Play Time

I got out for a nice bike ride today. I was going to go out on the road but the wind was so brutal that I decided to roll out on the mountain bike and be protected by the trees. Not a lot of hills but steady long ones to climb and got flats to hammer till the legs go boom. Nate is playing paint ball right now with Jason and a bunch of others in the woods. I opted and went for the ride as they run through the woods and I'm not fast and they always shoot the crap out of me. 5 o'clock some where isn't it?

1/2 Full

Well after today the calender is half done and then 2009 is on the down swing. Man the time is flying bye and I can't believe it. Yesterday we just did some things around the house and Nate, Ezra and myself went for a nice ride on the crushed gravel trail by Wade's place. Nate and I did sprints along the way to add to the ride. The Punk took the better of me on 7 of the 12 sprints. I will get him tomorrow when we do it again. Then when we got home it was cookout time with the friends from the neighborhood. It like always was a great time and we laughed and made fun of everything and everyone. After the indoor fun and the sun went down it was time to watch a movie on the big outdoor movie theater by Jason and Amy's. We built a nice fire and loaded the hay wagon with blankets and laughed all night long. More riding and relaxing are in order. Later..

Just floating around

Yesterday was a day of relaxing on the water with Mike and Debbie on their pontoon boat. We grounded it and sat and talked for a few hours and then went to a tavern on the lake for some dinner. After the dinner we dropped the anchor and the kids and I jumped off the back for a while, that was fun. Then we loaded the boat and came home and watched August Rush in the theater room at Mike and Debbie's. Today a nice long and steady ride is in order and more relaxing. Later..

1st road win of the year

Yesterday the morning started out with a nice thunder storm. As the day went on it got nice and I hit the road for a nice spin. As I was heading out the skies turned black and you could see the rain coming. When I felt the first rain drop I turned around and raced the rain back. I could feel it hit the road behind me every now and then and I just pushed the pedals harder and sped ahead. I got home and missed the rain. As always though it was a brief rain and missed many area except where I was riding. I did notice a few things on the ride though. 1.) Rednecks like to drive fast. 2.) Rednecks drive real close to you when passing. 3.) There are a lot of empty beer cans on the side of the road. 4.) There is a pissed off Red Wing black bird as it chased me on the way out and the way in. 5.) There are a lot of nice long hills to ride. Can't wait for more time on the bike.

Today we are getting ready to get the boys as they are cutting the hay in the field. They got up early to get the job done so they play all day. We are going to head to the American Legion Baseball Breakfast in a few minutes and then got on the pontoon for the day. I love being on vacation. Have to run. Later..

The Easy Life

Got the bags put away and coolers packed with beers, then we headed to the pool for some fun, food and laughter. As the night went on and the beers poured in the fun got turned up. As always the laughing was plenty and the stories were long. More of the same tonight. Later..

Woodville

Got to Wade's after picking Nate up and have a cold one in hand. Now it is time to relax and ride. Nate said he had a blast and that he wants to go again next year. A lot of riding but never to many in a day to kill you. I think it really helped Nate's understanding to what it takes to go to the next level and now hopefully he can put it to work. The coaches all said that he was a little animal on the bike and never stopped giving it his all so that is nice. In the skills secession he schooled the others and he also climbed the hills as well as the others. But on that note I need another beer. Later..

Punched out and heading out

Picture of Nate taking the drop during gate practice.

Got done working for the man today and turned off the phone as I'm done for the next 10 days. Can't wait to load the truck and leave the city for the quite country life up by Wade. Got home after another day in the heat and got the fixie out and tossed the leg over it and headed out for a nice 30 mile ride. I just headed down along the lake and it was maybe about 2 degrees cooler but it was a nice ride again. Then got home and mowed the lawn and packed the gear for the race and got my other clothes ready for the next 10 days. I can't wait to get out and relax and ride.

Nate called and said that he is loving the camp and has learned a lot. He also said that they were doing some skill drills in the grass area and he went down. When he picked himself up he grabbed the bars to remount they were broken. I guess the carbon bars didn't like hitting the ground. With that he gets to sit in the car that follows for the last ride in the morning tomorrow, at least it happen on the last day and he does not miss much. Now I have to pack some bars and my wheel set as the ones he had are whacked out a little and I may have to get them to the master nipple twister Russell to get them in line again. In all he said it has been great and that he is glad he went.

Now I need to get the last things ready and load some of this crap into the truck. See you at the Fire Cracker in 10 days. Later..

Noise level 1000 fold

Here is a picture of Nate at the Mid West Nationals during a gate practice. He has #10 on the plate.


