Santa and his helper showed up.
Daddy showing Ceci what not to do...
Milk coma...
someone's hungry!
This past weekend.
Grandma, Ben, Papa, and Ceci on a beautiful Fall day.
Ben thinks he's Papa...
he thought his reflection in the mirror was funny.
he thought his reflection in the mirror was funny.
Getting filthy...
Steve and I met at Stewartville for the Filthy50.
I think Dave Pramann was there, but we never bumped into him. Most likely well ahead of me.
I spotted a number of Rochester riders there as well (Dave Herbert, Steve Soltis, Bob Gritman, Eric Applen, Matt and Linda, Charlie Tri, Lew, and Tobias).
80 degrees, sunny, and a good breeze from the south, made for a hot, fast, tiring 3 hours.
Steve and I did a good job at weaving through the crowd to get near to the front after the mass start.
We were in a big group of 30 to 40 riders for most of the east and south stretches.
As we turned west the group had shrunk a bit to around 25 or so.
When we hit the hill at 35 miles, Steve was more to the front and I further back and got stuck behind some slower riders and lost contact. I could see Steve's group, but never did catch back on. And as we got back out into the wind, his group just kept pulling away. At last sight, Steve was well placed in a group of 8 or 10 stomping a "roller".
I think Steve finished about 5 minutes ahead of me (he was waiting at the finish line with a beer, nice!!!). But I did come in under 3 hours, so that is a plus.
I think Dave Pramann was there, but we never bumped into him. Most likely well ahead of me.
I spotted a number of Rochester riders there as well (Dave Herbert, Steve Soltis, Bob Gritman, Eric Applen, Matt and Linda, Charlie Tri, Lew, and Tobias).
80 degrees, sunny, and a good breeze from the south, made for a hot, fast, tiring 3 hours.
Steve and I did a good job at weaving through the crowd to get near to the front after the mass start.
We were in a big group of 30 to 40 riders for most of the east and south stretches.
As we turned west the group had shrunk a bit to around 25 or so.
When we hit the hill at 35 miles, Steve was more to the front and I further back and got stuck behind some slower riders and lost contact. I could see Steve's group, but never did catch back on. And as we got back out into the wind, his group just kept pulling away. At last sight, Steve was well placed in a group of 8 or 10 stomping a "roller".
I think Steve finished about 5 minutes ahead of me (he was waiting at the finish line with a beer, nice!!!). But I did come in under 3 hours, so that is a plus.
Big crowd (500+)
All smiles pre-race, not so post-race...
Ben and Chad Greenway and other Vikings.
with Chad...
Long snapper - Cullen Loeffler,
Kicker - Blair Walsh,
Long snapper - Kevin McDermott,
Punter - Jeff Locke,
and Adrian Peterson, I mean Ben.
Kicker - Blair Walsh,
Long snapper - Kevin McDermott,
Punter - Jeff Locke,
and Adrian Peterson, I mean Ben.
Spending time with Everleigh...
Sugar time!
Papa showing Everleigh how to color the rocks...
Everleigh found a heart for Grandma.
Spending time with Ben and Ceci.
Daycare was closed, so Grandma and Papa had to fill in for a few days.
Ben was the big winner at the crane machine.
Papa and Ceci enjoying the nice weather.
Ben, Daddy, and Papa at Sibley Park.
Great News!
Marie just let us know that she and Justin were given terrific news today at their checkup.
It seems that baby Gideon's little tummy has reduced in size considerably and at this time they are not too concerned about the Hydropsys.
Prayers answered!
It seems that baby Gideon's little tummy has reduced in size considerably and at this time they are not too concerned about the Hydropsys.
Prayers answered!
2015 Dan Ulwelling Memorial Bike Race
Well the annual Austin Freedom Fest Bike Race (Dan Ulwelling Memorial) has come and gone again.
Silver, Espresso, Dan the kid, and I were there flying the Silver Cycling colors, while HWood, Matt Stein, Brian Welsh, and several others were in the HWood kits. Mark Skarpool and Joe Hamlin were there as well.
I'm guessing about 75+ were there to race (or ride in some cases). With a south wind at about 10 mph, the start was fast. We didn't go below 29 mph until we neared the first turn. With the crosswind, the group bunched up a bit and true to form, there was a touch of wheels with one guy going down right in front of me. He slide to my left and gave me an out on his right side, but he didn't give the guy from Rochester to my left any place to go. And the two got tangled together as I went around. Not a pleasant sound...
The race continued in Lansing, then north again where the tempo picked back up to the high 20s. Brian Welsh and Joe Hamlin broke away from the group around this time.
