Tag Archives: #usmilitaryendurancesprots

Monday Volunteer and Race Report

November 21, 2017Uncategorized#360 racing, #Cameroon, #cowtown cycling, #cx, #KBCRX, #kca, #kcbc racing, #Lawrence cycling, #optimal wellness & cryospa, #uplift kc, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

It was a busy weekend of meeting new strangers and spending time with family and friends. I was asked by my daughters if I wanted to help with some volunteering at a local organization called Uplift KC. They bring food and supplies to the homeless of Kansas City. Seeing how we just purchased a house that had a bunch of clothes that was left behind. This was perfect timing. Below is a picture of some of the girls filling little bags of aspirin. I had the pleasure of doing some of the heavy lifting. This is what happens when you are perceived to be in good shape and look like you can lift a sack of 50lb potatoes with out much of a struggle. No, there were no potatoes to lift. Just moving boxes from here to there. To some this may seem trivial but they are some of the things that are needed to keep the operation moving. You can not always be on the front line. The support role is a huge void that always needs filled. Uplift was doing a great job in organizing, keeping the place looking great and taking care of our homeless population. I have seen the vans around town handing out food and clothes. I didn’t realize that they are a pretty lean operation and currently have 3 vans. I met several of the ladies there and promised that I will be back with more supplies and help with any heavy lifting they need. Find an organization near you and and go meet some pretty cool strangers. You never know where it will take you.

After volunteering I headed out to help re-build a deck with Tom G and Alain. Tom and I have known each other for some time, all of our kids went to school together and he and his wife are awesome. Alain is one of our contractors and has been in the states for about a year. He is originally from Cameroon, when he got to Kansas City I worked with him to get all of his stuff together and some medical help. He also stayed with me for a few months. I am also helping him send a container over to Africa and we will be going there in February to receive it. That will be a fun blog to write. Below is Tom, Alain and I. these are very good men that I completely trust and have faith in. If I was ever to need anything at anytime, I know they would be there.

Sunday, was race day and it was the category state championship race. I was, once again going to do two races. The 40+ master and the single speed race. I had Volker bikes put together a single speed out of my pit bike. This race was put on by 360 racing and is always a great race in Lawrence KS. In the masters race there is a very strong racer that I am always chasing. His name is Damian Almanza and he has beat me 8 out of the last 8 races:) Actually, Make that 9. Yes, once again he took the top step of the podium. I did get to hang out with him after the race. It was nice to get to know him a little better. I have to admit, I was feeling him out on his road race interest. I would love to have an athlete like him on our road race team. I also got to race with Mark, Kyle and Kenny with KCBC. Of course I got to hang with Marco, Haley, Maryanne and Clymer. It is so much fun hanging out at a race and getting to know everyone.

My favorite youth to watch. This is Franklin. Watch out for this kid on the pro tour!

Below is a pic of Damian and I. Every time I see Jesse getting ready to take a picture I try to strike a pose:) This was my super hero pose. It was tough not to laugh.

Just before my second race I got to get into some compression equipment. There is a new Cryo salon in Lawrence. Thank you Optimal wellness and cryo spa

Here is after the race at the pig in Lawrence with Clymer and Maryanne. I think Clymer should ask her out:) They seem to be having a good conversation.

More suffering:) So I finished 5th and 7th. I will be re-gearing the single speed soon. My quads still hurt.

Thanks for reading and remember. Every friend you have today was once a stranger! So, go out and meet new strangers.

Monday Race Report (Veterans Day, Go Army!)

November 13, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#cx, #cyclocross, #elitecycling, #jkmiguel, #kansascycling, #kca, #KCBC, #keenwealth, #KSCXchampionship, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

When serving in any branch of the U.S. Military, trust and loyalty are vital to accomplish every mission. You must trust your command to make the right decision and your fellow soldiers to have your back when you are put in harms way and everyone has to do their part so that no one is injured or killed. You must also be loyal to your command and fellow soldiers or this could erode trust. In the civilian world it is not generally a life or death situation. But trust and loyalty are extremely important.