The girls are back and they are right at it what they do best, make noise. They make so much noise you would think that there was at least 10 girls in the the house instead of just 2. Maddie has been gone for almost 4 weeks and Jessie for about 2. It felt like I had no kids for a while and it was kind of nice. My parents are also staying here as they work security at Summerfest. So it is nice as they stay in our house while we are at Wade's and they take care of the watering and mail for us. Now Nate has 2 more days at the Jr Development camp and we pick him up and go to Wade's for 11 days. It will be like 6 weeks away from home for Maddie and Nate will have been gone for 5 of the 6 weeks too.

Nate called last night and said the camp is going well and that he had a decent time trial in the morning and a OK one in the afternoon. He said the legs were a tad tired from the hilly ride on Monday afternoon. Nate said the hill climbing was not fun but going down hill and hitting 52mph was fun. He has tomorrow and Friday morning and then I will get the real scoop on how the camp really was. He has said he has been having fun and that he is glad that he went. Hope the weather cools a little more so the rides are a bit more tolerable.

When I got home from work I got the hose that decided to take a piss and replaced it. I have to say working in a garage that has been baking in the 93 degree makes for a not to much fun time. I also washed the car and truck as they were filthy and I was sweaty already. I decided that needed to get these things done and skip the Crystal Ridge time trials with the temps in the 90's. Plus with it being hot and humid my leg doesn't like it, plus after 2 days of working it and riding in it I just decided to skip it all. So when I got my chores done it was time to float in the pool for and hour and a half. That felt great and refreshing. Now I have to get used to having kids again. Later..

Cool pictures from the weekend by Brad and othr crap

Nate hamming it up for Brad.
Pulling a nice manual.
Just no effort for someone that has skills.
I never leave the ground as I'm afraid of hitting it after making contact again.
I did get the win in this race on Saturday morning. Len and another got into each other while I was doing a low high in turn 2. In turn 3 I went around the top and Len below him and I took the win and Len rolled in 2nd. Nice way to start the day.

Brad seems to be in the right spot for some of the best pictures. I look like I'm scared as hell and Nate looks like it is just another ride in the park. I have to say if you have never tried or raced bmx you have to give it a shot as you race against guys your age and the same ability. Some are faster and better but they win and move up and you get better and faster and win and move up. I really like it and it is a great skill and sprint builder. Plan on making it part of the race season this summer for Nate and I and of course the entire winter like always.

Nate is having fun at camp and he said he as learned a lot. He had some skills classes in the morning yesterday and then a group ride 60 miles in the hills of La Crosse. He did say the up hill climbing was not fun but the down hills at 50 plus miles per hour were. Several of the other riders did crash along the way but Nate had no issues. He also stated that he didn't get dropped and made the entire ride. Several others did fall off the pace but he made it, always a good start to camp. Today was a 2 part time trial in the morning and then another 60 plus mile group ride int he afternoon. Hope the 95 degree day didn't melt them to the road. Tomorrow is the power meter test and another long group ride in the afternoon. Hope he makes it through it all and enjoys the camp.

Today I had to work outside in the hot weather and I drank a gallon of water and a Cokes and still felt dehydrated by the end of the work day. After that Cece and I picked up the truck as it was getting a oil change and the door signal switch went out and the interior lights stayed on and drained the battery, can you say $325.00 to get it fixed. Also the rear brakes were almost gone and I hate doing drum brakes so that was another $350.00. They were nice and took a $100.00 off the bill at the end. That is still hard to swallow but needed to be done. Now after Cece and I went out for dinner at Cafe Lulu's I noticed that there was some fluid on the ground were the Monte Carlo was stopped prior to pulling in the garage and looked under the hood only to find a hose that has a leak in it. Crap another thing to get done tomorrow after work. Will it ever end? I need to get back to my bowl of Snicker Ice Cream before it melts. Later..

Hear that?

Mikey at the finish of his main on Saturday.
Nate flying off the drop in a practice.
Me looking scared going into turn 2. Picture from Tina.Me getting ahead of Len out of turn 1. Picture from Tina.
Len looking for the lead out but he couldn't come around. Picture from Tina.

With all the kids gone the house has a echo in it. No yelling and fighting going on so it is nice. I got a nice 1.5 hour fixie ride in after work and then Cece and I got a few things done and now she is upstairs messing around. Same tomorrow as I'm taking a week off of the races and time trials to just recover and ride. Still haven't heard from Nate yet so he is either dead tired or just loving it up at camp. Now we have to start getting things ready for the week of vacation next week to. Oh I'm looking forward to sitting and drinking a few cold ones up by Wade. Later..

Empty Nest

Nate showing mad skills and the guy behind is just amased as you can see by the look on his face.
Nate, myself and Bryan after the Thursday night race.

