Feeling the Pain Cave

    I'm a slacker mom blogger! I haven't had the time to really post alot lately so I am going to give it a shot today...unless I get interrupted! 

    It's a little hard to post a full fledge race report per J-man's point of view so I always give you my point of view, which if you know me and if you have EVER seen me at a race I am chasing him around the course as much as I possibly can usually with Camera in hand and screaming my lungs out! I scream nothing but good things though so don't judge. 

Jordan has bumped up his cycling in the past year. This year for cyclocross (which is his favorite of cycling) he started the season as a Category 4. Cat 4 is beginner or in his case a bump up from Junior category. He won the first 4 races in Cat 4 and as any 13 year old (at the time) should do, he catted up to a Cat 3. A little bit of a different world in Cat 3, stronger competition and 15 minutes longer added to his race time of what used to be 30 minutes. His first Cat 3 race was his birthday weekend. Talk about excited! This kid was outta control and could not wait! I on the other hand as a mother was internally freaking out... What if 45 minutes was too long? What if he did horrible and got discouraged? These are common "mom" issues and his coach informed me he would be fine. He won the MSG Cat 3 weekend and the following weekend we were off to Cincinnati. Ok he did good at home but, this is a big race. Alot more riders and harder course. First day he got 13th with a flat, 2nd day in the pouring rain and 30 degrees he got 1st!! First? Holy Cow and the 3rd day he got 4th! He had a strong sprint at the finish for this one too. I was in shock! He was training hard and I could really tell it was helping him. The following weekend was Derby City Cup in Louisville, KY. This course was SUPER hard and the preview for World's in February. This field was a Cat 2/Cat 3 split. So he was really gonna get a taste of racing with the Big Guys! We showed up and pre-rode the course and he loved it! Sand pits, flyovers, run-ups and off camber sections. This kid with mountain bike skills was in heaven. Until you throw 119 other guys in the mix... then things get a little difficult. 

First lap J-man got a great start, but BOOM sand pit disaster. He got tangled up with another guy (who might I add cussed my 14 yr old up and down) and he just fell behind. There was alot of running the bike and bottom line a huge field. 35th out of a start of 119 and only 95 finished. This was a dose of reality to J-man. He said "Mom that was the most physical course I have ever done" I could see the wheels turning in his head. He walked around and studied the course and the riders for the rest of the day. He knew what he wanted to do for the next day. He got a great start and moved his way up the group pretty quickly, he had started 25th both days. He ended up with a 10th place finish which was AMAZING! 

    Ok, fast forward to last weekend and after a few weeks off we raced at Mars Hill and he won the Cat 3 race. So if you know cyclocross you will know what the word Sandbagger means! Ha... my 14 yr old Cat 3 was being called a Sandbagger! So, what do you do? Put in for an upgrade of course. Gah, I was freaking out inside! 15 MORE minutes to a race! I was concerned he couldn't be there mentally, physically it would be a struggle, but Cyclocross Nationals are in January and why not? Good training... Again, this kid was the happiest kid on the planet! You would think he was getting a new puppy or something. 

   Race Day! One of the perks of Catting up is a later start time. I was stoked, thinking ok we can sleep later and not have to rush. Yeah right! J-man woke up at 6:30 am and started cleaning his bike, packing his bag and eating breakfast! 9:30 am we were at the course. Start time 2:15. Finally he lines up with some Crazy Fast people! Pro 1/2 Category ain't no joke people. 17 riders and 1 hour. I pretty much thought I was going to puke! Can you imagine how he felt?

J-man, Matt Russell, Drew Bailey, Nolan Tankersley, and Drew Hager

    Jordan got an ok start and he held on for awhile. You could see the pain in his face about 40 minutes in. This was a longer and way faster race than he's ever been in. It was pretty awesome to watch. He may not have finished top 3 but he rode his heart out. He got 14th out of 17th, but if you were there to watch him you could see that regardless of how much his legs hurt him he was NOT giving up. 

