BuDu Race # 4 - Whidbey Island Cruise

Last Sunday, time for round four of the BuDu race series, otherwise known as Cooking in the Kettles.  Race venue was Fort Ebey State Park, not a bad place to hold a mountain bike race - pretty cool actually.  Camping available, real rest rooms, great trails, and scenic views as the added bonus.  Nice.

Last year, Racer Boy Ian, competed here in the U-12 division, younger riders doing the shorter 3+ mile lap with little climbing.  This year, it would be Beginner class for 13 - 18 year old kids, on the full 7 mile lap, complete with 1100 feet of climbing.  A bit tougher gig. 

Oh-dark-thirty wake up call to catch the 7:00 AM ferry over to the Whidbey; quicker and much more scenic then driving.  Ferry almost empty, with most vehicles sporting mountain bikes.

Compared to usual, just took a few pictures and posted 'em above slideshow style.  Fair amount of racers at this event, me not included.  I elected to continue my lame streak and enjoy my spring allergy hell.  Sniffle, drip, curse.

Ian rolling in towards the finish, looking like a mini pro, pretty cool for 12 years old.  Rolled in for last place today, idea being getting back into the racing groove.  He's been on his bike maybe three times since 'cross season ended in December.  Said he had fun and that's what counts. After loading up, we hit a pizza place in Coupville, before hitting the ferry for home.  Sunny spring day, great father/son time.  We'll take it.

 Quick post and a few pics.  Thanks for reading and stopping by the ol' blog.  Until next time...

BuDu Race # 3 - Boo Hoo

BuDu series race # 3 throw down at Fort Steilcoom park, south of Tacoma, was on the schedule for today.  Racer Boy Ian was a little on the fence about hitting this race, but having him waking me up at 6:00 AM proved his interest.  Fort Steilcoom not being one of his favorite places to race, not enough singletrack for his riding style.  We've hit these places a few times over the course of a few race series now, so he's getting a little picky...

We head out the door for the hour plus drive to the start line complete with 38 degree temps, wet ground, and wet snow falling.  Could be a painful day.  We agree if the weather continues to look this ugly, we retain the right to bag it all and head home.  Halfway to Tacoma, the skies clear a bit.  Not bad at all, though on the chilly side.

A bit of confusion while signing up at the registration tent - well - turned to confusion later.  Girls at the tent mention 1 lap for Beginner class and 2 laps for Sport.  About a 4+ mile lap.  I ask Ian what he wants to ride, he says 2 laps.  I sign him up for U-19 Sport class.  That race doesn't start until 11:00 AM, now we have some time to kill.  Ian takes off to pre-ride the course.

The 9:00 AM racers line up and I see a few of Ian's teammates ready to roll.  I ask 'em what class they're doing, they mention Beginner class for 2 laps.  Uh?  A few minutes later, boom, off they go.  I head back to the registration tent, now confused.  I find out Sport class is actually 3 laps.  That's a 12 mile race, plus warm up lap, for 16 miles or so.  Add in racing against kids up to 19 years old.  Middle of summer, Ian could handle this.  Middle of March, with only two or so mountain bike rides under his belt since 'cross season ended in December - no way.  He'd be hurting big time, no doubt.

Racer Boy Ian is in a bit of gray area, being 12 years old.  His racing age is 13, since he turns 13 this year - those are the rules.  That bumps him up into the 13-18 Beginner class for this series, or U-19 for Sport class.  Different race venues run different number of laps depending on the course.  For the 12 and under division, where Ian was last year, the 1 lap races felt short to him, 2 would be about right.  So today, that would have been Beginner class.

Ian rolls in from his warm up lap and I give him the news.  At one point, the race director tells me the Sport class may only do two laps, but later it remains at three.  I elect to pull the plug on Ian's race day.  I want to keep all this as positive and fun as possible, with reasonable challenges along the way.  Ian agrees.  The race folks are cool, we get a refund and change numbers back to Beginner class, where I'll keep him for the remaining races in the series.  I always keep in mind we're talking about a 12 year old here, and would rather error on the easy side of things.

