minutes or so goes by. I walk downstairs thinking I would see him playing video games or playing with his cars. Nope, he is sleeping peacefully in bed.


Have you ever wondered where your Heavenly Father is? Maybe there are times in your life that you feel He has left you or abandoned you and you call out, "Where are you?" Whether you are awake, busy in the day or sleeping, do you have a sense of peace knowing your Heavenly Father is near you. Know that your Heavenly Father is ALWAYS with you. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). Being assured of my presence, he was able to sleep peacefully.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).