tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50083705212918957362024-03-07T13:30:58.442-06:00Chris Lockedirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.comBlogger579125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-71819051569879566252018-06-03T19:08:00.000-05:002018-06-03T19:08:12.823-05:00The Meltdown Mountain Bike ChallengeWhat: 2018 Meltdown Mountain Bike Challenge<br />
Where: Wyandotte County Lake Park, Shelter #3<br />
When: June 10th, 2018 - see flyer for times<br />
Why: Cross Country Racing at its finest. Fun and challenging course, custom awards, classes for all abilities, food, free pictures. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-5378323487831529592018-05-21T07:17:00.001-05:002018-05-21T07:18:56.735-05:00Cappuccino - Baldwin City Grinder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2X7rsH2cBQ42civD8DcuJgYojCj2gZneUfSTuol9Nn6aqNSBtShU7PK0FesbXYt9Gk9Tx0WOHim-qFLU-lSOnXTN4SikuBdC7EULuhdpClyyrUSm5ie4vn9AxpYBg_bDz6A07fseq5E/s1600/26952067_1278387268927382_5859572121928606541_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1142" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2X7rsH2cBQ42civD8DcuJgYojCj2gZneUfSTuol9Nn6aqNSBtShU7PK0FesbXYt9Gk9Tx0WOHim-qFLU-lSOnXTN4SikuBdC7EULuhdpClyyrUSm5ie4vn9AxpYBg_bDz6A07fseq5E/s320/26952067_1278387268927382_5859572121928606541_o.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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My good friend Gerard is helping Baldwin City put on a fundraiser. Come on out this Saturday for the fun. More info <a href="http://gravelgrinders.blogspot.com/2018/05/baldwin-city-gravel-grind.html">http://gravelgrinders.blogspot.com</a><br />
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Register today: <a href="https://baldwincity.recdesk.com/Community/Program?category=1">https://baldwincity.recdesk.com/Community/Program</a> Cost is only $30.00<br />
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35 or 70 mile routes on beautiful gravel roads surrounding the Baldwin
City area that connect famous historical points. There will also be a
12 mile beginners route. Bikers will begin in downtown Baldwin City.<br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-84550134985765958422018-04-09T14:54:00.001-05:002018-04-16T10:35:34.996-05:0017th Annual God's Country Fat Tire FestivalUpdate 4/15/18:<br />
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Sunday's race is a GO. See you out at the River Trails.<br />
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Saturday's race results are posted: www.cowtowncycling.com<br />
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Pictures:<br />
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<a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOwlTuLUC27v0R-SwoFVaB1SvPLHbpJTHPG-r-LI8ack9wWq6gD542o4OclDpiFIQ?key=NEJCNThMVFRuVWZKd0ZYMThqTmI3Y2dMWlFTVWFB" target="_blank">Art King Photos</a><br />
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Back in 2000 my good friend Gerard and I came up with an idea for an event. It is 2018 and we are still going strong. <br />
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Check out the guide here - <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/165nFu2Enuksv33F1GtwFcbXy22e6L1oP/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">2018 God's Country Athlete Information Guide</a><br />
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Flyers below:<br />
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dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-33162783500067304942017-08-21T20:40:00.001-05:002017-08-21T20:41:56.643-05:00Total Solar Eclipse of 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have not been keeping up with current news lately. Carolynn tells me this morning that we are heading up to Smithville, MO to watch this big event - The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. We even have glasses. Luckily we did not have to drive far because it turned out be a sort of a bust to begin with. <br />
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Carolynn tries to see the eclipse as it starts. Lots of clouds in the sky but you can still see it at times.<br />
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As the moon started to pass in front of the Sun I actually started to get into it. At first I was not, but then some breaks in the clouds came and it started to get darker.<br />
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Here we are sporting our $2.00 glasses. Hopefully these things will protect our eyes. <br />
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The views out on the lake during the eclipse were nice.<br />
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I am ashamed to admit it but it was actually a very cool experience. I am glad Carolynn made me go.<br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-33363452594334801222017-08-02T05:54:00.002-05:002017-08-21T21:04:40.947-05:00That Bike will Kill You SonIt has been awhile since my last post. I actually thought about not ever posting again but I recently thought that if I wrote about what has happened recently it would make me feel better. So here we go.<br />
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The past few months have been very hard on me - both physically and mentally. I would say this period of my life is by far the hardest I have ever had for several reasons which I will go over during the next few weeks. But first...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyovy447pgx5kOnjQv7cDKK0Dn7dhNlrO-MdEb7mPEmIdOnYvuNBU1lt2_27UnjuVhqBBtJqdQUqWCuDSbXZEelJJb3jdtYE0fSzoYYBcEF2qjeyXwx3uwP9Qe1ldOPdNPw0RmF95Dyo/s1600/Lockeribs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="202" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyovy447pgx5kOnjQv7cDKK0Dn7dhNlrO-MdEb7mPEmIdOnYvuNBU1lt2_27UnjuVhqBBtJqdQUqWCuDSbXZEelJJb3jdtYE0fSzoYYBcEF2qjeyXwx3uwP9Qe1ldOPdNPw0RmF95Dyo/s200/Lockeribs.jpg" width="128" /></a>Back in April I foolishly decided to participate in an Hare Scrambles race and was involved in an accident out in Big Springs, KS. I got hit from behind by a 250 lb motorcycle that was racing with me. It happened so fast. During the second lap I was moving up from a poor start (motorcycle did not start) and during one high speed section of the course my front end washed out around a corner and I clipped a tree. This threw me into the trail where I was hit, hit very, very hard. I actually thought for a few minutes that I was going to die right there in the woods. Sure I like the woods and riding trails but I sure as hell did not want to die out in them on this day. <br />
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Once I stopped tumbling and crawled off the trail so no one else would hit me I tried to stand. My body was having nothing to do with that. Getting the breath knocked out of you is one of the worst feelings For a couple of minutes I tried to ascertain my injuries and calm myself down. Tom, the rider who crashed into me, and another rider tried to help me but they could not do much. I started to panic because I could not breathe, but once we got my helmet off it was a little better. My back and stomach were killing me and my hand was numb.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYIEItwI3kmEpoJj-eAV5SlUbeCXPu_lhEKAA9axVehkOuUd_ysVxCWm3lG_twrO13vkOrk9EBlIc3o8j6QsQut4iQN613MDbAeQS3MrJpR1X8L54CxLpGscFvbgIDZu8ROcStaizfmo/s1600/hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYIEItwI3kmEpoJj-eAV5SlUbeCXPu_lhEKAA9axVehkOuUd_ysVxCWm3lG_twrO13vkOrk9EBlIc3o8j6QsQut4iQN613MDbAeQS3MrJpR1X8L54CxLpGscFvbgIDZu8ROcStaizfmo/s320/hand.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
After about 5 minutes a trail patrol rider came by. He did not know how long it would take for the paramedics to get to me. By this time I could sort of breathe o.k. It was painful and I was making wheezing sound but at least I was breathing and walking. I asked for help with picking up my bike and getting it started. My ass was getting the hell out of those woods and off the course. After some help I got going again. It was very painful and I had to ride with one hand but I was able to make it out.<br />
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I knew I had some broken ribs and some internal injuries. My hand was numb so I was unsure what damage had been done. From past experience I knew that if we went to the hospital all that would happen is we would wait for several hours in an emergency room in Topeka only to drive home because they said I need to see a specialist. Instead I decided to have Carolynn drive me home and go to my doctors in the morning. Jason and Karry helped us load up. I think someone else also helped but I was hurting so much I really do not remember. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUSaKNXjanixIio5cD_RTs_ybYIsmP6w7CbqVhBZRDXfvkc8dZbrqYHhrdyLgNNVNeNZUE77VdErZJQAnt1GkYNnpy7x_RqCAoBPnxjk2ESIr37LT9Yq2Qy1dikbHQVb9xv-UcEdnyUY/s1600/IMG_20170729_175151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUSaKNXjanixIio5cD_RTs_ybYIsmP6w7CbqVhBZRDXfvkc8dZbrqYHhrdyLgNNVNeNZUE77VdErZJQAnt1GkYNnpy7x_RqCAoBPnxjk2ESIr37LT9Yq2Qy1dikbHQVb9xv-UcEdnyUY/s200/IMG_20170729_175151.jpg" width="150" /></a>The evening was very painful. I could hardly breathe and I hurt all over. The night went by very slowly. Every time I moved or coughed the pain just shot through my body. I could not get out of bed to go to the bathroom so Carolynn had to make me a handmade bed pan. For the next two weeks I used this handy jug when no one was home to help me get out of bed. <br />
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Morning finally came and Carolynn asked how I was doing and if I still wanted to go to the doctors. I could not say "Yes" fast enough. Only problem was I could not move. My back had frozen up. When I tried to move severe pain shot down my spine and into my legs. Images of my little brother John kept flashing in my mind. What kind of damage had I done to myself?<br />