I open with this because it is Veterans Day and KCBC racing did a group ride on Saturday and I got to witness some of the same comradery I enjoyed while serving in the Army. These are a bunch of guys that love to ride and support their fellow rider. Below is a picture of Mark Horn, I would say that Mark is the General and he takes on the leadership of the team. I have always had great respect for Mark since I got to know him as I coached his son in soccer (in my opinion his son is the best HS keeper in KC). Mark does a great job in rallying the troops and he truly gets excited for you when you share your ride or race stories with him. Mark also will light you up like a drill sergeant if you do something that he feels is dangerous while racing or riding in a group. He will also bust your chops if you are on another team and you make a tactical mistake. I got to see this first hand and it almost resulted in a fight. I knew at that moment, when I got off my bike to stand by Mark and go to battle, that this was the team I needed to be on. For all I know, he may have been the one in the wrong. That didn’t matter, I was still ready to have his back. That is what a good leader instills in his troops.

The General giving direction.

Sunday, The Keen Wealth Classic. This race is the KS CX State Championship for age group. So, the goal was to stay upright and finish in the top 30%. So, that didn’t exactly work out because of a flat in the final lap. Although, I did finish 6th out of 14 and 3rd in my age group. I also gave the single speed race a shot and ended up placing 3rd and really enjoying the single speed. Below are the pictures of the the podiums and race pics.

I got to hang out with so many friends on Sunday. It was a great time. That seems to happen when you are at the race at 9am and leave at 5pm. It’s a full day of work:) The picture above is of Kyle and I. Kyle is on the team that I race road with. KCBC had several racers at this event. It was great to see everyone they are all is so helpful. Mark was encouraging me to power up a hill and sprint out of the corner as he let up a little to slow the person that was trying to catch me. Shawn was in the pit telling me to go go go and catch a wheel. Kenny was my rabbit and my goal was to catch him.

So, last week I mentioned Clymer (aka Lantern Rouge). Above is a photo of him and I after the race with Jesse Miguel taking the selfie. Clymer is new to the area and I can tell he will be a strong rider once he gets his race legs back. Not to mention he seems to be an all around nice guy. Jesse is takes so many great photos. If you get a chance, visit his Flicker page.

General Horn giving the troops a pep talk after the race:)

Miss Haley taking 1st yet again!

Thanks for reading that race report. Do what you love and meet as many strangers as you can along the way.

Monday Race Report 11/6/2017

November 8, 2017Uncategorized#boulevardbrewing, #cx, #cyclocross, #lanternrouge, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

The Boulevard Cup 2017 was a bit chilly and windy but didn’t keep away the cyclocross fanatics. I swear if it was muddy or snowy there would be more racers out just to prove that they are tougher than their competition, myself included.

Below is a picture of me as i was dismounting before a run up and torqued my right knee. It was the same knee I whacked with my peddle just before the race began:(

Oh, and yes that is a new kit I am wearing. It is the”defenders of Freedom” jersey. The knee was fine. I just needed some ice and rest and all was well. Here is a better pic of the full kit.

It was a great course and I got to hang out once again with some really awesome athletes. Here is a pic of Dr. Rob. He also races with the U.S. Military team and was racing the 50+ masters race. He and I went to lunch after the race to catch up. He did the BWR training ride with me in San Diego last year and totally hooked me up when I got sick. Such a great guy. I look forward to hanging out more with him. He is a strong gravel rider and a beast on the road.

Of course no race would be the same if I didn’t get a picture with Maryanne. I like hanging out with her. Such a great demeanor. It will be my goal to get a pic with her after every race:) She says that if a guy ask her out on a date she always says yes. I think that is the best way to know what you like and don’t like. Good for you MM!

I also ran into a new racer from Maryland. I met him about 3 weeks ago at the Joules Cross race. His name is Clymer and he came out to race after being out of it for several years. I was proud of that dude! He just showed up and we started talking. That is the whole point of my blog. Meeting new strangers, right? Sorry, no pics of Clymer.

As always, go out and make some new strangers. Thank you for reading.

Oh, I almost forgot. I finished 10th out of 20. I did have fun though!

