The Meltdown Mountain Bike Challenge

What: 2018 Meltdown Mountain Bike Challenge
Where: Wyandotte County Lake Park, Shelter #3
When: June 10th, 2018 - see flyer for times
Why: Cross Country Racing at its finest.  Fun and challenging course, custom awards, classes for all abilities, food, free pictures.

Cappuccino - Baldwin City Grinder

My good friend Gerard is helping Baldwin City put on a fundraiser.  Come on out this Saturday for the fun. More info http://gravelgrinders.blogspot.com

Register today: https://baldwincity.recdesk.com/Community/Program  Cost is only $30.00

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.

17th Annual God's Country Fat Tire Festival

Update 4/15/18:

Sunday's race is a GO.  See you out at the River Trails.

Saturday's race results are posted: www.cowtowncycling.com

Pictures:

Art King Photos

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.

Check out the guide here - 2018 God's Country Athlete Information Guide

Flyers below:

Total Solar Eclipse of 2017

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.

Carolynn tries to see the eclipse as it starts. Lots of clouds in the sky but you can still see it at times.

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.

Here we are sporting our $2.00 glasses.  Hopefully these things will protect our eyes.   

The views out on the lake during the eclipse were nice.

I am ashamed to admit it but it was actually a very cool experience. I am glad Carolynn made me go.

That Bike will Kill You Son

It 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.

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...

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. 

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.


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.

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.

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. 

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?

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.

"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.

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.

2017 Meltdown Mountain Bike Challenge

The countdown has begun for this years Meltdown.  Only two weeks to go until the big day - June 11, 2017.   Get all the info on www.cowtowncycling.com

We have custom awards for each class as well as USA Cycling State Championship medals for Kansas licensed riders.
 
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 Steve Tilford encouraged me to increase the distance to make it more challenging and a true marathon. 

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.  
Flyer below:

2017 God's Country Fat Tire Festival

Join us at the 15th Annual God's Country Fat Tire Festival.  2 days of events at the Lawrence River Trails.

Details: 2017 God's Country Fat Tire Festival

Registration: https://www.bikereg.com/godscountryfattirefestival

Life Without a Phone

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

2017 New Years Day Ride

Carolynn and I headed over to Lawrence for LMBC's annual New Years Day ride.  I believe this is our 17 annual. 

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.  

Trail boss Art King was happy to announce that the River Trails were all rideable until the sun started to come out. 

Gerard making the Mary look good.  I believe this is Gerard's 17th LMBC New Years Day ride also. 

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 Rudy Project winter helmet to replace that god awful pink unit you have on :-)

Check out the 2017 LMBC New Years Day Ride album for more pictures.

Leaders Matter

A 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.

 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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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).    

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. 

25 Years of Guilt

It is hard to believe how quickly time passes.  They say that time heals all, but that is not always true....

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.

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.

What's an Old Man to Do?

Looks like winter is finally over and Spring is here which means a slowing of our Good Times Gravel Grinding 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. 

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?

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.

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.

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.  

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.

This past weekend was another double header for me.  Gravel ride on Saturday with the Kings of the Hill 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.

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.

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 MORE 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. 

Life Kicked My Ass

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.

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.

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.

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.  

Life this past year really kicked my ass not only with death but yet more injuries including what I believe my be CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy)  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.

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.  

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.

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.

Refueling a B-2 Bomber

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Each of us got a chance to crawl down with the Boom operator and "help" fuel the B-2's. 

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....

 Here is my little video of the refueling. 

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.