At close to 40 races, I think I may have set a personal record for the number of times I lined up this year. I also competed in several races that I have never done before and that definitely added to the overall quality of the season. I think I will endeavor to add new races to the calendar every year, even at the expense of the one's I normally do. Evan and I traveled and raced together several times this year as well, an experience that very few fathers and sons are able to have together. It is hard to describe how fortunate I feel to be able race at a high level at my advanced age, and the cherry on top is racing with my young son who is also capable of racing in the Pro 1,2 races and even being competitive in some of them. Jd McCay was also with us most of the time and the three of us were able to spend many hours in the RV solving the riddles of life.
One of the races in which we raced together was a stage race in Louisiana. We both raced in the 1,2,3 race and Evan made the lead break in the Road Race and finished 4th. He then got 4th in the TT which put him in 1st place GC (overall) going into the crit! I was over the moon happy for Evan as that race really validated all of the hard work and sacrifice he has invested into the sport. I can tell you that there were some very surprised Cat 1's to have a 16 year old Cat 3 leading after the two most difficult stages. We went into the crit with a plan to try and protect his overall lead but it was not to be. He lost his 1st place but he made an indelible impression on all the participants in the race. I was also very proud of the humble manner in which he handled all of the attention.
Later in the year we raced an incredibly difficult circuit race called the Crawdad Kermesse. I raced in the Masters race earlier in the day and only managed 4th place in a very hard, very hot circuit race. I then signed up for the 1,2,3 race in which Evan would be competing. I didn't really feel like I would be able to finish it because I was exhausted, but I hoped I might be able to help Evan somehow before abandoning the race. On the very first lap, a small group got off the front that I knew would stay away because the largest team was represented. I yelled at Evan to go with it but he hesitated and they immediately established a gap. It quickly became apparent that there was little interest in chasing the break and their lead continued to increase. I decided to go to the front and try to bring the break back close enough for Evan to bridge across either solo or with another rider. I sat on the front for the remainder of the first lap, putting myself into severe oxygen debt, but bringing the break back to about 20 seconds right at the base of the big climb at the beginning of the 2nd lap. To my delight Evan and one other strong rider launched an attack to bridge to the break and they very quickly made it across. My day was done at that point but Evan went on to win the race with a daring last lap attack that saw him ride in alone for the win. I don't remember ever being so proud of him as at that moment.
Not long after the Crawdad Kermesse we traveled to Oklahoma City to race in the OKC Pro Am. We both doubled up on Saturday as I raced and won the Masters Race and then later, entered the Pro 1,2; and he raced the 2,3 race, and then the Pro 1,2. The P 1,2 race was a night time crit with about 65 guys racing. In just the 3rd lap we came around a downhill corner to see a car directly in our path. The peloton veered immediately left and right in an effort to miss the car and the lead moto, which had stopped in front of the car. I barely made it past the car when I heard a terrible crash behind me. I somehow intuitively knew it was Evan. I yelled at no one in particular "was that my son?", and heard the terrible answer from some unidentified rider in the group, "dude, that was your son". I immediately did a U-turn and rode back to the scene to see Evan screaming and writhing in pain in front of the car. He had hit the motorcycle going close to 28 MPH and I was scared to death that he had internal injuries. While I had visions of a ruptured spleen, torn aorta, and assortment of other horrible possibilities, I was incredibly relieved to find out that his knee seemed to be what was causing him the most pain. He had hit his leg on the motorcycle and also hit his ribs very hard on the asphalt after launching high into the air after hitting the moto. He turned out to be very beat up, but without any long lasting or serious injury. We were very lucky that night!
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| Evan after Winning Crawdad Kermesse |
It took Evan almost a month to completely recover, and as a result, he missed what is now my favorite race on the calendar, Tulsa Tough. This year I got 2nd place on Saturday in a 75 man field against a beast of a man, Bret Crosby. Brett races for Elbowz out of Dallas and is a National Champion. I was very upset with myself for not winning that race as I made a big mistake to lose it. I am fine with losing if there is nothing I could have done different in a race, but I was furious with myself knowing I let a big one go by not being in the right position out of the last corner to win out of the four man break. The next day on the Cry Baby Hill course I only managed 5th, but was OK with the finish given how the race played out. The race has become the best organized, best attended, and most fun race on the calendar. The party on Sunday on the Cry Baby Hill course has no equal in the world of bike racing and I plan on being in attendance for years to come
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| The Cry Baby Hill Party in Full Swing |
I closed out the year by winning our local criterium series which was a blast this year, and then also winning the Star Spangled Criterium. I was happy to be able to win these events in the 1,2,3 category which at 50 is getting harder! We have so many talented juniors racing now and I really enjoyed sharing some experience with them, hopefully teaching them a thing or two in the process. Looking back on the year, I am proud of having worked hard to be fit, and racing very close to the best of my potential, if not above at times. I have never been one of the strongest, but have been able to have some success through a combination of hard work, some crafty riding, but mostly sheer will and determination. I am convinced the latter ends up being as important as just about any other factor in a race, and I love to see Evan, when I know he is suffering like a dog, but hanging onto stronger riders
with grit in his teeth and red in his eye. That will carry him a long way in this sport, and in life. Thanks for reading!
