L4adventures

2011 Review from Georgia to Germany and in between

2012-01-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

2011 Went Down Like This:
(minus the normal weekend races)

Jan: Cold Snow here = escape to Florida and FATS for warm base miles

Feb: Everett and I spend a long weekend camping and riding the Tanasi trails.

March:   The boys and I fly to NYC for the day. We take the subway to the Metropolitan Museum, China Town, gaze at the statue of liberty and eat NYC pizza for lunch, yum!
             Banff Film Festival
              Jansen heads to FL to race
              Everett races IHP   Shey does both!
              Jansen builds a trebuchet.

April: Shey and Jansen head out to CA for Sea Otter

            Cory comes to visit and work at the shop (april fools day has me decorating his car)
            Jansen has a 4 hour birthday ride

May: Everett Graduates!!
           Mom and Dad come to visit
           We all head to TX and Shey and Jansen race the Mellow Johnny's XC race
           Jansen has a big crash at Tanasi, bruised ribs will keep him off the bike and a branch went through his cheek.


June: Jansen pulls a large piece of wood out of his face. (post Tanasi crash)
           Everett has orientation at Kennesaw State University
           Jansen heads off on a road trip with friends to a big race in Wisconsin
           Everett and I fly to Europe and visit the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. We get to visit with my brother and nephews. Lots of fun!

July: Everett and I return from Europe, pick up Jansen and some warm weather clothes, then fly on to Texas to visit with family.

August: I have a great road trip to Pisgah, with tons of riding.
               Everett moves into KSU.
               We drive up to spend Everett's birthday with him at KSU
               Jansen and I spend a lot of time riding around KSU with Everett
               We actually enter a road race around Covington!
               Shey has a birthday and is getting closer to 40.....
               Cyclocross practice begins.

September: Interbike in Las Vegas and Ride for Reading. Lots of fun, lots of work.

                The boys and I ride into Atl to watch the Dragon Con parade
                Cyclocross practices
                Shey rides part of the TransGA as his vacation, but stops when the rain hits.
                 Georgia Single Speed State Championships are held by Faster Mustache and are a blast!!!

October: 24 hours of GA race. Shey and Jansen are on teams and I ride solo. Great course!
               Everett races collegiate at IHP
               Fried Green Tomato 50 mile gravel road ride was amazing!
               Cycle Youth puts on a cyclocross race

November: Everett and I head to Chattanooga for a weekend.
                     Lots of ride time at the Pinhotis.

December: Shey and Jansen win cyclocross state championships
                    We head to Chattanooga again for some long fun rides and stay at the Crash Pad hostel.
                    Everett makes foam swords and we have fun sword fights.
                    Jansen is building rockets.

There is no doubt we are extremely fortunate to have these amazing years together and none of us take it for granted. We wouldn't trade our time together for anything in the world. Looking forward to 2012 with our awesome family and friends!!!!!!!!!!!!

Florida Sunshine!!!

2012-01-10T15:46:00.001-08:00

It turned quite cold in GA, which means it's time to head to Florida to warm-up a bit. 3 days of riding flat, warm trails. Croom, Santos, San Felasco. I even thought I revived my tan-line, but alas, it was only dirt.......

We had planned to leave on Friday morning, but illness and a death in the family set us back a day and we left early Saturday morning. There is a ride in Florida that we had wanted to attend, but a smart phone is required and none of us have one of those fancy pants things....yet.....so Shey found an alternate day of riding at the Croom trails in the Withlacoochee State Forest.

There is a 40+ mile paved path for pedestrians and cyclists, so we rode that for about 5 miles to the trail head of the Croom trail system.

There was approx. 50 miles of trail and it was flat, but fun. No time to rest, just pedal, pedal, pedal.

The Pisgah Pits were interesting...... 5 hours of fun and we were ready to eat! We drove on to the Santos campground and pitched the tents in the dark.

I just got this in from Barnes and Noble.

Shey is blowing through this book, so it must be a good read.

We would not leave home without out staple items.......Progold lube and Stan's NoTubes sealant!

Jansen and I slept in late, while Shey headed out for coffee and breakfast. Then we started our ride out to the lands bridge. The temperature was around 75-77 and it was sunny and PERFECT! The guys came across the Woodalls and rode with them for a while. We are excited that Reagan has opened a bike shop in Ocala and hope to get a chance to stop by on our next trip down there. Can't quite get used to Ryan's mustache......

Another good day of riding and a lovely campfire, thanks to our friendly neighbor campers, who left us their left-over firewood. It was hard to sleep with the full moon, but we managed.

Next it was off to San Felasco.

Again, the weather was perfect and there was enough trail to ride for a good while.

I came across this bobcat and nabbed a picture. At these times, I wish we had a better camera, but when its crappy and raining or I fall on the camera, I'm really glad it's a cheap one.

Our friendly gnome is getting a bit faded.

Good rides, good food and lots of time laughing and catching up with each other. Love it!!

Happy New Year Ride!!! Union Point Trails.

2012-01-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

**

Shey heard there was some new trail at Union Point, GA and we all wanted to head over to check it out. We needed 4 to 5 hours of ride time, so Shey mapped out a route from Heritage Park over to these new trails. The road portion would be 30 miles of amazing scenery.

Everett was sick, so he stayed home in bed and it was Shey, Jafer, Jansen, Elizabeth and me. We got to Heritage and heated up quickly on those trails. Lots of fun! Then Elizabeth burped a tire and it was soooo tight I couldn't get the bead back up to add CO2. We called Jafer and he got it for us, then I rode out to the car to get more CO2 and we were off again. In the meantime, Shey and Jansen hit the road to the new trail. J, E and I rode on at Heritage, then jumped in the car to drive the 30 miles to Union Point.

**
Pic at Heritage. Look, it's a NINER RAINBOW! Love 'em!

The Union Point trail head is very easy to get to and is like one mile outside of the town of Union Point. The drive was amazing and I wished I was on a bike. Rolling green scenery with amazing farm land everywhere. Plus, we passed some very promising BBQ places.

*

We pulled into the parking lot and there was no one there, but smoke was rising from a fire pit. Shey and Jansen rolled in about 10 minutes behind us. Perfect! We explored the trail head a bit and found hot showers, a fridge, BBQ pit, tables for cook-outs, T.V. and more! WOW! What a set-up! Someone really loves to be outside and wants their riders to love it here.

Elizabeth and I took off after the guys and were rolling along having a good time, when there was a horrible sound from her bike. Man! Broken derailleur hanger and derailleur hung up in the spokes. We pulled it out, pulled out the cable and took the quicklink out to remove the chain, so she could roll the bike back to the car. We were bummed the ride ended early, but happy we wouldn't have to carry the bike out. I was going to ride back with Elizabeth, then get the rest of my ride in, but we met the builder of these trails when we got to the car and he told us all about how he built the trails and how much he loves to ride bikes with his friends. VERY cool guy!

The trail was well maintained. Jimmy blows it off once a week with a blower that he has fastened to the front of a Kawasaki dirt bike. (cool!) Lots of twists, turns and roots, like Heritage, with subtle elevation change. I think he had 12 miles of trail and then there is another 8 miles of trail right down the road. We will certainly be back!

Elizabeth and our new friend, Jimmy.

This is the foundation of an old house that was moved to Highlands and reconstructed. Jimmy said three widows lived together here.

Hot shower, fridge, t.v., fire and Jimmy said to let us know when we were coming back and he would cook for us!! AWESOME!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T13:05:00.001-08:00

We had another super cool Christmas Eve together. Shey, Jafer, Everett, Jansen and I met at the IHP to go for a ride/run, then we shared a special Christmas Eve meal together at Chic Fil A. Yep, "It's my pleasure!" Finally, we headed home for our Christmas Eve drive.

We loaded up the car with boys, dogs and glogg and set off on our Christmas drive/dog walk to look at the lights. Lots of cool lights to look at along the way and it was nice to have everyone home for another year on this special holiday. We took a walk along Floyd street, where all the antebellum homes are, and talked and laughed together like we do every week. We are so lucky! Jafer was tired from working crazy hours this past month, but the glogg and hot cocoa pepped him up before it was time to open gifts.

**

So, back at the house Santa had left some pretty cool stuff for all of us and we enjoyed unwrapping each present while watching some weird leprechaun Christmas claymation movie................yep, weird. Cycling stuff for everyone. A super awesome hoody for Everett. Grandpa slippers for Jafer. Home Depot card for Jansen. Another Garmin for Shey (we love playing with those things!). Hincapie fashion for me. I think the Pez candy dispensers were a favorite for the guys!

*

Everett, caught snacking again, Jafer in his new cycling cap, Jansen is a cycling Ninja!

Shey got coal in his stocking.

Serena got a pig, that lasted 3 days before Indy tore the stuffing brains out and turned it into a pig zombie.

Indy the pig hater........

Another wonderful year with our extended family and friends. We have so much to be thankful for!

Weekend Two at The Crash Pad!

2011-12-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

We planned a long weekend of riding around staying in Chattanooga, TN at the Crash Pad hostel. The first day we wanted to hit at least 4 hours at Raccoon Mountain, then head down to Dalton on Sunday to ride the Pinhoti trails west toward the border.

Everett wanted to stay and study for his last final, which was Monday and work at the bike shop, so we dropped him off at the shop on our way out of town. Then it was a straight shot up the hwy to Raccoon Mt., where Jansen was sure he got the cold side of the car as we were changing.....brrrrrr.

Jansen tried these new Duro tires. We love the reverse skunk look they have.

The views were spectacular, as always.

Fun rock drop-offs.

I always love the way this little part of the trail looks. It feels like you are on another planet.

It was getting pretty dark on the trail as I came around a corner and Chattanooga's lights came into view. It felt like the whole town was decorated for Christmas.

We only have a little cheap camera, so I couldn't get a great picture of moon over the city, but it was pretty cool.

After our ride we hit Greenlife for some yummy dinner. The pizza was awesome!

Dessert was a snowman.

Chattanooga was having some sort of holiday celebration and as we drove down main street we saw storm troopers, wing fighters and lots of other characters with no less than 10 Santas. (it was hard to tell which one was the real one)

We got a good night's sleep at the Crash Pad and in an odd coincidence I found the same group of young climbers, that I had visited with the last time we stayed at the hostel, were there again this weekend. We got up semi-early Sunday morning and drove down to Dalton, then out to the boon-docks to park at the lot for the start of our ride.

The three of us rode together for the first section of the trail and shortly came across this water crossing......Shey said "sh**, I forgot about this. It's not really a problem in the summer." Socks and shoes off and a careful crossing over slick, mossy concrete.

It was freezing, but luckily our legs/feet went numb pretty quickly.

So, 27 miles of great trail that looked barely ridden and service roads. Lots of climbing in the beginning. Three sets of sofa/love seats. (we have decided to start taking pictures of all the sofas we see unloaded on the side of the road/trail as we ride...we may make a coffee table book, look for it soon on Amazon) Amazing views. More seriously amazing views! Very happy to have Snickers in my pack. Worried I had lost the trail several times, but never did. Everyone back before dark.

**

Some vegetation attacked Jansen.

All in all it was another great weekend of riding with the family.

Georgia Cyclocross State Championships Masters 35+ 2011

2011-12-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

The Georgia Cyclocross State Championship race was held this past Sunday at Yargo State Park. Everett had to study for his final exams (though he is a former state champion in cross), so Shey, Jansen and I headed out to the race. Yargo always has a great course with technical turns, fast flats, gravel and a long sand section.

Shey raced first, in the Masters 35+, and went out hard with Eric Neely. The two of them stayed together through most of the 45 minute race and Nate was always a threat who was close behind. It was quite nerve-wracking for the spectators! Shey finally pulled away in the end for the win and the chance to wear another State Championship jersey. Yeah!

Shey and Eric through the sand.

The guys coming fast into the barriers.

Cyclocross is a great adrenaline rush, but it's also really nice to catch up with old friends and we enjoyed talking to people we don't normally get to see during the mtb season. Lamar is pretty excited that Everett is leaning toward the field of robotics. Travis is a staple at these races and is looking quite strong this year. Bruce is back, what more can I say. Peter looked good dancing around the course on his pink bike. Farmer G. took Joey on in the SS race, which was hilarious! Holly crashed spectacularly and won some huge silver glasses that Andy had found on the side of the road while riding over to Yargo. Lee made the guys drool with his zip-tie gun....ooooh....aaaaah.....Josh and Amy have the cutest little boy who was dressed up like a bear... Cross is one big happy family! It was great to see everyone!

