2012 Dirty Spokes Duathlon at Fort Yargo

Dirty Spokes, Inc.

Finally! Finally my daughters are getting old enough to actually enjoy competing in something more than a 5K fun run. Our first real race would take place at a familiar location for my family, Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, Georgia. After deciding to quit Gymnastics my oldest daughter, Molly, wanted to stay fit and have an event to train for so we started looking at the calender. Last year my friend David Shabat and I were very successful in the Dirty Spokes Duathlon Series but I hadn't considered it something Molly could do because it was so much running. But when I checked the website I found out Tim had a Parent/Child category. Done!

These great folks put on some of the best races in Georgia. Despite the name they're actually known best for their XTERRA trail running series. And in case you are new to my blog let me tell you "I don't run." It's not what I do. I only have time to be good at one discipline. So running is only for bone density and nothing else. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt so much if I ran all the time. It might actually be fun. But right now it's not fun...to run.

Molly has plenty of nervous energy at registration.

But Molly is young and carefree. She doesn't know that running isn't fun. She's motivated by anything. So we signed her up to race with me in the Duathlon. She would run 3.8 miles in the trail and then I'd bike 11 miles. Of course it being her first race we let her Mom run with her.
So that meant that Mother and Daughter were obligated to start training for the race. Cool.

They both made running a priority for weeks leading up to the race and by the time we got there they were ready to complete the task.

I packed my bike and all our gear into a van and we headed out on what was a beautiful Saturday morning. It started out in the 40's but warmed up to the 50's by lunch time. The breeze coming across the lake kept our jackets on though. Especially the girls. Because girls are always cold.

The park is a fantastic place for events like this. There's plenty of trail to allow the runners and bikers to stay separated. There's camping areas and play grounds and boat docks. If you bring the right stuff it's down right relaxing. I almost always bring the right stuff. I had chairs and blankets and food. Sock hats and gloves. The last thing I want is my girls to be miserable. I need them to like this.

At the start I think I was just a nervous as they were. I felt the erg to jump in there and push some people around if they got to close. But that's just my Daddy/Husband genes kicking in. I know they'll be fine. So I took pictures.

Molly and Lisa are lined up and ready.

My Angels!

Molly was wearing our number which had the timing chip built into it. I'd never seen that before but I liked it. The crowd began to swell with runners of all types. There were the super serious guys who had been waiting at the starting line for 30 minutes. Then we had some mid pack guys seemed intent on going after a personal best. And in the back were the folks who simply wanted to complete the course. I was especially inspired by the lady you see in white behind the girls. I won't say her age but she did fantastic! I only hope I'm doing stuff like this when I'm that age. I love these kinds of people. Most everyone was fun loving and grateful. It good to be around and good for my daughter to be around.

Johnny Garner aka String Bean at the start.

And then there was Johnny Garner. He is evidently warm blooded. He was almost naked. Even I felt over weight next to his skinnyness. But he must know what he's doing because his relay team won their division.

I also saw my good friends from Baxter's Multi-Sport. Ron Miller won in the Solo Single Speed Division. Doc (I don't even know his real name) took Second in his division. The team of Ray Mullins and Nathan O'Neill were Second in their division. Kelly Woodard was 1st Place. And little miss Betty Hodges took home a 1st Place in her category. Great day for the Baxter's crew!

The Start.

The Exchange.

Chad and Molly at the Finish.

After my girls were on course I headed to the van to get ready. My plan, regardless of Molly's time, was to time trial the course. So I needed to warm up. I got ready and went down to the Start/Finish to enter the bike course and pre-ride the first few miles. But by that time the speedsters were back and the transition area was full of action. I rode up next to Johnny who had just finished his first run. We watched folks coming in and I got worried that I would miss Molly (I've done that sort of thing before). So I went and got the camera and asked Johnny to take pictures for me. Molly came running up and we made our exchange. I underestimated the amount of traffic on the trail and had to dial down my expectations. It took me 54 minutes to ride what normally would take between 45 and 50.

Molly waited at the finish for me to arrive. I loved it. I've said before that events are more fun after you've completed them than while you're suffering through them. I know how great it feels to be nervous, take the start line, push through the effort and finish the race. I know how great it feels to finally sit down and relax afterwards. Knowing that you did something cool and maybe beyond what you thought you could do. I was excited for Molly. And for Lisa. Now we were having fun.

 

 We waited around for the awards ceremony to start, hanging out with the Baxter's guys in the sunshine. Which wasn't enough for Molly who wanted to stay bundled up in the chair. I spoil her, I really do. I met a nice guy who rides for Team Iron Data named Jim. He won the Solo division. Really nice guy. The announcer came by to congratulate Molly on a fine win and told her she needed a faster partner. Tim (Dirty Spokes Promoter) came by and encouraged Molly as well.

 

So there you have it. We did our first race together. And I hope there are many more to come. We had a great time thanks to the Dirty Spokes folks. It gets better the more we talk about it. A lot of the credit has to go to my beautiful wife Lisa. She puts up with me and my training and now has another trainee on her hands. But it's not so bad...she's just as competitive as I am. Perhaps one day we'll compete in the Coed division (hint, hint). 

On Sunday it was biking with friends at Gainesville College. I can't help but share some of those great pictures.

Next up is the Chainbuster Race at Conyers Horse Park. I've somehow convinced David Shabat and he's somehow convinced Clint Sanders to be on a team. It's a special team with a special team name. You'll have to wait and see what it is though. It promises to be a ton of fun. I'll take pictures.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend! Check the top of the page for the latest ride and races in North Georgia.

Chad Hayes

Playing With The Box

Normally I'd start my blog posting with the first notable thing that happened in my life last week. I'm a type C personality so I like things in order chronologically. But this week I'll shake things up a little bit and tell you about the last great thing.