Here are a few pictures from the races this weekend but I will post a race report tomorrow.
There are no kids here and it is nice. Well it is way different with no kids here. Got Nate up to the camp in La Crosse and all is good. No call yet to come and get me but I don't expect one either. It was nice to see a few faces that will be at the road camp while Nate is there. Carrie Ann, Beth and a hall resident that went to Thomas More were there when we got there so Nate was relaxed when we left. He should have some fun and I hope learn a lot and bring his racing up a step or 2. Tomorrow he starts with a Gear check and skills session with a nice group ride in the afternoon. He should be nice and tired by the end of the week but in a lot better shape. Got home and Cece and I went out for some wings and a burger at Beer Belly's. Nice little dinner with no kids. Time to catch up on a few things from the last few days. Later..

Rock 2&3

Nate off the drop.

Day 2 was rained out and ran on day 3 making for a long day. Brief results were Nate a 7th in the first race and then a 5th in the National. I took a 1st in the 1st race and a 2nd in the National. More complete race weekend fun to come. Now I need some sleep as tomorrow is the drive to Jr Development camp for Nate. Later..

The Rock Day 1

Got here and unloaded and set up the tent and got down to business. Racing that is. Nate raced cruiser and took a 2nd place and I raced 20 inch and took a 2nd also. Had to race the young kids. Bryan also raced and took a 1st place in cruiser. Tomorrow more of the same. Later..

To Do List

I have a list 10 miles long and got a start on it and tons to do.
Brake job on the car after work done in 40 minutes. New rotors on thanks to the sweet hook up from Coop.
New stem on the Tarmac as the one on it was a tad long for Nate.
Got the results typed up for Nate for the road camp. That took 2 hours. Nate is out for a road ride right now as Brandon and Jordan just left.
Then we got tot get the bmx gear bags packed for the races that we leave tomorrow at noon. I took a half day off so we can get there to race tomorrow night and then race on Friday before the National event on Saturday.
Then we have to get home and load up to get Nate to the Road camp.
Got tons of crap top do. Later..

Pissed on our night

We loaded the car with the gear and track bikes and hit the road with Brandon and Jordan in tow. It was to be their first time to the track and to see some of the best racing on 2 wheels. The drive down was good and as we got to the track it just started to mist. Nate and I got our kits on and started to roll around the track and then it started to rain a little harder so we reloaded the car and came home. Oh well now it is time to get the bmx stuff ready and then get all of Nate's stuff in order for the road camp. Later..

Rain Rain Go Away

Hoping that the rain will hold out and that Nate and I get to get a night of track racing in. The way it is looking right now the dark clouds to the south may piss on our night. Keeping the fingers crossed. Later..

Easy day

My Tarmac fits Nate pretty good and I have a feeling that he will have it performing better then I ever will.
This house has crap written all over it.

I do like the Hamburgerler though.The seminary is always a cool place to ride through.
I left Russell's number under the wiper for God to give him a call. Can't hurt..


Today was a easy day at work as I collected samples for the city lab to test. I always like that job every now and then as it is just a day of relaxing and no pressure like the rest of the time. Then after work Nate and I hit the road for a nice easy spin. I rode the Felt Fixie and it was fun to just spin away on the road as Nate rode the nice smooth road bike. I got the Tarmac all set up with the Jr gearing and his saddle as tomorrow I'm running it to Alan at Ben's for the final tune up before Nate heads to USCA Jr Road Development camp on Sunday. Alan is also going to do a quick fit to make sure that it is fitting good as he is going to be putting the miles on over the week he is there. Don't need any saddle sores or anything to sneak up during camp. Today Nate said he really likes the way the Tarmac rides and that he is looking forward to the camp. Tomorrow is some racing at the track and then we are going to take it easy for the next few days as we are also going to race the BMX Mid West Nationals in Rockford on Friday and Saturday. Then get home and run to La Crosse in the morning for the camp on Sunday. A lot to do over the next few days to get everything in order for a smooth adventure that lays ahead. Later..

Dan's ride

Just rolling along on a nice country road and no traffic.
New cockpit of the Tarmac compliments of Len. Sweet ride and so comfy.
The girl knows John's next trick to make it to the finish of the beat down.

We did a few miles today from Dan's house ( 48 miles ). A nice pace, a nice group of team mates to ride with. After the ride Dan treated us to some meat tossed on the grill and a some nice cold beers. You missed a good ride if you were not there. Next time the invite is there be there. Later..

A few Pictures from Sam

Here a few pictures that Sam took yesterday at the bmx track. Thanks Sam and Tina. Got the nice carbon bars on the Tarmac, thanks Len. Now getting the gear ready for the Danny ride. Later..

Little bikes = lots of fun

Had some fun at the bmx track today for the State Qualifier race. Nate took a 2nd in cruiser and 3rd in age. I took a 2nd in age, as Len got the better of me. I will redeem in Rockford. Got home and uncovered the pool cleaned t and swam for a while, Nice. Tomorrow is the ride from Danny's at 1pm. See you there. Later..