Huge congrats to Shey for a hard-fought title!!

Georgia Cyclocross State Championships Juniors 15-18 2011

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Jansen raced his age category this weekend and was hoping to have some fun. He has a lot of hours on his legs from weeks of base and we hoped they would 'wake-up' for a sprint! You could tell he was having a good time on the course as he made his way around each lap and watching him ride through the sand was pretty cool. He had two Cycle Youth teammates and a Fulton Flyers (road) teammate out there with him and they were all riding strong.

The start of the juniors 15-18 race.

By the second lap he had a 1+minute gap on the field and rode smart for the win.

We were so jazzed to see Mike there! He came out on his mtb to ride the trails and make Bruce feel good about his crazy red and white kit. Mike is in Atlanta and just finished his training as a EMT/Firefighter. That is AWESOME!

Retro pic of Tristan, Mike, Everett and Jansen, hanging out after a race at Tsali. All four have been state champs and Tristan and Mike made the national team as juniors and competed at the world championships.

I had planned a long ride on the trails at Yargo, but we were all so hungry after the guys finished their races, that we hit the road for burritos, instead.......and Elizabeth is never one to turn down yummy mexican food! I think she and Jansen are discussing her new chickens in this pic. We missed Everett and Jafer this weekend, but hope to catch up with those guys shortly for more riding.

Huge congrats to Shey and Jansen on their new jerseys!!!

Working off Thanksgiving at Bear Creek

2011-11-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

5 hours of Cohutta is the perfect way to burn off that awesome Thanksgiving Day meal!

**

We decided to meet Monte and John at Gates Chapel for a 8:30 am start and you know what?!?!?!?! We were on time!! I know, I know you don't believe me, so I got a picture!

**

This is the Lindner's on time......right here \/

Ready to roll....

The guys did a big loop up Bear Creek, Potato Patch, Pinhoti Terminus, Mountaintown, Bear Creek and lots of FS roads in between. I did P1, P2, 68, Bear Creek, ascend Mountaintown....yep, just because Shey told me not to....that took freakin' forever, crazy rocky climb.....then derailleur got a little bent and then I met the boys on their way down Mountaintown, so I then descended MT and rolled my wet butt back to the car. Wet from hitting hard in the middle of TWO of those crazy creek crossings.

Great 5 hours and tired legs on the way home.

I had lunch here:

With my little friend.

The trails were amazing and the creeks and waterfalls kept me smiling.

This is not the one I fell in, but there were at least 6 creek crossings and I got to cross them twice! Yea for me! I rode hard into most of them, but the current caught me in one of the deep crossings and I went down pretty hard and then I went down in a second creek crossing for no apparent reason other than to cool off my butt and get my backpack nice and wet. Oh well. Thank goodness I was wearing wool socks and gloves!

Beautiful trails! And the guys really enjoyed hanging with Monte and John D. Thanks so much for driving up from Macon you two!

The Perfect Weekend Smells Like: burned sugar, coal smoke, fresh pine!

2011-11-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Spent an awesome weekend watching the boys work on rockets and pewter figurines. I was the cinematographer and got some crazy video! No better place to be than with my favorite guys!

Then, we picked out our fresh cut tree and found a place for it among the bikes.

There was riding, of course, but no pics, so boring post, really. I'm anxious to head back to the mountains to ride, but it was soooo nice to hang out at home for a change.

Chattanooga in Daylight!

2011-11-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Dahlonega's Hiker Hostel has a huge Walton style breakfast and Mulberry Gap's breakfast buffet is amazing, but Crash Pad...???...not so much.......... so we drove in to Greenlife, once again and filled up on some good stuff.

Then rolled out and yep, you guess it....slid down the hill again.

We toured the town of Chattanooga and rode along the river for a good while.

We hit a lot of bridges and they were pretty cool.

Everett was following a crane/heron along the waterfront.

Then....we slid down the hill a few MORE times.....then drove over to the open air market.

Next, it was time to hit the trails. Enterprise Park at the Volkswagen plant is just a few miles outside of the town and there are a few trails there for walking, running and riding. Everett forgot his jersey and didn't want to wear a t-shirt. I kept catching a glimpse of orange in the woods and it was weird.....

The trails are smooth and hard packed and a lot like FATS. It was fun and fast. There was a skills areas...meh.

Mad skills.....

Smooth single track and several families out riding.

We hit all the loops and they were fun, but it would take a lot of laps to get in a long ride. The drive around the park is really hilly and pretty cool. The fall colors are amazing!

Everett remembers getting Superman ice cream when he was a kid at Chattanooga, so we went in search of something with similar colors and we found a punked out Superman sherbert? Oh, well, close enough!

We had a great time and hope to head back up that way soon!!

**

Shey and Jansen had done a long base ride in the Georgia flatlands with Charles Reeves and friends. Jansen was happy with 5 1/2 hours. Then they both raced the A's in Marietta the next day. Jansen had a brake mechanical and had to stop to fix it, but they both had great races. Jansen 9th and I think Shey 11th. Not too shabby!

**

UCI race in NC next weekend..........wahoooooooooooooooo!!

**

Chattanooga Into the Night

2011-11-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

Everett and I drove up to Chattanooga to stay at the Crash Pad hostel and ride in the area.

First, we stopped at the hostel for check-in and a tour, then we drove over to Greenlife for dinner.

Mmm, yummy pizza and gelato! I got chai flavor and Everett got wheatgrass/mint.

Greenlife has a garden on the roof and they have bees to pollinate. Whole Foods purchased this store, so we have seen some changes, but it is still a pretty cool place to get our snacks.

We like to walk after our meals, so we headed off on foot to walk by the river. We came across this really cool hill with kids sliding down on cardboard boxes. Hmmm.....there were some extra boxes laying around.......

Everett soon became a pro at "grassboarding" down the hill. He was pretty fast!

This is what you get when you hand the camera to your son.....so, I slid OFF the cardboard a few times...can you tell?

After sliding the hill about 60 times, we continued our night walk along the river.

Back at the Crash Pad we had them start up the fire and brought out our snacks. We looked up directions to a new trail that was built by the Volkswagen plant on I-75. Easy directions and we plan to head over there tomorrow afternoon.

The bunks at the crash pad are made from reclaimed wood from the house that once stood on this property. The bunks have blackout curtains, a reading lamp and fan. The counters and cabinets in the kitchen were created by local artisans. I think the owners are climbers and there were several college kids there who were climbing in the area. They were funny to listen to, as they worked so hard on their witty banter. he-he

Total Slacker Dog........................

2011-11-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

Yea, so about that long run................I took the dogs with me and after about 6 miles, they both took off down the trail, Serena came back, Indy....the short bus doggie.....did not. It got dark. Jansen was riding with a light and I was finishing my run, and looking for Indy, by holding a helmet light in my hand. So, after 13 or so miles I got a call from Jansen that Indy was at the car. Serena and I finished up our run and headed back to the car, where a happy Indy was waiting and rolling in the grass. He was not tired at all!!! What a slacker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what Serena did the entire next day.

Then yesterday I took them for another run (after breakfast with the guys and a tour of the bike shop, which made them very happy) and Indy stayed very close this time. : > )

We were going to run on the dirt side, but look what was going on!!! We stopped and watched these guys throw their boomerangs for a bit, but the dogs really wanted to "fetch" them, so we soon headed over to the granite side to run and play.

JAMAICAN ELECTRONICS

So, Jansen has been working on more electronics and building his own yadayadahoodoos, and soldering his own yudidoos, which he explained to me in detail. My response was, "Look the wires are in the colors of the Jamaican flag!!" A sad sigh from Jansen and he turned to explain his work to Shey who made the correct comments and asked better questions............. sheesh!

Base Miles and keeping up with the calories!!!

2011-11-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

Ah, it's that time of year, again. Base miles! Night riding to get in the time on the bike and of course, lots of food!!

**

Ice cream on the trainer.

Jansen made breakfast this Saturday, eggs, bacon and cheese on a blueberry bagel. Shey made yummy coffee! Man, this is the life!

**

Then we drove up for a five hour ride with Everett around Kennesaw.

An hour or so around Blankets, then the road, then some wonky dirt stuff, then Rope Mill, then the road, then Blankets again = 5 hours.

Then a ton of food at Chick-fil-a, followed by an awesome shopping trip to Hobby Town USA (rc cars/planes/boats, trains, models, games and tons of cool stuff!) then milk shakes at The Varsity!

**

Happy Lindners!

It was a great day for the three amigos and the weather was amazing!!!!!!

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Long run with the dogs and a ride on the agenda for Sunday.

**

Cycle Youth Benefit CX Race 2011

2011-10-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

Shey promoted a race to benefit Cycle Youth ( http://cycleyouth.homestead.com/ ) and he came up with a really sweet/tough course!

He had a ton of Cycle Youth kids and their parents come out to volunteer for set-up and during race day.

**

Charles raced as a banana......

Shey is in the red "onesie" and Tim was that country singer with the mullet and Thomas was a lady bug.............a freaky fast lady bug......

There were a lot of CY in the junior categories.

Holly raced on her trusty steed.......

Hill Billy and Lady Bug (lady bug just got back from a stage race in Malaysia)

I had awesome volunteers at registration. Huge thanks to Andy, Elizabeth, Mike, Syd, Dave, Brent and Joe.

The juniors had a good time and the numbers of young racers has really grown. I had to get Andy in a head-lock just to get jerseys for our boys 7 years ago and now there is a large group of racers under 15 yrs old out there tearing it up for CY! Awesome!!!

Darth Mole

2011-10-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Mole (or Mol) Day to celebrate the measurement for chemicals. So Jansen created a stuffed mole for his class. Of course, he then decided it was Darth Mol......complete with red light saber.

See the resemblance?

It was a star-nosed mole, of course.

The guys have always completed their own projects for school. So, back when the other kids, in first grade, had a wooden stage with back lighting and an electronic solar system, created by their parents, these guys were making their own stuff and having a blast!

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Don't worry, we always kept a fire extinguisher handy.

**

So, Jansen learned how to use the sewing machine and found some material and got to work! Pretty cool!

10 yr old Assaults 45 yr old man (by: Jim Behning, 2005.....funny stuff!!)

2011-10-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

10 year old assaults 45 year old man in Covington

Jim Behning thought it would be just another pleasant Saturday in Covington. Little did he know what the Lindner clan had in mind. Weeks before Kari Lindner ask for escort for her 10 year old at the Covington Fuzz Run charity 5k road race as she had a previous adventure triathlon scheduled. Shey, the boys' father was going to watch one of the boys but he needed another set of eyes. Jim volunteered that he was able to run 2 miles in 11:15 30 years and 30 pounds ago. Piece of cake he thought. As the date got closer Jim's anxiety increased. Shey reminded Jim that as an escort you have to watch the kids at all times. They can sneak away at the blink of an eye. Shey was referring to comments Jim made like "I never changed a diaper in my life." Well there was no diaper changing for this task so Jim thought he was up to the challenge.

Jim started his run training a bit late. A ¼ mile one night, ½ mile the next night working his way to 3 miles. That plan went out the door after a 72 mile road bike road one Sunday and a mountain bike ride the next day. A sore knee cancelled that last week of training. That 72 mile road bike ride was supposed to be a 50-60 mile ride but who counts miles when you try to organize group rides.

Jim woke up early on Saturday with butterflies in his stomach. He was quite nervous about the lack of run training. Jim started to panic as he could not find the Lindners. He was walking all about the starting area looking for the missing Lindners. The Lindners wandered in to the starting area about 15 minutes before the start. Shey dismissed Jim's anxiety. The Lindner boys had their usual calm poker faces about. Janson with his happy go lucky look, Everett with his race face on. He got that race from his father who is quite the intense cyclocross and mountain bike racer.

As the runners gathered to race, that cool 65 degree morning had burned off to a sunny 80. The Lindner runners headed as far to the front as possible without getting in the way of the hard core runners. Shey pointed out the mailbox hazards 10 feet in front of us but partly obscured by other runners looking for a good starting race position. The siren wailed as the race started. The Lindner three took off at pretty good clip. Jim was doing all he could to hang on. As the race progressed Everett clopped along in front setting the pace. Yes he clopped like a Clydesdale. Eventually he smoothed out his gait as he and his father slowly pulled away from Jim and Janson. Jim wanted to quit but remembering his commitment to the parents tried his best to keep up with the 10 year old Janson. The first mile passed by quickly in about 7 minutes. The next mile continued at what appeared to be a pretty fast pace also. Some runners passed us while we passed others. In an oxygen deprived state Jim did not recall what the second mile split was.