Getting up a 6:00 AM and driving 100 miles round trip for nothing is a bummer, but hey - stuff happens.  The BuDu gang run a great series and even though my gut said no to the Sport class for Ian, thought the laps would be right.  No big deal, many more races in the future, including the next BuDu race.  We're not talking world peace or pro contracts here.

While at the race, with the confusion, grabbed a whopping three pics for the day.  Here's one of teammate Anders heading for the finish line, looking good in the 13-18 Beginner class.

After the drive home and homework time spent on a science project, Ian and I hit the local trails for the late afternoon roll.  Super muddy today, but felt great to get out.  We did about 10 miles of woods rolling and Ian was pretty toasted at the end.  I made the right call earlier in the day - for sure.

As long as his interest remains, plenty of rides and races remain in Ian's future.  I plan to keep it as fun as possible, ramp it up as needed, and error on the low side of things if required.  For us, the best approach to it all, and it's been working well.

BuDu Series Race # 2 - Mountain Bike Season Begins

Mountain bike race season officially begins in the Pacific Northwest, with the BuDu series kicking it off.  A very well run local series that Racer Boy Ian competed in last season with some pretty cool results.  A fun series for sure.

For this year, son Ian missed the first race due to basketball commitments.  Second race of the series, held last weekend was also no go for Ian, due to a bad cold.  I missed both races due to a bad case of being lame, and still being very much in my winter slump.  Woe is me.

I hit the second race anyway to pick up Ian's 2012 race kit, since some fellow JL Velo teammates offered to lug it over.  I wandered the course a bit to shoot a few pics, slideshow posted as proof.  As I get old and feeble, seem to enjoy shooting races more then actually (allegedly) competing in 'em.

Running through the woods reminded me how fun the trails of Soaring Eagle Park are.  Need to head back soon for a little singletrack fun 'n' frolicking.

Rockin' and Racin' - Singletrack Cycles Final

The full weekend of rock and racing has come to a close. I don't mean Rock Racing, I'm talking rock and racing as separate entities - though you can race and rock at the same time. Everybody knows that. I'm referring to actual live, loud rock; as in I hope you brought ear protection, 'cause you're gonna need it rock.

Pre-kids, years ago, I attended a fair amount of rock shows. Into the bar scene I was not, it was a necessary evil to witness local music however, so I'd be in/out as soon the show ended. It was about the music, not hanging around some scene - not that there's anything wrong with that. Once the kids arrived, time and interest for such festivities fell off the map. I still remain a rock fan and receive my usual dose via iPod action. Good enough for me.

Recently, one of my old Mackie Designs (and mountain biking pal) Brian picked up the guitar again. He joined forces with a few other ex-Mackiods and began jamming. The jamming has turned into official gig dates at local clubs, so I checked one out on Saturday night; along with yet another old Mackie friend, Rupp as we call him, sharing the drive down to Tacoma with me.

Brian's band is Powerhitter, a trio, just play super heavy metal type riffs - no vocals - with a bit of a groove though. First time I've been out like this in years, so it was fun and stupid loud. They put on a good show and I got a kick out of seeing an old pal on stage crunching out the riffs. Brian pictured above (minus beer) with drummer Kevin (with beer). Out of the multi-band line up, they were my favorite outta the bunch. Killer job.

Powerhitter hits the stage, captured via crappy cell phone camera. All other rock images of the night captured via borrowing Facebook posts from the unsuspecting.

Headlining the night at Hell's Kitchen, yes - Hell's Kitchen - was Blistered Earth, a Metallica tribute band fronted by yet another old school Mackoid; Brad Hull. Brad is known a bit from the Seattle metal scene and is a damn talented guitarist. I am somewhat a Metallica fan, but not really big on tribute bands, though these guys have it down. The crowd dug it for sure.

Blistered Earth cranks up the temperature in Hell's Kitchen. Family night out, this is not.

Here's Mr. Hull, mid head bang, hard at work.

After getting more then a night's worth of sonic blast, risking a cheeseburger from Hell's Kitchen itself, I called it a night at 1:00 AM leaving Blistered Earth in mid set. With an hour drive home, and Ian's mountain bike race just a few hours away - enough for me. It was great to see some old friends and revisit with my pal Rupp during the drive to and from the Rock-O-Thon. I wound up hitting the sack around 2:15 AM with the alarm set for 6:00 AM. Ouch. Drinking type I'm not, so no pain there - just the sheer pain of no sleep involved.