Race Report Colavita Cup 2017

October 9, 2017Uncategorized#colavita cup, #cx, #gp velotek, #kcoi u20, #lanternerouge, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, #volker bikesMivan

Another great weekend for racing. The cross season is in full swing and everyone was ready for another tough CX course.

The race took place a bit east of downtown Kansas City, MO at Blue Valley Park. Saturday races started at noon and continued until 5pm. This course was both a little technical and had some climbing in it. Overall it was such a fun course to navigate and all the people were great. As usual, I met several of the 300+ riders, families and friends that came out over the weekend. As I always say, every friend you have today was once a stranger. So, this weekend was no different and I got to hang out with people that I really wanted to get to know a little better. Some of those people were Marianne, Marco, Haley, Steven, Alex, Britton, Brett and several of the youth cyclist. The Kansas City Cycling community is, for the most part, a tight knit group and everyone seems to get along. I’m sure there are some feathers ruffled and feeling get hurt. But, from my perspective it is a family.

It was nice to sit and have a conversation with Marianne this weekend. Marianne and I share the same cycling coach. I always try to get a picture of us to send to him. She is very insightful and introspective person. This was the first time we actually sat and chatted about something other than cycling:) When we did talk cycling, she said how do you think it feels to be a kid out there racing on the same course as the adults. I thought about that and we talked about how there really is not another sport that allows children to compete against adults like this. That is why I love cycling. It can bring together people of all ages. Kinda like the youngsters Marco and Haley. I knew I liked these two from the minute I met them last year. they are so much fun and really seem to have such a great outlook on life. These two are going to be exciting to watch. I know as they get stronger as cyclist they will stay the same beautiful people.

23732148478_2543e23b25_k — Marianne and Haley battling it out

23732145908_012ffa0de4_k — Having way to much fun

Below is a picture Finn, this kiddo is possibly the friendliest and most respectful 12 year old I have ever met, and as a middle school soccer coach I have met many a 12 year old. Finn was my hero this weekend! I know his dad was proud of him too. He beat 26 other men and women in the cat 4/5 race on Sunday. Taking first place is spectacular, but being humble at 12 is much more impressive. If only we could bottle this guys humility.

The picture below is of Britton, he is the race promoter and runs Volker Bikes. I didn’t get to talk with Britton much as he is always moving:) I can tell he is a great father and although he likes to give people shit about their bikes, he does care about his cycling community. I really don’t know how to best describe him. I feel that Britton would give you the shirt off his back and the next time he sees you wearing the shirt that HE gave you, he will tell you how bad it looks and you should get a new one. I enjoy his honesty and how he can say so much in so few words. Also, I don’t think I ever heard him say goodbye, see you later or piss off. I look forward to never figuring him out.

I thought about changing the featured image but it is my blog so piss off:) Thanks for reading and please talk to someone today that you normally would just pass by. You never know the impact you may have.

A special than you to Roger Harrison for his pictures. If you want to see some cool pics goto rogers flicker page.

Cannon Ball Run Race Report (Coffee Stranger)

September 5, 2017Uncategorized#air bnb, #cannonball cross, #coffee, #cx, #iowa, #mason city, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

After 12 hours on the road, from Houston, to get to Kansas City to handle some business. I am in KC for about 3 hours then I head north to Mason City Iowa for a cyclo-cross race. For a total of 17 hours on the road out of 24. So, not the best way to start a race weekend. Not to mention, I did not ride a bike since last Sunday. Trudging through water for 13 hours is exercise right?

Prior to arriving in Mason city at 8pm my Air bnb host Crystal sent me a text asking if I wanted spaghetti or chicken with spaghetti squash. Since I only eat fish I was happy with the squash with butter and garlic. I thought it may have been a bit assumptive but, a closed mouth doesn’t get fed right? She actually made it and it was amazing. Man did I pick the right house. Not that there were a plethora to choose from. Crystal and I hit it off and as I ate we talked and hung out then finished watching a movie. It was very comfortable and she made me feel at home. Air bnb strangers are some of the best to meet.

