Home Sweet Home

Well after his 3 weeks of training and racing in Belgium Nate is back in his own bed for a while.  He said he had enjoyed his time there and that he learned alot and was glad that he had gotten the chance to go there.  He finished every race except the last one the day before he left as there was a crash and he went down but nothing was hurt but his bars turned and he had to dismount to fix and the group was gone so he pulled the plug.  In all he finished all the races and took a 3rd place in one so it was a great experience for him.  With some time between the races he was able to ride many of the same roads that the pro's race on and said that it was fun.  The city's are all old but the buildings were beautiful and just amazing and well taken care of.  But now it is time to finish his last few days of school and get on with life and racing back here for a while.  I will post some of the pictures he took later.  Now I just need to cruise through the day as I think Nate will suffer to with his jet leg but I only got 4 hours of sleep last night so I am a little beat.  Later..

Nate busting a 3rd place today

Nate messaged us today after his race and he took a 3rd place.  That is a awesome finish and we are thankful for Tim Redus for giving Nate the chance to race there and asking for another week and making it happen.  Thanks to ISCorp, Mike Weber, Billy Jones, Doug Close, Scott, Lowell, Randy and all his team mates for pushing Nate so hard..  The hard work is paying off.  Nate has another race tomorrow and then he comes home Tuesday.  Later..

2 more races for Nate.

Nate has 2 more races that he will do in Belgium while he is there.  He has been doing some awesome training rides and getting the chance to ride some of the cobble roads that the pro's race on.  He has messaged me that he is really enjoying the time there and is glad that he has had the chance to ride and race there.  I know that he is bummed that he misses the Snake Alley race but getting the chance to race some more over in Belgium makes up for missing the races in Iowa.  So I will keep you posted about his races when I hear from him.  Later..

Left him there

Nate's 2 thumbs up for another week in Belgium.


Well the coach had been hinting for a few weeks that he would like Nate to stay for a little longer and race some more in Belgium.  So I finally got a date and time of how long he wanted Nate to stay and we agreed and made it happen.  So Nate is there until Tuesday and he will fit in a few more races and enjoy the time there.  I had to call the school and get the OK and Miss Savick went the extra mile after talking to me and got all the staff on board for Nate to stay.  Thank you Miss Savick as without you this entire trip may not have happened. So I will keep you posted on anymore results as I get them.  Later..

More racing for Nate

Well Nate raced a few more times and yesterday one of his team mates got into a break and Nate stayed back and blocked so the break stayed away.  His teammate took a 4th place finish in the race.  Then today Nate raced and he was in a break all day and then with 1 1/2 laps to go they were caught.  Nate then hung on for dear life and finished 27th.  He is having a blast and I think he wants to stay longer and we would check into that if it was not school and finals coming up  He comes home Wednesday and we are all excited to have Nate home and hear the stories.  Later..

Pic's of Nate racing in Belgium yesterday.

Here are some cool pictures that were on facebook that some people took of Nate racing yesterday.  He finished 18th overall and 4th in the field sprint.  He is having a great time and says it is really nice there.  I hope to get a few more pictures and that we get a few more cool pictures of him racing.  Later..

Nate race update

Nate sent a message home that with Kevin hurt and a few other teammates ill that his team pulled out the the stage race that they were going to do this weekend.  SO he will be doing a few more 1 day races to make up for the stage race being dropped.  A real bummer but he can still fit in a bunch of other races and have some fun.  1 more week of fun for Nate and then back to reality here at home.

For anyone else the Thursday group ride leaves at 6pm from now on and we do the regular route.   Last night Jessie and I rode the tandem in the Waukesha ride of Silence.  Thanks Waukesha Bike Alliance for hosting it. It was a nice ride and it was great that Jessie came along.  Thanks Jess.

Belgium trip

Nate sent a message to day and said that Kevin is recovering and his Dad is there which is awesome.  Kevin had been on a training ride with the group of racers and his chain had dropped causing him to crash.  He hit the ground and hit his face and mouth directly and caused some good cut to the mouth area and nose area.  He also lost a few teeth in the process.  He was taken to the hospital were he received great care and they are watching over him yet to ensure everything is progressing properly.  He should return to the US in a few days for more continued care.  All looks like it is going good and Kevin should be on the road to recovery.