At about the 2.5 mile mark and attractive 15 year old girl was walking in the distance. Jim swore he saw Janson surge forward at the sight. The girl started running again and the race was on. She was not strong enough to keep the pace ahead of Janson as he ran passed her. Later Janson denied noticing any girls on the course or any increased tempo around girls. That bit of imaginary surging during the race caused Jim to wonder if there was any walking in our future. It was not to be. We raced past the Square on Floyd Street we made the downhill turn on to Hendrick Street. What goes down must come up and up came the Conyers Street turn heading back to the finish line. Jim had enough energy left to know that the end was near. How near was not known but he suspected it was no more than a few blocks. Jim did not remember much about the finish except that his ward finished in front of him. Janson finished 199 and Jim finished 201.. Someone snuck in between us but Jim did not feel like fighting to maintain position. 26:30 time for Janson.

When we met up with Shey and Everett we discovered that they had finished in the 90's. Pretty impressive finish for all as there was a record 2550 racers. Not all raced the 5k race but a large number did. Excitement grew as Janson had a solid 5th place on the race board. Everett also has a playful side. He was eying the inflatable slide with great want to go and play. He denied wanting to play on the slide but his brother was a bit more truthful. He was ready to play. Unfortunately none of the adults had the energy to climb up the slide.

As we feasted on pizza and bananas after the race, we waited for official race results. Door prizes were being handed out. Jim's number was called out for a $20 gift certificate. Jim was so out of it that some lady in the crowd told him that he had won something. They only awarded prizes for the top three runners in each category. Janson's solid 5th place finish held but no trophy.

You asked where the assault was. Jim felt a bit sore that afternoon. The next day he woke up ready to go to the mountain bike race. His legs felt as if someone had beaten the shins, the quads, the calves and the arches with a baseball bat. He felt he had no legs to race but he went to watch his "friends" race hoping that his legs would feel better close to race time. Jim chatted with Kari about his pain. Of course she had no sympathy as she did a paddle, mountain bike, run race the day before. Those kids have 2 tough competitive parents. Jim saw Everett racing through the woods once again with his race face on. Janson was just a few seconds behind him at that point with a big smile on his face as Jim cheered him on. Was that a sinister smile on Janson's face?

Everett 948, Janson 949, Shey 951, Jim behind Janson. Photo page 1 Covington News Sept 11, 2005.

Fried Green 50......nobody told me there would be climbing.............

2011-10-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

The Fried Green 50 is a gravel road route through the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge, near Juliette, GA where the movie Fried Green Tomatos was filmed, complete with the Whistle Stop Cafe.....ya' know where that guy became bbq in the movie????? (yeah, I thought that was awesome, but it really disturbed the guys in this family......I laughed, they were grossed out.........hmm)

**

Shey and Jansen decided to get up early and ride the 45 miles from home to the starting point......well after 2 wrong turns, it was probably a bit more than 45 miles................I drove there, as I am the sane person in the family, but I did pull over when I passed them to see if they needed to shed any clothing.....NOPE, it was 37 degrees and they both had icycles in their beards, "we'll keep our jackets, thank you!"

**
I hit at least 7, half-mile climbs during the last 8 miles of the drive, so I had no doubt their legs would be nice and warm by the time they got there. (wink)
*
I parked by the water.

The start was at 10am and the guys just rolled in to catch the back of the group as we took off and they rolled up beside me. Jansen was smiling, as usua,l and Shey rode with us for about 10 minutes before he turned back. He wanted to ride with Jansen to the start, then rest his legs for his trail running race the next morning. (except, when you make a wrong turn and have to pick up the pace for the last 13 miles, your legs aren't so saved......just sayin')

At registration, we had got a commemorative cup....(he-he, yep that is styrofoam) and instructions that you could receive a discount on the t-shirts if you took a picture of a woodpecker, yourself on a dam, bought something from the festival...etc. This sounded relaxing. A nice stroll through flat gravel roads, hanging out and talking with your buddies and taking pictures along the way? Awesome!

Yea, whatever! We hit the gravel and the rollers started coming. One after another, after another. For 50 miles you could pedal non-stop and hard, up and down, up and down, what a rush! It was a really great route and the forest was absolutely gorgeous! But, I had not brought a bladder for my camelbak, just three bottles (ya' know, for 3 hours of flat roads?!), that I would have to stop and take out of the pack. AND after a few miles I realized I had forgot chamois cream.....OOOOPS!!!! Yeah, so I don't have a computer or anything on my bike, but I would guesstimate that at about mile 30, I was a little too grumpy for company.........
*

But, Smokey still loves me!

I could not belive how much gravel road there was to play on and the last 15 miles was freakin' fun! I got to talk to Becky a bit at the start and followed her pink vest up to the first sag stop (mile 24), where I stopped to refill. So after about 4 hours 10 min of riding and 20 minutes of pit-stops to strip jackets, fill and change bottles and have a picnic, I rolled in to the finish. Waahoooooo!! Jansen was already changed and still smiling.

**
I was THREE TOMATO!! Becky was TWO TOMATO!! We were happy tomato girls and all of us were ready for some festival food.....I smell FUNNEL CAKE!

Shey had already had BBQ, and Jansen and I were tempted to try the gator-on-a-stick, but passed it up for hamburger, hot-dog and fries. (but I'm sure that gator was good!)

I got a piece of pottery and snapped a shot of the Whistle Stop Cafe.

I wish I had taken pictures of the forest, as it was really cool, but I felt like I was stopping so often to pull out another bottle and didn't want to waste anymore time, since Shey was waiting on us. Maybe next time, though!

Everett called us to say he was leaving the shop, where he had worked for the day, when we pulled in to the driveway at home, so he got home shortly after us and we all chilled out for the evening.

Perfect!

Collegiate Southeast Conference 2011 !!!!!!

2011-10-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Southeastern Conference was held at Lees McRae this year.

(I haven't asked if pictures were taken, so I'm using pics from the local collegiate race for now.)

Everett headed up to the race on Friday with two teammates, Phillip and Kyle. The drive was long, and they got there late on Friday night.

(Everett left, Phillip center, teammate with injured arm right)

Everett's race went off at 10:00am on Saturday and he said it was a long climb, then a descent down a muddy downhill course. Tough for sure. He finished in 4th and was pretty happy with that.

His buddies talked him into racing the short track and I knew he would do well. He started at the back of the pack (yep, should have been on the line.......just sayin') and moved up to 8th by the end.

Both of his teammates did very well in their categories and I'm sure they were all very happy to have a hotel to stay in, since it was pretty cold at night!

Great job guys!!! Huge congrats to the KSU guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CX Practice at Elks Aidmore

2011-10-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

We had a great turn-out for CX practice this weekend. Jim set-up a tough course at Elks Aidmore and at least 15 racers showed up to get in a power-house workout!

Jafer (center) is praying he will make it onto our blog.........Tim joins in the moment of silence, as Elizabeth looks on in amusement.

The first guys busting out of the woods.

We have seen Travis more this year and it's been cool to catch up!

It was cool to have Kim, Holly, Trish and Elizabeth out there to enjoy the perfect weather and kick butt course. These are some of the original group of cx female racers in Georgia. Trish (2001 or possibly earlier?), Kim (2002), Me (2003), Holly (2004), Elizabeth (2006) It's a pretty cool reunion to get to practice together! Kim said there were 21 women lined up in the A race at the start of the series this year! Wow!

Kim

Elizabeth, Holly and Trish

After practice Daryl cleaned out the trunk of his car and handed out wicking shirts and jerseys. Oooohhhh, treats!

The course was fun, but I didn't realize how much climbing it had until I was on my way home.....the long way.......wishing I had taken the short way.......on my last two climbs. I was wiped by the end of it all and happy to hang out with Jansen on the sofa for awhile!

24 Hours of Georgia (Sunday)

2011-10-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

Cory had been flying around the trail and moving up fast in the standings. Knowing his speed and talent I had no doubt he would be in the top spot by the end of the night. But.....sometime between having his light go out repeatedly (at one point someone gave him a pen light, that he held in his mouth as he rode and one of the volunteers asked, "is that guy smoking a cigar?"), getting his arms pretty beaten up on the granite descents, then having a minor stomach issue, his mind said that was enough and he headed off to the car to sleep. He has proven that he has the legs for endurance races on many occasions, so that was a bummer.

Love this pic of Cory at Nationals. (someone needs to breathe through his nose......)

**
Lap 8
**

So, I was off again and I had kept the little light on my helmet and just prayed it would last. It did, yeah! Although I was a little bummed that I could have used this light from the beginning and actually ridden through the night. Ah, well, I'm still excited that they have made such a small and light weight light that shines so bright that I can use it on the trail!

On this lap I came across another guy who had crashed and broke his light. I gave him my camp light and he used it to get back to his pit.
**
Lap 9
**

When I got back in, my legs still felt great and I wanted to head out again. It was still dark in the woods and Kenny told me I needed to keep a light on just in case, so I made a dumb mistake and went to get my battery and changed helmets/lights instead of leaving on my little light. It was light within 15 minutes and the light change had wasted time and added weight. Oh, well I was having fun and Shey was worried about me at home, so he drove over to check on me and brought me doughnuts! What an awesome guy!! The lap was very fun and I was still feeling very good. What a pleasant surprise.

**
After Lap 9 I had the choice to try to get in a lap in one and a half hours or call it a day. Shey had left to drive to the cyclocross race and I couldn't do the math in my head. I found Cory and he asked me if it would change my standings. No it wouldn't, but I did want to do one more lap. So, I had the choice to go out again and possibly not make it back in my the cut-off or take the time to pack up my stuff and be ready to leave after the awards ceremony. Cory helped me make the decision and I called it a day. Good choice.

**
So, all in all, it was 108 miles of some really great trail and I felt better than I thought I would. No soreness the next day and I just feel like I need to catch up on some sleep. I got up at 5am to take Everett back up to KSU and wasn't too tired, so that was good. I had the BEST support anyone could ask for and I am extremely happy to have those miles on these legs!

Chainbuster and Dirty Spokes are amazing with their on the hour results and their timely podium. No waiting around for hours here! Nice! And the results are posted immediately on their web site. Very cool!

Huge thanks to all the volunteers that came out to work at the race. There were guys all over the place helping out. Marcia and Alan were rolling support. There was neutral support on the trail and neutral mechanical support at the start/finish. Nite Rider was there to charge our lights, Infinite nutrition offered sports drink for all the racers and there was food available. Camp fires were everywhere and each time I came through, the scoring guys had a word of encouragement. Perfect!

The Hub team won the 5 man team.

Women's podium.

Charles won the SS.

CTown won the 10 person.

Bill IMPATIENTLY waiting for Andy to go out on another lap! LOVE THIS PIC!!!

24 Hours of Georgia (Saturday)

2011-10-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I head out early and stop by Kroger for some sugary snacks. Cory and Anna are going into the store as I am leaving.

**

I get to the venue and register. Super easy and Kenny's (one of the race promoters) wife is very nice and knowledgeable, as she hands me my number and gives me info on the race.

**

I set up across from the @ The Hub/Niner crew, so Andy and the guys will be able to support Cory if Anna needs any help.

**

I lay out all my food on the table and let Cory and Anna know they are welcome to all of it and make sure my light is ready to go. Shey and the CTown guys bring over a cool canopy to give us some shade and we have a sweet set-up!

Anna and Munchie at the pit.

**

Tim and Kenny announce that there will be no lemans start! Yea!!! Running in cycling shoes is NOT my fav! We line up and I find a lady with a number 1 plate on her bike and talk to her a bit about the endurance thing. She says to just let the team guys go and stay at the back of the pack for the first lap. Sounds good to me and we are off! About 1/2 way through the parade lap I realize I never put my timing chip on my ankle and turn around to get it. Then I think maybe the parade lap will go near my car, so I turn back around and head off again with the group. We ride right by my car and I jump off the bike, find the ankle strap, put it on and jump back on the bike. I am now really at the back of the pack, but that's okay, I think.
**
Lap 1
**
Soon, I find out that these guys can go at a slower pace and muscle up some of the granite stuff and I cannot. I pass a few guys and have a much easier time of keeping up my momentum and getting up the normal rocky course. I skip the last 1/4 of the granite climb and the last half of the dirt climb on the granite side. (I am not sure how common it is to cramp in endurance races, but I am seriously worried about it and save my legs whenever I can) We fly down the granite descents and head over to the dirt side. Fast, fast, fast and I climb in my easiest gear at a slow easy pace. Wow, this feels so different than regular xc racing!