This was the first CX of the year and I wanted to see how I stacked up against the Masters 45+. The course was awesome and very technical. I finished 9th out of 15, beating 4 guys that were higher ranked. I was 1st in the Cat 4. After the race I sent a text to Crystal that I would return soon. Of course she asked if I was hungry. Once again, not turning that down:) Her friend had caught some crapi and thought that would be outstanding. When I returned Crystal helped with my laundry and we made dinner together. At this point, this is what I call a race wife:) It is a phrase I heard when I rode across Iowa 5 years ago. It is a person who takes care of the basic needs. A race husband is similar, but they generally take care of bikes, tent set up, you know more of the heavy lifting:) It is primitive yes, but it is very much an effective relationship and most needs are met from both sides. By the way I am an exceptional race/ride husband and father.

Sundays race time was at 12pm and I got to the course at 8:30am to ride around and just test out the course again. The direction changed and it was a bit more technical. after my pre-ride I rode over to a coffee shop that was near by. I sat down to finish the Harvey blog and have a veggie burrito and coffee. As I sat there writing an man came in and ordered a latte with soy milk and sat at the table next to me. I was pretty sure that once I finished writing I would look up and start a conversation. Just before I finished he sneezed, I said bless you and that was a perfect time to end my writing and indulge in my second favorite hobby, meeting strangers. He asked if I was racing and I said yes and I did yesterday too. His name was Garen and he went on to explain how he went over yesterday to race and after getting on the course and getting to the top of the flyover, which is a wooden structure you walk up and then ride down the other side. It is very steep and I even questioned riding down it, he backed out and went home. I have to give him credit for admitting that. Most men are to proud and would never mention it. We spoke a bit more about the course and cycling. I can tell he really wanted to do it. So, I encouraged him to go get his bike and I would lower his tire pressure and ride the course with him. I am both affable and manipulative but only for a positive outcome for all involved. So, Garrett went back to his house to get his bike and I prepared for the race near my truck. I was surprised when he showed up and actually had tires that would do pretty well on this course. I dropped his tire pressure and had him ride around in the grass with me. Not to bad for a virgin racing in the 65+ category:) We rode the course a bit and on a steep hill I told him to use his rear brakes mostly. Well, he grabbed his front brake and slid out. I asked if he was hurt he said no and then asked which one was the rear break? I laughed and said the one on the right and rode ahead. I was a bit concerned for his safety at this point and thought that if he raced today he might incur an injury. so, I let up a bit on the talking him into racing and went on to do some dismount and whole shot work. Just before our race I had enough time to ride the course. I lined up and here comes Jarrett. I look over and asked if he signed up. He turned a bit and showed me his number on his right side. I told him to be safe and said a quick prayer:) If he died in the race then at least I gave him the permission slip to enter into cycling heaven. I had lapped him twice so he had to of finished 4 laps. When I went through the finish line I half expected to see Jerry sitting on the side drinking one of the free Sierra Nevadas. But, he was no where to be found. Did he go home? surely not! After a few minutes I see his rainbow Campagnolo kit out in the distance. I filled a cup of water to douse him with and grabbed a beer to open to celebrate his victory!!! I was super proud to see him finish. I have to say, I have seen some good riders stop in the middle of a race because it is just to taxing. But not Terry, he was all in and not at all a quitter.

So many strangers this weekend. Remember, every friend you have today was once a stranger.

The forgotten Monday Race report from 8/21/2017

September 4, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#criterium, #KCBC, #moveup, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, Cycling, Papillion, Papillion twilight criteriumMivan

This weekend took me to Papillion, NE for the Papillion twilight criterium. I have never been to Papillion before so I was excited to see how this race would compare to others. It did not disappoint. I made it to the race around noon and the volunteers were just setting everything up. I had a chance to meet Matt, the race director, and of course asked if he needed any help setting up. They had everything rolling very smooth. He gave me a few pointers about the course and the possible rough spots.

This was going to be my last road race for the US Military Endurance Sports team. I am moving my affiliation to a local team here in Kansas City called KCBC. I have had several guys ask me to be a part of their team, but I feel that these are the guys I can help and in turn they can help me move up. You will hear more about the KCBC team in the near future. I will be staying with USMES for the cross season.

