Saturday, June 30, 2007

2nd Race

Last night was Charlie's first race on the new bike. What a big difference! He didn't transfer to the main, but was in the pack this time. He was leading one kid in the first heat, but then got crooked in the whoop section. The kid ended up passing him near the end. It's just going to take some more practice and time on the bike. Charlie was having a blast regardless. He even went home with a trophy...a new participant trophy that he was supposed to receive last week (we didn't stick around till the end last time).

Charlie had a cheering section too! My mom and her boyfriend, Marcus, Jeff and Amy P. were down trackside giving Charlie encouragement. This seemed to pump him up! I had a hard time getting him to watch the gate, as he was always looking over at the crowd to see who was watching him!

We gave Charlie a bit of Hammer Gel before the race to boost his energy, but it seemed to backfire. He ended up getting a bit of a stomach ache instead. Oops. Just one of the many things we have to learn... We're also excited to try a Sunday morning race. Charlie has a lot more energy first thing in the morning. I think we all do.

We saw a lot of parents racing last night too. Most race in the cruiser class, i.e. the bike has a 24 inch or greater sized wheel. The cruiser class isn't broken down into skill levels, just age group. It just so happens that we have a Redline 24 inch cruiser in the garage. Kristy and I plan to take it to the next practice and see how it goes. If it works out (no broken bones), we may have to enter some races. Just riding each week in practice would be fun too though.

6 comments:

Chris said...

Great job Charlie! Forget the Hammer Gel. Next time just give him a few donuts and he will be good to go.

Make sure you get some good pictures when you start racing. I want to see you kicking it to the side as you clear the table tops.

Jeff Moser said...

Kick it to the side? I'm not sure that stunt gets you cred anymore with the kids. These days you have to light yourself on fire, triple back flip while piercing your nipple, and finish with a Mountain Dew.

~ lauren said...

yay! sounds like a good time for charlie.

glad the bike is working out well too.

Unknown said...

Those are great photos. Glad he is having fun and continuing to participate.
Being there on the track with him will be fun; I know I always enjoyed riding with my son.

Jerome said...

Sounds like a great time for all. I like how the first picture captures him sizing up the competition. Ride on.

Jeff Moser said...

Thanks, guys!