Group Rides

The Thursday group ride that starts out of the back parking lot of Hales Corners Wheel and Sprocket starts tonight March 31. It will be leaving at 5:30 for the first few and then move to 6 pm when the sun stays out longer, it is about a 35 loop. Also there is a group ride that leaves from the same spot on Saturdays at 9:30am and is about 35 miles long. See you on the road. Later..

Nate's new ride

Here is Nate's new machine that he is going to living on a lot soon. Thanks ISCorp for the great opportunity and great bike.

The SRAM groupo is smooth as butter.

The wheels and bike look fast as hell even while sitting still.

Front view of the bike and how sweet it looks.

Fuzzy but as you can see they put Nate's name on his bike, awesome touch.

Yesterday Nate got a call that we could pick up his team bike. He was so excited that he called me and I really think for the first time he was ready to head out before I had to yell at him to get moving. We flew up to ISCorp headquarters and picked it up as were Kaleb and Kevin getting their bikes. It is a awesome looking road machine and the new coolers are really sharp and stick out nice. Tonight Nate and I ran to Wheel and Sprocket and picked up a longer seat mast and as the one that came with the bike was at the maximum line and we were a little concerned about that. So Don took care of us and we are now secure with a loner mast that gives up space to move the seat up now. We are hoping to put a few long rides in the weekend and next week with a few of the local group rides starting up. Can't wait as I get my bike back and Nate gets to ride his new machine. Hope to see you on the road soon. Later..

Fun times.

Jessie liked the Bra's hanging from the deer head. Cece would not give hers to put up there saying that they did not want a granny bra up there.

Claudio pretending to smoke with one of the candy cigarettes that I bought the kids.

Claudio looking a regular in the bar. It was so cool that all the bars are smoke free now. I love it.

The gang at Steve's house.

Old Smuggler waiting to put the hurt on us.

Nate in the Jr race.

Nate and the group after the other 3 ISCorp racers got away.

Been a fast and fun weekend. Friday was the team annual St Patrick's day on Friday and as always it was a great time. Then yesterday was a surprise 40th Birthday party for Fred. It was a great time and as always a blast hanging with the bmx gang. Going to miss the bmx family as today was the last race at the indoor track in Elkhorn and that means now Nate and I won't be seeing them all for a while as with Nate's road and track racing it will keep us from hitting the bmx track for a while. We are going to try to fit a few in but we will have to see. Then today was the 3rd of three Kenosha crits and Nate and I headed to the races. He was a little flat in the jr race and finished 4th and then in the cat 3 race I think he finished 6th or 7th. I finished with the pack and made the goal of just finishing with the main group. Now I may race the WCA race next weekend but I still have not decided as the last turn to the finish is a real crappy one and in the last few times we had been there a few racers have gone down there and I do not want to be one of them. So if the weather is cold I may just ride in the morning as Nate is taking the ACT test and then just take him to the race after that. So it will a call at race time. Later..

Old Smuggler

Have a late St Patrick's party tonight and I am hoping that I don't let the Old Smuggler bite me to hard. I will try to hold back and not take to many pulls but as always that will not be the case and I will have a hangover tomorrow. The good thing is Nate is coming along and he will drive us home. Later..

Party weekend.

Well I am hoping that the weekend is a good one to me as tomorrow is the annual St Patrick's party at Steve's house. As in the past it has been a great time that has had me and others in the fog for the next day or 2. But I am thinking that some one else will take a pull and I will be OK and not drink to much. Then Saturday I have plans to take care of to that I hope will keep me from getting to loaded as I am planning on racing the Kenosha crit on Sunday or if the weather is to bad the last day that the bmx races. So it should be a interesting to weather I can be good and be able to race without a hangover, or race a hangover off.

Tonight we have a guest for the night as Claudio the neighbor boy is staying overnight as his sister Isabella had a surgery today and his parents are spending the night in the hospital with her. Nothing to be concerned about with Isabella and it all went fine. Claudio is having a good time as i Jessica. Oh well time to entertain a few kids. Later..

Going to be a long one

With the rain that has be falling the last few days and more on the way the trails are going to be wet for a long time. The good thing when it does stop raining the road is still there to train and race on. We are going to be spending more time on the road this year any how so the wet trails won't deter us from riding,just the rain and freezing temps will keep us inside a little longer. But the other bummer is that the bmx gate practices are done and today we will miss Rays as the kids have a orthodontist appointment so the riding will be on the rollers after that. Rays will have to wait till the weekend to get to. But as I sit here and look out the office window I sure am glad that it is rain instead of the foot of snow that Rhinelander has already gotten with more on the way. Rain Rain go away and come back another day. Later..

Bolwing for BMX

Maddie trying to explain how to text a 1,000 times a day.

Isabella all happy getting a spare.

Nate showing his bowling form.

Jessica giving me the evil eye.

Nate's high score of the night.