The guys from Rochester were keeping the pace high and I took a turn at the front as we neared the turn east. I stayed out front a bit more and then let someone else have some fun. We moved along nicely in the crosswinds, but never really managed to pick up any distance on the two breakway guys.
As we turned south into the wind, I noticed our group was down to a dozen or so. So we had managed to drop a good chunk of the group in the crosswinds.
About halfway through this section, there was another touch of wheels and Mark Skarpool and one other guy went down. I managed to safely steer through the bikes, bodies, bottles, and other parts strewn across the road. Espresso and Silver wanted the group to wait to see if Mark would catch back on, but the rest of the group didn't slow much. So we pedaled on into a much stiffer wind (15+ mph) now.
The pace slowed a bit with the headwinds and the Rochester guys were trying some "one-two punch" moves to either get away from our group or tire us out. The breakaway kept getting further away and we never did catch them.
As we turned toward the Nature Center, the "cat and mouse" stuff started and the tempo went from 20+ to 16, then back to 20+ several times.
Finally the sprint was on, and I managed to hang on the end of the group to the line.
HWood grabbed the group sprint, with Matt Stein, then Espresso, Dan the Kid, then Silver, and then me (in 10th). I finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes, with an average of 23.4 mph (with my cool down riding).
Brian Welsh nipped Joe for the Overall First Place.
So, all four Silver Cycling in the top 10. Great team work and great results.
Dan the Kid (1st in the 19 to 29 age)
Silver (1st in the 60 to 69 age)
Espresso (2nd in the 50 to 59 age)
Fun times (always) and no skin left on the road...
Some pictures courtesy of Austin Daily Herald guys...
The start (Lew, Silver, and HWood):
Silver, Espresso, Dan the kid, and I were there flying the Silver Cycling colors, while HWood, Matt Stein, Brian Welsh, and several others were in the HWood kits. Mark Skarpool and Joe Hamlin were there as well.
I'm guessing about 75+ were there to race (or ride in some cases). With a south wind at about 10 mph, the start was fast. We didn't go below 29 mph until we neared the first turn. With the crosswind, the group bunched up a bit and true to form, there was a touch of wheels with one guy going down right in front of me. He slide to my left and gave me an out on his right side, but he didn't give the guy from Rochester to my left any place to go. And the two got tangled together as I went around. Not a pleasant sound...
The race continued in Lansing, then north again where the tempo picked back up to the high 20s. Brian Welsh and Joe Hamlin broke away from the group around this time.
The guys from Rochester were keeping the pace high and I took a turn at the front as we neared the turn east. I stayed out front a bit more and then let someone else have some fun. We moved along nicely in the crosswinds, but never really managed to pick up any distance on the two breakway guys.
As we turned south into the wind, I noticed our group was down to a dozen or so. So we had managed to drop a good chunk of the group in the crosswinds.
About halfway through this section, there was another touch of wheels and Mark Skarpool and one other guy went down. I managed to safely steer through the bikes, bodies, bottles, and other parts strewn across the road. Espresso and Silver wanted the group to wait to see if Mark would catch back on, but the rest of the group didn't slow much. So we pedaled on into a much stiffer wind (15+ mph) now.
The pace slowed a bit with the headwinds and the Rochester guys were trying some "one-two punch" moves to either get away from our group or tire us out. The breakaway kept getting further away and we never did catch them.
As we turned toward the Nature Center, the "cat and mouse" stuff started and the tempo went from 20+ to 16, then back to 20+ several times.
Finally the sprint was on, and I managed to hang on the end of the group to the line.
HWood grabbed the group sprint, with Matt Stein, then Espresso, Dan the Kid, then Silver, and then me (in 10th). I finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes, with an average of 23.4 mph (with my cool down riding).
Brian Welsh nipped Joe for the Overall First Place.
So, all four Silver Cycling in the top 10. Great team work and great results.
Dan the Kid (1st in the 19 to 29 age)
Silver (1st in the 60 to 69 age)
Espresso (2nd in the 50 to 59 age)
Fun times (always) and no skin left on the road...
Some pictures courtesy of Austin Daily Herald guys...
The start (Lew, Silver, and HWood):
HWood's big finish:
My "not so big" finish (9th Scott, 10th me):
It's been awhile...
Ben showing off his "cruisin" shirt.
Ceci is more fun everyday.
Everleigh and Mommy having fun in the sun.
Doesn't that little "pudgy" nose make you smile?
Kathy and I are finishing up some remodeling of our living room, dining room, and kitchen. A bit more work on the floor and base boards and we are all done. Looks good (to me).