Time to shift gears, literally and figuratively, back to normal family life and yes, bike racing. You know it, you love it, you can't live without it. Being semi-smart, knowing I'd get home late, race supplies collected and piled earlier, ready for Sunday morning transport. I also copied the directions to the race site via Google, since we've never been to this location, near Maple Valley.

My alarm set for 6:00 AM, though Ian wakes me at 5:50 AM. Ouch. We're out the door and headed south with time to spare. As we get close to the race site, Google directions send me on a unplanned tour of rural Maple Valley. The directions are actually incorrect and we're officially lost. With the 9:00 AM race start looming, stress level begins to percolate. Not fun. I call home for assistance. Wife saves the day by cranking up the home computer and supplies the correct directions, via Mapquest. Man, we're cutting it close - we're talking minutes.

We arrive with barely enough time to unload bikes, register, suit up, and pee in the woods (as nature intended). Never mind warming up or pre-riding the course. I get Ian to the line about 1 minute before lift off. Good luck, have fun, see you at the finish.

Off they go. Due to the late line up, Ian hugging the edge of the gravel road, not exactly a great starting position. Considering we almost missed the race, we'll take it. Ian's U-12 class mixed in with other ages for a mass group start. The more the merrier.

Gidean once again grabs first place for boys, U-12. This kid is quick for 10 years old. I spent some time talking to his parents, nice folks. Two wheeled fanatics they all are. Dad races mountain bikes, 'cross, downhill and motocross. Mom also races and coaches one of the new high school racing teams. Cool, eh?

A few minutes later, Ian crosses the line in second place, complete with raised arms. Said this was the best course of the series. Also mentioned two tip overs due to clipless pedals learning curve in progress, plus one official crash with a nice shot to the groin. Doh! Still wants to use clipless pedals and race however. Yup, that's my boy.

Fellow JL Velo teammate Mike, rolls in with a second place finish in the 13-18 age class. Nice race for him as well.

A few other JL Velo juniors also raced. Here brothers Mitchell and Trey laugh about something with Mike - boys will be boys. About 30 juniors total ride for JL Velo - awesome.

With the second place finish today, Ian scored second overall for the series. Gidean nabs first overall, while his brother Titus pulls in for fourth overall. Third place kid appears to have cut out early. All these kids did a great job, hitting multiple races to accumulate points towards a bigger goal.

Teammate Mike parallels Ian in the 13-18 division. Second place for today and second overall for the series. Great riding and fun to watch the results.

Ian displaying the accolades of his work, pretending not to be freezing cold. We've had some freaky weather this spring, cold and wet. Some people mentioned seeing snow in their areas that morning.

Pretty cool looking trophy. Big kudos for Budu Racing, they post the results in minutes after each race, awards shortly after, then results posted online the same day. Fantastic job. Other race promoters could learn a few things from these folks. We'll be back next year for sure. Now that this race series is complete, I'll scan the calendar for future mountain bike events. Ian had a blast, learned a few things and is ready for more action. Me too - as in supporting Ian and getting my own ass out there.

Started this post with head banging metal, will end it with puppy cute bike fluff to even things out. This is our neighbor Corey, all of 5 years old, first time riding without assistance. Another cyclist emerges from the training wheels cocoon. The little Trek he's cruising has a bit of neighborhood history. It was Ian's first bike, then given to Aiden, Corey's older brother, to ride. Aiden outgrew in time for my daughter Amy to use it. Now Corey is putting more miles on the little Trek. When he's done with it, we'll see where it winds up next.

With that, I'm outta here. Rock on and ride on....

Singletrack Cycles - Westside Series Race #5

Second weekend in a row traveling to the Tacoma area for mountain bike racing action, both races at Fort Steilacoom Park. Last week for the first ever high school league race, this Sunday for race # 5 of the Singletrack Cycles - Westside Series. It's been a super rainy spring here in the Pacific Northwest, we've lucked out for the racing however - cloudy skies, but the rain held off.