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We ended up having to get my son Christopher up out of bed. I had not seen him in several weeks. Not by choice, well at least not mine. He has grown to hate me for some reason and has done everything in his power to avoid me. I will not get into that right now. Anyway, he grudgingly got up from his drunken stupor (he had just gotten home from parting all night) to help his old dad out. I wish I had film of Carolynn and him trying to get me up out of bed. Every time they moved me I would cry out in pain. After about 10 minutes of trying, Carolynn said she was calling the ambulance. I laid there for a few more minutes contemplating what to do. Finally I decided I was going to get up at all cost. Christopher took my left arm securely in his grip and Carolynn got behind me and and together they yanked me out of bed. Pain shot through my body like I have never felt and Christopher heard his Dad cry for the first time in his life.<br />
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"Ten". That is what I told the nurse at the doctors office my pain level was. I have been injured dozens of times and never have I responded with that number. I guess getting hit by a motorcycle at high speed will do that to a persons body. I ended up having a number of injuries: fractured ribs and spine, collapsed lung, damage to several internal organs and a destroyed left hand.<br />
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I keep thinking back to when I was 16. I had just gotten my first real motocross bike - 1983 CR 250R. After taking my first win at the Homestead Motocross - still the muddiest track I have ever ridden, I decided to head North to race in the Orlando stadium Supercross amateur day. For the first time ever my dad came to watch me participate in a sport. He never came to watch me or supported me when I played baseball, never saw me accept my Broward County Little League Player of the Year award. But he did take a quick break from his Trucking Business (he had a shop in Orlando) to come watch me. I won my heat race in the 250 B class. Lined up for the Main event and proceeded to blast off the gate and into the first turn. My front wheel washed out and about 5 riders ran over me when I hit the ground. After the race all I heard was "That Bike will Kill You Son". My dad never again watched me race. I kept racing but looking back I believe that man was right. dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-87315059806934439892017-05-30T06:08:00.000-05:002017-05-30T08:06:56.880-05:002017 Meltdown Mountain Bike ChallengeThe countdown has begun for this years Meltdown. Only two weeks to go until the big day - June 11, 2017. Get all the info on <a href="http://www.cowtowncycling.com/">www.cowtowncycling.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EJiHYVlHrUzBtKQ-km5skj2xLJzaxEAgqt244GFoae_bUtubsftwKHClsh7Onk-Sc8vD3O1GdZ9_TuajTiBoiDy-OKxpYZaK9UNyAFHgd8JmE5cmjyz1SWXL4vMh1TyTRakD3vfFbC8/s1600/DSC_4004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="1600" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EJiHYVlHrUzBtKQ-km5skj2xLJzaxEAgqt244GFoae_bUtubsftwKHClsh7Onk-Sc8vD3O1GdZ9_TuajTiBoiDy-OKxpYZaK9UNyAFHgd8JmE5cmjyz1SWXL4vMh1TyTRakD3vfFbC8/s400/DSC_4004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
We have custom awards for each class as well as USA Cycling State Championship medals for Kansas licensed riders. <br />
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I decided to try something new this year in regards to the Marathon class. Increasing the distance to 4 hours. This was done for several reasons but mainly because <a href="http://stevetilford.com/2016/04/19/gods-country-mtb-marathon/" target="_blank">Steve Tilford</a> encouraged me to increase the distance to make it more challenging and a true marathon. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cZgqVgrwG10Ya-AB0Qy2iYvEcm8nqsJvx4wFi0Fa-7PK1a6c_1XYXRjXvZMxPYotXmfwkpTXbwGQ3KcKhuO92-BK28UaX2B8T2TCPH8U3dAT_SVRbfnwS1fIEoRFD_LL8taWCKZjzIk/s1600/mockup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cZgqVgrwG10Ya-AB0Qy2iYvEcm8nqsJvx4wFi0Fa-7PK1a6c_1XYXRjXvZMxPYotXmfwkpTXbwGQ3KcKhuO92-BK28UaX2B8T2TCPH8U3dAT_SVRbfnwS1fIEoRFD_LL8taWCKZjzIk/s320/mockup.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
T-shirts are ready to be ordered, but I have a tough call to make. As of this morning we only have 14 athletes registered. Do I pull the trigger on ordering 100 t-shirts and hope we get a good turnout? I did have one idea - order the shirts and sell them on race day with all the proceeds going to the trails. <br />
Flyer below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UBO0aWEoXu3XFGNCuIOuBGkXQdyx1phH0Wn553yWbv2QnbiFsLiMwcUEbhk1vpqBiQgNlZ7uCq2CLAsbJR6uV47adLuwKuOC_joNB8visnrX_gqQlNewrDBsmO1MYcbqXeLnJOAmyIc/s1600/2017+Meltdown+Flyer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UBO0aWEoXu3XFGNCuIOuBGkXQdyx1phH0Wn553yWbv2QnbiFsLiMwcUEbhk1vpqBiQgNlZ7uCq2CLAsbJR6uV47adLuwKuOC_joNB8visnrX_gqQlNewrDBsmO1MYcbqXeLnJOAmyIc/s400/2017+Meltdown+Flyer.png" width="308" /></a></div>
<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-14477811285635179722017-03-06T07:27:00.003-06:002017-03-06T07:27:54.731-06:002017 God's Country Fat Tire FestivalJoin us at the 15th Annual God's Country Fat Tire Festival. 2 days of events at the Lawrence River Trails.<br />
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Details: <a href="http://fattireduathlon.blogspot.com/2017/02/2017-gods-country-fat-tire-festival.html" target="_blank">2017 God's Country Fat Tire Festival</a><br />
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Registration: <a href="https://www.bikereg.com/godscountryfattirefestival">https://www.bikereg.com/godscountryfattirefestival</a><br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-25437329243742411432017-01-20T12:58:00.000-06:002017-01-20T14:51:48.367-06:00Life Without a Phone<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7xEjUxR0V514bQC_ziwoUxEgg_ROg6HxRsf0geM5Y2V8Qmng-A3_5jFyUawVxVrDq5RQgY5fAPaKKEPuN92iVJK9tpRyLP4pWw8HvUAcStji8RY9DFVKzQ9q3qseFPiNJU7I55XoJVE/s1600/No+Phone+Zone+logos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7xEjUxR0V514bQC_ziwoUxEgg_ROg6HxRsf0geM5Y2V8Qmng-A3_5jFyUawVxVrDq5RQgY5fAPaKKEPuN92iVJK9tpRyLP4pWw8HvUAcStji8RY9DFVKzQ9q3qseFPiNJU7I55XoJVE/s320/No+Phone+Zone+logos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Truth be told, I have never personally owned a phone. Work has always provided one for me. Due to this I guess I associate a phone with work. No work, no phone for me.<br />
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It has been 6 weeks since I last had access to a cell phone. I do have a Google number that I have been using for text and calls. Works great and it is free. I also use email more to communicate. Carolynn was worried what I would do if I had an emergency. Turns out 99.9% of the communication via a phone is of a non-emergency situation. Still waiting for the .1% to show its head. If it does I can still make an emergency call from an old phone that I carry to take pictures. <br />
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What have I missed? I do not think much. Only my wife, mom and about 3 friends ever contacted me via my phone. The rest of the calls were work related. Society now communicates via FB, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. Everyone has to be in constant contact. It seems they can not even go to the bathroom without being on their smartphones. I decide to be in contact when I want to and I have really been enjoying it. BTW, I never used my phone while in the restroom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9FIiggJZNj3U6EDpWsgoL5dxiQWiFAgkkRWzJwy6RH2QyRS7_9JOEvhbIRwI8_S9oNbZwNSoHul3UsJwHc3nrAVdx5Di-S0JZEbB3xOwF1wugKddTiwsGArzQMMQKsp0rVJNHIOKmnk/s1600/family.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9FIiggJZNj3U6EDpWsgoL5dxiQWiFAgkkRWzJwy6RH2QyRS7_9JOEvhbIRwI8_S9oNbZwNSoHul3UsJwHc3nrAVdx5Di-S0JZEbB3xOwF1wugKddTiwsGArzQMMQKsp0rVJNHIOKmnk/s320/family.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now if I can only get my wife and son to put down their phones. Every time the family is driving or sitting down, their faces are glued to FB or Snapchat. Personally I now set aside a period of time either daily or weekly to check on social media or say check on stock prices. I used to be constantly checking the Dow and other stock indexes. It used to really stress me out when the market was down. Now I rely on the financial plan that I created for Carolynn and I and just check the market only once a week if I want to. If I go back to day trading this might have to change, but for now I am really enjoying not reacting to every event.<br />
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How long can I last without a phone? Who knows, but for now I am living in the moment and enjoying a Cage Free life. <br />
<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-67750248119235381012017-01-01T14:52:00.003-06:002017-01-01T14:52:53.791-06:002017 New Years Day Ride<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia27r1Hl649bRkYkkd4m89Xu7e8YDgcqJyCyaxA9TpS4eRvUp1o1QTZfP1s6TXRuNEAfoCEkzJkVXgw4OjyyDqBqtQI0tV4syzQZi_Qj9MPf-kLpz-PjqxUDNM4ipHn92Q-3GebmKULg4/s1600/IMG_3239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia27r1Hl649bRkYkkd4m89Xu7e8YDgcqJyCyaxA9TpS4eRvUp1o1QTZfP1s6TXRuNEAfoCEkzJkVXgw4OjyyDqBqtQI0tV4syzQZi_Qj9MPf-kLpz-PjqxUDNM4ipHn92Q-3GebmKULg4/s400/IMG_3239.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Carolynn and I headed over to Lawrence for <a href="http://www.lawrencemountainbikeclub.org/" target="_blank">LMBC's annual New Years Day ride</a>. I believe this is our 17 annual. <br />
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Very good turnout today. I would say well over 50 riders. As one would expect, turnout usually depends on conditions. Today we started at 29 degrees with a small amount of cloud cover. </div>
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Trail boss Art King was happy to announce that the River Trails were all rideable until the sun started to come out. </div>