At the end of my first lap I am surprised to find a ton of salt on my face, so I stop at our pit and make another bottle of sports drink with electrolytes, then I'm off again.

**
Lap 2
**

Very cool second lap, except when I made a dumb mistake and went down hard, once. My knee was banged up, but the bike was okay. The rest of the lap was awesome and I was happy.

I came in to get some protein. I mixed my drink, as Anna asked what sports drink I wanted, Andy asked what I needed and Mike wanted to know what he could do. Shey told me I was doing great and asked how I was feeling. Jansen checked on my hydration and Bruce made sure I was okay.

**

Why would I think I would be supporting myself? I constantly had Anna + someone jogging over to the pit to support me the entire race. It was awesome! All these people I love to hang around........were there each time I got in from a lap. Nice!

The fam.

**
Lap 3
**

I stopped to stretch my back and my neck, as the granite descents beat the hell out of you on a hardtail. I timed myself and allowed 30 minutes to chill out, stretch and visit with friends and family, then headed out again.

**
Laps 4 and 5
**

Two more laps and they were awesome, but my upper arms and neck were taking a beating on those granite descents. Shey and Mike got the word and had a bike waiting for me when I got back from lap five. Not just any bike, but a carbon Niner. Hmmm, I don't like borrowing things that I could break, but Mike had it set up exactly like my old blue and had gone through a lot of work to get it ready for me. What a great guy! I still wasn't sure whether I would ride it or not, though.

Mike is always there to support our family and he is a great rep for Niner!

*

After lap 5, it was time to put our lights on. All three of my guys were at the pit to support me and let me know they would be leaving soon to head home, since two of them were racing cyclocross in the morning. Shey and Jansen had each done two laps for their teams then were going to turn around and hit the A race tomorrow? Crazy! Everett gave me a ton of encouragement and a big hug before he left. Then, I laid down and thought about when I would do my one night lap. I only have one 5 year old light and I'm pretty sure the battery will only last for one full lap. (I brought a backup light that I just received last week, but I got it for commuting and I don't think it is bright enough) 3 hours later I head out for my night lap. Awesome! Loved riding at night. My light worked great and I had fun.
**

Lap 6
**

I am not tired, but don't have the lights to race all night. I had planned to sleep the rest of the night, but Andy Johnston had different plans.

(Yea, remember this guy? He's a good friend, manager/founder of the Cycle Youth Team and Jansen's coach. Evidently he likes to circle around people in their sleeping bags and pester them until they get back on their bike and hit the trail. What a hobby!)

If I have ever doubted his ability to motivate a racer, I was proven wrong this night. Between the constant chatter about getting back out on the trail, then having Bruce Dickman announce over the mic that Kari Lindner is in her sleeping baaaaaaaag and should be out raaaaaaaaacing, in the 24 hours of Georgiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I really couldn't get much sleep, so I thought I might as well go back out there. He also convinced me that the Niner was the way to go. Okay....... I trust him, so here I goooooooo!

Bruce and Mike far left

**

Off to lap 7. I did the math and thought my light would work for another lap, but the battery was old so I wasn't sure. I took my little camping headlamp in my back pocket, just in case.

Good thing, too. About one and a half miles into the granite my light went out. Totally, and it was dark. I couldn't see the trail, I couldn't see my hand, I couldn't see the button on my camp light. I finally got it on and strapped it to my helmet. The light wasn't great but it was better than nothing and I finished the granite side with it. The Niner felt foreign at first, but OH MAN can that bike descend!! There was a HUGE difference riding that thing down any of the granite drop-offs and descents. I knew there would be no worries about my arms and neck if I stayed on this baby. Sweet!

My steed was the third one from the left. White and gorgeous!

When I got back to the pit area, I took my battery over to the Nite Rider tent and they were very helpful and told me it would be charged in one hour. I brought a back up light that I had just ordered for commuting, but I had not used it before and I had no idea how it worked or how bright it would be. I had asked Shey to put it on a second helmet for me, just in case and I was very thankful for that. Andy was at the canopy waiting for me and talked me through the burn time of the light (he had the same light, a nite rider minewt 600. light weight and pretty darn bright) while Anna made sure I had fluids and food. I tried the light on low, to get the longest burn time and it seemed bright enough, so I took off to finish the lap. I came across one of the other solo ladies who had stuck it out on the trail all night, she was tired and her neck hurt, but she seemed in good spirits, so I rode on. The light worked beautifully and the lap was sooo much fun! On the last climb I had asked one of the riders on the side of the trail if he was alright and he answered "no", so I gave him everything I had in my pockets, got the story on what had happened and how he was feeling, got his number and told him I would let the promoter know where to find him. As soon as Kenny's wife got the info and number she was on the radio to Kenny to find the guy. (again, these guys are top notch promoters and we are so thankful to have them!)

**

When I got back to the pit I laid down again and thought about whether I should go out again and hope my light would last or wait until the sun came up. Oh, my sleeping bag felt really awesome, because as soon as I stopped riding I got chilly and the bag kept me warm. Andy wandered back over and could not believe I was laying down again. He kept circling me and the last thing I heard him say was, "if you are still in your sleeping bag when I get back from my lap, I will use all means neccessary to get you up" I didn't know what the hell "all means necessary" meant, but I sure did listen for him to leave, timed his granite side, guessed what his time would be on the dirt side, then made sure I was back on that bike at least 10 minutes before he would be back in. Pretty immature, yep, but that was how my mind was working at whatever-time-a.m.

Don't let his smile fool you........

24 Hours of Georgia 2011 (Pre-race)

2011-10-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Shey and Jansen planned to race on teams for the 24 hours of Georgia race at the Olympic MTB trails in Conyers and Everett was coming home to help set up the course, then work at the bike shop. This race really snuck up on me, even though Shey has been talking about it all year.

**

Chainbuster and Dirty Spokes Racing put on the best races around. These guys PERSONALLY THANK every racer for coming out to their race. That is how much they care about making sure their racers are taken care of. I love their races, but haven't raced in one this year. How can that be? Well, we'll just have to fix that little mistake.

**

Yeah, so, you know how you talk yourself into doing things sometimes? I'm not sure if everyone's mind works this way, but here's how I get myself into these things and how Shey handles me after 20 years of marriage:

1. I come up with a simple plan that I keep to myself because I know Shey will look at me like I have a third arm, then kindly tell me he thinks I "will do very well" or "just fine". He completely supports me, but I can tell he thinks I'm a little crazy.

2. After a few hours, I believe this is a good plan and I won't get the "your crazy" look from Shey, so I tell him that I think I will do the 24 hour race solo. (yes, the race that is tomorrow)

3. I get the 'look' and he tells me he thinks I "will do very well". Damn. Then he is very quiet about the subject and I can't tell if he is praying I will change my mind or coming up with an emergency plan for getting an ambulance out to whatever I am planning to do. Either way he wants to know how he can help and what I need.

4. Since the course is only 15 miles from our house, my plan is this:

a) I will ride 3 laps on the first day (a regular expert race distance), then come home to sleep, then ride 2 laps the next morning. Great plan, but......then the plan changes to:

b) I really should ride 5 laps the first day, come home to sleep, then see how I feel in the morning. REALLY great plan, but.......this is even better:

c) Wouldn't it be cool to do 5 laps the first day, then....if I feel good.....ride one lap at night with my old helmet light that I have no idea how long the battery will last, then......head out for another two or three laps and get in 100 miles on the Olympic Trails?

YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!! I LOVE plan C!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tell Shey "it's a go" and scramble on Friday afternoon to gather whatever things I can find to take to the race. Cardinal rule of racing: Don't try foods/drinks that you have not tried during training!!!! Hmmm, I found a bag of Perpetuem endurance powder in the bottom of the pantry...... I've never had it, but it sounds promising, so I add it to the basket of nutrition. : >)

**

I have a basic knowledge of nutrition for the various 5 person 12 and 24 hour teams I have been on and I stick with that list, but double it for the amount of calories I will need and plan to drink/eat much more often. I make myself a little schedule and write out what food/clothing I estimate to need for each lap. I know after about mile 50 I will stop thinking clearly and I plan to support myself, since the guys will only be at the race on the first day and they will be racing during that time.

**

Cory and Anna (and munchie) are staying with us for the weekend and Cory is racing the 24 hour solo, too. They roll in at about 11:00pm and hit the hay soon after. We both plan to hit the grocery store in the morning on the way to the race to pick up our snack foods. The race runs from 11:00 am Saturday to 11:00 am Sunday.
**
Anna, Cory and Andy

Munchie

Couldn't Afford Pisgah Stage Race, but Did Find Melons at the Market!?!?!

2011-10-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yep, kinda followed some friends (via videos online) in the Pisgah Stage race this week and were reminded that we never get tired of those Pisgah trails. Watching their interviews (and the white squirrel that Shey thought was a rabbit) was entertaining, as well.
**
Sounds like a lot of fun and would only take a small loan for the four of us to compete.............. : > )
**
Anyhoo
**
I was really craving some fresh melons this weekend, but knew we were hitting the fall season and I didn't think I would find any. Lucky for me, there were a handful of cantaloupe and honey dew melons left at the local farmer's market! Yeah! And a small pumpkin, too.........and our favorite cranberry walnut bread from our local artisan baker. Oooooh, good snacks this week!!

May have to head up to Pisgah for another long weekend, very soon.................

Atlanta Morning Cyclocross Series = FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Some guys in Atlanta started a cyclocross practice series this year. It is different than the other practices, as the sessions start at 7:30am on Tues, Thurs and Fridays. It's about a 45 min. drive for those of us out in Covington, but I managed to talk Elizabeth into rolling out of bed and meeting me at 6am to carpool in to Atl. this past Friday.
**
This is obviously Elizabeth, as I was still yawning...........not smiling.........

The course is laid out through Grant Park and even travels along some cobble-stone streets and a narrow dirt path/road. It is a fast course and is a lot of fun. There were about 5 guys and the two of us.

There were bright pink arrows along the start of the course, but then the pink arrows were gone and the guys had their own course in mind, so we did our best to follow. When we lost them, on the second lap, we just made up our own course until they came back around and we caught their wheel, again. After three laps, we had the course memorized and continued on for a really great two hour workout. Their course had a little bit of everything, which kept it exciting. (road, grass, dirt, tight turns, grassy climbs, barriers, fast descents, loose run up, cobble-stone, dirt road, curbs and more)

Elizabeth flying down a grassy hill.

Dirty, dirty.

Two hours of pedaling and ready for some breakfast!

We stopped in at Gear Revival to see what cool things they had for the winter. Then we drove over to the Flying Biscuit for a BIG breakfast, yum, and a little shopping in downtown Decatur.

When I got home the little girls from across the street were quite upset that "mumblemumblemumble" had broken their leg. It took me a bit to gather that no PERSON or ANIMAL had broken their leg and it was actually her stuffed animal that she was so upset about. So I took it inside and performed surgery. The little dog/sheep/not-really-sure is good as new and I have a happy little neighbor!

So, Elizabeth and I had a pretty great Friday. Good workout, good food, good company and lots of talk about racing, gardening, chickens and future careers!

CX, ST, TT, XC..............OH MY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-09-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

So, just like any family of four, our weekends stay pretty busy. This past Saturday was our last CX practice and we had a great turn-out. 17 total with 4 women!! Very cool!

Kim and Holly came out to play. These two have raced cross for several years and are a lot of fun to hang out with.

Elizabeth and Lamar. Lamar is one of the guys that makes the masters race so much fun to watch. Those guys are truly the godfathers of cross.

The speedy guys.

So, our Saturday morning practice consisted of a warm-up of a few laps, then two 20 minute 'race sessions' of pure hell, with a lovely break of something like 10 minutes in between. Argh, that hurts!!

Here are some really cool videos that our friend, Jim Bailey has made from the practices. He is really having fun learning how to make these things and they are pretty fun to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kbxlmQYYMo&feature=share

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVWpQHTbJ_4&feature=share

After CX practice Shey picked up the trailer from CTOWN Bikes and we packed to head up to the Georgia Single Speed Championships. We wanted to make it there by the Short Track start at 4pm.

Napping whenever they can.

As I said before, the short track was really a ton of fun.