Last night after a day of bmx racing at the barn we loaded up the car and headed over to the Milwaukee BMX bowling fundraiser. We had a fun time and enjoyed the night and laughed as we tried our hardest to look like real bowlers. My high score was a 155 and as you see Nate had the highest score of all of us with his 180. Cece I think had a 104 and then Maddie's was a 63 and then Jess was a 54. Jesse had a 89 for a high and Isabella's high was in the 50's. Thanks to the people at Milwaukee bmx for the awesome event and great time. Nate and I are going to try to make it to a few races at Milwaukee if Nate's busy road and track racing gives a day or 2 to get there. Later..

Redline Qualifier

Nate dropping into the 1st turn in the open.

Nate tucked in with Tyler and Brandon.

Nate wiggling his way through the crash in the first moto to transfer into the main.

Me in a practice run.

Me in the 1st or 2nd moto. All the picture taken by Sam.

With the little bit of rain we got today Nate and I decided to load the bmx bike up instead of heading to Kenosha to get wet and freeze. It was the triple point Redline cup Qualifier race today and the place was packed. Nate raced the open and took a 2nd place and then a 3rd in cruiser and a 4th in 20 inch class. I took a 4th in cruiser and a 5th in class. It was a fun day and great to see all the bmx family again. If it rains again next week we know where we will be for sure. Later..

What we are doing

With the rain this morning and the temps at or around 40 we are skipping the Kenosha Crit and heading inside ot the barn. Nate and I are heading to the Redline cup and do some bmx racing. Later..

What to do.

It is the weekend and as always there is a ton of stuff to do and not enough time to do it all. Yesterday was the Rockesha ride and as always it never disappoints. Nate and I rolled into Waukesha and unloaded the bikes and I got a cup of coffee at Cafe De Arts and got ready for a rather chilly ride. The ride was fun but as the sun went down so did the temps. But the cool temps did not matter as the friends riding kept the smile on the face and the time flew by as did the pavement. Once we got in to Waukesha it was time for some awesome pizza at Magellans. Then we stopped at a few other watering holes before heading home. Thanks Adam and Ron for another great ride. There was bmx racing last night and a chance for a fish fry but I had committed to the ride a few weeks ago. It was also a night that we donated to the Waukesha Bike coalition for the purchase of bike racks for downtown Waukesha. So the ride prevailed. Again there is bmx racing tonight at the track in Elkhorn but there is rays right down the block so that it where we are going today. I passed on the group road ride this morning as we were out a little late last night and we have the Kenosha crits tomorrow. So as always what to do. But if it is raining tomorrow I may talk Nate into racing the bmx bikes as I will not race in the rain in 40 degrees. I will make that call in the morning. We I better got going on my errands so I can go jumping at Rays. Later..

St Patty's Day

Hope that everyone is having a Happy St. Patrick's day. As I was at work today I had to drive through downtown and I could not believe how many people were out drinking at 10 this morning. It was crazy as it wasn't just 20 something year old kids it was old people like my age and older out drinking. I seen a older lady like in her 60's stumbling down the sidewalk carrying her shoes and like 50 bead necklaces around her neck. It was to funny and after seeing that I have no need to go out and drink in the middle of the week and have a hangover at work the next day. So to all those out tonight for the party have fun and be safe, oh yeah watch out for the drunk old people.

Last night Nate and I went to Rays for the last ride with Cale as he is leaving for a new life in California tomorrow, lucky. We also had the chance to ride with the bmx family as now that gate practice is done we are all hitting up Rays on Wednesday nights. It was a fun night and again I spent the night trying to get better on the expert jumps. A few times I felt better and then sometimes I felt like crap. I still suck at the jumps but I am getting better and some day I may make it over the jumps without bonking them. But as always it was a fun night. And thank you Katy for making me the stickers as they will be put to good use.

Tomorrow night it is the Rockesha ride and with the nice break in the weather it should be a fun ride. So come on out and ride.http://bike-waukesha.blogspot.com/ Later..

Old man

After racing on the road for the first time in years my body was telling me you are old. My legs were sore, back was stiff and hips were tight. So I was glad that I was hauling weights and moving around as it helped loosen me up and take a few of the aches and pains away slightly. Then once I got home I got a few chores done, wash the car and truck, do a few loads of laundry, fold the laundry, make dinner, clean up dinner, empty clean dishwasher, and then sit down for a minutes before heading to bed. Then today I felt fine and then when I got home Nate and I did a road bike practice and I lifted weights while he washed the Volvo as Cece had it yesterday when I washed the other vehicles. Plus he is the one that drives it so he may a well wash it is how I feel. Then tomorrow it is Rays as now we are done with the gate practice leaving us with another day to hit Rays up. So see you at Rays. Now I need a snack before dinner. Later..

Hit'n the road

Yeah that is me in the purple and yellow and Nate with the gold wheels sitting 2nd wheel.

Today was the first races of the year. Boy was it cold in the morning for Nate's Jr race. Then I skipped the Master 40-49 race as I was cold from watching Nate's race. He took a 2nd place in the Jr race as Leif just got him at the line by about 4 inches. Then it was try to warm up and hit the line for the cat 3 race. I have not raced on the road in about 4 to 5 years maybe and thought back then that I wouldn't again. But I had to race at least a few races with Nate as then I have raced bmx, mtn bike, track, road and cyclocross with him. Oh yeah he has beat me in all of them and that makes me proud to say. I hung in there and thought that it was easier then I expected and glad that I did it. Next week If the weather is warmer I may try to double up, but I may just try to make sure that I stay in the cat 3 race with Nate. Just have to see. See you at Rays on Wednesday for some more bike practice. Later..

