Cyclocross!
Again. This week's race was again in Fort Ord, but moved to the old camp location. How many of y'all noticed the "Hidden Playground" smack dab in the middle of things? Well, that's been a destination of ours for several years now, so these kids know those trails well.
N raced for the 1st time ever. She rode in the Junior Women category, and out of a field of 4, raced to a solid 4th. Doin' it just like her old man. Quitting was ruled out in advance, which was important. We want her to take away from racing the lesson that you keep going when things are hard, and suffer through. Church motto: Might as well Suffer. In case you forgot.
She took us at our word when we told her placing did not matter, only finishing.
I've never seen such casual walking through the barriers.
Still and all, she seems fired up about racing next time.
That's huge. The other girls in her class were very nice. I asked N confidentially if she wanted me to wait with her at the start (It's intimidating to be in the line up, especially when you don't know what you're doing. I am well familiar with it), and she said she did want me there. Next thing, the lead gal went out of her way to introduce herself and make conversation. N turned to me and whispered, "You can go now, Papa."
Then she rode her race. 4 laps on a tough course. 4th place and a carton of strawberries. Cool.
At the start of the 10 and unders, D asked last week's winner if it was OK to heckle him. (I love that kid!) The other kid screwed up his face and said, "No." D comes back with, "Well, I think I'm gonna heckle anyway- that's what my Papa said about races." (See? They do listen.)
D started strong, and passed last week's winner only to crash "into the bushes because [he] was going too fast." He got up and got back in it, and crashed again- why? I couldn't get a straight answer out of him. He then crashed trying to "pop a wheelie over those logs, and the back wheel hit them and knocked [him] over."
I'd like to know how long it's been since you popped a wheelie, biotch?
Now is a good time to mention that I was again working the Thai Massage booth. I was working on a very nice lady when I saw D running his bike up the straight toward the final turn (where the Joselyn's EZ up was) and the finish. I yelled, he yelled- he'd dropped his chain and didn't know what to do. I didn't think; I dropped her leg and ran off in my socks. Another kid was catching him as I grabbed his bike and pulled the chain back on, gave him a push and off he went for 6th overall. Then I went back and apologized to the nice lady.
5 comments:
My youngest son is entering his first race in a couple weeks. Reading your post actually made me nervous. It's one thing for the old man to block race traffic and quite another to stand on the side line and wait for your offspring to come around. I plan to brng beer!
That is a good plan. Your youngest will need it.
You know most of the other parents were riding the lap with their kids!
The kids are the toughest riders out there. Their bikes are heavier than ours, and picking them up and carrying over the barriers is a whole other thing.
You daughter did 4 laps??
Give her a high five from me. That is tough!
Well, those are the GOOD parents.
You are right about the bike weight to rider weight ratio of lameness, fo sho. I see that Redline is making a 24" crossbike...
Heck yeah she did 4 laps! She is tougher than she knows. And super rad. I'll give her the high 5. Thanks.
Frickin' sweet, go kids!
I've never popped a wheelie, but i've dropped my bike a few times. By the way, I thought the motto was "Might as well scupper"...
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