My New Baby!

I didn't do the WORS race last Sunday. I didn't feel like going, plus I was busy playing with my new toy:

That's right, I am now the proud owner of a 08 Honda Nighthawk. :)
I got it for commuting to work due to the 75mpg that it averages. And for fun, of course. It's just a little 250cc bike, so I won't ever take it on the interstate or anything, but it will be perfect for commuting and local errands.

This is what I do at all the stop lights.

I did my 20 mile TT loop for the first time this year a couple days ago. I shaved 2min 3sec off my previous PR! That's insane.

Speaking of babies, Heather is pregnant.

Lake Fun

We made it back from North Dakota in one piece, despite lengthy detours around I-94 in WI due to the flooding. The interstate was closed for over 40 miles right out of Madison, so on the journey to ND on Friday we had to take a bunch of backroads before getting on I-90 through Rochester and then up to the Cities. It added about 2 hours to our already long trip. On the way back, the interstate was finally open again (even though the signs kept saying that it was closed...good thing we actually kept driving to find out the truth).

On Friday night we hung out with T&T (and Jordan & Mario) before embarking on the Garmin-led drive to Union Lake early Saturday morning. It was a nice day at the lake...we took a leisurely loop around the lake on dad's new pontoon, played some ladder golf, and had a delicious feast of steaks, burgers, and pasta. We took off for home on Sunday (with a quick stop in the Cities to visit A&D). It was a fun trip, but like always, felt much too short. I need to take a month off from work or something...I wonder if they would mind? :)

Enjoying myself on the lake.

Check out these happy campers! :D
Tonia and I both fit in the "changing room".

Trent, on the other hand, looks more suspicious...and naked.

This weekend I am planning on racing another WORS race in Suamico...it's a marathon mtb race, so it will be 36 miles or something like that. Hopefully it's dried up from all the recent rain and hopefully I don't bonk because of the race distance.

Return from (that) Dam Lake

We had a relaxing trip to Dam Lake in northern WI with Heather's parents. The weather didn't cooperate as well as last year, with rain and wind, but the sun crept out occasionally each day. We didn't get to swim at all due to the weather, but I got a healthy amount of reading done and collected many ticks, so it was enjoyable.

I didn't do the State RR on Sunday. We didn't get home until past 3pm, so it wasn't meant to be. It was probably better anyway, because when we returned home it was super windy and pouring rain. Evidently they had to shorten all the races...plus racing in that monsoon would not have been fun.

The plus side of the buttload of rain that we got is that a bunch of roads got closed due to flooding, and we got some water in our basement. Fun fun. Nothing that the Shop Vac couldn't handle though. :) The slanted wall in our basement (for those that have seen it) pooled with water, and got all wet and gross. So I tore it out. No more wall!

We took a tour of a dam near our cabin.

Vontoux has a unique way of fishing.
He's going to hit that dock if he doesn't open his eyes!

Vontoux loves the water more than anything.

Holy crap! Carl the Apple Tree has mini apples!!

This weekend is another mini vacation for Heather and I, as we head back to ND to visit family. Good times. The plan is to drive to Fargo and stay with T&T on Friday night, drive to the lake cabin on Saturday to play with D&D, then stop in and visit A&D on our way thru Minneapolis on Sunday. Just a whirlwind vacation.

I will miss another race this weekend, as we will be gone for the WORS race on Sunday. No worries though, as the racing really picks up in July and August.

WORS #3 and Vacation

Greetings all. This past weekend Heather and I did some yard work on Saturday...got some wood chips from the recycling center for the backyard. Then on Sunday we took off for Wausau with Willa (her first mtb race!) to do WORS #3.

That's alot of Comp and Expert riders at the start! (shown with night vision for "snow" effect)

Waiting for the race to start.

We had to do 3 laps of a 8 mile loop. Some good doubletrack, fast sections, but also lots of tight, rocky singletrack that caused many racers to flat. I had a decent start and sat near the front of my age group wave entering the first few fireroad climbs. The high pace started to take a toll and I eased off a bit. I just didn't feel as good as usual...my legs would start to feel good for a few minutes, so I would push it more, and then they would feel like crap again.

Looking fast right after the start.

Starting another lap...

I kept pushing though, not sure where I was for place. I ended up finishing 6th in my age group, and like 46th overall out of 150 Comp racers. I was 5min behind 1st, which isn't as bad as I thought it would be with how I felt. But still a bit disappointing considering how I did last race. Hopefully I feel better next race.

Willa enjoyed herself in the warm weather.

Tomorrow Heather and I head to northern WI to Dam Lake to hang out with Heather's parents for the rest of the week and weekend. We'll be staying here. Should be a fun, relaxing time. I plan on reading and getting some sun on my pale upper body if the weather permits.

I am not sure if I'll be able to do the State Road Race on Sunday. My race isn't until 4pm, but I'm not sure what time we'll be getting back from the lake so we'll have to see. My legs would probably feel like mush after taking five days off in a row, but it would be nice to get the racing miles in regardless. We'll see what happens.