We started on pretty steep gravel climb, pavement, a cool single track tunnel with a killer gradual climb, jump a curb straight onto a fun/short/steep descent, jump a curb, cross a road, hit the single track while descending at killer speed, back out onto a road, wide fast turn into gravel, flowy ride through dirt and gravel, down a group of stairs, hard turn left and up, jump at least two more curbs, then gradual climb up to hit the sand pit, steep descent down the leaf pile, then repeat. What a blast I tell you!!

Faster Mustache had some great sponsors and Mike Stanley was there with his Niner demos and some yummy drinks. I think Mike is there supporting just about every really fun event we ever attend!

The night time trial was a lot of fun. My NiteRider light has worked really great for several years now and makes the night rides about as awesome as they can get. The course was so fast that I think we all came off the trail severals times and at one point I was afraid I had turned myself around and was riding the course backward. I rode slowly and saw a light through the trees. Damn, I thought it was coming right at me and I was riding the wrong way, so I yelled out. The response was a bunch of guys screaming and cheering for me. Hmmm, so I yelled again, "Brian? Am I going the wrong way? " He yelled, "No, come on down you are almost finished". Then I thought, he probably doesn't know where the hell I am any more than I do, but I kicked it in gear, anyway, (the only one I had) and sped into the finish and a trail full of goofy, happy guys. The time trial went off at 9:00pm and I was cleaned up and ready for bed by 11pm. Sweet!

Sunday morning was the XC race. I think we started at 10:30 or 11:00. Lisa, Becky, Sherri and I were there representing the ladies and the likes of Wild Bill, Thomas, Sven, lots of cool FM guys and the Lindner guys were there, too.
**

Eric explained the start by waving his arms around wildly in the air to show us vaguely where our parade loop would be. Lisa responded with a bewildered, "wait where are we going?" (she is an engineer you know, very organized) Becky and I silently voted for two laps for those of us with tired legs, but no one really asked us, so we pedaled our way around the parade lap and hit the single track with a smile! Becky slowly pulled away once we were on the dirt and I rode by myself for the first lap. I rode with Sherri on the second lap and we talked and had a really good time.

**
A frothy beverage was offered to skip the lollipop and Sherri and I both thought that was a pretty smart idea. I was just going to drink a little, but as soon as I took a sip, Sherri had downed the cup. Yep, that meant I had to woMAN up! Ugh and on an empty stomach, too. It gave Sherri a boost of energy and made me struggle to find the trail.........I said farewell to Sherri, at the end of lap two (she was in a 2 lap category, lucky girlie) and headed out for the most surreal third lap. I don't remember the first few miles, then I starting coming back into focus during the middle miles, then had a really awesome time coming into the finish.

**
I was really happy to have completed the omnium. I seriously doubted whether my legs would take the XC race after the intensity the day before.........ya know the older you get it just feels like you can ride at 80% forever, but it's that short intense stuff that hurts like ****! So, I was grinning from ear to ear when I saw Shey at the finish line and I could say "I did it".

The awards were so much fun. The Faster Mustache guys had a ton of swag to share and they had something cool to say about everybody that was there to race. That makes it a pretty special event, in my book.

Becky had raced the Jackrabbit 6/9 hour the day before. I haven't looked, but she probably competed in the 6 hour solo, which means she is absolutely crazy (in a good way) to come out and race the very next morning on a SS.

Shey.

Everett

Jansen

Me, Becky and Lisa

Thomas, Wild Bill and Zach

So, after we got home on Sunday evening, I was too tired to drive Everett back up to KSU. We decided to hang out at home and we would get up really early and head north before traffic hit.

In the meantime, Shey had a project on his mind. Adam will get a kick out of this!!!

Hmmmmm, let's save this tape........................

And roll it onto a spool.........................................yep, seriously!

So, the next morning, Everett and I left before 6am to head to his school. It took us each two loads to get all his weekend stuff back into his apartment. Then we had a really nice breakfast together, grabbed some groceries, (which is humorous, watching a college guy shop for food) then I dropped him off for the week.

After a nap in the back seat of my car, I ran some errands, then headed back home ( another 1 1/2 hours) to unpack the rest of the camping gear.

Yep, so that is what our weekends are like, except this one, at least, was in our home state...........whew!!

Georgia Single Speed Championships 2011 !!!!!!!!

2011-09-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

First of all, condolences to those who missed this gnarly weekend of single speed awesomeness. I have never raced a short track course that included ALL of the following:

1. stairs
2. multiple curbs-one followed by a cool-surprise descent
3. sand pit (while being cheered by the kids playing on the playground)
4. thigh burning climb through the tunnel of pain
5. gravel
6.and a wicked descent where you whooped while you slid down through the leaves.
7. oh, yeah there was boring old single track, too.

It was FREAKIN' AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The NIGHT time trial was da bomb!

Just look at these satisfied customers........

Camping was great with sites overlooking the lake and hot showers.

And last but not least the xc race was mind numbing fast on a really fun course.

Here is a peak at just HALF of the swag we brought home......
yep, that is a LEATHER koozie! and endless bikes certificates for a free cog.

Huge thanks to Faster Mustache for putting on a top notch race that was challenging and a ton of fun.

More details later, compression tights and elevated legs now.

*

Interbike Fun 2011

2011-09-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Interbike wasn't all work, though. I mean it IS in LAS VEGAS, man!

Cyling art:

Our Hotel. I absolutely love ski ball and I remember playing it at this hotel, as a kid.

The walk from Circus, Circus to the Interbike venue was just over a mile down Las Vegas Blvd.

There were some frightening shows..............

Cool new bikes to check out.....

A little bit of riding with friends in the cool morning air......

Shopping at Chrome for a new pair of shoes.......

That have cleats!!!

Outside the Venetian. (yep, I made it into a photo)

We watched the Pirate show outside Treasure Island casino/hotel.

This was our pirate ship.

It sank.

Then we saw the volcano erupt outside the Mirage. (we watched from the balcony of the Venetian to avoid the crowds)

We walked through the Venetian to get to the convention center. This is actually inside the Venetian. The ceiling is really cool and looks like the sky.

Caesar's Palace

One of the fountains in Caesar's Palace

I think this was the Venetian, again.

So, even though we had a lot of work to do, we made sure to take a bit of time to play. Now we just need a week or two to recoup!!

Ride for Reading at Interbike 2011

2011-09-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Jansen and I signed up for the Ride for Reading ride on Thursday morning. Cyclists were delivering donated books to a nearby elementary school. Matthew Portell organized the ride and he was really AMAZING!!! Seriously a cool guy and a fourth grade teacher who loves kids!

It was cool to see people we knew getting ready for the ride.

I got a chance to catch up with Bruce and found out Krista has been traveling to the UCI races. Which means she has a lot more UCI points and will have a much better lineup this next year! Yea!!

J and I didn't have bikes, but Pivot Cycles came to the rescue and offered their fleet of demo bikes to us. Awesome!

Lining up to hit the road.

The elementary school kids lined both sides of the route on the school grounds and we rode between them while they screamed and cheered for us. It was very cool.

Taking the books into the building.

The kids choosing their books.

This group of ladies led the way on the route to and from the school. They are a road team who maintains a average GPA of 4.1. They talked to the students about keeping up their grades.

Matt talked about cycling safety and reading for fun.

We also saw Rich and Dejay at the ride. Not only did he ride the Divide this year, but he is planning something even crazier this next year, because Cananda to Mexico by bike just wasn't enough. (It involves Australia and a many miles of riding into the barren terrain.)

Dejay and Jansen turning in our Pivot bikes.

What a great start to the day. We all had so much fun and I think I saw Bruce shed a tear????

Interbike 2011

2011-09-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

We flew out to Interbike on Wednesday morning. Namrita and Rich were on our flight......and only about a million rows in front of us. We didn't see them after we landed, since it took us roughly FOREVER to get off the plane, as we were in the very last row.

The last row is full of awesomeness, ya know.

We caught the bus to the road that the expo center was on and grabbed some burritos for lunch. Then it was time for work.

We got to put our hands on and compare products for the shop and we met all of our amazing Cycle Youth Devo Team sponsors and got to see the latest products and discuss our goals for the next year.

Thomson has been a long time sponsor of everything the Lindner's do. Dave is a great guy and his passion for cycling is contagious. His son Christian was working at the booth, too. We love Christian and it was really great to catch up on what he is doing and generally give him a hard time just like in the good ol' days of Georgia Cyclocross. (you know, when we would throw the cross stakes at him to improve his reflexes.......)

Christian, Jansen, Shey, Andy and Dave Parrett.

We also got a chance to thank Rich and Stan for their support. We not only were thrilled to be able to race on Stan's wheels, but our guys really enjoyed putting on the Stan's No Tubes clinics at the local races. (we even made videos of the clinics for fun, it was awesome!)

Rich and Stan with the Cycle Youth guys.

Stan discussing his wheels with Andy and Jansen.

Bruce Dickman is a rep for ProGold Lubricants and is doing an excellent job! Brad and Bruce we able to send Cycle Youth a great package of their products and we are totally hooked on their degreaser and bike wash products now, as well as their lubricants.

Jansen gets the scoop on the new Speed Play pedals. He uses the Frogs now and loves them, but was drooling over the new stuff, too.

Drew hammed it up, as usual. Drew knows racing and is an excellent product rep for our area.

Eddie was working at the Topeak booth and gave us the low down on the hand pump that Jansen needs. We don't get a chance to catch up with Eddie and Namrita often, so it was cool to see them and get a few minutes to talk to Eddie. He crushed the TransGeorgia ride and probably has the webbed toes to show it!!!

In hindsight, we should have made more appointments with suppliers and sponsors early in the morning. We will know better next year, but all in all, the guys got a ton of work done!

Fall is HERE!! ...and Collegiate Racing!!

2011-09-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

Everett entered the collegiate xc mtb race on Sunday at IHP and we were super stoked about watching him race. So our schedule was as follows:

Saturday morning: Cyclocross practice. On the ride to practice, I came across the collegiate guys racing their time trial on the granite side of the course. They rode it backwards and it was GREAT!! So, I said "hi" to our additional children, then headed off to practice. We had another great showing and Doug put the hurt of the entire field. (dam* that superman!)

Then another bit of riding before heading over to see the guys race the short track.

Zack, Wes and Tanner led the entire short track and came in one, two, three.

It's hard to believe this is Brad's senior year! Drake, also tranferred to Union and is loving it. Wes, Drake and Brad.

After the short track, I rode home and we all got ready to head in to Atl. for the championship roller derby bout. It was Toxic Shocks vs. Sake Tuyas and they a tough bunch! The Sake Tuyas mascot was streaking around the venue...

It was a very close bout, but the Sake Tuyas pulled it out in the end. Yeah!

We had popsicles and fries, but this gouping of snacks seems to be the most popular......

At the half time break, they had the roller brats come out for a bout. There was a younger group and an older group. They were awesome!

We all enjoyed the evening.

As we left the temple, (yes the bouts are held at the Yarab Shrine on Ponce...interesting) we noticed the Krispy Kreme "fresh" sign was on, so........yummmy!!

Sunday: Everett's race started at 9am, so we had to roll out of bed early and he didn't have time for breakfast. So, with the power of half a Payday bar and some Heed, he lined up at the start.

Jansen Jafer Shey It was Jafer's birthday and he came out to watch the race and ride with Jansen. He is even wearing his super cool Lindner ball cap!

Everett was worried about racing, as he has not done any intensity in the past year, but he held his own on the 24 mile sport course. He stayed at a steady pace and had a great last lap, with lots of energy to spare. Smart riding, no bonking.

He had a great ride and it was really cool having the three of us there to support him.

Ah, cold gatorade! Well deserved, for sure!

Andy came out to watch the guys ride, too.....and work on his tan.

Kari

TNGA Day 3

2011-09-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

Shey just called from Mulberry Gap after having a large-yummy breakfast. (I love their breakfast!) He slept very well last night and is about to take a nap.

He is extremely happy with his ride, so far. He didn't really bring stuff for riding in the rain, since this was to be a good-time ride, but once your are out there, you kind-of want to keep on riding, no matter what. So, I'm sure he wishes he had the right equipment now, as it rained hard up there this morning.

Eddie is seriously time trialing this ride and just reached the border. That is uber fast! What a great ride time. Right at two days flat for the final time. That is very impressive. I think he and Namrita traveled to some of the 100 mile races this year and that sounds like the most fun training for a cross-state ride, ever!

