Here are a few pictures from our ride at the Rhinelander course on Friday. I rode the spin bike today for a 1/2 hour and the leg hurt like hell. After the ride it felt better as the swelling went way down so hopefully tomorrow it will feel even better. I 'm going to try to do a longer ride on Sat and see how that goes. Time to watch the Packers mess up the rest of the game. Later..

Still hurt'n

The leg is feeling better today as I put a wrap on it all day and the swelling was kept down more. The skin graft was not as tight do to the swelling of the leg so it was much more comfortable. The bruise is beginning to really show up and that hurts more then the large hole where the skin was torn up. The real good thing is that I don't feel the tare in the skin graft as I know that it would probably hurt otherwise. The bruise is was hurts as the muscle is really messed up. I still can't bend the leg or crouch down as it just won't let me. Maybe tomorrow or Friday that will come to me. The thing that is killing me is that I can't get on the bike. I just miss the riding and hope that come back soon. I just have to be patient and wait for the leg to heal.

Nate had football again and that is going pretty good. He had the best hit of the day as he drove the running back that weighs as much as I do back and dropped him. It was a great hit and the other coaches loved it. A few more of those and we will have to start calling him Jack Tatum. They started defence today and he needs some on the pass coverage but after a little work he will pick it up and he should be fine. He also was at running back and he was running the ball pretty good considering it was the first time. He also was hitting the holes nice and kept his moving and picked up yards after contact. It is fun to see. I'm helping coach now so that should be interesting but it is fun. Time for me to look at the play books so I can help out when I'm coaching. Later..

Yea they are back to school

From the looks on the faces I think only Jessica, myself and Cece were happy that they went back to school yesterday. It was a uneventful day for them as it was only a half a day and then it rained. Today it was 90 plus and they don't have air in the classrooms so they had to sweat alittle, good for them I think as it builds character. Tonight Nate has football and then get to get my leg up as it is still swollen and hurts like hell. I hope it gets better in the next day or so. well time to go to the chiropractor. Later..

Ouch

Here is a picture of the cut to my leg. The flap of skin is already dieing and I imagine that it will fall off in a couple of days. The leg is swollen up and sore as f'in hell. All this is do to a idiot from Minnesota that tried to go inside of me is a area that had a caution sign up and took both of us down. The goof wasn't even in my age group. He did stop and say he was sorry and that he didn't know why he tried to do that and that he thought he had room. The crash took a good chunk of skin and muscle and caused a lot of pain and blood for the rest of the race. I also lost my left shift lever and only had the granny gear for the rest of the race. I only got passed by 1 guy in my group until I got a flat 1.5 miles from the finish and then 2 more racers in my age passed me. I ended up 5th in age and I was running 2nd in age and top 5 overall until the crash. That sucked. I think that it may have been my last WORS race this year unless the leg heals up and gets fine before the last couple of races. I hope that the leg is ready for the Cheq. race in a few weeks. Maddie won her race, Cece took 2nd and Nate took 3rd. The course was great and is one of my favorite races to date in WORS. Time to get the leg up. Later..

NO MORE TREES

Today we didn't cut anymore trees for once. I did get on the roof and clean the chimney though. I washed the truck, my car and my parents SUV, cleaned 3 bikes and pre rode the race course today and I can still smell the soot from the chimney cleaning. We rode the course for the race and it is really nice. It is about 40% track and the rest is logging road. The single track is about 70% passable so the faster riders should be able to pass without offending anyone will be fine. There are a few slight up hills but nothing really that though so I think you won't see to many people getting off their bikes ( unless Randy is here ). The course is as dry as a bone as we have only gotten a half of an inch of rain over the last week up here. There is enough sand, rocks and roots to keep everyone happy and slow the rest of them down. I think the guys who are putting the race on have done a great job and I really like the course and think most of the others will to. I'm going back tomorrow to pre ride it once more and then come back and relax before the race. See ya at the race. Later..

More trees to cut

Today we cut the last of the trees that fell from the storm last month. I haven't made it to the course for the race this weekend but Christine has a great description on her blog. There has not been that much rain this week up here and it should make the course great for the race this Sunday. I did get out for another ride today and the fire roads are in great shape. I plan on getting over to the course tomorrow and Saturday before the race to check out the conditions so I will try to get a post later. Going to sit back and watch the Packers and have a few cold ones. Later..

Rerun

More of the same today and yesterday as we cut down a few more of the trees that were snapped off half way up from the storms. We finally got out for a ride today after the work was done. It was a nice 2 hour fire road ride. Going to try to get over to the race course for a ride in the next day or 2 and then on Sat for the pre ride. Tomorrow it is cutting up 2 more trees that were snapped in half and then maybe I can sit back and relax on vacation for a day or 2. See ya at the race. Later..

