Day 2-Lincoln Cyclocross

day two of our cyclocross weekend found us in Lincoln for the Flatwater Classic Cyclocross race at Van Dorn park, a very well run race I thought

MG's backup steed the sweet Salsa Vaya

a shortcut through the woods left me looking like I had a run in with a porcupine, not sure what these were but they were everywhere on my socks, shoes & pants

I also had to be careful for the Yeti lurking in the woods, as did the racers

a bell ringing Yeti at that, obviously a HUGE cyclocross fan!

Cornbread was back at it for day two

for another Cat 1,2,3 men's 4th place finish

these ladies kind of reminded me of the Interbike hotties in their full kits, except these gals knew how to ride & race a bike!

just some casual observers watching the awards

Lane dashing through the woods, good thing he gets some practice time in at Potter's Pasture, minus the Yeti of course

more hurdle jumping

crankin' it out at the finish line...

for another 1st place finish in the jr. division, WAY TO GO LANE! Next up is another 2 day roadtrip back to Lincoln on Nov. 20-21, Pioneer Park for MORE COWBELL!

Weekend cyclocross action-Norfolk, NE

with state cross country over with last friday in Kearney, the bikes were all loaded, ready to go & we were off to Norfolk after the xc run to race some more for Lane in his first cyclocross race of the season

he raced the junior division which was run with the category 4 men's so it was stacked about 28 racers at the start

one of the first major obstacles was this giant pinwheel of death

Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey of the legendary "D Street Hotel" in Lincoln handled the dreaded pinwheel with ease in the Cat 1,2,3 class

he played it cool to go on for a 4th place finish

a sweet ride to haul bikes around with!

Lane negotiating the downhill chute through the trees

HUP, HUP, HUP...over the hurdles

through the dreaded pinwheel of death

powering through the sandtrap, earning him a first place, now load the bikes & head back southeast to Lincoln for day two of cyclocross racing...stay tuned!

Fall gathering-Potter's pasture

with Lane's Jeep loaded, the bikes racked & Tate riding guard it was time to get away & decompress for the weekend at...

...Potter's Pasture

fresh water at this campsite was NOT a problem!

accommodations for the night was my folks early 90's Eureka tent & my retro early 80's Camp Trails sleeping bag & with an all night drizzle I was warm & dry

thanks to Gordon we had a delightful Octoberfest tasting before we went...

...AROUND THE WORLD!

once a pot of beer simmered brats was consumed it was time to gear up & head out...

...to watch the sun set & the moon crest over the communications tower to the west

then turn on the lights & hit the trail for an AWESOME night ride

what a great time & to see eight sets of lights bouncing down the trail like fireflies dancing through the canyon at night is a sight to behold

the landmark windmill on the hill at Potter's is always a welcome sight after a long week of the "real world" what a great way to spend a weekend!

Campout omelets 101

I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't of seen it myself but my new friend Gordon showed me how to do this over a weekend campout & I was amazed!

first you start by washing your hands like any good chef & it helps to have a camp sink with a foot pump & copper faucet, but if you don't have that just use any water/soap source.

it also helps to have an elaborate "omelet bar" like this but I think you could get by with a rock by the river or a log in the woods for a table

start by breaking/beating 2 eggs up then add your favorite ingredients, in this case we used green & red peppers, two kinds of onions, diced ham, cheese, salt/pepper & onion salt & mix thoroughly in a pint sized ziploc bag, squeeze all the air out, seal up tightly & if you have a bunch in camp with different tastes make sure to write your name on the bag with a sharpie so they don't get mixed up.

drop your omelet bag into a boiling pot of water, put the lid on & forget about it for 12-15 minutes, then pull it out, open the bag &...

...the PERFECT campsite omelet! These were a little salsa or hot sauce away from the perfect omelet but how simple & delicious & think of the options for toppings & what you like, how about bacon & mushrooms. I think you could wrap these up in a tortilla to eat if you were on the go, such a simple & neat idea, thanks for this treat today Gordon, was great sharing a camp with you & learning something new.

Pedal to end Polio

Last Saturday was the inagural "Pedal to end Polio ride" put on by the North Platte Sunrise Rotary Club which Jessie is now a member of & she did the ground work for this, her first fundraising event for the club.

Was a beautiful fall day for a ride around Lake Maloney & there was a shorter distance ride for kids & those who didn't want to go the long route. I hadn't rode this route in maybe 2-3 years & kind of enjoyed being out on the skinny- tired bike riding hills & playing in traffic with others. The cost was $15/person & they had 25 show up & that got them a t-shirt, lunch & a door prize (everyone got something) so was a nice event going to a good cause, helping eradicate polio around the world.

Look for this to go down again next year if you missed it, hopefully it will grow in size & become an annual event.

Wellfleet mt bike race

Saturday was the resurection of the Wellfleet Fall Festival mt bike race, I guess this was a big deal for a number of years back in the 80's-90's then it died out & 2010 they decided to bring it back, Jessie & Lane decided to try it & Olivia & I were the designated domestique's

Not a huge showing but 11 adventurous souls lined up for the start on main street for a 1.75 mile gravel (half of that up a big hill) to hit singletrack cow trails in the canyons

this was the terrain of the race with a lot of switchbacks, ups & downs with some bike portages much like Potter's Pasture & basically the same canyons, just a little further to the west

Lane ripping it up on one gear & rigid getting ready to hit the off-road section, he finished 2nd overall

Dennis "Deadhead" Phillips also on one gear & don't let him fool you, he's also mt bikin' maniac, taking 3rd place overall

Paul Brasby hitting the trail, Paul helps out a lot to get new folks into cycling regardless of what type, he can be found out on the road on skinny tires or out at Potter's on any given weekend trimming, mowing or doing trail maintenance before he rides & he helps organize some "for fun" races out at Potter's that people always have a blast at.

Tate taking in the race from a vantage point on top, he was born in these parts just to the southeast of here, wonder if he remembers "the old country"

this is Kara Sandman & she's fairly new to mt bikin', notice the smile on her face, funny how a bike will do that to a person, Kara did well until her chain broke, better luck next time!

the course went down this canyon then back up towards that windmill in the center
for a total of 10 miles round trip

Jessie getting ready to bomb back downhill to town for the overall women's win, GREAT JOB!

even the Wellfleet post office was in the cycling spirit

after race war stories, l-r, Lane Bergen, Paxton, Dennis Phillips, NP, Todd Tvrdik, Kearney (overall winner) & Paul Brasby, NP.

I think this race has some potential to grow again with some input from some mt bikers & maybe some help with the course & the length/layout, it would be cool to have a mt bike race every year here again this close to home & actually get some more riders to show up to support it, we'll see how it goes!

In a perfect world...

...this would be every cycler's dream commute, however it's only in Helsingborg Sweden where my daughter is living this year & commuting to school & around town by bike, YES... I'm proud of her for that! Way to go Dakota, keep riding & exploring so you know where to take your old dad someday when we go back to ride our bikes across the WHOLE country.

I think a Salsa Vaya will be the bike of choice for me!