In my 40 years of experience through marriage, having children, job, and life overall I've learned some things about, in this case, children's behavior. For instance I know that a child is just as likely to receive your expensive gift, unwrap it... and play with the box it came in more than the gift you spent your time and money on. You can't predict when this will happen either. This principle of child rearing can not be controlled or created. In other words parents, you can't just buy them a pretty box. My understanding of this phenomenon lead me some years ago to this conclusion: Let them play with the box and be happy. Your effort in gift giving paid off... just not how you expected.

Erin Grace, Thomas, Ellie

It's the same for most everything you plan with kids. Camping, biking, vacation, eating out. You make a plan so you have one but if it goes a little different just roll with it and make that fun. This was my plan for Sunday afternoon. I wanted to practice with my new cyclocross bike. I also wanted to take the kids riding. So I packed everything up and we headed to Gainesville State College to ride our bikes. That was the plan. It was me, my daughter Ellie, Erin Grace and Thomas Pattillo. EG, as we call her, was about to ride the trails for the first time ever. She's got a nice pink mountain bike and a determined attitude but I knew my currently non-existent cyclocross skills would be put to the test. For the next hour we made our way through the trail. EG is very small and I was sure she'd have a tough time holding on to the handle bars but she held on and didn't crash. The picture above is a pavilion built out over the swamp. We stopped here and my plan went from biking to baby turtle hunting. Of course the boy wasn't hunting baby turtles he was hunting snakes or wolverines or mountain lions or something.

If I hadn't been the only adult I'd have sneaked off and become a mountain lion just to see what Thomas really would do about it. Anyway, great diversion there. We rode more of the trail and eventually came out onto a nice flat wide open path where EG decided to crash monumentally. Her first serious crash on a mountain bike was on the easiest part of the trail. Perfect. When the dust settled we agreed she was OK and made our way back to the parking lot. Here's where I started making things up. There a cool ropes course down by the lake so we went down there and the kids played while I worked on my CX skills in the field.

Thomas and I rode around the lake together looking for cat fish... or was it barracuda... I don't remember but we didn't see any. The conversations where numerous and diverse. Kids have no filter when you put them in an environment like this so whatever came into their heads came out of their mouths. It reminded me of a country song "She thinks we're just fishin'" by Trace Adkins. We just hung out and let things happen. Thomas found a big stick which was so entertaining, especially for me when I watched him try to get it back to the car while riding his bike. EG and Ellie picked flowers for their Mommy's but I'm sure the Mommy's won't get them until they pull them out of the dryer. We left the College and went to Dairy Queen for some Mini Cookie Dough Blizzards. Who can beat that day!

Check out my youngest rushing the QB

As a roadie I'm in a constant state of training. There's always another event right around the corner that makes me want to train. But my priorities don't begin there. As you know I'm a type C so I need a general plan that can only vary slightly before I start rubbing my temples. Here's my order of priorities: 1. God, 2. Family, 3. Job, 4. Biking. That's not to say that I won't try to incorporate number 4 into the remaining three every chance I get. But if a choice must be made I defer to that list. The list keeps me from getting too consumed by my passion for riding. The list helps my man brain honor what God has blessed me with and keeps me from becoming too selfish. And you'd be surprised how good it actually works out.

On Saturday I got up early to hit the trail with my friends Trace Nabors and Bill Mashburn for about 3 hours. We went early because priority #2 dictated that the ball games of our children be attended. It was great to finally have to put on arm warmers! Chicopee Woods was packed with riders by the time we made our escape. We started at Gainesville State College and rode through the trail over to Chicopee. We then methodically rode every patch of trail there. I left Bill, who had more time and more energy than I did. Trails are in good shape. Thank you SORBA!!!
After flag football it was time for College Football! My wife Lisa is a UGA graduate and insane Bulldog fan. She gets in fights all the time with opposing fans. We've been thrown out of two games. They keep moving our seats every year to make her happy. I sneak chocolate in under my hat because it helps her stay calm in the face of ignorance. I'm serious fellas. Don't mess with this girl about Georgia football unless you want to be embarrassed. I just put my head phones on and pretend I can't see them begging me to call her off.

My new (to me) CycloCross bike.

All my favorite teams lost this weekend. Flag football, UGA, Falcons. Blah! I don't think I'm any better at Cyclocross either. But despite those facts it was a great weekend by any standard. Even if it were bad for me, those kids made more memories of fun and happiness. My wife and I spent fun time together. And I still rode my bike(s)...twice! I deserve some Strawberry Cake.

Benny Bohanan went and rode 103 miles in the mountains for the Tour de Gaps presented by Georgia Cup. Great job Benny! After the ride he had this to say,

"I don't know much about "Georgia Cup" but I got the feeling it is one guy, a camper, and some signs." 

 If any of you readers know Jay you'll find this quote hilarious.

 Pre-Order Pricing for the M3/Hayes/Strong Gaddy Lilly Kits are: Jersey: $35.00, Bibs: $65.00, Kits (OneJersey & One Bib): $95.00

We will take pre-orders between now and Sept 24th 2011.  So If you are interested please get your order in before the 24th. Visit www.habershambicycles.com

Well that's all I have for this edition folks. Tune in next week for who knows what. There are some great Charity Rides coming up next month so ride for a cause! What rides am I doing you ask?

September 25th - Six Gap Century
October 1st - Good News for Gainesville
October 8th - 24 Hours of Georgia Mountain Bike Race - Conyers
October 15th - Lt. Governor's Century - Chestnut Mt.
October 22nd - Nothing. Because my wife seems to think I should let her do something. Silly woman.
October 29th - Tumbling Creek 6 Hour Mountain Bike Race - Gainesville State College

Join me please! We'll have a blast!

Thanks for reading!

Chad