'nother Sunday of off-road madness...

Donovan and I got our racing ON once again this past Sunday. Very fast course, one which I've won in the past and I was looking to reclaim again. After a slow start, @ about 15th wheel, the field was strung out for lap 1. Starting lap 2, however, the 7 leaders jumped hard, and the field did not react. As soon as I caught on to what was happening, I pushed it and got into no-man's land between the dumb, complacent field and the front.

Racing solo for 4 laps to the front...

I fully committed to my move and rode a hard tempo. Simple: I would either blow up or get on up to the race winning move.  It took me 4 laps to close the 20sec gap by myself, and when I got back on to 6th at the start of the last lap, I made the mistake to get off the gas for a few corners to catch my breath- shoulda just kept on pouring it on & into tunnel-vision land.

Getting back on in 6th place...

The other 5 guys had saved 1-2matches for the sprint and they rocketed away from me... another 6th place. To my credit, the rest of the field came in 25sec behind me...

Donovan had a great time, and he finished his race on his little boat anchor. He took off and had a great start... up until he spun out on his little single speed bmx

I rode behind him to remind him of a couple of tricky areas, but as always, he did it all the racing by himself. Including getting over barriers and stairs.

 The finish line and the awesome feeling of having given it a great effort.

Theresa and I decided he has been such a trooper, never complaining about how heavy his bike is, or how he spins out on flats, or how hard it is to get up hills, that he deserves a real bike. We want his experience to be enjoyable, not frustrating like it has been at times the last 2 races. So I am on the search for a Redline Conquest 20 for him. That should allow him a more level playing field to the 9-11yr olds he's racing... Until next Sunday... and thank you for reading

Christmas 2012

It is that time of the year, our home is once again filled with Christmas, from the fresh smell of a nice big tree to appropriately-themed music. Well, actually, the christmasy music has been playing since Halloween, which is fine (I think by the time New Year comes, I’ll be ready for an auditory break from decking the halls and techno-frosty).

A ver... vamos a checar esta serie.... ¿Están prendidos todos los foquitos?

Though hard on the grown-ups to be upbeat this season as we remember Christina’s passing one year ago, Donovan  is all excited. One of the most vivid memories I have of Christmas with my family was helping my father check the strands of lights prior to placing them on our tree. I remember a feeling of satisfaction when I would replace a burnt out light, and its neighboring bulbs would once again light up.

Hope this season is full of happy memories. Thanks for reading.

JC