If this picture doesn't convince you he was in the Pain Cave then I don't know what would. He rocked it though! He finished his first Pro 1/2 Race and he was hurting so bad he couldn't walk. Lesson's learned: 1) Don't go out so hard 2) Train more. Day 2 of MSG weekend he got 3rd out of a smaller field but he rode alot better than the day before. He rode with Nolan and Drew. Two of the fastest kids out there! He kept up for a minute and then fell back, but he was riding alot different and held his own. Nolan is amazing... I can't figure out where he gets his Energy! I wish I could bottle it up! Drew...he's a strong rider and that kid can kill it! J-man strives to ride like these two one day....

Next stop: Hendersonville for NC Grand Prix and then it's the Road To Nationals! Madison, WI in January. Much fun and I can't wait.... Stay Tuned

MSG #7 at Mars Hill

    We got to head over the mountain to one of Jordan's favorite places this weekend. Mars Hill College. We love the coach and riders there. They know how to put on an event, whether it be Mars Hill Cycling Camp or a MSG Cross Race. Awesome course, food and pretty sweet Trophies. Jordan raced the Cat 3's and got first place! He did great, from what I hear it was a tough course with a little Mountain biking on the backside of the course.
 Here are a few pics to enjoy!

Sweet Trophies from Industry Nine  

Grand Poobah D-wayne

Shop Kitty aka The Mad Heckler aka Megan

J-man with his cool trophy

Look how precious they are.... haha until you say start then they will kick some booty


Last MSG Racing weekend for the year/series at Farmhouse Gallery and Gardens! Be THERE! 12-8/12-9

On the road again......

This week has been a whirlwind! I am typing this when I really should be packing.... Actually I am still half packed from last weekend so it won't take long!

Cincy3 Cyclocross Festival in one word: Wild! We had every different type of weather imaginable. J raced all 3 days so we got up at the crack of dawn on Friday so we could get there and get settled for his first race of the weekend. We had TEAM parking all weekend and it was well worth it! Especially when you get to park across from Katie Compton!! That was fun....Friday the boys had a nice relaxed race. J rushed to get ready and forgot to screw in his tire valve so he had a flat halfway through the race and had to switch out wheels. He came in 14th. Lesson Learned!

Saturday was EPIC! We had a sweet parking spot and got there bright and early to setup. Our neighbor:

We got to meet neat people are learn alot. The weather.... not so good. A brisk 37 and rainy. It made for true cyclocross weather. It was muddy and miserable for J's race. He started at 30th and he made his way up so quickly I think he was in top 10 by second lap. I was flipping out!! This was a large field of great riders and he was doing great. Connor was right up there with him. They both conquered the field. Funny, bad weather and these kids were maneuvering like it was nothing. J finished FIRST!! He won the sprint at the finish (which I missed because I can't run from one end of the course to the other) Connor finished 7th! Great day for our Cat 3 boys. So proud.
It was an exhausting but fun day and we crashed hard when we finally made it back to the hotel. Day 3 was a crazy course with lots of twists and turns and a few stakes that liked to jump out in front of people (insert MEGAN's pic here) but all in all another great race. J-man had a great finish there as well. Here are a few pics from the weekend. Enjoy! Now let's pack for Derby City Cup in Louisville, KY!

Kim rocking the fly over 

Ha... Our Hecklers 

Nolan showing them how it's done

Tony mastering the Sand Pit 

Grace aka Podium Girl! 3 days on the Podium! 

Connor moving on up 

Are those your sisters gloves?? 

Check out Shop Kitty going over the fly over like it's nothing! 

Jamie is SERIOUS!!!

Hallo-what?

Halloween? What? Haha.... I totally forgot that today was Halloween! After the exciting weekend we had I didn't even think about it. I have withheld from posting because I am trying to avoid being sappy because Jordan is now officially 14 years old, as of yesterday. I am struggling with this, hence the Empty Next post last time so I will move right along to the Race Report.
 We finally had a weekend back with our MSG Family this weekend and did a little birthday celebration for J as well. It was great. He thinks ...correction WE think so highly of our MSG peeps and it worked out well. I ordered cupcakes from Bonnie Kate Cafe in Elizabethton (seriously check them out) and everyone brought snacks and it was just an awesome day.