Dropping tree's

Do to the respect for my parents computer there will not be a Supermate of the week. Sorry as I know a few of the peeps do look forward to it each week but I just can't do it to their computer.

Today after getting 12 hours of much needed sleep we cut a huge tree down the was rotten at the base and leaning towards the garage on the middle of the drive. After cutting the tree up we spilt it and then split part of the neighbors pile of wood from a storm a couple of weeks ago. After getting the wood taken care of Nate and I went for a ride on the logging roads behind the cabin. The legs were still tired from all the running Sunday. My left side of my ass is sore from all the running ( I know Russell that is because I only have half an ass ). Tomorrow it will be some more of the same as we plan on taking another tree down and clean up more down from the storm. Later..

WORS Cup

We did the WORS Cup at Mt. Morris and it was another mud run. Don put together a great course and it was nice when we did a pre ride on it. Then the racing started and the rain started. The Elite had a nice course for about 2/3's of the race and then the comp class went off and it turned to pure crap. I decided to race the single speed as I wouldn't have to replace everything again after the race. Nate raced another great race and won his age class. I rode OK and took a 2nd in age. I haven't run in like 14 plus years since the truck ran me over. Man am I sore today. It was still raining this morning and Don called the rest of the races today and is planning on holding them at other races so we will have to finish the run for the WORS Cup another day. I hope everyone had fun racing and see ya at the next race.

Got to the cabin today in Rhinelander so it is time to relax and try to get to the Rhinelander course later in the week. We went fishing and Nate caught a few nice large mouth bass th at we tossed back as I don't feel like cleaning fish. Going to try and get some wood chopping in and some riding in between the rain. Time go and relax. Later..

Kids are weird

Enough said....................

Here are a few pictures of Nate at his football practice tonight. He has been practicing with the running backs and wide receivers. They haven't separated out the ones that will play either spot or done anything with the defence yet so we will just have to wait and see where they play him. He misses next weeks practice because we are going to the cabin for the week so that may hurt him a little but oh well. He is liking it so far and he is the one that is not winded after a few up downs or the running. Good thing he has been riding all summer to keep him in shape. Time to go over the play book with him. Later..

8/14

Tonight is the first football practice for Nate in his helmet and pads. I think it will be fun to watch and see how the kids practice with all the gear on. There were a few kids at practice last week that were saying "man I can't wait to start hitting" . Those were the big line men that weigh more then me. I'm just hoping that Nate doesn't get hurt or that he is to sore come race time. He will miss a few games do to some races but we are planning on trying to make it to all the games and all the WORS races, Fat Tire 40, and most of the cross races. The practice with pads and hitting should sort some kids out who will be afraid of the hard contact, I hope Nate can handle it. We will be missing a few practices next week as we are going up north for vacation so that may set Nate back on the depth charts right off the back so we will have to see. So no track tonight or the time trial at Crystal tomorrow. See you at the races as now I have to take Nate to practice and try to fit in some riding some how. Later..

Russell's Supermate of the Week

Here are the ladies that are practicing their dance to perform for Russell when he finishes the Ore 2 Shore next year. These are the best of the UP women that would be seen near him after racing 48 miles. Do you blame them?

A hot time at the track

Last night and today Nate and I hung out at the track for the state Championships. Last night he had the 500 meter time trial. Today he raced the 3k, 6k and points race. He won all 4 for his age group and took the omnium. Nate has a couple of really good nights of racing at the track recently and he enjoyed the racing over the weekend and the rewards for that were the 4 golds. It was fun to spend a couple of days at the track and see some great racing by the racers that raced over the weekend. Len and Bob also had some good races and results over the weekend also. Now it is time to get some riding in this weekend and week as I have been running around all we and no riding. A good week of rest never hurts so I should be fresh for the next races. I hope.. Later..

Ready set hike

So far Nate wants to try playing tackle football this fall. He got drafted on the defending champs from the last couple of years so that was cool. A lot of the other kids moved on to high school so it should be interesting to see how this year goes. He looks like he was enjoying the last 2 nights of practice and now he wants to stick it out and see how it goes. That means 3 nights a week of practice and some games on Sat for awhile so we will going to races in the evening or the day of when the games start. I will have to work it out with Cece to get him to a couple of the practices so I can still get in a few rides so my training doesn't turn into the same as Randy's has. Nate picks up his pads and stuff this weekend and then it is full out practice starting next week. Man I can't believe he is playing tackle football. It seems like yesterday he was learning to ride without training wheels. Time for a new adventure I guess. Later..

