The Finale

The weekend has come and gone, taking the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League season with it.  Kids from all over the state headed down to Brunswick Nature Park in Leland, NC (near Wilmington) to finish off the season strong.  My weekend started with me trying to get out of town on Friday during rush hour (not fun), and making the almost four hour drive to get to my hotel.

When I got in it was late, so I grabbed some food and beverage with little time for anything else.  Tried to go to bed early, but I tossed and turned all night because I was excited about being a part of the league and putting on the last race (I also don't sleep well when I'm traveling.)  Anyway, the next morning I was up early and made the fifteen minute drive over to the park.

They were waiting for us...

I hadn't been down there in almost four years, when Eastwood and I decided to do a six hour race out there.  I knew it was a cool park, and I was happy to be back.  Everyone got right to work and we all pitched in to make sure things got done.  Even though the park has plenty to do, we were only there for one purpose.  Still, that didn't stop me from having thoughts about enjoying what the rest of the park had to offer.

I saw these folks and for a brief second I wanted to join in...

But I did not.  I worked to help get more kids on bikes and to make great race for them.  I also took pictures of other people working...

There is a lot to get done for these races, and luckily for me most of my time can be spent out on the trail.

Coastal NC reminds me a lot of Florida, so I felt right at home.

At one point, I passed by the spot where the kayak people were heading.  I figured I should stop and check it out.

Reminds me of where I started right many moons ago.  I dig it.

We eventually finished setup and it was time to call it a day.  A few of us went out (maybe I'll talk about that another time.)  Once again I tried to get some sleep and failed miserably.  Six o'clock the next morning I was back at it, but this time it was race day.

I am usually really busy while the races are in progress so I take very few photos.  My spot during this one was away from the action so I really didn't get squat.  Go check out the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League Facebook Page and you will find lots though.

I did get to wander around a bit to take a few photos though.  Here's a shot of the team trophies, which were made (out of recycled bike parts) by Little Miss Sunshine:

And I also saw lots of cool DeFeet socks...

Yeah, those are cool and all that, but thanks to my friends out there in the hills (and my kid, Lunchbox for the art), there were lots of new socks made just for our league...

So, race day was crazy.  A huge rainstorm came through during the high school boys race and soaked us all.  It didn't matter, because everyone was having fun (and those trails are actually fine in the rain.)  Once the rain went away and we packed up the course/infield, the awards ceremony began...

And after the awards, the race staff decided to pay a tribute to the founder and League Director, Mike Long...

What an awesome day and a terrific series.  I am so happy that I got a chance to be a part of this.  We all did a great job, but it's really the kids that made the difference.  I can't wait to get back to it next season.  But as this season came to a close, I found myself looking forward not to the drive home, but to what we will do next.

It was a long drive back to Charlotte, but I had plenty of time to think about what we'd accomplished and how we can make it even better next time.  It's really amazing how much work we put in and how rewarding it was.  

I don't even care if I never race again, because this is so much better.

It Keeps Getting Better

I skipped yesterday not because of my extended bouts of laziness, but because I was le tired.  I "worked" again all weekend, and this time it involved a road trip.

From the photo above, it's probably pretty obvious that I'm not talking about working at my real job.  Yes folks, I worked another race for the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League.  This race was held in Mayodan, NC and to be honest, I had no idea where that was (even after looking on a map.)  I figured that a trail in a park in the middle of nowhere would not be much fun, but my attitude change when I rolled up to Farris Memorial Park.

The town of Mayodan really pulled out all the stops and welcomed our league with open arms.  There were signs/bike decorations all over town, and I have to say that I've never felt more welcome at any race...ever.  And the park I thought would be full of nothing was full of decorations too.

I was amazed at this place.  For such a small town, this park had it all.  Standard ball sports stuff, a gold driving range, mountain bike trails (of course), paddle boats, fishing, and even a mini golf course.

The league staff gathered around and broke off to start setting up.  The infield of the course was amazing, looking so pro that I almost forgot that this was for high school and middle school students.

And the trails.  Wow.  I had low expectations, but I was blown away.  The trails are machine built (which means fast and flowy), but they made use of the terrain and included lots of features.  I mean, there were tons of rock gardens.  It was awesome.

I rode the course several times, since we had to set it up for the racers.  It was hard work but I had a blast.

It was super hot outside and we worked hard, but the course was ready to go for the next day.  I chilled out at the park well into the night, playing guitar and enjoying the atmosphere.  It was late and I was tired, so I headed back to my hotel just as the storms were rolling in.