I was reading an old Dirt Rag magazine last night and saw a picture of, what I assume, is the guy I met in FL last year. He had a big green traveling van (that was free from stickers, but is now COVERED in them from his travels) and had just started traveling all over the U.S. riding trails. In FL he was talking to some guys who plot routes and ride their mtb across most of the states in the U.S. Sounds like fun and the guys were very quiet and humble about their undertakings. I asked them if they had a website or blog, since I would love to read about their adventures, and they looked at me like I was crazy for thinking computers and mtbs mixed. Oh, well. I mentioned this to some locals because the Trans GA ride was forming, and boy did I get in trouble for mentioning that someone else had ridden across this state on a mtb. Funny. That does sound like a lot of fun, though. Now, how to turn that into a career that supports a family of four........I'm workin' on it.........

TNGA Day 2

2011-09-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

Shey texted this morning and was on his way to Aska/Stanley. Hope he is enjoying this break from all the crazy work/teenage taxi/volunteering for the cycling community stuff he does! He makes me tired just looking at his weekly schedule!

The weather does not look good, so I hope he is aware of the heavy rain headed his way.

We didn't really discuss rain other than the fact that the weather channel is often wrong and he would probably stay in a happy dry spot even if it rained everywhere else......now that is positive thinking!!!

I think Eddie will outrun the rain, which is a really great idea and excellent incentive to keep on bookin' it. I'm not sure what the others plan to do, as we all like to ride in the rain, but not for half a night and a full day.......some may decide to park by a laundromat dryer for a bit. : > )

I really hope to do this ride and several other cross-state rides with Shey in a few years. But I have no regrets about watching others on Trackleaders. We thoroughly enjoy riding with the boys and wouldn't give that up for anything, but they are not into the ride- so-many-miles-every-day-for-a-week, kind of thing, (too much blacksmithing, robot building, animals to hang out with, etc) so we have so much fun with them now, then we'll hit the longer trails a little down the road! Man our life is really just THAT GOOD and it's quite humbling!!!! Great kids, great friends, a family sport that we all love, the best road trip stories, ever!! Couldn't ask for better!!

Bike Maintenance & Good Night Shey

2011-09-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight, after snack time.....

It was bike maintenance time....and when Shey is not around I get to use a hammer!!!! Actually, I kinda started to run over my wheel with the car today and I bent the hell out of the skewer, hence the hammer. My single speed is almost ready to go (just needs air in the fork) and my Blue got some tlc, as well.

Jansen was working on his robot while I worked on my bikes and Everett kept us company.

Now it is tea time and I just said "good night" to Shey's SPOT. It looks like he is having a great ride and has stopped for the night to have a good rest before doing his favorite thing again tomorrow!!! He said he was going to take a lot of time to rest, stretch and enjoy all the views, instead of blowing past them. What an awesome weekend for him. I sure miss that guy, though!

Dragon Con by Bike

2011-09-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

We got up late on Saturday, but decided to head on into the Dragon Con parade, anyway. I absolutely LOVE parades. In Texas we had parades for everything and it was really cool.

We parked at Molly's house in Decatur and rode our bikes downtown to the parade. (waaay better than trying to drive and find parking) I didn't expect the parade to be so big. It was pretty aweseome....like a huge Halloween parade! I was smiling the whole time!

Some of the Vulcan clan attended.

This was one of the many impressive floats. I also liked that there were so many ghost buster cars!

Rock dude!

The spectators were quite colorful. People kept looking at our cycling kits and trying to decide what we were.......

One of the Steam Punk floats. The Steam Punk costumes were really great.

A fire truck needed to cut across the parade to go out on a call and the crowd quickly parted, which was cool.

The parade was cool, but so were many of the dressed up spectators.

This was one of the cool cardboard box guys. They had a young (like middle school) drum line walking with them....and drums in a parade trump EVERYTHING!!

Chewie and Jabba's, uh, head.....on a stick.....

More star wars guys...Han Solo is frozen on the back of this trailer.

Dr. Who's police box and....

mini-police box

There were tons of storm troopers, Dr. Who's, Vulcans, Darth Vaders, Bobba Fetts, Steam Punk, Rainbow unicorn things, really just about anything you could think of was in this parade. AND in the MIDDLE of it ALL was the most AMAZING sight......GUMBY!!! THAT GUY ROCKS!!!

After, we walked around to look at some more of the costumes.

Fairies and woodsmen/women were everywhere.

These guys were around the corner when we were leaving and posed for us.

Then we headed back to Decatur and .....

Parked our bikes......

and ate at Farm Burger

Lookin' European....

They mixed up Jansen's order and he got a side of BONE MARROW....awesome! (we'll just save that yummy marrow for later, man)

But we DID order root beer floats and....

a sangria popsicle.

The burgers were amazing. This is Molly's favorite burger joint and she was right on the money, for sure.

Then I ran across the street to Dancing Goats Coffee and picked up a couple bags of beans for Shey.

While the boys waited...

and I poured the two free cups of coffee (you get one with each bag of beans) into my water bottle to make iced coffee tomorrow. Yeah for me!!

Aimee loves this place and we stopped in here after a quick browse through Heliotrope. The clothes and jewelry in here are the bomb. I love the bracelet Aim got me from here and everything else in the store was just as appealing!

It was crowded in downtown Decatur, because of a festival, so we didn't stay long, but I did like this guy!

Trans Georgia Day 1

2011-09-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

**

Shey called us at about 3pm today and is at Moccasin State Park. He is having a great ride, played in the creek and is about to take a nap. He may ride on to Helen this afternoon, or he may hang out and enjoy the views somewhere along the way. This is his long holiday vacation and so far it sounds like it was a very good choice!!

**

TNGA 2011

2011-09-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

IT'S 108 DEGREES IN ATLANTA!!!

That is Shey's first call- in from the drive up to the start of the Trans Georgia. That is HOT and I hope the guys/gals see some cooler temps this weekend!

Shey packed up his bike and some gear and is headed up to ride the Trans Georgia ride this weekend.

He decided to use any gear he could find from around the house and really get down to enjoying himself in the woods for a few days. He's totally laid back about the riding in the mountains and I am the one that is totally excited about living vicariously through his SPOT on the track leaders sight.

Brad Kee (one of the first unsupported riders, along with Matt, to finish last year) has already started his ITT and the rest of the riders will start Saturday. It looks like there will be 20-25 at the mass start this year.

A few of the guys took a wrong turn early on in the ride last year, so I wish them better luck this year!. Good Luck guys!

**

I imagine Eddie has some yummy beer stashed at Mulberry Gap this year....smart man!

Best of luck to everyone and we will be watching.

Cross Practice and Birthday Dinner

2011-08-28T07:15:00.001-07:00

Everett's birthday is this next week, so we decided to take him out to dinner this Saturday to celebrate.

But first, cyclocross practice at 9am! We had another good group show for the practice. Austin (from Athens) showed and decided to grind us into the ground, while Patrick played around in between laps like he had just gapped the group with no effort at all........ Practice was awesome on a great course. It took me a couple laps to get used to the turns, but it felt good to hit the starts hard. The ride from the house and back was really nice as the mornings have been cooler. (I also snuck in a little ride on the granite side before I made it to practice, but that meant I was late and I think I was in a little bit of trouble for that)

So, back home, showers then off to Kennesaw to take Everett out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack.

We can't believe he will be 19 this week!

We stopped at a couple stores and got some more groceries for his apartment. (carrying in the groceries)

Shey was dehydrated and had waited too long to eat lunch. He was not feeling well........can you tell?

Everett gave us a tour of the campus and we stopped to eat ice cream.

The social sciences building has a coffee bar and they also have a skateboard rack outside by the bike rack. I'm not sure how it works, but it looks cool.

***

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERETT!!

KSU to Blankets

2011-08-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

From KSU to Blankets is about 15 miles, so I looked up some routes and J, E and I decided to ride together from the university over to the trail head.

The route is great with some nice climbs and very few turns, but the traffic was uber heavy!

The route to Blankets was mostly in the sun and we didn't leave until around 1pm and that makes a big difference. It was hot. We were glad to hit some shade once we got to the trail head.

The trails are hard packed and very smooth, so I left the high pressure in my tires for the road ride back. No problems and a great ride. It felt at least 10 degrees cooler in the trees. I rode for about 45 minutes, then came across Everett at a trail intersection. He was fixing his glasses.

Soon after, Jansen called and said he had a flat and was walking out. I had stuff to fix a flat, but I didn't think he was very far away, so, we waited and I took this picture:

And this...

this one too......

I love this one!

Hmmm, I didn't think he was that far into the trail.....

No word, yet.....

Ah, he called and someone gave him a tube, so he made it back soon after. (I had misunderstood and he was pretty far out on the trail.)

Seriously mom, (checking time on phone) it didn't take me that long....like 20 minutes. Sheesh.

Back on the pavement, again, for another 15 miles back. We stopped for gatorade. COLD gatorade.

It was a good ride and we found out that when the latch on the back door of your station wagon gets stuck, you can use the tie from your hoodie to tie it closed. Ahhh, the many uses of a good hoodie!

**

We had parked just outside of the university, so we gave Everett a ride back to his apartments, then Jansen and I headed home. Lots of great stories from our different crazy road trips with family and friends, made the 1 1/2 drive fly by and we are already looking forward to catching up with Everett for another ride next weekend! Uh, yeah, a birthday ride!!! With cake at the end!!

**
Kari Lindner

Everett Moves In To KSU

2011-08-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

**Okay, another reason dogs were put here on earth with us, is to help me get through one of my favorite people moving out of our house and into his super-cool, new apartment at KSU.

We loaded up the back of the explorer with boxes and two bikes and moved Everett into his new place on Sunday.

His room.

The kitchen.

The apartments and grounds look like Disney World!

My travelin' buddy promises to continue to head to the mountains with me! I'm already planning our next trip and hoping he will be able to skip class to come to Vegas with us....does that make me a bad influence?.........

My three favorite guys!

Yes, they are still giving each other a hard time even up until it's time to leave.

The last I heard from Everett, he was heading off to play ultimate frisbee at 10pm. He can always sleep when he's old, right?

We are all excited for him and it's really cool that the grocery store and such is very close by, so he can ride his bike wherever he needs to go. KSU has a cycling club, so he is jazzed about that and his roommate is also a computer engineering major, so they have that in common.

Good luck on your next adventure you crazy Lindner guy!!!!!! We love you and miss you already!

**
Kari Lindner

Love our Farmer's Market!!

2011-08-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to Green Livin' Farms!!

**

We were very lucky that we had a daily farmer's market open up this past year in our town. They have a good selection of produce and dairy products and they are now open 6 days a week!

On Friday, Everett and I took Indy to the park on our way to the market.

Indy filled up on the local weeds, so he wouldn't eat the watermelon at the market??!!??!!

Then we headed over to the Green Livin' market in Covington, GA for the best fruit we have found all season!

Indy is waiting patiently outside after he helped us pick out the most ripe produce.

On Saturday, I rode to the IHP for Shey's cyclocross practice (which was cool, with a very good turnout and a really tough and fun course), then I rode home and was very, very, very happy to load up on fresh fruit that was already cut and waiting for me to inhale it at once!

So good, with no pesticides and grown locally by people we can talk to!**

Kari Lindner

Food Truckin' With Mo

2011-08-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Molly emailed last week and we wanted to get together for dinner, so she suggested the Food Trucks at Virginia Highlands. Sounded Yummy, so it was a date!

I droved to Decatur after work on Wednesday and walked from Mo's to the Dancing Goat coffee shop to get a bag of beans for Shey. Those coffee snobs need the good stuff, ya know!

Molly communtes to work, so as soon as she arrived on her bike, we turned around and set off to the local farmer's market. Delicious iced mocha coffee from Johnston's Farm in Newborn, GA, was to be had and we rode away smiling. (plus the show the guys from Johnston's put on for us had us laughing)

So, we dropped off the perishables, then headed over to meet Jenn at Virginia Highlands. Alison bailed on us with the excuse that there was someone out there more entertaining than us for her to have dinner with....whatever! We're obviously the most awesome!

They were filming a movie on our route, so we had to take a slight detour, (I think it's the video/film Jamie P. is working on at Little Five Points...maybe) but made it there in no time at all.

Jenn pulled up shortly after we arrived. The promise of tacos/fries/ice cream had her sprinting from Stone Mountain! Great workout, indeed.

Molly didn't promise to take flattering pictures of me.....next time I will demand a promise!

**Tacos!

Doggies enjoying their own snacks.

Jenn got some yummy fries.

This ice cream was amazing. I don't know what the deal is with the potato chip dipped in fudge, but whatever, it was really tasty.

I completely forgot to get pics of Molly and her very cool new haircut. She looks great and I will def. get pics when I stop by again.