I mean seriously, who would NOT love a cake with their pic on it doing an awesome wheelie covered in mud?? Thanks Bonnie Kate!! http://www.thebonniekate.com/

 Anyway, so this was to be Jordan's first Cat 3 MSG Race and this kid was SOOOOO stoked! He woke up at 6:30 am and was ready to go. He pushed himself and it showed. He had a nice gap on the rest of the field, but today was SUPER special. He got to race against his Dad. Something he has thought of since he started racing bicycles 5 years ago. They stuck together for quite some time too and then he got a chance to take off and boy did he ever! He led the rest of the race and came in for a sweet birthday win!

It was a little crazy and I didn't get much time to watch everyone else because I was trying to be birthday mom and get cupcakes and snacks together, but I did get to help with bombarding Funny Alan with icing. Too much fun!.....and I got to grab this pic of some great Juniors who I promise you right now will make a major impact one day in cycling. These are four of the greatest kids I know (yes one of them is mine so I guess that doesn't count)

It was an exciting day! Then on Sunday we took off to Boone, NC for Boone-Town Throwdown, and boy was it a Throwdown! I am gonna just say we may not have quantity with MSG but we have quality! AND we have some of the best hecklers around. It was a great day. Nolan, Connor and Jordan decided to ride the Juniors race for a warm-up and it was nice to see them all three riding together.

We did have a big crew and a rider in several categories. Grace did awesome in Cat 4's and Megan.... well she brought it! I am amazed and these ladies and how they climbed the run-up like it was nothing. Jamie totally shouldered the bike like a pro! Funny Alan broke a record with the first ride up of the run up of the day and it was awesome! (ride up the run up?) J rode Cat 3's and he rode hard. He started from the back and worked his way up towards the front but just couldn't catch a wheel. The last lap he had pain in his face, which as a cycling mom is something that is bittersweet to watch. Yes I am glad to see that he's not giving up, but it's hard to watch him and know that his legs are just giving out on him. He finished 21st in a field of 50. Not to shabby for the youngest kid in the race. Everyone else did so well, and I enjoy watching them race. Regardless of how they each feel personally, they are all heros in my book. I mean these people get on their bikes for 30-45 minutes and ride their guts out and don't give up. To me, you are all winners!  I am like a proud mom to everyone.It's pretty awesome to be included in this great group of people. WE HECKLE BECAUSE WE CARE.
Time to pack the cowbells because next stop: Cincinnati, OH for the Cincy 3 Cyclocross Festival!

Empty Nest?

Is it possible to have Empty Nest when your child is almost 14 years old? I already feel like he's growing up so fast and I can't push the pause button. It seems like just yesterday he was running around in diapers, but actually yesterday was 8th grade recognition.... He couldn't quite grasp why I was running around the house like a chicken with their head cut off. "It's no big deal mom, just walk out and they call our names" and my response was kinda like this : "NO BIG DEAL? What, Jordan this is the last 8th grade recognition you will EVER have" Ok so maybe I don't do this whole my baby is growing up thing well. Mainly because he's my one and only and once he's gone to college (which isn't very far away) then what the heck am I gonna do? Freedom! You Say? Yes Freedom from making breakfasts, lunches, fussing about dirty laundry and cycling bits and pieces everywhere. Not to mention the races every single weekend.(sigh) Ok, I am getting ahead of myself for now, but for the record I am not ready for this growing up stuff!