Tuesday track racing

Last night Nate and I hit the track in Kensoha for some racing. It was the 2nd time in 2 years for me and I raced the cat 4's and felt more comfortable racing there then the cat 3's. The speed was a tad slower and that meant that I could sit in and do better in the races. In the end I did 5 races and finished in the top 5 in a couple of them. Nate raced well again and was able to take a 2nd and a 3rd. In the consolation race he was able to finish on the same lap and rode well the entire race. This weekend we have decided to stay in town and do the State Track Championships as of now. But like always that could change at any moment. Tonight Nate and I are heading to a football draft meeting as he is going to play some tackle football this fall. He is thinking about it right now but he is going to look and see if it messes with any races and that is going to make it or break it weather he plays it or not. Time to get ready for the meeting.

All cleaned up

Last night was just a day of cleaning the bikes. It took almost 3 hours to go over the 3 bikes from the race this last weekend. Man was there the mud and dirt on those things. I had to pull the pulley wheels off each bike and take them apart and re lube, go over each chain again with lube and check every BB and headset. I think that the cables and all should be ok, I will have to see when we pull the bikes out for a ride later this week. Still in the air if Nate wants to do the Ore 2 Shore this weekend. I'm leaving it up to him if he wants to take the drive there. I think he may just want to skip it and take a weekend off with 2 straight weekends of WORS coming up. It looks like the bmx is out for tonight so if the rain stops off to Kenosha we are. Also this Thursday there is no bmx practice as a Stiles demo is coming into town. There is also bmx racing there on Sat so if we don't go to Ore 2 Shore that is what we will do. Just all kind of in limbo for now.

Russell's Supermate of the Week

I think Russell had to settle for the lower box yesterday because he stopped to help his supermate get out of the mud.

Mud anyone?

The race today was everything that I knew it would be after the rain last night. We got to the race this morning and thanks to Jeremey for changing the tires on Nate's wheel's for the race. I had a set of Medusa's and the nice guy that I am I took the Kenda Karisma's. Enough said is that Nate rocked and took a 6th overall in sport, won age group and beat me by 5 plus minute's. I think the day that he beats me every race is just around the corner. I'm extremely proud of him and can't say enough how great he loves to ride and I love to ride with him.

Cece had a good race today as she took a 2nd in her age group after not feeling that good the last 2 days. She was tossing her cookies yesterday and not feeling to good this morning. She toughed it out and rode a smart race and looked good through out to the finish.

I had a decent race today considering the hills and mud really take the energy out of me and my bad leg. I had a good start and sat in 3rd for the first lap with Todd. On the start of the 2nd lap I got a gap on Todd and rode through the riders that I caught from the waves that started before me. I was hurting in the mud and hill s but plugged along. I also got stung by a bee on the 1st lap and being allergic to the that was all I was thinking for the rest of the race. I rode it out feeling the stinger the rest of the race and ended up finishing 3rd in age and 23rd overall. I'm happy that all 3 bikes made it without any broken parts and we all got spots on the box. Maddie didn't race as the mud and rain made her nervous and I said it was fine not to race. She was happy after seeing how muddy we were, me too as it was 1 less bike to clean and lube. For a race report on how the others did check here and here. Later..

Racing in our backyard

Tomorrow is the race at Crystal Ridge and I love the course. Well I should as it is the course that I ride and race every week for the last 8 years. The course is super dry and fast so be ready for a dry dusty race if it doesn't rain. The single track is I think is some of the best in the race series and most technical. Following some of the other racers at times is fun as they bounce off the trees and miss the corners. I hope that Nate has his game on as their will be a few other racers from Iowa and Illinois I'm sure. Tonight we are going to the Brewer game and then it is race time in the morning. See ya at the race. Later..

Pump'n & Jump'n

Tonight Nate and I went for a BMX workout. Dan T. was there so that made it fun to watch him and Nate have some gates together. My legs feel a lot better and the beat down would have torn them apart so the BMX was a good choice. Here are a few pictures of us at the track and 1 of Dan hitting some air into turn 1. See you at the race Sunday. Later..

Some Pictures of the Stars and Bars, and my team.

Here are a few pictures of the teams that were able to pick up the Stars and Bars. I missed the picture of Jessie and his team though, sorry. I will steal one and post it later.
Tonight we raced the time trail and I had a upset stomach from eating right before the race and suffered the entire race. My laps got faster each time around but I felt bad the entire time. I think I will skip dinner before the time trials from now on. Tomorrow it is bmx to just keep it real and then get ready for the weekend race. Later..