ROUND AND ROUND

Picture of Nate on the jumps taken by Sam.

Today while at Rays Nate decided to hop the pump track for a spin and after an hour and a half he got off of it doing 351 continuous laps without pedaling or stopping. The kid is crazy and a little nuts I think. I think that my legs would had fallen off but he wasn't breathing hard or didn't look to tired. He could have done more but he wanted to hit the jumps and had enough. More to come tomorrow when we go back to Rays again. See you there. Later..

Busy weekend coming up

Nate in the Fond Du Lac road race last year.

Nate and are gong to be a little busy this weekend again. Nate has off today and I know where he is heading once he gets his chores done. RAY's of course.

He was a happy camper last night as his road bike came in and he was able to do his intervals on it instead of his track bike which he has been doing his workouts on for the last 3 months. He said it felt good to be on the road bike instead of the fixed gear. Hope it feels good on Sunday though as the first road race of the year is happening and here is the link if you are bored and want to try a race and or ride to it and watch as part of your training ride. http://www.ambikerace.com/2011/flyers/KV_2011_FINAL_flyer2011.pdf . Nate is racing the Jr 17 -18 and the cat 3's and I may race the masters 40-49 and for sure the cat 3's.

Tomorrow is more riding at Rays and Myles is coming in to town for the road race and meeting us there for some riding before coming over to spend the night. It should be a fun time and great to see Myles and Steve again. We are sad to miss some bmx racing but time to go to hit the road. We will be trying to hit a few more bmx but it is looking like maybe only 1 or 2 more. That is ok as we will try to hit a few this summer is time allows. See you at the races or Rays. Later..

Gate are done

Gate practice is done for the year at the indoor bmx in Elkhorn. I can not believe in it as it feels like we just built the track. The season flies by and as always Nate hits his best as we are turning the direction to the road and track season. We will miss the gang and the racing and we hope to get in a few races this summer to keep it real. But now that the Wednesday nights are open we will have to get a few of the guys and gals to meet at Rays to ride. Now we are hoping that Nate's bike gets here from Arizona before the weekend so he can race it. Or we are going to be in a bind as he may have to race the bike I use and it may be a tad small. Just keeping our fingers crossed. Oh well time for some ice cream. Later..

Fat Tuesday

Today it was Puczki day and I got my first one in the office and then stopped on break to load up for the day and home. I picked up a dozen and proceeded to eat them through out the day. I do have to say that they taste good and I hope to have a few left for the morning to eat for breakfast. But that may not happen at the pace that I am going. Here is to Fat Tuesday. Tomorrow is the last Wednesday bmx gate practice so hope to see you there. I can not believe that the bmx season is almost over as it feels like we just built the track. As always it flew by and the racing and the friends at the track are awesome. See you at the races. Later..

What did I get?

I just asked Cece " what something new did you get? " She goes I bought myself a new book and a few other things the other day. Jessie goes I got a Nook, Maddie got a new phone as we were getting a exchange for Nate at the phone store. In a quick story, Nate dropped his phone on the ceramic tiles in the bathroom changing to run to bmx practice and the screen broke. We stopped a the store on the way home from practice last Wednesday and took care of business or we thought we did. They said since I have paid insurance for the phone give us $50.00 and you will get this phone. I said OK as it is cheaper then the $100.00 that it would cost. Well we got a refurbished LG piece of crap. I called the insurance place and got nowhere so that meant loading up the car and going to the store. I talked to the salesman and called the manager upfront and she remembered us from last week. She called the insurance place and getting nowhere she just gave us a better phone for Nate. Nice to be nice and I know no one believes me but really I was and Nate got a new phone. Since they took care of us and Maddie's line was up and her phone was old I up graded her. So in short of all this everyone got something new and I got nothing but a wallet full of receipts of money paid out. So in the end I got something though, happy kids and wife . Now I am going to get a big bowl of ice cream after thing of all of this to make me happy. Later..

BMX racing 3/6

Today was another day of bmx racing at Elkhorn. Nate had a good day at the track as he took a 2nd in the open, 2nd in cruiser and then a 2nd in 20 inch class. I took a 2nd in cruiser and a 2nd in 20 inch class. I can't believe that there is only 3 more weekends left of bmx racing left. I know that we will miss the last 3 Sundays of racing but we will be able to make the Friday and Saturday of the triple point weekend. We will be hitting up the ABR Kenosha crits to get the road season started this spring. It is always a sad time for the bmx season to end as Nate always gets flying and then we go to the road, track, mtn bike and cross racing. But that is the way the wheel rolls. Time to eat my ice cream. Later..

Day care 3/5

Here are some awesome pictures that Sam took of us at Rays today. Nate on the jumps and then me trying not to crash on the jumps. Fun day again riding our bikes indoors. Then more racing bmx tomorrow at Elkhorn. See you at the races. Later..