HWood did a terrific job on the front wheel. Runs true and I think it is even a bit stiffer than the original build. I am very pleased with his work (I wish I had that talent).
Not a ton of biking (with the remodel work getting in the way), but I do manage to get out for some short rides every once in awhile. Need to start getting in some longer days if I plan on doing D2D this year.
Marie is expecting little Gideon sometime around the end of August, first part of September. They are experiencing some complications with him. His little belly is large and they are not sure what is causing it. And with Marie's latest checkup they are concerned about that and the fact that Marie also has a bit more amniotic fluid than normal at this point. The plan is to watch both of them very carefully for the next few weeks and then maybe consider having Gideon delivered by C-section.
I have put my trust in the Lord on this one...
My weekend adventure.
I was all set to ride with the group on Saturday.
Steve had a nice 100+ mile day planned and the weather was perfect.
At about 30 miles as we approached Elba, Tim and I took off for the town sign.
Dave snuck in there with us and as Tim and Dave went by me for the sprint,
my front wheel got tangled with Tim's rear derailleur.
Needless to say, losing 5 of 9 spokes (all on the left side) at 30+mph was a bit scary.
But I managed to stay upright and come to a safe stop.
Tim also lost a couple of back wheel spokes (as his rear derailleur went into his wheel).
So, our day ended at 30 miles and a call to Kathy to come to Elba and pick us up.
Hollywood says that since I didn't go down, the rim should be fine and he can put new spokes in it and that I shouldn't need a whole new wheel.
Someone must have been watching over me...
Cecilia
Looks a lot like Big Brother in this one.
Getting bigger and stronger every day.
Christmas should be fun!
Lately
Ceci's Baptism.
Grandma spending time with Ben and Ceci.
Everleigh is getting bigger, too!
Love the "Papa, Papa, Papa" shirt.
Texas 2015
The much anticipated Texas trip has come and gone for 2015.
Another great adventure in the memory books.
We had great weather with temps in the mid 70s to 80s everyday.
Sunny skies everyday with a couple of windy days, but nothing we didn't ride in.
I ended with 400 miles and over 22,000 feet of climbing.
Needless to say, sunscreen was a must for us snowbirds. By the end of the week, we all had some nice "biker tans" with some people sporting some nice "burns"...
We had 8 riders, Steve, Ted, Rob, Pete, Pat, Dan, Jerry, and myself. Lynette was there also, though she rode by herself or with Jerry mostly. Unfortunately, a regular rider was missing this year, as Shad had a bike accident just before we headed out and with his injuries was unable to make the trip. Everyone missed having him around, he is always a pleasure to spend time with on these events.
The house worked out nicely with 5 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a nice fire pit and deck, and a game room.
The food was excellent as always and I think everyone had plenty to eat (and drink)...
The roads were quiet again this year, to the point where you stop listening for cars from behind and then get surprised when one does happen to approach.
Another great adventure in the memory books.
We had great weather with temps in the mid 70s to 80s everyday.
Sunny skies everyday with a couple of windy days, but nothing we didn't ride in.
I ended with 400 miles and over 22,000 feet of climbing.
Needless to say, sunscreen was a must for us snowbirds. By the end of the week, we all had some nice "biker tans" with some people sporting some nice "burns"...
We had 8 riders, Steve, Ted, Rob, Pete, Pat, Dan, Jerry, and myself. Lynette was there also, though she rode by herself or with Jerry mostly. Unfortunately, a regular rider was missing this year, as Shad had a bike accident just before we headed out and with his injuries was unable to make the trip. Everyone missed having him around, he is always a pleasure to spend time with on these events.
The house worked out nicely with 5 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a nice fire pit and deck, and a game room.
The food was excellent as always and I think everyone had plenty to eat (and drink)...
The roads were quiet again this year, to the point where you stop listening for cars from behind and then get surprised when one does happen to approach.
Typical roads on a typical day.
The roads look like gravel, but it has small, dime-sized,
stones pressed into the blacktop. It rides very smooth.
One of the many "rolling" climbs.
Rob giving the boys Yoga instructions.
Dan and Lynette's camper on Day 1.
We made a stop at Becker Vineyards again this year.
And Yes, we bought some wine.
A typical look for me after a long day of riding.
Or is that Kenny Chesney?
Always fun, great memories, and fantastic bike riding.
I think they are already talking about Texas 2016.
Lately...
Ceci is 4 weeks old already...
Ben found something interesting...
and Everleigh gets to know Ceci for the first time,
I hope she is ready for a baby brother or sister (in September).
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