Ian was down for the count for two days previous to the race with a bad cold. He still wanted to race, to at least collect series points, being only 10 points of first place in his age devision. I loaded up the car the night before and told Ian we'll see how feels on race morning. He was up at 6:00 AM wanting to roll, even though he still he didn't feel 100%. Parent in me wanted to cancel the day, bike nut in me realizes Ian's interest in doing well in the series.

So, off we go. Plan was if not feeling well, just cruise the course, finish and rack up some points. Once we arrived and he rode around a bit, said he felt fine. This was also his first race using clipless pedals. Pre-riding part of the course, had one slow speed tip over. I offered to swap the pedals for platforms, we still had time; nope - he elected to go with the clipless setup.

Ian lines up with a few other JL Velo teammates. Ian racing U-12, one lap of the course - about 4 miles. Teammates racing 13-18 division; 2 laps for them.

Gidean, racing for Team Motofish, once again grabs first place in U-12 division. A very fast 10 year old. Ian and Gidean have been finishing close together in previous races. Today, Gidean was minutes ahead - great ride.

Mike, JL Velo teammate, rolls in for the 3rd place finish in the 13-18 division. A solid ride. Will, not pictured, scored a 2nd place spot for the team as well.

Jarrett rolls towards the finish in the 13-18 division. Always awesome to see these young racers out there. Mountain bike racing is fun, but not easy.

Ian, third to the left, cruising in for his 5th place finish in his U-12 class. Not a bad show for racing sick and rocking the clipless pedals; said he ran up some hills in fear of not being able to unclip midway. I give him credit for wanting complete the series and score as many points as possible. After today, he's still in second place overall - great job.

My little racer, recovering after the race. Any guilt associated with having him race feeling a little sick now gone. He had a good time and was glad to pile on series points. On the way home, shared a quick McDonald's stop with teammate Will and his dad. Overall, another good day out on bikes.

Next week is the final race of the series, visiting Black Diamond once again. We're looking forward to it. See you out there.

Singletrack Cycles - West Side Series Race # 3

Race # 3 of the Singletrack Cycles - West Side Series rolled into town today. The town being Soaring Eagle Park in Sammamish, race run by the folks from Budu Racing. Ian and I have never ridden in Soaring Eagle Park, so a good chance to sample some new trails. I have ridden in this area before, probably 20 years ago, before the housing developments exploded and it was an official park. In any case, so long ago - it's all new to me now.

The park is a condensed zig zag of fun singletrack. Twisty, but not that technical, but still enough to put a grin on your face. One of the many great aspects of racing is the chance to ride in new areas. This place is on our list to visit again in the future, to check out all of it when we have time.

A few of Ian's JL Velo teammates from the Junior team also attended the festivities, giving Ian a chance to hang out with like minded kids. A fun day, or should I say morning - since their race kicked off at 9:00 AM. Ian and I arrived early enough to pre-ride the course, a rare event for us. The short 4 mile (or so) course assisted with that fun fact.

As usual, some crappy photography to document the day. Someday I'll score a real camera that can actually capture moving action. In the meantime, the pocket Olympus will do...

Here, Mitchell, JL Velo Junior teammate, puts the pressure on the unsuspecting adult racer. I heard him yelling "Passing" a few seconds later. Gotta get a kick outta that. Mitchell placed 3rd overall in the Junior 13 - 18 class. Great ride. Two lap race for the 13 - 18 year olds today.

Mike, another member of JL Velo, cruises to a 5th place finish in the 13 - 18 class. Nice race.

Trey, brother and teammate of Mitchell, samples the Soaring Eagle singletrack and pulls off a 4th place in the 13 - 18 class. That placed JL Velo in the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots in that class.

Gidean, from Team Motofish, styles his way to first place in the Junior U - 12 class.

Ian, in his second race for JL Velo, about 15 seconds behind Gideon - still sporting the mountain bike style - baggy shorts, Camelback, helmet visor. We'll go with full team duds soon. He tried clipless pedals for the first time yesterday. He did great, but we elected to go with platform pedals for the race - he's been riding those for years. Needs a few more clipless sessions and he'll be ready to roll.

Pedal Ian pedal. 2nd overall finish today in the U-12 class. Great job. U-12 rode one lap of the course, Ian said he could have done two laps. This series appears to be a confidence booster and good experience for 11 year old Ian. Many longer races in the future. No rush, all should be a fun learning experience at this age.