As usual, Mo sent me on my way with baked goods and a reminder that I did not have to share them with any of the men at my house. Always good to be reminded of that!

Thanks for the great middle of the week outting guys!!

**

Kari Lindner

Shey's 39th HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!!!!

2011-08-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, he is getting so close to 40.....and still lookin' sooooo good!

The boys and I grilled out and made a great dessert with fresh strawberries....though some of the angel food cake ended up in the bottom of the oven.....

Wow, who knew Everett could fit all that in his mouth at once.....

He got new compression tights, a KSU Dad tshirt and some new Endurance Conspiracy shirts that are amazingly soft.

We all love you so much and wish you many more years of spinning in the mountains!!!!

****

On the road again......

2011-08-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

We volunteered at the road races in Covington, over the weekend. All the races were very well run, with great officiating, awesome courses and timely results. Now, if we could just get the heat to cooperate with us!

Shey raced in the crit, which was held right along the town square.

One of the Johns (our favorite two cycling officials) was there. John Patterson, minus the light blue pom-pom beanie from cyclocross season.

Jafer getting ready to race the crit.

Shey, Jansen and I rode in (what I think is called a....) circuit race. Everett came out for support and to volunteer. It was a great little road loop and I had fun.

**

Here I am with the two teenagers who were battling it out at the finish. They were hot and tired, but they worked hard.

Jansen in red.

Shey led a break-away on the last lap and looked like Johnny Cash speeding by.

I think Jansen and Shey were cat 3/4, but I am not sure. Anyways, this is their group of guys.

The race was REALLY short, so we didn't get in a full work out, but did have a lot of fun playing around in the river with Cole and Jim. The water could have been a little cooler, but it sure helped out on a hot day! And Jane, Cole did not lose another pair of glasses in the river, he was showing his passion for the sport of cycling by giving them to a junior at the race............

Shey stuck around to ride in the wheel truck, then had lunch with Jafer, Elizabeth and Thomas. Thomas filled him in on his "ride the divide" stories. I didn't realize he and a friend had done the ride this year. Very cool and can't wait to hear the details. (this ride is from Banff, Canada, to the border of Mexico, crazy!!)

Playing in NC!

2011-08-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

I needed a break and have really missed the mountains, so I decided to take a long weekend in NC.

On Friday I headed up to Bent Creek near Asheville. I didn't realize there was so much gravel road, along with the single track, and underestimated the amount of water I would need, so I ended up with a four hour ride, in the heat, with two bottles of water. Needless to say, I was a little toasted in the end, but happy and ready to hit GreenLife in Asheville.

Ah, singletrack at Bent Creek. Yipee!

After picking up fresh Kiwi and Strawberries along with a chicken wrap and some yummy beer at Greenlife, I headed over to Pisgah and even got in a ride on the BlueRidge Parkway before the sun set.

I wasn't quite tall enough to get a good picture of the sun setting on my ride.....

Then I loaded up to find a good spot to sleep by the river.

I didn't even pitch a tent, but instead slept on my pad in the car. I rolled out of bed and spent my breakfast time eating a croissant and listening to my neighbors dog bark at me from a distance.....until he forgot about me and started chasing a fly.

Right now, this is my favorite Lindner Feed Mill cap.

This is how I roll.

I started the morning with an eight mile run, then I drove up to the Cradle of Forestry Center. I was the only one there and it was fun and peaceful.

I had a very exciting helicopter ride....... : > ) Yep, I put that forest fire out quick. No problem. ha-ha

This tunnel went under the road on one the walkways.

There are several cabins and various historical buildings on the walkway and there were a few craftsmen selling their wares, too. It was quiet and a great way to spend the mid-morning.

Next I stopped by the river and snacked on what was left of my kiwi and strawberries and took a little nap. Ah, heaven!

Then I rode a 3 hour loop by the fish hatchery. When I finished it was time for bed and I soaked my legs in the cold river, then hit the hay.

I forgot to take my camera with me, but Pisgah is just as green, luscious, woodsy, tropical and majestic as ever!! Colorado is beautiful, but I am so happy riding here is NC!

When I awoke I had a new friend. He was easily the ugliest dog that I have every seen, with a smashed face, fur the color of mud and a very crooked tail. He instantly became my friend and "Jack" would not leave my side to go with his owners. They finally allowed him to stay with me for while and I ate my breakfast and read my werewolf book with Jack by my side. We shared a croissant and he snorted and sneezed with happiness. He also completely slimed my hand whenever I handed him a small piece of croissant. Very cool dog and he started my day off just right.

Another eight mile run, then I hit the trails on the mtb. There was a good bit of bush whacking and some "hope there aren't any snakes in there" and "well I guess there's no way I'm avoiding the poison ivy this time" and "what was that noise, it sounded big"

I heard the thunder coming, but hoped I would make it up and over the black mountain trail before it turned dark from the storm. Yeah, so that didn't happen, at all. Just as I made the peak, it turned dark and the thunder and lightning was close. It worked out pretty well for descending that crazy rocky stuff, because I wouldn't have been able to pick a good line anyway. So, I slipped and slid my way down in the dark with water pouring into my eyes from my helmet. When I made it out and onto the road I was extremely happy with my ride, very tired and very wet. The rain had cooled the temps down to about 72 and it felt GREAT!!! The ride was just under four hours and I rode back to the car and peeled my clothes off and you know how GREAT dry clothes feel after you have ridden in the rain. I was a very happy camper.

On to lunch at Poppy's. A yummy, juicy mushroom burger with homemade fries and raspberry iced tea. Time to head home and catch up with the guys!

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Taco'd Wheels and Family

2011-07-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

When Everett and I got home we got to hear about all the great riding Shey and Jansen got in over the last weekend. Well, maybe it was just Shey, since this is what Jansen did to his wheel. He also bent his seat post (from the force of his groin hitting it, ouch) Yep, FATS is just too darned fast sometimes and those trees just jump out in front of you when you least expect it. He wasn't hurt badly this time, thank goodness.

Our garden is producing like crazy and I am so glad Shey kept it watered while we were gone. He is a regular Farmer John, now!

Hmmm, 9 loaves of squash bread coming right up!

So, when Everett and I got in from Amsterdam, we stopped by home for a few hours and grabbed a nap and some warm weather clothes for Texas. Jansen came with us this time. AND WE GOT A NISSAN VERSA as our car rental in San Antonio. We may be able to travel through time now!

Mom and Dad are WONDERFUL grandparents and we enjoy every visit with them. We tried out the new yogurt shop in Boerne. Yuuuuum! Everett was very excited that they had nerds to put on his yogurt.

Of course we had to get cookies and coffee at Bear Moon Bakery, then we took a trip to Fredricksburg. This is the Catholic church there.

One day we stopped by the Lindner Feed Mill to see Aunt Ruth. She is a really cool person and we always try to stop in to visit and catch up on the latest news about the mill and her visits with her grandchildren. We also get my favorite hats from her. I will have to post a blog of all the Lindner Feed Mill ball caps that we have. I wear them all the time!

Uncle Ralph was there, too. We haven't seen him for awhile, so it was really great to catch up.

Suzanne was home this weekend, so we got to visit with her. KC did some work in her backyard and it looks really nice.

Ah, breakfast tacos, fajitas and chillin' on the back deck. Mom and Dad's house is the best bed and breakfast in the world!! We love it!!!!!!

We headed back home on Sunday, so I would have a day to catch up on things and rest before work.

****

North through Germany and on to Amsterdam

2011-07-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

We left Keith's house just after noon and headed toward the train station with a plan to take our time and get in to Amsterdam later that night.

Stuttgart train station.

Brats at the station.

Cafe car on the train. Yummy cappuccino!

This was a very long bridge with thousands of bike locks attached to the railings.

All was good until we hit the train station in Emmerich......and realized there was not another train that woud take us on to Amsterdam. (the train went through this station, but did not stop to pick up passengers, ooops!) So, we had to do some backtracking to Dusseldorf....took a nap and jumped an early morning train on to Amsterdam. Yep, we got to hang out with the drunk German soccer fans. :>) Everett is a great sport when it comes to traveling and we had a good time, anyway!

We saw lots of men wearing knickers, but some of them used these bands to keep their pants from catching on the bike chain.

I didn't think we would make it to the airport in time to catch the late morning flight back to Atlanta, but the flight was delayed and we ran everywhere we could to save time, so it worked out very well. We both go first class and I started the trip home with two rounds of Mimosas! Yum!

The flat bed seats were awesome and I slept very well for at least three hours.

Everett catching up on the news.

We had a really fun time traveling western europe and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Everett, as usual. College is starting way too soon and I'm not quite ready for the summer to be over!

On the flight back we decided that, since we still had a couple days before I had to be back at work, we should pop on down to TX to see the family. Instead of leaving right from the airport, we decided to come home and change out our cooler weather clothes for items more suited to the hot TX weather.

***

On to Basel, Switzerland

2011-07-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

Everett and I decided to head south along the border of France, through the black forest and into Switzerland for a day. We left on an early train and arrived in Basel by mid-morning. We found a brochure at the train station which held 4 exellent walking tours, so we set off on foot.

Everett looking over the Rhein river.

We stopped at a street cafe and ate a very yummy breakfast and watch the people bustling around while drinking our coffee.

Rathaus

Elizabethen Cathedral

These guys were laying cobblestone streets. Very cool.

Munster Cathedral

Munster Cathedral is made of red sandstone. Originally a catholic cathedral built between 1018 and 1500.

Church of St. Peter

Gateway into the town of Basel. The Spalentor dates back to the 14th century.

They are very bike friendly. Here is a ramp to roll your bike up and down....or ride it?

On the train back, Everett was sitting across from me. Then he moved over beside me, because this elderly German woman was staring at him and muttering things in German while giggling in a way that sounded a bit insane. (she was so cute)

By the late afternoon, we decided to head back to Holzgerlingen to spend some time with the boys before bedtime, so we caught an earlier train.**

Hangin' With the Guys

2011-07-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a rest day and we enjoyed hangin out with the boys at home. We went for a walk and Everett, Sunny and the boys rode their bikes. Then we played outside. Here Kevin is deep in thought about the next item he will build in his "workshop". He thens loads the items up in his carrying case (see box) and brings them to me to store in my shop.

Ethan was king. (here he is building a sailboat/house decoration)

However, he soon was overthrown by the new ruler! Ah-ha!

We cooked brats for dinner, which tasted a lot like the brats we eat at home, except we were eating them in Germany, so they were waaaay cooler.

Yes!! The purple bigfoot shirt made it to Europe!!

Everett and I took long walks every day to see the local area as we traveled. One of the paths near Keith's house had lots of apple trees. Yum!!

I think we are heading south tomorrow. That will give Keith and the boys a break and we can see another section of Germany.

Lichtenstein Castle

2011-07-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Today we drove up to Lichtenstein Castle.

We drove up the mountain and bought tickets to take a tour inside the living quarters.
Sunny, Ethan, me, Everett, Keith and Kevin
The inside was very cool. Everett and I really liked the armory. Lots of cool weapons and suits of armor. I think he has his blacksmithing plans made for the next 5 years, now.
We ate schnitzel at the cafe at the castle.

Then we took the boys to play on the playground, which was on the castle grounds.

Everybody played.
Everett is a hit with the boys. Ethan is permanently attached to him.
When we got back to the house, Everett and I walked into town and had ice cream then walked around the streets just checking out the houses and talking.
The boys told Everett he should shave that hair off his face. :>) They just don't know how cool an 'oatee really is.

Holzgerlingen, Germany

2011-07-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived at Keith's house late last night and stayed up even later visiting. This morning we got up to walk my two nephews, Ethan 6 and Kevin 8, in to school. The weather has turned colder and we are wearing jackets. AWESOME!!

For lunch we all went to the italian place right down the road and Everett and I ordered pepperoni pizza. In Germany this is what you get. A pizza with peppers on it and very salty and strong flavored fish. Interesting.

Everett and my brother Keith.

Ethan and Kevin.

Next, Sunny ( a friend who is living with Keith and his family) walked with us into town and showed us the bank and we stopped at a farmer's market.

The church right in town.

Their mascot is the bird. So, these sculptures are everywhere around the town.

Farmer's Market. The veggies and fruit are great.

There are so many breweries here that the choices are endless. I stopped at the little grocery store near Keith's house and picked up whatever beer had a cool looking label. It's cheaper than soda.

In the evening Everett went to the computer room with Keith, Kevin and Ethan and they all played video games together.

