Helen for the Weekend

Shey wanted to head to Helen for the weekend, so we could ride with the Cycle Youth Devo guys at the course that was the last race of the local xc series.


We headed out early on Saturday, so we could meet them for a pre-ride of the Helen race course, at 10:30am.


5 or 6 of the young men and a few fathers came out for the pre-ride. Lot's of FUN! It's neat to watch these guys grow in strength and handling skills. (forgot to get pictures, but it was cool to have a trail of young riders heading into the woods together)

I got to ride with Asa and his dad, Monty. Asa has a ton of talent and enjoys hitting the climbs head-on/full force. He has no fear, but is also a smart rider; what a great combination.

It was hot, but the course was in excellent condition. After Shey had the devo guys practice their starts, the four of us did another lap, then headed into town to eat.



(this is Helen's flip flop tree)
The boys have wanted to hit this haunted house for awhile, so they talked Shey into going through it with them. They liked it alot and had some great stories to tell.

We wanted to tube the river, but there were a ton of people and the water was low, so we will wait for a better time.







Jafer met us at our campsite in Unicoi State Park and he brought us some yummy beer, so we hung out until it was way after dark and time to get some sleep.

Sunday morning was Shey's birthday, but since I gave him his gifts before we left and it was race morning, I completely forgot! Town for breakfast, then once we were back at the campsite, we accidentally locked the keys in the car....AGAIN. Thank goodness Shey's gear was at the campsite and not in the car.

So Jafer gave us a ton of tools to use and Jansen bought a fly swatter and worked to get the door unlocked. In the meantime, Shey and Jafer headed out to their race.


We got the car unlocked and made it just in time to see the guys on the line. (Jafer had offered his cherokee to me with instructions: It doesn't always start, so you have to put it in neutral and jiggle the handle around a little, jump up and down three times, spin around in a circle and ask it to please start in a sweet voice........) :>)

Jafer and Will Black (on a single-speed) rode the first lap together, then Jafer turned up the heat and hit the next two laps at a faster pace for a solid 1st. Shey finished 2nd in his cat, then hit the cold creek immediately to cool down.




The boys and I headed into town, so Shey and Jafer would have time to visit with everyone and hang out for podiums. The boys and I headed back out to the park to pick up Shey, but it had been way too hot for them, so they were in Cleveland eating lunch. All the driving and heat made for a grumpy chauffeur, but we did get to pick up Shey eventually and headed home.

Shey said I was not allowed to be grumpy on his birthday. On the way home we stopped and got a chocolate cake.



Then we stopped at a Starbucks, which happened to be inside a Kroger, so we set up a mini party. Jansen blocked the view of the employees so we could light up the candle.

There's nothing quite like celebrating your birthday in a grocery store......


Coffee made me happy and awake, again, so the rest of the drive home was good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHEY!!!!!!!


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Kindle Completes Her First Century !!!!!!!

Kindle has set three goals for this year. Completing a century was one of them. (doing a head stand is another she can check off the list)

She decided on the Covington Century, as it starts very close to where we live. http://covingtoncentury.org/

I told her I would ride the first 40 miles with her. So, we started planning.

1. We would start early, at 6:30am, to ensure she would have enough time to finish, not feel rushed and get ready for Brian's birthday party that evening.
2. She would make sure she has the proper drink and food for the whole ride and rest up the few days before the ride.
3. I would ride with her for 40 miles, Brian would ride with her for the next section, then Kim would take her to the finish.
4. Kindle asked everyone from our ride groups to pull her for 10 minutes as they passed. They agreed. (yeah, that didn't happen)
5. We knew I would not create a draft for her, so I would be there to keep her company and make sure she was taking care of her nutrition.
6. All would attempt to keep from melting in the GA heat in August!!!!

**note** my computer was not set up for this bike, so our avg speed and overall mileage was higher than what I will report, but this gives a good estimate**

The Tuesday before the century, we rode together at our regular Lifetime Bikes ride in Loganville. http://lifetimebikesloganville.com/cms/ Kindle rode strong and we knew she had enough miles on her legs to get this century done.


After a scramble on Friday to figure out which drinks she should use, we planned on a 5:15 pick-up, so we could be ready to ride by 6:30.

The alarm went off at 4:30 and I hit snooze...over and over and over....then I ran got to go for a little run down the street to get Serena back. Of course I was late, but Kindle would never expect me to be on time, so no worries.



I grabbed her gear bag and bike from the garage and we hit the road. She was ready.