A few hundred adults also raced - me not included, my lame streak continues. I included this unidentified dude as official proof. Go unidentified dude, go.

The results are posted!

Junior racers of the day. Trey, Mike, Mitchell and Ian. The little dudes rock. Great day for all.

Post race Mexican food. Well deserved. Awesome father/son time. Enjoy it now while I can.

The 2nd place today places Ian in 2nd place overall for the series. Fantastic. More to follow.

Another race and great experience in the books. I can't sell mountain bike riding and racing enough. Get out there yourself and do it. You'll be glad you did. Trust me on that.

Let The Racing Begin

The racing season officially kicked off for us today with Ian and some of his new teammates doing battle at the Singletrack Cycles West Side Series #2 mountain bike race. We skipped the first race and due to end of season basketball team festivities and other family related fun, decided to do this one pretty late in the game. We're glad we rolled out of bed painfully early and did make the event - super fun day. Race series run by BuDu Racing and it all went down well; on time, quick awards presentation, and results already posted online. Nice job.

Race was held in Black Diamond (that be Washington) on private land, owned by a local church. Very cool for the church to allow public mountain biking and racing on their property. Ian and I have never ridden in Black Diamond and after sampling it today, need to schedule a return trip for future rides. Tight, twisty, rooted out singletrack - sweet riding for sure.

As mentioned, a few JL Velo teammates from the Junior team headed to Black Diamond as well. We're just getting to know these folks and kids - all very nice people. Pretty cool to show up at a race with shared jerseys and teammates.

I did not race myself today, just supported Ian and managed to capture a few pictures.....



Jarrett, Mike, and Ian fly the JL Velo team colors at the start. Juniors raced with the Beginner Men class, but scored by their respective age class. Usual mountain bike racing setup. Ian was a little nervous before the start, but not bad. Pre-race jitters are a good kind of nervous. Means you're getting ready to do something out of the ordinary and have some serious fun.

I grabbed no pictures of the wooded sections of the course - spending my time around the start/finish area. Here, Mike powers towards the finish. Very fast kid, finishing up well in the overall standings for all age groups. That earned him first place in the Junior 13 - 18 age class. Nice ride.

Ian popped out of the woods a little later looking good. I wasn't sure what place he was in, but appeared to do pretty well. Turned out better then we thought.

Ian heads towards the finish line. Go Ian go.

Teammate Jarrett popped out of the woods right behind Ian, looking pro.

Jarrett rounds the corner towards the finish. Watching kids race is the coolest thing ever. The future of our sport in action.

Ian and Jarrett cool down after the race. Both said the trails were fun and had a great time racing. I also noticed quite a few Beginner Men adult racers finishing up behind them. These kids put in a good ride.

Mike picks up his medal for first place, Junior 13 - 18 class. Fantastic.

Ian shows off his medal for first place in the Junior U - 12 class. Awesome! His first overall win ever and first ride for his new team. Teammate Jarrett also scored fourth place in the Junior 13 - 18 class. A great ride as well, plus his first ever mountain bike race. Overall, a pretty successful day for the JL Velo Junior team. All around great job.

Ian was shocked he won. He thought he was in third place or so. We both were surprised when they announced him as the winner. Very fun experience. Smiles all around riding back to the car. Great to witness.

Teammate Mike and his dad also brought a used 'cross bike for Ian and I to check out. I've been looking for a 'cross bike for Ian to use as the road trainer and 'cross race bike for later this fall. The Junior team heads out on road training rides and Ian only has the one mountain bike. After a test ride, it looked good. A deal was struck and we purchased it. Sweet little bike. Redline Conquest Pro frame, FSA crank, SRAM Rival shifters and derailleurs, decent wheels, new 'cross tires. Just what we needed. I'll throw some road tires on there soon.

Ian doing a little speed testing in the yard. He's never ridden a road bike, said it felt a little weird - but fun. The 700c wheels, drop 'bars and SRAM shifter/brakes all new to him. He seemed to get the hang of it quick. Next is clipless pedals and real bike shoes.

This riding season is shaping up to be big fun. New team, mountain race series in progress, real 'cross bike for the fall. Life is good. Stay tuned for more...