The next morning I was up at 6:00 a.m.  I hit the road a short while later, and the skies looked less than ideal for a kids mountain bike race.

The rain mostly held off though, wetting the course just a bit.  At least the weather was cooler though.  Anyway, after checking the course again and getting everyone ready to go, the first wave of racers lined up to start their race.

I've seen it before at our other races, but I'm still pretty moved by it.

It was an amazing weekend.  The kids had a good time, and I'm pretty sure every single one of them loved the course (I asked as many as I could.)  The Mayor of Mayodan and other important town-folk were there too, and they seemed just as excited as we were.  We're doing a great thing here for these middle and high school athletes, and even though it wore me out I was feeling really happy.

I'm "retired" now from racing, but that doesn't matter.  This feeling is better than anything I had when I did this stuff just for myself.

Funny how that works.

Special thanks to the town of Mayodan and Rockingham County for making us feel welcome and working with us to make this a successful event.

I can't wait for the next race in less than two weeks.

The Best Race I Didn't Do

I've been busy again.  Work stuff and all that.  Blah, blah, blah.  Last week, I told you that we had a race coming up at Fisher Farm for the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League.  Well, that's what I spent my weekend doing (and this week recovering.)  I worked harder all weekend than I do a whole week at my real job, and this stuff is much more fulfilling.

Yes, it's that cool.

Saturday.  Get up early, drive thirty minutes up the road and meet the rest of the race crew.  I spent most of the day getting my stuff ready for the next day, then the rest of the time I was out on the course to make sure everything was safe and the marshal points were marked.  It was hard work, but at least I was on my bike.

I ended up staying late, not getting home until 9:00 p.m.  That wouldn't have been to bad normally but I had to get up even earlier the next day.

Sunday.  Race day.  The alarm went off a little before 6:00 a.m., which for some reason seems extra early on a Sunday.  I roll into Fisher Farm right at 7:00 a.m. and immediately started making new friends.

I was still sorta asleep when I got there, but the 32 ounces of high octane coffee I drank finally kicked in and I was suddenly full of energy.

Radios.  I haz.  ALL OF THEM.  Photo cred:  Mike L.

The first race doesn't go off until 9:30 a.m., but I was crazy busy getting my stuff together.  A big part of my day was training the course marshals...

Before I knew it, my folks were out on the course and the waves of racers started going out.  I was busy communicating with my peeps on the radio, and the only "action" I saw all day was mostly from a distance.

Another long day.  It was successful though.  We're making history here in North Carolina and I'm happy to be a part of it.  After the awards and all that, we broke the course down and reflected on what we'd all accomplished.

And then I found a whole tray of pickles among the leftover foodz.

Which I promptly gave to Eastwood...

Because he loves pickles more than blogging (which he used to do once upon a time.)

What an awesome weekend.  I'm still tired from it.  And I wouldn't change that for anything.

Luckily we have another one coming up in less than two weeks.  Maybe I write another blog post before then.  Maybe I don't

Werk Werk Werk

These days. I'm not as regular as I once was.  I'm talking about blogging, not dietary issues. Sometimes, I don't post because I'm busy.  Or don't have much going on outside of work.  Or, I just plain forget.  The last one is true lately, because I forgot to mention that I'm now part of something pretty damn awesome.

Yes, I'm part of the race crew for the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League.  Since I "retired" from cross country racing I'd been looking for something more fulfilling that involved bicycles.  And yes folks, I've found it.  We've already had one race, and the next race is the series is this weekend.  It's a state-wide race series for middle and high school kids,but this particular race happens to be local.  This past Sunday, we teamed up with the Tarheel Trailblazers to get the course ready for the big event.

So yeah, I got out for some trail work.

We walked most of the race course and spent a little time clearing some drains.  Luckily though, there wasn't much to do in that department because that trail is one of the best maintained in the Charlotte area.  So, we moved on, cleaning up a "new" section that cuts the course a bit to keep us within race standards for the league.  

Once we finished there, we hit the rest of the trail to address any problem areas.  It was nice to see so many folks out there for a work day.

Our volunteers worked hard in the hot sun for hours...

And some people even got to use fancy machinery.

When it was done, we got off the trail and talked about what we'd accomplished.  We had a good turnout and I think everyone had fun (despite the hard work and the heat.)  

I wasn't done though.  A few folks wanted to ride, and I sure as hell wasn't gonna pass that up.

The North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League is an awesome thing, and I'm proud to be a part of it.  A lot of people keep saying, "I wish they had this when I was in school."