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Gerard making the Mary look good. I believe this is Gerard's 17th LMBC New Years Day ride also. </div>
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Chuck I do believe you are a little over dressed. And what is up with the boots and that helmet? I will send you a new <a href="http://www.rudyproject.com/" target="_blank">Rudy Project</a> winter helmet to replace that god awful pink unit you have on :-) </div>
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Check out the <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116713196318315798246/albums/6370738069051554641" target="_blank">2017 LMBC New Years Day Ride</a> album for more pictures. </div>
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-31642670920214004272016-12-30T16:43:00.000-06:002016-12-31T20:30:41.017-06:00Leaders MatterA little over 15 years ago I was doing some research for my brother John who was a Quad (Stem cell research) and came upon a great Institute that wanted to change humanity and cure cancer. It was led by a great man who had a dream. I wanted to be a part of that dream which just so happened to be located in the heart of KC.<br />
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I clicked on the Careers tab and as luck would have it there was a position in the Telecommunication field - a field that I was just starting in. I applied along with nearly 100 others (Sprint had just had a massive lay off back then). I really did not have the qualifications for the job but I did have the desire to be a part of this great Institute. Through persistence I got an interview and 2 months later was offered the position. I was so thrilled and ready to begin a new chapter of my life. I thought at the time that I could help the Institute for the rest of my life and be a part its great cause.<br />
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The next 8 years were awesome. The Institute invested in my career, I worked hard and enjoyed being part of this great Institute. Fellow members had smiles on their faces and worked well together. We got things done and we were making a difference. <br />
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When things are good at work you do not realize how important leaders are. You take for granted how all the teams are working well together, how they share ideas and work hard together as a team. I was part of a very good team that, at least in my eyes, contributed to the success. <br />
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Then things started to change. A new CEO & COO came in with new policies. We go from a culture that worked together to fight this monster called Cancer to a corporate culture based on greed, money, who's ass you need to kiss and nepotism at the highest level. It was not about science anymore which is very sad. <br />
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The next several years things slowly changed for the worse. The hierarchical structure that was created just did not work and "bad managers" took advantage. For example, directors hired their old babysitter to work at the Institute - just an FYI, babysitters do not know anything about project management nor construction.<br />
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You know there is a problem when management start to test new technology, the technology that you support, and you are not involved. They can not get it to work but they do not even ask for your advice (even though you know how). <br />
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After 15 years of dedication and hard work my department was "absorbed". Nothing in the budget for me or the services I supported - The "Cloud" and the new poisoned culture had ended my career. dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-88765245999674392922016-08-23T10:46:00.001-05:002016-09-02T13:24:07.848-05:0025 Years of Guilt<br />
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It is hard to believe how quickly time passes. They say that time heals all, but that is not always true....<br />
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25 years ago my younger brother John was involved in an accident that left him a quadriplegic. This destroyed my family both emotionally and financially. Half my life has been filled with guilt, sadness, anger, fear and the ever constant WHY.<br />
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I have tried many times to "move on" but I always seem to go back into a mourning cycle. I know it is a personal weakness of mine. The question is how do I overcome it? For 25 years I have failed.<br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-8109384948278428812016-03-23T12:08:00.000-05:002016-05-09T19:04:26.424-05:00What's an Old Man to Do?<br />
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Looks like winter is finally over and Spring is here which means a slowing of our <a href="http://gravelgrinders.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Good Times Gravel Grinding</a> series. What a season it has been for gravel riding. Some of our rides had close to 100 riders. All of them out having a good time riding gravel. I have used these rides to meet new friends and try to recover from my hip injury and gain some fitness. They have been fun but challenging. <br />
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The 2016 racing season has officially begun for me. What that means right now is not entirely clear to me. I had plans to race the Forward Motion Hare Scrambles series again this year along with some MTB racing. Round #1 at Milford Lake was packed with full "gates". The course had just as much sand as the classes had sandbaggers. I can not remember a time with the winners from the previous season did not move up. This year no one moved up and several riders moved down making the Veteran Advanced 35+ class full. Maybe it is time to make a 45+ or 50+ Advanced class?<br />
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My new number for the year. I sure do miss my brothers. Everyday I think of them especially when I ride. #911 - John Locke : #103 - Joey Locke Rest In Peace my Brothers. <br />
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I broke a cardinal rule when I bought new helmet to race in. Dave Lafond reminded me of this and told Carolynn to drop my helmet in the dirt to prevent any type of crashes. It worked for the most part. <br />
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I personally had a very bad race, results wise, but I rode well for my age. Poor start due mostly due to my hip and the lack of power to get a good strong kick to start my bike. I rode as hard as a 50 year old can against all the young Vet Advanced riders but only got a 13 place finish. </div>
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Part of my problem on this day was coming to the realization that life goes on sometimes without the ones you love. Christopher has decided he does not want to ride/race with me anymore. Why, I do not know. I got back into riding motorcycles so we could do it together. I may have to rethink things. </div>
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This past weekend was another double header for me. Gravel ride on Saturday with the <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116713196318315798246/albums/6263848184573152897" target="_blank">Kings of the Hill </a>ride hosted by Kevin Nierman and his Dirty Dogs team. Fun route with plenty of variety, tough climbs and of course a head wind coming back into town. <br />
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On Sunday Carolynn and I loaded up and headed to round #2 of the Forward Motion series at Walters Ranch. I was on the fence about going. When your head is not in the game it is best to not play. I decided to go and ride and see how I did on a more demanding course. Today's course was really rocky and hilly. I again rode as hard as I could for two hours and only fared slightly better with a 9th place.<br />
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The only good thing on this day was Carolynn and I found a nice restaurant to eat at in Sedalia. Kehde's Barbeque just off the Katy Trail was awesome. If you happen to be in Sedalia, MO stop by and enjoy lunch/dinner. My only suggestion is to share a meal because the serving sizes are very large. I guess I have some big decisions to make. Do I continue on racing Hare Scrambles solo and maybe give another series a try like <a href="http://www.racemore.net/" target="_blank">MORE</a> that has a 45+ class? Will that change anything? Do I see if I can work through these injuries and get back in form so I can race bicycles again? Or is it time to quit racing all together. Maybe take up Masters Swimming or a safer sport. I know I can not run so Triathlons, which I used to really enjoy are out. I do know that not being competitive sucks. I do not like being pack fodder but that is what I have become. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-10970305605928916352016-02-06T20:16:00.000-06:002016-02-07T13:32:35.425-06:00Life Kicked My Ass<br />
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The past year was really hard on me. I felt like I was always fighting something, dealing with a problem or overcoming yet another injury. Basically I was a wreck mentally, physically and emotionally. When I lost my brother Joey it put me over the edge. Suddenly I felt like I was all alone. I was all alone.<br />
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I felt very empty inside with no one to talk to that knows everything. Someone that went through all the hell we did while growing up. Someone who knew all the work and effort I put into trying to be a success. Trying to make a main event. Trying to get in that breakaway and sprinting for that win. When I used to get down I would call Joey and we talked about the good ole' days. One of those days was back in 1987 when I was a top Expert who just got his Pro-Am card. I can still see Joey working on my bike helping me. Those days are just a memory now.<br />