We were the second car at the venue and within the next 15 minutes the grassy yard we were parked in was completely full and they were filling another. I think they said they had 1,100 entrants this year. The parking was backed up for several miles.

Kindle was ready to go before me and we hit the road at 6:28. The temp was great, it was humid, but not hot and it was exciting to start before dawn. We rode a few miles, when we got a call from Brian. I heard Kindle say, "No I didn't get Steve's bag. Kari did you grab a black gear bag from the garage?" Uh-oh. Brian and Steve were going to ride to the start from their house and I had taken his gear bag, thinking it was Kindle's. Brian was slightly grumpy and there was a little stress. I rode back quickly to the car to leave the 'clicker' for the guys to get into the car and helped a lady change her flat on the way back out to the road. I rode quickly to catch up to Kindle, so I got in a great little warm-up.


We rode a very steady pace and Kindle worked on eating and drinking on the bike. This meant we did not stop often or for very long. Flowers were blooming EVERYWHERE and the fields were all so green from the rains we had received lately.

We stopped in at the second sag stop, 24 miles in, to refill water and use the port-o-lets. As we hit the road the lead groups started to pass us. Two smaller groups, then the big fast group. Kindle and I kept truckin'.

The sun stayed behind the clouds and we kept a good pace of 13.7 through the rolling hills. Kindle kept drinking and eating and I could tell she felt good, as she could talk and joke around as we rode.

I think it was here that the guys from http://www.cafeinecafe.com/ caught us and pulled for awhile. Jason was a life saver and we made good time for a stretch on the highway.

At about 37 miles Kindle got quiet and didn't look quite so happy. We weren't half-way, yet and I was concerned. I looked down and she had not been drinking like she needed to. Suddenly we were at Sag stop #3 at mile 41 and I realized it was time for me to turn-off and head back to the car. We had not seen Brian, yet and the cyclists were not passing so frequently. It would get lonely for Kindle, so I told her to start drinking and I would ride with her while I texted Everett to see when I needed to pick him up from work. He was running late and we would not need to get him until late in the afternoon. So, on we rode. Chicas on a mission.



More electrolytes, protein, a boost of sodium and some recovery spinning and Kindle was as good as new! We talked and rode and the miles rolled on by. Cool gardens. Awesome houses. Lots of green fields. Horrible singing from behind me, as Kindle was forced to listen to Brian's music on her ipod.

Shey called me to check in and I told him I was still riding. He was heading home for a total of 110 miles and would be able to pick up Everett. So, Kindle and I had the afternoon to spend spinning through the countryside! Yea!

It wasn't until after 50 miles, where there is a bit of very gradual climbing in the sun, that our avg. mph dropped by about .8 mph. So, Kindle stayed strong throughout the entire ride.


We stopped at each of the sags for a brief refill of water and port-o-let visit. One of the sags had a bunch of Kindle's friends as volunteers, so we stopped there a little longer and Kindle bummed some Advil.

A NARC/BMW guy pulled us along after mile 80 for a good 15 minutes and gave us a really nice break.

At about mile 91 I heard Kindle scream from behind me and I looked back to see Brian, Steve and Kim, surrounding Kindle and she was grinning from ear to ear.


This began the 10 mile recap of stories from Kindle. She felt very strong and talked to Brian the whole way through the finish. I got called a "nazi" at the last sag stop and of course Kindle never uses her inside voice..........

I rode ahead for the last three miles and grabbed my camera to take pictures of Kindle finishing her first century.....all smiles!


Recap:

1. I am only alive because, though Wiley did want to kill me for taking his bag, I was riding a Cannondale and he is obligated to keep blood off his bikes.
2. Kindle pulled herself through at least 85 miles of a century, with no one to draft, so she is one strong chica.
3. Lots of tri people are going to have red stripes across their lower backs as their tops and bottoms didn't meet.
4. We could not have asked for better weather in August in Georgia. Cool and the sun stayed behind the clouds until after lunch.
5. It helped to know so many people passing us.
6. Kindle stayed at a pace that made her very comfortable all the way through the ride, so there was no doubt she would reach her goal.
7. Travel size Asmaster RAWKS!!!
8. Paydays RAWK!!!
9. Cytomax is too strong!!
10. Melon Heed RAWKS!!! (our dear friend, Jane, at Conte's bike shop will never steer you wrong! Thanks!!) http://contebikes.com/page.cfm?pageID=610
11. Kindle listened to me for the first time in two years......PRICELESS!!!
12. We LOVE CAFFEINE CAFE and NARC!!

HUGE CONGRATS KINDLE!!!!!!!!! WHAT AN AWESOME RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!



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