Cycle Youth Benefit CX Race 2011

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

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!


**

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!!)

 

 

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.............

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 !!!!!!

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

**

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)

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)

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........

**