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My life changed forever when my brother John got injured back in the early 90's. You can not even begin to imagine the pain in my heart having to watch him try so hard to gain strength and to live life as a Quad. He lost that battle in 2008. I of course felt loss but part of me was thankful that his misery was over.<br />
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Then in October I lost another brother and suddenly I was mourning the loss of another brother but this one was much worse. Maybe it was because I did not really take the time to mourn John's death. <br />
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Life this past year really kicked my ass not only with death but yet more injuries including what I believe my be CTE (<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy" target="_blank">chronic traumatic encephalopathy</a>) </i>I can not even begin to count the number of head injuries that I have had over the years. Most did come from years ago when I raced motocross, but I also have had plenty of head injuries on my bicycle. Do I have CTE? I do know that I have a lot of the symptoms. I hate doctors but it looks like I have to look more into this. This could explain a lot of things like my dizziness and the headaches I get.<br />
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My latest injury was something I have been dealing with for over a year. After my knee surgery in April it steadily got worse. I tried to just ride through it like I have always done but I finally went to see a specialist. After a MRI with contrast dye, the problem was found - a Labral Tear and some bone spurs. After a lot of research and talking with my doctor I elected to try PT and limiting my activity - basically no hard impact activities like running and no cyclocross last year either. <br />
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The past 2 months I have gone through extensive rehab to see if I can avoid surgery and so far so good. It appears that if I live a moderately active life and avoid strenuous activity I might be able to live a pain free life. That means no more racing, no more standing on the top the podium.<br />
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This is a very hard time for me. The most depressed time of my life. If it were not for my wife Carolynn I do not know what would come of me. All I can do now is take one day at a time and work through my head and health problems. I am very hopeful that I will be strong enough to live a normal happy life. <br />
<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-15234787165542003602015-12-12T16:08:00.002-06:002015-12-12T16:08:55.647-06:00Refueling a B-2 Bomber<br />
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A couple of months ago I got a email from Col Chuck Remboldt, a Commander at the 190th Air Refueling Wing, asking me if I wanted to go a "Orientation Flight". Lately I have been having trouble with dizziness and I have become extremely claustrophobic so flying is not my favorite thing right now.<br />
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After finding out more about the flight I agreed. We would be in a K-135 Stratotanker. It has plenty of open space and we would be able to walk around. The plane above which we flew in was made in 1961. Over 50 years old and still looks and performs great. A testament to the men and women who maintain them.<br />
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Our "ticket to ride" was only validated after an hour long presentation about the history of the National Guard. I wish I would have heard this presentation 30 years ago because I think joining the National Guard would have serviced me well and help mold that young trouble mind of mine. <br />
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The final step before our refueling mission aboard our K-135 was our safety debriefing. The Stratotanker does not have those fancy oxygen mask that commercial airlines have so in case of "sudden cabin pressure lose" we would have to put on these fancy oxygen helmets. <br />
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On the flight over to meet the B-2 bombers I got to tour around the plane and talk to some other of the civic leaders including Samantha Walker Jones who is the newly elected present of the Lawrence Mountain Bike Club. <br />
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The B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. We meet them on the Missouri/Kansas boarder and proceeded west across Kansas on our refueling mission. <br />
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Col Chuck Remboldt did a great job of answering all our questions. I do not know what Steve Tilford asked the Colonel but he sure does look passionate answering it. <br />
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Art King got to ride with the pilots during our takeoff. Art is a member of the LMBC and the main man behind the Lawrence River Trails. <br />
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Each of us got a chance to crawl down with the Boom operator and "help" fuel the B-2's. <br />
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Facilities were available. Just flip up the lid and aim well. Two are available so no waiting. When you got to go you got to go....<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzgNG65glLyiEVr-dk1Qp808IGlpAi64-ZOqf5CRe8DpyVzqOj-YAgX5eTw9XSQGcoThdKvf0g4w33VdEsTrw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Here is my little video of the refueling. <br />
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Thank you to Col Chuck Remboldt and the men and women at the 190th Air Refueling Wing for this once in a life time opportunity. <br />
dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-91455182734492671142015-10-18T19:45:00.000-05:002015-10-18T20:07:17.932-05:00RIP my Brother<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My bedroom door opened near midnight last Friday and the sound awoke me. Through the bright hallway light I see my son walking toward me. He begins to speak and says he has some really bad news to tell me. My first thought was that he had crashed the car. Christopher proceeds to tell me that my older <a href="http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20151009/NEWS/151009084" target="_blank">Brother Joey had been killed</a>. His life taken by some <a href="http://www.weartv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/milton-man-charged-dui-manslaughter-deadly-crash-61260.shtml#.ViQu4Sv5Ld4" target="_blank">drunken scumbag that did not even have a license</a> nor should have even been in this country of ours.<br />
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<div id="introText">
In Loving Memory of</div>
<h1 style="margin: 0px;">
Joey Vaughn Locke </h1>
<div id="dod">
February 23, 1964 - October 9, 2015</div>
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Killed. Still hard to grasp what has actually happened. It has been a week since my Brothers murder. In all honesty I expected him to die in some high speed crash but I did not expect him to be killed by some piece of shit illegal immigrant.<br />
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Both my brothers are now gone. It is so hard to accept this. I keep looking at old photos and remembering all the fun times we had. Then I come back to reality and they are gone.<br />
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Joey was my older brother and was always there for me. I still remember that time while we were hunting on the farm when we were little kids. We were working our way through the woods to another track of land and crossed by a trailer where someone was living. At the time I did not know who it was but it turned out to be my crazy grandmother's sister. I think she was a little mental because she got a gun and started shooting at us. We took off running like a bat out of hell. I heard a few bullets narrowly miss us. I kept stopping to wait for Joey but he kept telling me to keep running. I did not want to leave him. We reached a fence and looked back to see if the crazy lady was still there. We could see her reloading her rifle. Joey grabbed me and tossed me over the fence and told me to run like hell. Luckily the old bitch was a poor shot. I have dozens of more stories. Each one Joey was my protector and was there for me. <br />
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One of the best summers of my life was back in 1990. I spent the summer up at the farm with Joey and his girlfriend Lisa. We spent time on the beach, we shot guns and we also hit a few local races. I remember both of us getting 1st and 2nd on that night in the Open Money class. Joey got the holeshot and took off. I went down in the first turn and broke my rear brake lever. I charge back the entire race and passed over 20 other riders to catch Joey on the last lap. He saw me behind him and just let me by. He wanted me to win because I had ridden so hard. To Joey we had both won and we did. <br />
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My last event I ever raced with Joey was the Cohutta 100 Mountain Bike race. That was one long day in the saddle for sure. Joey and our friend Selby had competed in the shorter event. He always wanted to return to the event and complete the entire 100 mile distance. Ever since he turned 50 he talked about doing more endurance events like we used to. <br />
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Joey had a very hard time dealing with the death of my little brother John. Joey was our older brother and he was supposed to protect us which he always did. Now Joey and John are together again. I love you and will miss you both so much. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-46572565818288390242015-09-04T21:01:00.000-05:002015-09-04T21:01:02.842-05:00Life in The Small ChainringIt has been awhile since I last posted anything so here is a little update. <br />