 Now for the race report. Because of course there is a race report. Saturday J-man had to do TN State Qualifying Race for Cross Country and he had to miss his very first Cat 3 Race. He was bummed at first, that is until he won the Trailblazer Invitational. He ran 2.2 miles in 11:45, which was pretty stinking awesome. Out of 203 runners he started out pretty hard and about halfway through got passed by two guys and I just knew he was going to get 3rd (which is great) and at the last minute right before the finish line J-man put the pedal to the metal and flew past his component and came in for the win. His team had awesome finishes as well! Zach 7th , Noah and Connor 19th and 20th which got us 2nd place for this awesome group of kids. State here we come!

Sunday we loaded up all of our MSG peeps and traveled over the mountain to visit Asheville Cyclocross at Pisgah Brewery. Always a fun race and this was Jordan's first Cat 3 race. He and Connor Tank's first race together and I swear I think they had sooooo much fun! You could see the grin's on their faces the whole time and they motivate each other well. They both finished great and I am proud of both of them.

 I think this picture says it all!









Of course we couldn't leave our heckling at home

Pappa Tank showing some love to Funny Alan. We all love each other, can't ya tell?

Another great weekend with our cycling family and this coming up Saturday is TN State Cross Country Meet. What will we do with no cycling? Rest up for the next 3 racing weekends I suppose.

House of Crazy!

The title of my post today is exactly how I feel right now, but a good crazy not a bad crazy.
 Once again we had a wonderful weekend with our MSG family and Jordan did awesome in his Cat 4 Rainy Muddy Race. The past four races seem to have what I've called the "Cat 4 Rain Curse" It seems like every time they call for staging it starts raining, and when I say raining I am not talking about a slight drizzle, this is something like what you would feel if standing under a waterfall, but this is Cyclo- Cross and its just not right without rain and mud so we suck it up and deal. J had a great race weekend again and won the Cat 4's races. He was pretty upset because we tried to upgrade to a Cat 3 last week and for days we probably checked USA Cycling website and all we got back was a big fat red PENDING! Not sure why they have to be so harsh, haha I mean this kid asked me every second for 4 days " have they changed it mom? huh?" Finally they changed it on Monday after his weekend of racing. Which was OK, that gave him some more experience under his belt before he moves up. So that was just some of the crazy in my house, the rest was the face that we started the beloved job of tearing his Road Bike down (he's outgrown in already). Not exactly a 30 minute project but he's been really good with having his new Bike frameset sitting in his room for almost 2 weeks and not tore the box to pieces! So when those big brown eyes ask  " Can we PUUUULLLEEAAASSEEE start the process of tearing and building bikes?" I mean what can you say? Originally we were going to wait and leave his new frame in the box because we bought it a little big but since the kid has hit the 6' tall mark this week..... I think we are safe! 6'! I can't believe my 13 year old is 6'! It's like it happened over night! So commence bike build. Then we had what MOM thought was very exciting.......
    Middle School Homecoming. Something that he for the past few years had been to shy to participate in so when he came home and said Ok Mom, I will do it this year I was ecstatic! Shopping for a boy vs a girl is something I am thankful for. He cleans up well considering this weekend he looked like this:

 Two days later he looked this:

   My baby boy is growing up!














 More racing, riding or running this weekend! Can't wait to see our MSG Family again. We have the best group of peeps and everyone plays a role in Jordan's cycling and his learning about being a good team mate. He is experiencing what some people only wish they could and he will become a better person for it.

Mud, Sweat and Gears...And more MUD!

Wow! If you ever wondered what Cyclocross is about, you should have been there this weekend for the MSG Kickoff. It had rained the night before so it was already muddy, but then a torrential downpour started right at the beginning of J's race. Yipee! Mom got to stand out in the rain with a leaky umbrella in one hand and my nifty little Canon Power Shot in the other. I think Jordan had the most fun he's had at a race in a long time. Not only because he raced awesome in his Cat 4 races but because he truly had FUN! Why wouldn't he? Two days playing in the mud with some of our most favorite peeps.
 I mean, can't you just see the fun in his face?

and the best part of it all..... They washed off all the mud in the river! haha... the total East TN Way!

Can't wait for another fun filled and possibly Mud Filled weekend!