Nate said that Belgium is awesome and he is having a great time.  He said that the team went to the race course that they are going to do the stage race this weekend and that they road much of the roads that they are racing on.  Nate said that it is going to be a fun race and can't wait to do the race.  He said the food is great and the city that they are staying in is real nice.  I wonder if Nate will ever want to come home?  That is all I have.  Later..

Update on Kevin

The news that I have gotten was that they were not racing but on a ride and Kevin crashed and hit his face on the ground and suffered some good cuts to his mouth area.  He has also lost a few teeth during the accident which were located and sent along with him to the hospital.  A plastic surgeon was called and who then put Kevin back together and placed the teeth back in attached to a bridge from what I understand from Kevin's Dad.  Kevin was still in the hospital last night and was to be released today.  Kevin is going to watch the rest of the races while there to be sure that he heals and that if he had a concussion that all that heals too.  I pray that everything heals fast and that Kevin is back in the saddle soon.  Also that Nate stays safe and takes care of Kevin as much as he can and has a few more successful races while there.  Later..

Race news

I have not got a real update except that Kevin did crash in the race today.  He split his lip that required some medical attention and from what Nate messaged Kevin lost a few teeth.  Nate did not go down in the race but he did not send a update to where he finished in the race either. So that may mean not as good as yesterday, but I am hoping that he is more worried about Kevin and he is helping with what ever Kevin may need.  Just praying that everything is OK.  When I hear anything I will update the post.  Later..

Race results.

Nate took a 26th today and won a king of the mountain sprint.  He said he attacked a few times but it didn't stick.  He also earned 5 euro's for his work today.  He also stated the food is awesome and is having a great time there.  Hope for some more good results and that he moves up a few spots each race.  Later..

Pic's from Nate while in Belgium

Here are some pictures that Nate sent that he took on a training ride yesterday.  His first race is today and he said it is a 80 km race that is relatively flat.  Hope it all goes well and I will post anything I hear from him and Kevin.  I have a race to get to today and I am still on the fence if I will race or not yet.  ( I don't know if I want to suffer so much on my 48th Birthday ).  Later..

Group ride

The Thursday night group ride at Hales Corners Wheel and Sprocket starts at 6pm now and we do the complete route.  We meet in the back parking lot.  See you there.

Nate is on his way.

Nate and Kevin are on their way to Belgium for some road racing against some other 17-18 year old road racers for the next 2 weeks.  They left from O'Hare this afternoon and thanks to Kevin's Dad for taking the kids to the airport today.  The flight is 8 1/2 hours there plus the 6 hours they loose so they should be a little tired when they get there.  Nate did text me and say that the lady at the ticket counter gave them a deal on the bikes and only charged them for 1 bike and put both on.  Thanks for the hooking the kids up and saving me some money.  I am hoping that Nate takes some pictures and posts them on Facebook so I can take them and post them to my page and blog.  So look here and on Facebook for some updates.

Maddie passed her lifeguard test over the weekend so in a couple of weeks she has another meeting and should find out what pool or beach she will be working at this summer along with working nights at Summerfest so she will be a little busy for sure.

Tonight we went out to Cafe Centraal  for teacher appreciation week.  We love the food there and I can say  I could eat there everyday of the week as the girls had slidders and I had a BLT with a fried egg on it.  So hug a teacher and them thanks for all the hard work they do.  Not it is time for some ice cream.  Later..

Some Prom Pictures

Here are the pictures that we have of Nate and Maddie at Prom.  Nate went to Prom with Becca and Maddie went with Jeremy.  They had a good time both couples looked awesome.  Later...

Exhibit

Here is a picture taken by Focal Flame that is in a exhibit in Indianapolis.  Pretty cool picture and better yet Nate is in it.  Here is a link to the article.  http://www.cxmagazine.com/cyclocross-magazine-contributing-photog-garners-national-attention-photo-exhibit  Check it out.