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A little over 4 months ago I had knee surgery to fix up my right knee in hopes that I could resume my normal riding/racing lifestyle. After all the physical therapy the knee is better (minus the numbness which may never go away) - no more pain at least when I do normal activities. Strength is o.k. but no where near the level I was a couple of years ago. My biggest problem now is my right hip. I am actually afraid to go see the doctor about it because I am really not that pleased with how my by body responded to knee surgery. I would hate to go through any type of procedure on my hip so I have been taking it really easy and hoping that with time I can at least resume a somewhat active lifestyle. The one other problem is my ability to deal with heat. Every time I push myself when it is hot I get really sick. <br />
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I have been riding a lot with Carolynn on our tandem this summer. When the trails were dry which was not often we hit them. When they were wet we hit the road. The temps were down late spring/early summer so we actually got in some nice rides after work and I have not been effected by the heat. I have actually enjoyed the slower paced rides.<br />
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Most of the summer has actually been very fun with no pressure. Carolynn and I had a great time down in Eureka Springs in July. We hit several trail systems including her favorite - Blowing Springs. <br />
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It was time to head to the lake once the normal summer temps arrived. A great time was had out on Beaver Lake. Carolynn's new SUP while a little unstable compared to some models is very fast.<br />
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We never seemed to make any time to visit the tourist attractions when we travel. Well times are a changing. A visit to <a href="http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/eureka7.html" target="_blank">Pivot Rock</a> was in made this past summer. Hopefully these tourist attractions get a little better. I was not impressed with this natural formation. <br />
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We did not play all the time. Some work was actually done this summer. Our hot water heater died on us so my friend Ashley came over and taught Christopher how to replace one. <br />
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Ironically one of the things that may have caused me the greatest damage to my body is the one thing I can still compete at. After surgery I got back on the motorcycle a little soon. It has taken me a couple of months but I have finally built up enough strength to race a Hare Scrambles and finish strong. After winning the first round in March I got my second win of the season this past weekend up in Thurman, IA. Still got sick after the race but at least I had a win to show for it. But is it worth it? What long term damage is happening?<br />
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Another summer in the books and I am still trying to adjust to this new
way of life. A life which has me stuck in the small chain ring. Part of me feels like quitting everything and just living a sedentary life. The other part does not want to give up just yet. dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-62220499662340860502015-05-18T20:09:00.001-05:002015-05-18T21:06:23.620-05:00I Think I Need StitchesWith the high risk sports that my family does, things like racing motorcycles and flying downhill on our mountain bikes, it turns out home is the most dangerous place there is <br />
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I get a call today from my son that he has had an accident. A little slip in the tub and that he broke the ceramic soap dish holder. Damn I think. Another project that I need to add to that ever growing To Do list. <br />
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Turns out the bathroom is the most dangerous place there is in the house. While taking a shower after working all day on the house/yard he slipped in the shower. I asked how he slipped and he just said he did. I left it at that. He told his girlfriend who was over at the time that "I think I need stitches" After inspection she quickly agreed and drove him to the hospital<br />
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No shit you need stitches and a lot more. A tendon was cut so we need to visit the surgeon tomorrow. The ER doc stitched his hand up until we see a specialist.<br />
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After he got home from the hospital I asked Christopher what he was doing in the shower to cause him to slip and fall. I think that shit eating grin says it all....<br />
<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-54381787516314147222015-05-01T08:01:00.001-05:002015-05-01T08:02:38.906-05:00Long Road BackIt has been 10 days since my surgery on my knee. I wish I could say my recovery has gone well but in my eyes it does not look promising. Hopefully I am wrong and things will start to turn around soon. <br />
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Pre-surgery I had a normal pair of cycling legs.I do not think my legs will ever look like this again<br />
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I had a funny feeling going into the operating room. Something inside of me was saying that it is time to quit. Time to settle down and just be a normal sedentary person. Quality of Life is apparently becoming very important to me. <br />
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During pre-op the nurses asked me at least 5 times what leg I was getting worked on. I was not really worried about getting the wrong leg worked on despite some of the stories Carolynn told me. Plus I most likely will have to get my left leg worked on also. The doctor said the procedure should be done all arthroscopically but there was a chance that he would have to make an incision below my patella to remove the cyst. I kept having the above picture in my head of a large incision.<br />
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Luckly everything went well and all done arthroscopically. Although it does not look like it I was actually in good spirits after the surgery. The doctor was able to remove my cyst and he also repaired some of the meniscus and patella damage I had. The osteoarthritis I have can not be cured but is quite common for someone my age.<br />
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I was instructed to "act like a normal person",use RICE and to begin therapy the following day. With pain medication PT went well. I had to stop taking my feel good pills because they caused some major constipation. That is no fun at all. <br />
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Why is it so hard to just sit still. I spent 3 days like this. I started to walk around the house without crutches I had Max for company and to fend off Carolynn's cat Betsy. Those two fought everyday. Now I know what goes on when everyone is at work. <br />
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After 4 days my damn knee looks like shit. Very swollen - 2 inches larger in circumference than my other knee. I do not know if that is normal or not. </div>
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Follow visit to KCOI went well. Despite my knee looking like crap to me the doctor said it looked good and that I appeared to be walking good. The nurses really liked my sexy stockings. </div>
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The doctor said I should wait another week and just walk and do PT. I started to include using my mini cycle trainer. Carolynn bought this thing for years ago to use at work - it fits under your desk and you can spin away while you work. First time using it was weird. Legs just did not want to turn circle even with little to no resistance. Second time was better. <br />
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Weather was really nice on Wednesday so I decide to try and ride really easy outside on my bike. Plan was just to ride around my neighborhood. First back did not go well. Knee felt really unstable. Range of motion was also limited. One of the roads I was on has a very small hill that I do not even think about normally. I tried to ride up it but could not. Knee just would not take the pressure. I turned around and returned home after only riding 4 miles. Looks like it will take a lot longer to recover than I thought. Am I just getting old or is this normal? Either way I have a long road to travel to recover. I am trying to find the motivation to get fit again. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-60722009415226464832015-04-18T19:33:00.000-05:002015-04-18T20:54:50.841-05:00What a Pain in my Knee<br />
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This past month I finally broke down and decided to find out what is going on with my knee. I have not mentioned it very much but I have been hindered by knee pain over the last year. I can cycle o.k. and really do no feel pain much while riding especially if I tape them. After some workouts like running my knee will start to burn and pain sets in. Usually after some some ice and compression I will be fine again in a day or so. During a very busy period of work which included a lot kneeling the pain really started to effect my ability to work. I can deal with taking days off from exercising t but not working.<br />
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I got into see Dr. Browne with KCOI a couple of weeks ago and the x-ray's did not show much other than and old broken fibula and some signs of arthritis . The doctor asked me why I did not put down the broken bone in my patient history. I told him I ran out of space..... After nearly an hour of waiting and examinations it was decided I need an MRI. <br />
