Monday, September 26, 2005

Louie Dog Year 2


Louie Dog Year 2
Originally uploaded by /k.
I forgot to mention it a few weeks ago, but September 6th marked Louie's first adoption anniversary (and his second birthday, we think).

Monday, September 19, 2005

Cougar Mountain 2005


XC Race Starting Line
Originally uploaded by /k.
I finished off the bike racing season last weekend at my first NORBA event, the Cougar Mountain Classic.

Cougar Mountain is held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Sonoma is just south of Napa and north of San Francisco. While a Indy car race track isn't the most ideal place for a mountain bike race, this event did have road and downhill racing also, so I guess it wasn't a bad compromise. The hills outside the race track are rolling and are tall enough to see the Pacific Ocean. Since Cougar Mountain is an official NORBA event, the top 10 finishers in each race's age bracket and category qualify for NORBA National Championships in Mammoth, CA (which was held last weekend.)

I competed in two events: cross country (XC) and Mountain Cross (MTX). I race cross country fairly often (PCRS and Tahoe series are XC) but I hadn't ever actually done a MTX race before.

My XC race was an eye opener. A lot more people, a longer course (8+ miles), a lot faster people and a lot hilly course. That and they used the high-tech RFID-like chips around your ankle to time you. Very high tech, but pretty cool -- they time you down to hundredths of a second. Apparently, the NORBA races are a tad more serious than the PCRS get-togethers. Either way, I finished in the middle of pack, just outside of the top 10 finish that I needed to qualify for nationals. The guy who won my age bracket ended up placing fourth at NORBA Nationals this weekend.

The MTX race was just a lot more fun. MTX races four people at a time down a short, steep track with a number of motocross style jumps. The top 2 from each heat advance while the last two get eliminated. Needless to say, the race can be a little dicey. However, you've got a lot of pads to make sure you don't break too much. My age group had about 10 people and I made it to the semi-finals before I got ousted (So I finished 5th). This means that I did qualify for NORBA Nationals in MTX, but I didn't make the trip down to Mammoth, CA since I had to work.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

MNF Time Again


MNF Time Again
Originally uploaded by /k.
It's September and Monday night, so it can only mean that it's time for the Powerhouse Pub's Monday Night Football party.

Although this year's edition appears to have some different cast members than last year's edition, it's nice to see they didn't loose the "classy" feel they have worked so hard to obtain.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Race 6: PCRS Finale


After Race Beer
Originally uploaded by /k.
We wrapped up the Prairie City Racing Series on Wednesday night and Sacramento Brewing Company was nice enough to sponsor a few kegs for after the races. I got a chance to meet some of the local bike industry guys (Ventana Bikes is in Rancho Cordova). All in all, the PCRS has been a quality racing series. They start up next year in the early spring.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

HOV Tag


HOV Tag
Originally uploaded by /k.
Since the California legislature and federal government passed a law that allowed hybrids to drive in the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes, Shelley and I have been anxiously waiting to get our prius registered. Our wait ended yesterday, when we got our official "HOV Approved" stickers. All four of them. For each bumper and behind each rear wheel well. Suprised they didn't make them glow in the dark.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Race 5: PCRS Flash 3


Biting It
Originally uploaded by /k.
No, this isn't me.

This is actually a "sport" division rider, collecting soil samples the hard way. While the picture makes it look like this guy is bailing on a wicked downhill, actually this is the same set of flat jumps that everyone else rode. He must have been confused by the camera. Or his bright red lycra shorts. Or both.

I won my age division with the same cast of characters from the other races behind me.