My 1st race was the 40+ Masters. This race has all fields represented from category 1 to category 4. Being a cat 4 in this race is like racing a Chevy Corvette against a Honda prelude. Out of the 8, 40+ guys I finished 3rd. There were a total of 15 in the race and I was 6th overall. This was my best road finish ever. I actually only signed up for the race because there was another USMES guy that was supposed to race in it. His name was William O’Brien and he was nice enough to take the picture below. I want to thank William for not showing up, and giving me 3rd place:) My guess is that he would have been right there with me. In this race I worked much smarter than harder. This really was my only option because the majority of the guys out there were faster than me. So, instead of spending any time out front, I had to sit in and tail gun. This basically means hold on for dear life. I did get dropped during the prime lap, but was able to work with one other guy to catch the small pack that broke away. That took almost everything out of me. I did have about one match to burn in the sprint and I actually used it to pass one guy and go head to head with my fellow dropee. in the last turn he was in lead and I pulled up next to him and just laid it down. We both worked hard in that last 100m. At the last second I did a bike throw and just beat him by a tenth of a second. After the race we congratulated each other on a hard fought race and of course I had to make sure he was a 50+ racer. He was, I laughed and thanked him again for all his work to catch the pack. I didn’t realize that I took 3rd so when the results came out, I said out loud, “I took third”? Totally surprised by that finish. I say that because I always know where I am in a race. You have to or you might miss a guy go around a turn and break away from the pack. I was working so hard to hold on, the only thing I could pay attention to was the wheel in front of me and the turns.

The next race was about 2 hours after. I had to eat and try to keep off my feet. Both I did with some success. I was surprised to see several cat 4 guys from KC show up. Actually, KC had about 10-15 racers show up. I will post a link to the results later. In the cat 4 race I knew what I had to do and I knew the course. The one thing I did not know is would my legs hold up. I also was 100% that I was mentally all in. Not that I am ever not:) This race had a cat 4 national champion in it and of course he was 14 years old. His name was Luke and both him and his father were very pleasant to talk with. During the race Luke and I ended up in a small group behind a 6 man break, that are very tough to catch. I worked as much as I could for him. He sat in for a bit until he knew that he could bridge the gap. When he took off I tried to hang on but since I was just in the wind pulling for him, I was dropped. I did manage to hold on to two of the guys with our 4 man pack. This meant that there were 7 in the pack ahead and 6 laps to go. Want to guess the odds of a 3 man pack catching the 7 in the pack ahead? Slim and none. So, I worked hard with 4 laps to go then 3 laps to go. As I came across the finish line and saw 2 laps to go, I noticed a shadow behind me. These two guys were on my ass and having me drag them around the course. I sat up, dropped my speed to 15 and they were still behind me. I moved to the left and dropped my speed even more and insisted that they pull through. Then one of them jumped and jumped hard, they almost dropped me with 2 laps to go. I made them both pull for those final laps and in the sprint I had the choice of taking 8th, 9th or 10th. We all went into that final turn at top speed and in the sprint I took 2nd out of the three of us and secured a 9th overall out of 25. The legs did well!

After the cat 4 race I sat with Chris from foodys and watched the 3’s race and then the pro 1,2. By the time the pro 1,2 race started it was Chris, Zach and Finn (son o

f Shad, cat 1 racer) sitting around. This is why I stick around the races. To support those guys and girls out there but to also hang out with people I may have never had the chance to meet. Out of the 4 of us we had a span of 4 generations. Finn 11, Zach 26, Chris 33 and me 48. I think that’s pretty awesome. We sat around, watched the race and watched Finn do his BMX tricks, poked fun of each other and, for me at least, just enjoyed every ones company. Racing is fun, but hanging out with these 3 was way more entertaining. After the race, Chris and I were going to grab a bite at the local brewery and asked Zach and Jordan (cat 2 racer from KC) if they wanted to join us. We all met at Nebraska brewing and had a beer, ate dinner and cracked jokes all night and just relaxed. I did tell a few war stories:) I might share some of those here one day.