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After a week I made the trip down to Leawood, KS again to review my MRI result. Dr. Browne was happy to announce that he found out the cause of my pain. Turns out I have a cyst in my knee. It does not look like much but damn that thing hurts especially when I bend my knee back all the way or kneel down. I also have a torn meniscus <br />
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I plan to have the cyst removed next week. The doctor also said he will clean up the tears of my meniscus. Hopefully they will not find much else wrong. Looking forward to having no more pain in my knee. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-6455077149622848222015-04-03T15:02:00.000-05:002015-04-03T19:35:38.522-05:00Finishing the Ouachita ChallengeThis past December I signed up for another Ouachita Challenge. An event that I have been racing since 2008. The course is hard and challenging but with the proper training, mental toughness and if you can get through Blow Out mountain without bike failures or bodily harm you should be able to finish. Against my better judgment I also signed up Christopher. <br />
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Three years ago I signed Christopher up for his first attempt at the Ouachita Challenge. Prior to that his only other distance event had been the Dakota 50 which he attempted in 2010 when he was 15. Christopher is a good cross country distance rider. He usually sticks to rides/races around an hour which is normal for a teenager I would think. So far all of his attempts at completing Marathon type cycling events came up short. <br />
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Would 2015 be any different? When I registered us I kept seeing this image in my head. I know from first hand experience what it feels like to be dead tired and not wanting to continue on. To have those voices in your head say things like "why did I want to attempt this?" "I just want to quit" and "where is my mommy?". I asked him did he really want to go through the suffering to finish and he said he did. <br />
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The goal was to just finish the Ouachita Challenge. No course records would be set. No awards won. Only the personal satisfaction of finishing. Early in January I gave the above photo to Christopher as motivation and to help him realize that any goal worth attempting would take work.<br />
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I put in enough rides during the winter that I knew I would be able to finish. I was really worried about Christopher because he never wanted to go ride this winter. I do not blame him. Who the hell wants to go ride when it is 15 degrees out?<br />
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I think his first ride of any distance/time was the Mullet Ride back in January. After that he kind of did his own thing which had me very worried about 3 weeks prior to the event. <br />
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About a month ago we headed down to Arkansas for Spring Break. In my mind this would be the decision maker. If he did not put in some long rides and feel good after them then he should not attempt to finish. <br />
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We hit several trail systems including Lake Leatherwood in Eureka Springs. Damn that place is hilly! This was a good thing because it offered up ideal training grounds for the challenge ahead. <br />
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It rained 3 out of the 4 days we were in Eureka Springs. Luckily most of the trail systems down there are very rocky. Despite the rain we got in several long rides. After the trip Christopher confirmed that he wanted to attempt the Ouachita Challenge again, and this time he was going to finish.<br />
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While Christopher was confident I had my doubts. Not only in him but myself. My knees, especially my right knee, have been giving me trouble as of late. It has gotten so bad that I can not even put weight on my knees while kneeling down. Some days are fine but other days I take a handful of pain meds to make it tolerable. More on the knee later...<br />
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We got a bit of bad news two days before the race. During our final ride on Wednesday he said he was having trouble shifting. When I checked everything out I found a broken link on the non-drive side. No bike to ride. Not really the news you want to hear a few days before your big event.<br />
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Luckily we had a spare bike. My Ritchey P-29er was built up for gravel and still had <a href="http://www.cirrem.com/" target="_blank">CIRREM</a> mud all over her and a rigid fork. It took a long cold evening (and several beers) in the garage to switch everything over. With no saddle time on her we loaded up and headed to Tige's house Saturday morning.<br />
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After 6+ hours of Smokey and the Bandit type driving we somehow safely arrived in Oden, AR. Tige wanted to get in a little ride and Christopher wanted to at least ride the P-29er once before the race on Sunday. I am glad we did ride because we ended up doing several adjustments on the bike to get Christopher somewhat comfortable.<br />
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Race morning came too quickly. Before we knew it riders were lining up. I told Christopher before the race to remember to pace himself, eat and drink. If he did not blow up then he could finish. Deep down I had my doubts but I wanted to sound confident. <br />
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The first 10 miles of the challenge are easy. I stayed with Christopher until the final gravel climb before the single track began. After that I rode my own event. Christopher wanted to do this event on his own. The event gets hard once you hit Blow Out mountain. This trail sucks ass. Part of it you can not even ride (at least mortal riders like myself). I was really concerned that Christopher would try to ride the really rocky sections like he did 3 years ago and waste a lot of energy. I later found out he listened to me and walked those sections. <br />
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I was feeling fine up until the Sims aid station at around the 1/2 way point. My legs started to cramp a little. If I am already cramping what the heck is Christopher feeling like? I kept riding and they went away. At the 5 hour mark they came back. The next 1 1/2 hours basically sucked ass. Leg cramps and fatigue. While I was going through my own little misery I kept thinking about Christopher. Did he pull out at Sims? I told him that if he had any doubt that he should bail at Sims as it was the closest to the Start/Finish area in Oden. I had two goals on the day: Finish without suffering and to have Christopher finish (he was allowed to suffer). I finished up in 6 hours 46 minutes. Despite the leg cramps I felt fine. After a quick shower and some recovery food and I go and check the finish area for Christopher. After 7 hrs still no sign of him. 7 hour 15 min still no Christopher. I tell Tige we should load things up and go see if we can find him at the final aid station. As I walk over to the finishing line one last time I hear the announcer say "we have our next finisher from Kansas City, MO, #119, Christopher Locke". The little shit did it! It took 7 hour 30 minutes but he did finish and I am very proud of him! He did not give up and despite only a handful of training rides he finished. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-86288038954762772202015-03-31T06:26:00.000-05:002015-03-31T10:40:41.185-05:002015 Milford Lake Hare Scrambles<br />
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The 2015 <a href="http://www.2012.fmhsc.com/" target="_blank">Forward Motion Hare Scrambles</a> Season has officially begun. You could not have scripted a better beginning to the season. Turnout was very good at over 250 riders - full rows for each class that spread along the entire beach area. Weather was near perfect. Course was fast and fun with just enough technical sections to keep it interesting.<br />
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Carolynn was out on course taking some photos. She got several really good ones like the one above. Check out her photos - <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/116713196318315798246/albums/6132353301527616817" target="_blank">2015 Milford Lake Hare Scrambles Photos. </a><br />
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Milford offers up several cool sections. I really liked the course that ran along the shoreline. Some sections were really rocky and you had to use a lot of throttle control. Views along the shoreline were cool.<br />
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Like I mentioned above all of the classes had full lines. It was hard for some to find a good starting position. Some riders actually started in the water. I got off to good start right behind my old cycling buddy Andy Lucas. I ended up passing Andy along the first rocky shoreline section and found myself in the lead. <br />
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Christopher #845, got a little crowded during his start. It was tight quarters for everyone. <br />
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I think Christopher was a little intimidated with all the riders on his line (nearly 40 riders) and got off to a very poor start. At the end of the first lap he was still down in 27th place.<br />
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After the start there was this tricky rocky section along the shore. Several riders fell victim to it. This is where I got by Andy taking the smooth line along the shoreline.<br />
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Long registration lines caused me to miss practice. This might be a trend for me because the last two Forward Motion races I did not get to practice and ended up getting dialed into the course quickly. Course was dusty in places but overall not bad and allowed for passing in most places except for the tight rocky climbs which only had one line. <br />