Me too, but it's too late for us.  But it's not too late for the kids that are out there helping us make history here in NC.  And it's not too late for you to get on board.  If you're local, you should join us out there this weekend to help these young riders have an awesome time being outside, racing bikes, and building confidence. 

We still need volunteers, click the link below and sign up:

North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League RACE WEEKEND VOLUNTEER SIGN UP page

I hope to see you out there!

Odds, Ends, And Other Stuff

This weekend is gonna be sorta crazy. Since tomorrow is Fun Friday, I figure I’d better talk about it now. I’ll be leaving after work to drive down to Conyers, GA for the Southeast Bike Expo. The drive won’t be so bad on the way down, since I’ll already be part of the way down there (I’m working in SC.) I’ll find a place to sleep, get up early, and check out all the rad shit the Expo has to offer. The show goes on until 5 p.m., but I’ll probably but outta there early to make the four plus hour drive back to Charlotte. When I get home I’ll probably pass out and sleep like a rock.

They sleep all day. Must be nice.

Sunday morning, I’ve volunteered my services to the awesome kids race series around here, the Charlotte Youth Cycling League.

Race number one kicks off that morning, and I’m always down to help the kids. I’ll be tired for sure, but it will be worth it. The races wrap up pretty early, so the volunteer time will be short. If you’re local, I suggest you come out to help. We can always use adult volunteers, and if you know any kids you should bring them out too. Grab your kid, a neighbor’s kid, or just pull up in front of the park with a van full of free candy.

Wait, don’t do that last one.


It will be a good time, and the kids will appreciate those of you that come out to help.


Srsly.


Once the racing is over, I’m gonna head down to the city to catch the last day of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Honestly, I’m not interested in it enough to go for the whole weekend, so a few hours on Sunday might be just enough. Sure, it’s probably cool and all that, but not cool enough for me to miss the Bike Expo down in Georgia or the kids race here in town.


That’s still too much stuff to cram into one weekend though. I hope I survive it somehow.



See y’all tomorrow for some “fun.”

Well, I Did Ride…

I rode in the rain last night at “The Trail”, which has a name I'll share soon enough by the way.  I’ll get into that at another time.  This one isn’t really about me though.

Sunday was the last race in the Charlotte Youth Cycling League, and we weren't about to miss it.  I even let Lunchbox haul me around beforehand.

The weather was crappy looking, but it looked like we might not get hit until the race was over.  Lunchbox and I hit the trail, stopping at a junction on the trail to cheer (and to keep the kids from making a wrong turn.)  My kid was really glad to be out there helping.

He just doesn’t like posing for photos.

After a little while, the kids came screaming by.

They were fast, and the smiles on their faces let us know that they were having fun too.  Sure, they were racing and all that, but it was still fun.  We cheered them on, moved along the trail and setup in different spots…

Until the rain started.

It came down during the very last race, and it kept getting worse.  It wasn’t so bad under the tree canopy, but out in the open at the awards ceremony it was pretty craptastic.

It was still a great race, and up until the last one the whole series had perfect weather.  I’m sad that it’s over, because we really like going out there to help.  These kids will grow up to be contributing members of society one day soon, and hopefully they will still enjoy riding bikes.

Besides, I’ll need someone to heckle when I retire from racing.

See y’all tomorrow.

Somewhere There Was Fun

My weekend didn’t start off so great.  When I tried to drive home from work on Friday, I got stuck only a few miles from my destination.

When I finally got home, no one was there.  I had all kinds of alone time to do whatever I wanted, but instead I did nothing.  Well, that’s not entirely true.

I ate.

Ice cream for dinner.  I has it.

I had some kind of plan for Saturday, but I’ll get into that tomorrow.  I should get into now, because the rest of the weekend kinda sucked.  I was on call for work, which usually isn’t too bad.  However, in this case I got called at the wrong times.

Like when I was at Fisher Farm helping out at the Charlotte Youth Cycling League race.

I was out on the course to help the kids if they needed it (and keep the overbearing parents out of the way), and it was nice for a while.

But, work called and I couldn’t ignore it.  I high tailed it outta there, and left the rest of the crew to help with the race.  We were supposed to do trail work later too, but work just went on a little too long.  I even got held up again, this time in my own neighborhood.

When I got home I was exhausted, and I barely even rode my bike.  I’m glad this being on call shit is only one weekend every so often.

In other, less shitty news…

Remember the bunnies we found?

Well, Saturday morning I checked on them and they were doing just fine.

I didn’t disturb the nest for that photo, which led me to believe that they were almost ready to head out on their own.  When I came back that afternoon, I found this:

It looks like everybunny left.

What a weird weekend.

More about the rest of it tomorrow.