Thank you for reading. Now go out and meet a stranger and be nice to cyclist:)

Monday Race report 8/21/2017

August 21, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#criterium, #KCBC, #moveup, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, Cycling, Papillion, Papillion twilight criteriumMivan

This weekend took me to Papillion, NE for the Papillion twilight criterium. I have never been to Papillion before so I was excited to see how this race would compare to others. It did not disappoint. I made it to the race around noon and the volunteers were just setting everything up. I had a chance to meet Matt, the race director, and of course asked if he needed any help setting up. they had everything rolling very smooth. He gave me a few pointers about the course and the possible rough spots.

This was going to be my last road race for the US Military Endurance Sports team. I am moving my affiliation to a local team here in Kansas City called KCBC. I have had several guys ask to be a part of their team, but I feel that these are the guys I can help and in turn they can help me move up. You will hear more about the KCBC team in the near future. I will be staying with USMES for the cross season.

The next race was about 2 hours after. I had to eat and try to keep off my feet. Both I did with some success. I was surprised to see several cat 4 guys from KC show up. Actually, KC had about 10-15 racers show up. I will post a link to the results later. In the cat 4 race I knew what I had to do and I knew the course. The one thing I did not know is would my legs hold up. I also was 100% that I was mentally all in. Not that I am ever not:) This race had a cat 4 national champion in it and of course he was 14 years old. His name was Luke and both him and his father were very pleasant to talk with. During the race Luke and I ended up in a small group behind a 6 man break, that are very tough to catch. I worked as much as I could for him. He sat in for a bit until he knew that he could bridge the gap. When he took off I tried to hang on but since I was in the wind pulling, I was dropped. I did manage to hold on to two of the guys with our 4 man pack. This meant that there were 7 in the pack ahead and 6 laps to go. Want to guess the odds of a 3 man pack catching the 7 in the pack ahead? Slim and none. So, I worked hard with 4 laps to go then 3 laps to go. As I came across the finish line and saw 2 laps to go, I noticed a shadow behind me. These two guys were on my ass and having me drag them around the course. I sat up, dropped my speed to 15 and they were still behind me. I moved to the left and dropped my speed even more and insisted that they pull. Then one of them jumped and jumped hard, they almost dropped me with 2 laps to go. I made them both pull for those final laps and in the sprint I had the choice of taking 8th, 9th or 10th. We all went into that final turn at top speed and in the sprint I took 2nd out of the three of us and secured a 9th overall out of 25. The legs did well!

After the cat 4 race I sat with Chris from foodys and watched the 3’s race and then the pro 1,2. By the time the pro 1,2 race started it was Chris, Zach and Finn (son of Shad, cat 1 racer) sitting around. This is why I stick around the races. To support those guys and girls out there but to also hang out with people I may have never had the chance to meet. Out of the 4 of us we had a span of 4 generations. Finn 11, Zach 26, Chris 33 and me 48. I think that’s pretty awesome. We sat around, watched the race and watched Finn do his BMX tricks, poked fun of each other and, for me at least, just enjoyed every ones company. Racing is fun, but hanging out with these 3 was way more entertaining. After the race, Chris and I were going to grab a bite at the local brewery and asked Zach and Jordan (cat 2 racer from KC) if they wanted to join us. We all met at Nebraska brewing and had a beer, ate dinner and cracked jokes all night and just relaxed. I did tell a few war stories:) I might share some of those here one day.

Thank you for reading. Now go out and meet a stranger and be nice to cyclist:)

Monday Race Report. The Truman Cup

July 20, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#criterium, #independenceMO, #moveup, #ragbrai, #thetrumancup, #timetrial, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, #womansfreestate, CyclingMivan

The Truman cup is a series of races that start with a 5.6 mile time trial on Friday night then on Saturday there is a 3 mile circuit race that is a 4 lap race. Sunday is the 45 minute crit. All of the races took place in Independence MO this weekend.

During my race weekend in Lacrosse, WI I met a few fellow cyclist. One of the guys I met that weekend was Ryley. We hit it off immediately. Ryley was a new cat 5 and was fast, I mean, I would put him up against or in any cat 3 race and he would easily beat half of the field. So, Ryley decided to make the 9 hour drive down to KC for this race, and I am glad he did. Here is a picture of Ryley and I tooling around the city.