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Our friend Jason Schupp won the Trail Rider championship last year and moved up to the Vet 40 class for 2015. He looks good riding the very popular KTM. Orange is his new favorite color. I like the elbow up Jason.<br />
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Christopher settled in and started to "ride the course" worked his way up to 12th place by the end of the race. Nice job standing up son. <br />
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Last years Sportsman's Champion Lauren Stretz moved up to the C class this year. Good form Lauren and I like the Blue. <br />
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I had to ride really hard to keep the lead. I had a nice battle with #731 David Semrad. David lead laps #3 & #4. We passed each other several times during the race. The last two laps were hectic because we would come up on blocked sections of the trail. A rider would be down and was unable to make it up the rocky climbs. All you could do was wait. This really tightened up the fields. I was able to put in a fast last lap, putting several scratches on my new helmet in the process, and secured the win for the day in the Vet C class. </div>
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After our race we volunteered to work the event. Our job was to patrol the 2nd race and then take down the course. It turned out to be a long day with over 5 hours of riding. </div>
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The rest of the working crew await instructions before we begin. Sweeping was fun but stressful. Those top riders in the A and B classes really haul ass and you did not want to get in their way. The hardest part of the day was taking down the course. Christopher and I took down a couple of miles ribbon and arrows. Next time we are going to just walk the course to take it down. Riding and stopping 300 times gets old :-) </div>
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Next up on the calendar is the Ouachita Challenge. It is back to peddling. 60+ miles of trails. I really hope Christopher can finish the event this year. I still remember my first Ouachaita Challenge. It was a fun day riding with Rich. </div>
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-92197622539063269122015-03-07T21:24:00.000-06:002015-03-07T21:24:17.283-06:00Hitting Rock Bottom at CIRREM <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The 7th Annual CIRREM was held last weekend. It was cold as hell (10 degrees) at the start but the gravel roads were frozen and remained that way for the entire event. Conditions were really not that bad for racing and several course records were set including overall male winner Joe Peterson, overall female winter Liz Martin, Single Speed winner Marc Thierry, Fat Bike winner Taylor Webb and the overall tandem winners Dennis Grelk/ChristieAnthony. Basically every category except fixed gear set new records. That frozen gravel sure is fast.<br />
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While other riders were having great rides I was having one of my worse. It has been a rough winter for me. I have put in what I thought was some quality training rides including several <a href="http://gravelgrinders.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">gravel grinders</a>. As with anyone, with enough miles my form comes along nicely by the beginning of Spring. This year that has not been the case. I have reviewed and analyzed my training logs but still have not found a reason for my poor performance. <br />
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Part of me did not even want to go to CIRREM this year. When you are not not felling strong it is easy to stay home. I had already made plans to head up with Tige so I stuck with those plans and we ended up staying with his cousin up in Des Moines IA. It was nice not having to drive the 2 1/2 hours in the early morning like I have always done in the past. After Tige's super secret breakfast and "Dirt" coffee I actually felt good and was looking forward to getting out on course.<br />
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I knew my day was going to be long when within the first 5 miles I went to shift into my big chainring and nothing happened. After a quick look down I see my front derailleur had twisted. I checked every bolt on my bike except that one 5 mm clamp. Nothing to do but stop and fix it. It took awhile, especially with the freezing temps, but I got the cage all lined up and shifting again. I start rolling again in last place.<br />
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After a couple of miles I catch up to George Williams and Chris Orr of Dirty Dogs. All of us settled into a comfortable conversational pace with an focus on finishing. This would become a real challenge later on as with each mile my legs became more tired.<br />
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In past years I usually roll into the half way checkpoint in around 2 hours. This year I was pedestrian slow at 2:26. As a reference my teammate Tige Lamb rolled the first half on a single speed in 1:44. That is really sad when you think about it but when the legs are dead they are dead. The ladies at the checkpoint were offering water, food and hugs. I needed all three just to get up enough motivation to continue on. I filled up my water bottles, got a nice warm hug and tried to ignore the guy who was calling out "if anyone needs a ride back I am leaving now". I downed another cinnamon roll and reluctantly rolled on.<br />
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The next couple of hours were some of the most trying of my life. Each hill got progressively harder. While my energy level was normal my legs were like piece of iron. For about 10 miles I rode with a group of women but they soon left me behind. I stopped trying to figure out what was wrong and just wanted to quit. But when you are out in the middle of Iowa you can not really just put up your hand and ask for a ride home. At one point I stopped just to rest some and eat. A couple of rolls of hay provided a nice shelter from the cold wind. After a couple of minutes I realized I needed to keep going. There was not going to be any sag wagon to pick me up.<br />
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As the miles slowly clicked off and the finishing town of Cummings grew nearer it started to snow. Great, just what I needed. I was cold, tired and hungry but I still had an hour or more to go. The last 10 miles or so skirt the edge of town but then takes you back onto the frozen gravel roads. Part of me really wanted to take that short cut direct route back up to the Cumming Tap but I knew I would not be able to sleep well if I did not complete the entire course and finish.<br />
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Finally the last mile came and I rolled in the finish. 5:38 was on timer stop watch. As I ate my post race meal I questioned whether this would be my last CIRREM and/or my last endurance race. When you are at bottom it is hard to find a reason to continue on. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-21694369803233316512015-02-21T18:29:00.001-06:002015-02-22T18:11:08.365-06:00On the Job TrainingThis Fall/Winter we decided to catch up on some house projects after basically neglecting our home for over a decade. So far things have been going well and Christopher has gotten some "on the job training". He still has no idea what he wants to do in life. He really liked woods class and seems to like working with his hands. Like many young adults he does not know what he would like to do. Other than that he is a hard working kid that will work if you tell him what needs to be done. <br />
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I think the best thing you can do is have your kids try different things. I tried many things growing up and found out early on some of the things I did not want to do for my career. Professional Motocross racer? Sure why not until you nearly kill yourself jumping a huge double (which actually was not intended to be jumped but you had to try it anyway). Truck driver? Not for me - I had trouble keeping away driving at night. Account/Bookkeeping? Not for me. Truck mechanic? Not for me. Stock Broker? I actually wish I would have pursued that career more but I was a little timid in my early 20's. Bicycle Mechanic? If only I could make money working on bikes I would be happy. <br />
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First task before it got cold and the ground froze was to fix an area behind the house. Over the last year water stopped draining away from the house. Still do know know the root cause. I think it was Carolynn's garden that she planted a couple of years ago. The soil she put down so her vegetables would grow basically seemed to cause a dam and did not allow the water to drain away like it has for the past 14 years. It could have been the drain pipe along the side of the house. It was filled with dirt and rocks. As a project I asked Christopher to clear the pipe but he could not find a way. When I went to assist him I came up with a brilliant way to clear the pipe. I used our shop vac and sucked all the dirt out. It seemed to work very well because the next rain the water drained right down the new french drain that Christopher installed. Maybe there is a career in Landscaping for him? <br />
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One thing Christopher has learned is the damage that water can cause. We ended up just replacing this small section of wood rot. The end result looks very good. We also chiseled away some concrete that was causing the problem in the first place. <br />
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It is amazing what termites can do. Luckily we caught them early and only had to repair two sections of siding. Overall Christopher did a good job. He still needs to some carpentry skills but with direction he can do the job. Just do not leave him alone on a project because he seems to waste a lot of time texting :-)<br />