Ethan

Keith

Everett and Kevin

Sunny. She is a great cook and keeps up with the boys while MiNa is in South Korea for a while looking after her parents who are ill.

Luxembourg Redeemed and on to Germany

2011-06-30T02:57:00.000-07:00

**

After hitting Luxembourg at "rush hour" yesterday, I was a bit concerned with the crowds we might find today when trundling through the city. We were happy to find that mid-morning was perfect for our adventure and we had a wonderful time!
**

We had a nice breakfast at our hotel that was decorated in Ikea colors....white, yellow and blue. Then caught a bus into the center of the city, to the "old town" section. Luxembourg was basically one huge fortress with two large gorges. It's really pretty cool to see.

**
First we stopped at the Dukes' Palace.

Then we walked over to the Notre-Dame Church. (which has been renamed like 5 times)

They are very serious about their organs here!

I think this was the sarcophagus of John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia?

Crypt of the Bishops and ducal family. (this crypt and the sarcophagus are both underneath the church, so you travel down a couple flight of stairs in to these chambers and they are the size of a church themselves)

Cool door.

One entrance to the cathedral.

Eye catching architecture.

After touring the cathedral we walked through a few really cool alley-ways and then entered the casemates, which is a series of tunnels that were created for defense of the fortress.

The tunnels were built in 1644 by the Spanish, then enlarged by the French and Austrians.

We had a great time exploring and Evertt thinks we need to build this system in our backyard. (I think they said there were 17km of tunnels left to explore!)

Next, we walked through the city and on to the train station to catch a train into Germany.

We stopped for sandwiches and pastries at the station in Trier, Germany. We had planned to head south to the Black Forest and into Switzerland, but decided to head on to my brother's house near Stuttgart, instead. We have not seen him in a few years and are anxious to spend some time visiting.

So, on to Mannheim, Stuttgart, Boblingen and the town where Keith lives. (can't remember the name, right now)

**Stuttgart train station

We arrived at the station near Keith's house and walked a short distance to his address. We are looking forward to chillin' with my nephews and catching up with Keith.

South to Luxenbourg

2011-06-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

**

We loved Brugge so much we decided to stay another night.

Another yummy breakfast....even our butter is pretty. The same older gentleman stopped in for breakfast. You can tell he is a regular and we listened to him while eating and pretended to understand. :>)

We love this word. Plopsa just makes you smile.

We woke up very late and packed quickly after breakfast, then headed over to the train station to head south. I am so glad we got the first class tickets for the train. It is incredibly peaceful and we have much room.
The train ride from Brussels to Namur was cool, but the ride from Namur to Alon was AMAZING! This is known to be one of the most scenic routes in western europe and looking down upon the small villages, with stone houses surrounding their centrally place church, then passing through the beautiful hills and farms in the valleys, was a great highlight. I didn't even think about taking pictures, but it reminded me of the first view of the town in the movie Chocolate.
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There were a couple villages I wanted to stroll through, but Everett had passed out on the train (it is hard to stay awake with the gentle rocking motion and light background noise) and it seemed cruel to wake him. He did wake up before we hit Alon and we jumped off the train and had lunch in town and took a nice walk around the center.
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Doesn't the guy on the right remind you of......
This guy..................
You can always see the steeple of the local cathedral, but we were worried there would be a crowd when we saw all the cars around it.

Fortunately, we had the place to ourselves. Very quiet and quite impressive.

Check out the pipes on that organ!

After Alon, we took the train into Luxembourg. I did not realize the size of the city and we arrived here too late to feel comfortable moving on to a smaller town. So, we are in a hotel in Luxembourg and plan to hit the fortress, Dukes Palace and cathedral tomorrow, then get the heck out of here. Too many people and too french for us. (yes, there is poo on the sidewalks and yes, we miss all the bicycles)

****

Brugge, Belgium

2011-06-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

**

Our small hotel served a great breakfast this morning of a variety of breads and jams. I think we are hooked on the the whole tea with milk thing...Jane will be so proud.

The owner was very happy to show us his bike that was made by a local company.

Achielle makes frames right up the road from the hotel and everything on it is made in western europe. (nothing from asia)

There is a place for the bike pump to attach to the down tube and I love the saddle and bag!

After breakfast, we set off to the monastery. It was lovely and peaceful. There were small groups of school kids there on field trips, but they were all well behaved and having a grand time. Most were unaccompanied (immediately, anyway) by adults. (wow! unheard of in the U.S. right now)

The locals gave us the scoop on the history of the cathedrals and each place of worship had pamplets and placards with the history and significance of each piece in English.

I love visiting the European cathedrals. And the art is dark enough and detailed enough to be of great interest to teenage boys, as well!

We had no idea there was a Madonna and Child by Michelangelo here in the town. The gentleman in the cafe explained it is rare to find outside of Italy. We were lucky enough to have the piece to ourselves for a few minutes before a tour group swarmed the area. (ugh, tour groups in a cathedral.....you cannot whisper when speaking to a group of 15+, I guess)

Madonna and Child

The square was beautiful.

There is lace to be had at every corner and it is interesting watching how it is made.

We had local chocolate and local beer and frites (with mayo of course) and now we HAD to have the waffles. (with cherries and creme)

We rented bikes for 6 euros a day. They have a cool lock that doesn't allow the rear wheel to turn, when you need to leave the bike.

Waiting for the bridge over the canal to come down.

Riding along the canal to see the wind mills.

Riding in a skirt, just like a Belgian.

Wind mill in Brugge.

A LONG ride along the canal. (over 50 miles round trip, I think) The tiny towns along the way were very cool. It felt very good to both of us to get in a workout and it was so much fun, too! You could tell how far we had gone after we had ridden for an hour and noticed we saw more and more riding "kits" and less and less street clothes on the riders.

We rode along the canal for 20+ miles each way, to Oostende, which is the next large town, to see what was there. We picked up some groceries and loaded them up to bring back for dinner.

Parking.

Ah, the gnomes in Flanders have a sense of humor!

***

Senior Trip

2011-06-27T23:56:00.001-07:00

I decided to take Everett to Europe for his senior trip. Shey took us to the airport on Sunday and we got on the first flight of the day to Amsterdam. There was only one seat in first class, so it went to Everett, as it is his gift.

We arrived in Amsterdam very early Monday morning and took the train from the airport to downtown. We decided to get a tram ticket for the day and walk about the city with the locals and soak up the culture and architecture. Bikes are EVERYWHERE here!! (as most places other places in the world)

We enjoyed sitting and watching all the different types of bikes with every walk of person riding them. We also checked out the house boats on the canal and several of the cool cathedrals. We walked down to the place where Anne Frank was hidden during World War II, but the line was crazy and we decided, very quickly, to avoid that tourist trap.

. We then strolled past the Van Gogh museum and noted the line was very short. We went in and enjoyed the large collection of his work….and the a/c and checking our backpacks, so our shoulders could have a break. :>)

We ate chocolate and snacked all day on the goodies from the shops in the train station. There are wooden shoes, windmills in the city, lots of chocolate shops and hash shops out the wazoo.

We soon had had enough of the city and headed to the train station much earlier than I expected. Ah, a train though the country side is amazing. We are riding with the locals and giving ourselves a lovely tour of the huge selection of community gardens. The farms are amazingly green and well organized. Every apartment building has a community garden behind it with divided sections for the tenants.

Everett passed out for part of train ride. Air conditioned and very comfortable.

Train station in Antwerp.
We stopped in Antwerp, which was another large city, and strolled around a bit before continuing on toward Brugge.

Once in Brugge I was worried about finding a place to stay during peak season, so we set out to find a small hotel. On the first street we walked down, we came across this perfect little family owned budget hotel.

Serious double windows!
After visiting with the hotel owners and a few older local gentlemen, we strolled through the town streets in search of a small cafe.

Canals are everywhere here. (even through the farm land that we saw by train)

We settled on a small cafe serving fish and chips and strong beer, which meant I would sleep very good tonight!

We are thoroughly enjoying our time here and are looking forward to a relaxing day of visiting the monastery and riding bikes tomorrow. (hint: The hotel owner has a locally made steel framed bike, which he is proud to say has all components created locally in western europe.....in other words, nothing from asia. That should make Shey drool!)

***

Orientation and Road Trippin'

2011-06-25T20:21:00.001-07:00

Everett had his orientation at KSU last week and Jansen and I dropped him off at the campus, then went for a mtb ride at a local trail. He has registered for classes and spent some time at the campus bike shop. Cool!!

Jansen just finished his xc race at the Subaru Cup in Wisconsin and finished 2nd. He met Wes in TN and they picked up Brad in Indiana on the way up to the race. Brad flatted and I have not heard how Wes finished. They liked the course, but it was on a ski slope, so straight up and straight down. They are racing short track tomorrow, so wish them all good luck!

***

Riding around MTB Camp

2011-06-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Shey and Jansen headed to Alabama with the C-Town trailer and raced BUMP. Then, from Alabama, they picked up Tanner and headed straight up to North Carolina for training camp at Pisgah, with Andy Johnston. After a week of riding Pisgah and Dupont, they headed over to Tennessee, to drop Tanner off and race SERC at Raccoon Mt., before they finally headed back home. Lots of driving!

Tanner and Jansen

Shey teaching mechanical repairs.

Wes came to ride with the guys, along with Tristan, Cory, Andy Johnston, Shey and Andy Applegate. So, there were some really good trail leaders, for sure!

The guys were tired and ready to come home, but had a good time!

Block Head

2011-06-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

About three weeks after Jansen crashed, I noticed something sticking out of the wound on his cheek. He checked it out and realized it was another piece of wood.

This, of course was on a Friday evening, before Memorial Day, no less...... so we left a message for our doctor (Jansen had missed his check-up appointment, and we needed to make another one, anyway) and Jansen worked on it over the weekend and finally got it out on Monday!

Here it is.....

The wound was a mess and it was hard for anybody to see what was going on inside. The paramedics had done a great job of cleaning the wound and the doctor was very thorough, as well.

This is what it looked like. Pretty.

Quality family time. :>)

The wound healed quickly after the last piece was removed. It looks great and is a small, but very cool scar, now.

**

THE NEXT STEP

2011-05-29T20:12:00.001-07:00

WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR EVERETT AS HE HEADS OFF TO HIS NEXT ADVENTURE. HE IS A WONDERFUL SON, GRANDSON, BROTHER, TRAVELING COMPANION, ATHLETE, CHEF, TECHIE AND SO MUCH MORE. GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!

Graduation 2011 !!!!!!!!

2011-05-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

So long High School!!

Hello University!!

The ceremony was very nice.

Good friends and brothers.

Yeah! We can finally send out that family photo that everyone keeps asking for.....you know, one where we are not wearing spandex and helmets.

Proud parents.

Proud grandparents.

Handsome guys.

We ate at a great little mexican food restaurant. Yum! Grandma and Grandpa have been so good to the boys and very supportive over the years, so it was awesome to have them here to see Everett walk across the stage. Dad brought enough barbeque to feed an army....or my three guys...whichever.......

Our dinner was amazing. Great choice Everett!

Jansen Can Bounce Off Trees: Bad Crash

2011-05-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Shey and Jansen hit the road early Sunday morning to make it to TN for the SERC race at Tanasi. They were donning their new Cycle Youth kits....very dapper!

Jansen went down hard in his first lap. Evidently he hit a tree, then bounced off at least one more, then ended up down an embankment in the end. He said he mostly hit things with his face and right side. Tanner was right behind Jansen and thought the crash was hard enough to drop his race and walk Jansen out of the woods. The faster these guys get, the harder they hit.

(they both wish Tanner had on a helmet cam)

At first, Jansen said he couldn't breathe and his side was excruciatingly painful. His face didn't hurt, but his vision was blurred. Once his vision cleared and he could breathe again, he and Tanner started walking. It was a very long walk.

Paramedics cleaned up the cuts and did a quick check of his side. When he got home, I could see there was a puncture all the way through his cheek and his side was still incredibly painful. He had xrays and a thorough exam by our friend, Kwan, the next day and they found no ribs to be broken and he did not stitch the hole up, since the face heals so quickly.

Jansen cannot believe he did not break anything. He was very fortunate!

Unfortunately, the wound keeps bleeding and today another large splinter came out of it.
The pain in is side is finally easing off after a couple days.

Here he is all cleaned up, before the swelling started.

Lower right is the puncture. The right side of his face is swollen and discolored, now, but should heal quickly.

Ah, another manly man scar to show off!

**