Another friend that came in for the race is DK from San Diego. Of course she did not drive:) DK and I will be doing the RAGBRAI this week. RAGBRAI is a ride across Iowa. Not sure why it’s not a race, seeing how you probably want to get across it as fast as possible. I am kidding, Iowa is pretty cool and so are the folks that call it home. You will hear more about DK over the next week. We have way to much fun and will hope for no injuries and or arrest this coming week. Thank you DK for all the cheers during the race.
Friday – The Truman Cup Time Trial. This is a solo event so you have to go as fast as you can for 5.6 miles. The last 300m is basically where you empty the tank. Ryley and I headed out to Independence a little early to get the legs warmed up and check out the course. Fairly flat and a pretty good road. All start times were just after 6pm and each racer would start 30 seconds after the next. My goal is always to catch the rider in front of me. After that 9 hour drive I knew his time trail would suffer, and it did. He placed 11th and I took 6th with a 13:26 time, Fastest I have done on that course. During the TT we met some guys from St. Louis that were in town for the entire series. Super nice guys from a few different teams. To celebrate we decided to head out to Lulus. Possibly my favorite Thai restaurant in KC. So, while we were at the restaurant Ryley and I were talking about dating and how I find cyclist attractive. He was explaining how I should ask out a non cyclist. So, with out hesitation I point to a server and asked Ryley if maybe I should ask her out. As he shrugged his shoulders she walked by and I politely asked if she would give us a moment of her time? She stopped and said “of course, whats up”. I proceeded to ask her if she would like to go out on a date. I think Ryley may have been a bit uncomfortable with this whole experiment. Me? on the other hand, I was eating it up:) She was in a relationship and was super nice and went on to explain how when she was in roller derby a lot of the dating happened in the roller derby circle and that most of those relationships didn’t work after they left the sport. I don’t believe I will be leaving cycling anytime soon.

Saturday – The Truman Cup Circuit Race. This is a 3 mile course that has a 1 mile climb, 1 mile of flat and a mile of down hill. I does seem to favor the climbers. Saturday’s heat index was like 300°. Ok, that is a bit high, but it felt like it. This race took it’s toll on several of the strongest riders. I went for a break in the flat of the first of 5 laps. Not the best idea but I wanted to spread that field out. The break did not stick and they caught me on the hill because of a mechanical issue. Ryley crushed this race and took first and $100 for the win. Super proud of that dude. We hung out and chatted with the St Louis guys as DK continued to drink free beer at the Bier co tent. She is possibly already drunk but took some awesome pictures and maybe got some digits:)

Sunday – The Truman Cup Crit. With less than a mile loop, 6 turns and 45 minutes of racing, this is never a dull moment. This race had 51 racers in it and was as fast as it has ever been. We did 18 miles at about 26mph and it looked like the island of misfit cyclist. There were about 30 different teams. Ryley and I held on to the front most of the race and possibly worked harder than we should have but, that’s racing. He took 6th and I placed 16th. Overall we were 4th and 10th in the 3 day Omnium. I was proud of us both!

Always have to give props to the women’s free state team. They always win and look good doing it. Great job ladies!

Case of the Mondays Race Report. The Natural State.

July 11, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#bikeNWA, #moveup, #naturalstatecrits, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprotsMivan

This weekends races took place in beautiful Bentonville, Rogers and Springdale Arkansas. All three races were Criteriums. By the way, the race report is not always about the races.

Here are most of the actors in this weekends report. Sev, Jordan, Ian, Zach, Molly, Will, Bonnie, Jeremy, Jen, Chris and the race director.