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Some deck refinished was next. Overall the deck was in good shape and just needed cleaning and staining. This project took forever also with Christopher working alone. If you ask me painting is an art. As with the front of the house Christopher needs more patience and develop into an artist. <br />
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One of the next projects was to refinish the kitchen floors. We had several spots with high wear and we wanted to fix the creaking floors. I am happy to report that the creaks are gone and we have a shinny floor. I do not think Christopher will pursue a career in this field. <br />
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Mechanical skills are something Christopher really needs to work on. We worked on several projects on our motorcycles like replacing the chains, sprockets, and installing a new Twin Air power flow kit. I think we found out why we have been going through valves. Dirty air will do that. While disabling the air box boot I found several missing bolts that held the boot to the box. Hopefully keeping a clean air source will allow us to go once complete season without a rebuild. <br />
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The other project we have decided to focus on this winter is refinishing all the wood cabinets. Overall this project is going along nicely. Bathrooms are done and now we are working in the kitchen again. <br />
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Our last project we tacked was replacing the hot water heater. My friend Ashley Blum helped us out on this one because I did not want to blow us up since we have a gas water heater. He worked with Christopher and showed him each step. He even learned to solder and impresses me with his work.<br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-62622534400497228612015-01-25T11:56:00.000-06:002015-01-25T11:57:57.453-06:00Time for a Change<br />
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I thought I posted this already and everyone knew, but I have received dozens of emails about event promotion and our 2015 season. Well it is official - I am taking a break from promoting cycling events. Why you ask? The first reason is my work and what I have to do to grow in that area of my life - see below.<br />
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The biggest reason for not promoting anymore is my family and my team. It takes a lot of hard work and time to promote events properly. I started over a decade ago because I wanted to give back to cycling/racing. When I look at the work that my family/team does to make these events possible and then get turnouts like we had at our last event and get basically harassed about cost (and the way the events are run) and have riders boycott your events. There are turning points in life and that was a big one for me. Add in the changes that USA Cycling have made and it is not worth the risk I personally take to promote. I am not going to ask my family and friends to help anymore unless there is a big change in our area <br />
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It is time to make some change in my career also. Off with the long hair and back to school. I have worked hard at my job and waited long enough. Time to make some serious changes and invest in my life and career. More on this later but many people will be surprised to learn of my new path in life. <br />
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Damn my hair was long. I feel much better now and ready to tackle the next chapter of my life. dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5008370521291895736.post-66179374873669211352014-12-23T15:13:00.001-06:002014-12-24T10:11:49.580-06:00When to Quit?I must confess something. I have a really bad habit of not knowing when to walk away. This dates back to when I was a child. With only a few exceptions I always push through the hard times and keep fighting. A trait I acquired form my parents who never give up no matter how far down in a hole they are. <br />
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But sometimes quitting is the best option. Like back in 1990 when I decided to leave the sport I loved. The only other sport I was ever good at besides baseball. A sport that took part of my families life and nearly mine......<br />
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....on the long drive from Parkland, Florida to Gainsville, FL I felt kind of weird. In the past when I went to race at the famed Gatorback Cycle Park I was always so excited. On this drive I felt kind of empty. I kept asking myself "why am I still doing this?"<br />
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Gatorback is not your typical Florida sand track. I was a sand specialist and even though out of state riders label it as sand it is not. Gatorback is build around an old rock quarry and its dirt and layout is hard. Today I would race two classes but first there was practice. Not to many things can beat the first laps around a motocross track. Flying around on a smooth course with nothing but a big smile on your face. Practice went o.k. but I still felt strange. I had signed up for two classes and was looking forward to doing good - at least winning some gas money back home. Well at least I expected to do good in the first two motos. I knew the second motos would be very hard due to the course breaking down and all the holes developing making the going tough.<br />
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As I line up on the full gate of riders and I go through my normal start routine. A routine that I practiced hundreds of times in my head and when everything goes as planned I usually get a great start. Gates drops and I pull off a great start and lead into the first corner and then plunge down into the "Gator pit" The trip out of the Gator Pit is just as fun - see above. As I re-grip my throttle at the bottom and prepare to accelerate out my rear end hits a square hole and kicks my bike side ways. I stay on the gas but my momentum is gone and I do not make the large double and land on the face of the next jump. The rider in 2nd place jumps over me and hits my head in mid-air. Usually this would not faze me, but with the recent injury to my brother it really effected me. I did my best to continue on racing and ended up getting a top 5. Respectable finish but I was not happy.<br />
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I go back to the pits to rest up and prepare for my other race. Something inside of me said to quit but Chris Locke does not quit. None the less I kept getting these strong feelings to pack up. I clean up my goggles, put on a couple of tear offs, fuel my bike and check over everything. I go lineup to line to start and again get a great jump. I am up in the top 3 but I felt all out of sorts. My mind would not stop thinking about crashing and what would happen to me. As I approach a larger uphill double that used to be part of the layout at Gainsville (before you entered the stadium section and dropped down into the pit). The exit out of the preceding corner was really getting choppy and again my rear end got kick out. This time I did not stay on the gas and just started letting riders go by. As each rider passed I felt their roost hit my chest and face. It was like they were hitting me with small rocks and I felt like I did one day in middle school when some bullies were throwing things at me. <br />
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The checker flag is waved to end the moto. I was never so happy to see that waving black white flag. As I idle past everyone in the pits everything is in slow motion. I feel like everyone is looking at me. I find my pit, throw my bike up on my stand and walk to my trailer to find a friend of my there. I went to get my my video camera and ask her to film me. She obliged and went on to film me state these words - "My name is Chris Locke and I for the first time in my life I quit". I said a few more words and if I can get that old tape converted I will post it up. When I look at that tape and look into my eyes when I announced that I was quitting Motocross racing I see a young man that just made a life changing decision. <br />
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What does all this have to do about today? Well it is closing in on the end of 2014. I have recently had one of my worse years ever racing my bicycle. It is not from that lack of trying either. I have put in some miles and suffered during training just so I can "get up on that Podium". The results have not been there this year (especially in cyclocross) and I feel just like I did back in 1990 when those riders kept passing me. While there were no rocks being thrown up by their rear tires I still felt a pain in every pass that was made on me.<br />
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I am now asking myself is it time to quit bicycle racing? Maybe it is time to put this old dog out to pasture. I guess is comes down to what your goals are. My goal once was to be a professional motocross racer. When I could not longer do that because of fear I released it was time to quit. <br />
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It is a hard decision to let go of any true passion in your life. Currently I have signed up for two endurance events for 2015 - <a href="http://www.cirrem.com/" target="_blank">CIRREM</a> and <a href="http://www.ouachitachallenge.com/" target="_blank">Ouachita Challenge</a>. Signing up for those two was more out of habit than anything else. Based on what I see in the mirror today I will not be signing up for any other events any time soon. <br />
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<br />dirtdobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08538731523571091586noreply@blogger.com0