Friday: Sev, Ian and I left Kansas City Friday afternoon. So, this was a surprise road trip crew. Ian and I were set on driving down. The surprise was Sev. I had mentioned the race to her and to drive but didn’t think she was all that interested in going. So, this was our crew. Being on the road for 3 hours is just long enough to get to know someone and not long enough for them to drive you crazy, (I love my road crew). I have been on those 12 hour road trips and by the end of the trip, you have come to the end of your road. I named this road trip the gangster rap race weekend and proceeded to play Tupac as pulled into Cave Springs. My reason for this was simple, it was the NWA (Northwest Arkansas) cycling community that was putting on the race. So, GRRW just made sense to me. After 3 hours of getting to know my fellow racers, we get to Cave Springs AR to our cottage in the woods (thank you Lisa and air bnb). It’s nice to have an entire house and not a hotel that you have cram into for an entire weekend. Enough about our accommodations, here is how the Friday night crit turned out. Well as you may or may not know, I race for the US Military endurance team but have created an alliance with a team called Move up. These guys are awesome and during this race we were hitting on all cylinders. Zach ended up with $100 prime with a little help from me pulling just before the prime was called. I am so proud of Zach and his effort. But Ian, this kid at 20 years old had some wisdom in this race. With about 2.5 laps to go I am sitting at about 4th wheel and waiting to drop the hammer. About that time Ian gets to my right outside wheel and when I looked back he looked loke he used a bit of energy to get himself into position. So, I give him a minute to breath and then I get out of saddle to start a push. Ian tells me “not yet” so I sit back in and wait for his command. This is important because he has a better view of what is going on and will know if a flyer is coming up the side. With about half a lap to go one of the racers gets out of saddle and that’s when I hear Ian say “now go go go”. So I took off and pulled through into the head wind and up hill section. I broke to my left to give Ian the sprinting room and he took off. Ian took 3rd place and I came in at 9th. Between the 3 of us we earned $280 for that race. Ian and Zach split there portion with me. They did not have to do that, I was happy to put in the work. not to mention that I am not a sprinter yet. I am more of the work horse. I am proud of those guys. At 28 and 20 years old they showed class.

Saturday: We were all excited for this race after our strong Friday finishes. But what goes up, must come down. Sadly we missed our start due to some incorrect information from an official. This meant we had to chase the group or get a DNf (did not finish). In hindsight we should have taken the DNF or maybe waited for the peloton and joined in on the fun. We were disappointed and not happy with the officials. Although this was our fault, we should have stuck around the start line. it is a hard lesson to learn. The day was not a total loss. Sev won some money and raced like she owned the course and I got to have lunch with my road crew and Jordan. Jordan is a cat 2 and is 23 years old, he is also a very nice and respectful person. It was nice to sit and have an actual conversation with him. He also took 9th in Saturdays race. which is amazing because he is racing against pros and cat 1 guys. I also got to meet Will and Molly. Will does not race and is Mollys husband. When Molly races he is always there and he likes to call her chicken. I need to ask him why he calls her chicken? It is nice to see how much he takes care of her. I also met Jen and her husband. He is a mechanic and totally takes care of his girl Jen. So, here is an interesting fact, I asked several guys if they wanted to do RAAM (Race Across America). They all looked at me like I am crazy. When I asked Molly and Jen, they didn’t even flinch, they were all about it. I like these two:)

Sunday: Last day of the race weekend and it all started at 5am. After not getting enough sleep and burning out my legs, we all ended up not doing very well except for Sev, she was 9th and in the money once again. Ian ended up taking 12th and I was in the bottom half with Chris and Zach. Although it was fun, just not where we should have been. I did get to have some great conversations with Jeremy (Springfield, MO) and Chris (McPherson, KS). Actually, I asked Chris to come to AR to race. I was surprised he came down. Although, I think he is like me when it comes to traveling.

Racing for me is not about winning. It is about having a great time and meeting new people. Don’t get me wrong, I most certainly like to win but it is not number one on the list. There are people that show up, either alone or with a team, they race and then they go home. Everyone has there own way and I can appreciate that. I am not wired that way. I like to show up early and maybe I get to put up barricades or the wheel pit tent. I get to know the race director (although I totally forgot his name). I figure that 99% of these folks are volunteers and many hands make light work. This is where I met Bonnie. Bonnie and I had an instant connection on Friday night when I asked about results and for some ice because one of the KC racers hurt his knee. We chatted for a few and I thanked her for time and putting on the race. It’s funny, most of the time when I thank an official or director, they will generally thank me for coming out to race. With Bonnie it was no different. I have a feeling that everyone loves Bonnie and she is the glue that holds the organization together.

Every friend was once a stranger. I wonder if that sounds better in french:)