Eyes wide open

I am one lucky mom.

I had the privilege of accompanying Keller during his first junior category OBRA mountain bike race which turned out to be one of the most incredible parenting experiences EVER!

Keller's first race number!  And his own race bag!! filled with Swag!

Saturday, the morning of the race, Keller was up at the crack of dawn, ready to head into town to pick up his packet.  It was 5:45am, and the registration table would not be open for another 3 hours.  He was so excited!


A view of the campground from up on the trail.

We packed up camp and headed into town, where we would enjoy a nice sidewalk breakfast while parked next to our Corvallis buddies Jesse and Molly.  The first race of the year brought so much excitement as our biking "family" reunites.  It was a great feeling to see so many familiar faces again.

Sidewalk oatmeal and coffee, in downtown Echo

Keller received many wishes of good luck, and I could tell that this made him feel really good.  We did double and triple checks on his bike and pack, just to make sure that he had everything he needed and that his bike was working properly.



Its race day!!!

 It seemed like forever that we stood on the start line, cheering on each group of riders as they began their race.  Keller kept anxiously asking "how much longer?"  and must have gone to the bathroom 10 times.

At last, the juniors and first timers were called to the start line and we made our way to the middle of the pack.  I waited until now to ask Keller where he would like me to be during the race.  Early in the week he stated that he wanted to feel like he was racing alone, but know that I was somewhere close behind.  He motioned that he wanted me right behind him, and believe me, that made me super happy!

Mom and Keller in our matching Team Dirt kit's.  Notice the go pro on my helmet??  I hope I got some good footage!

Keller had a really difficult start to this race.  The neutral roll out was about a mile, and then as soon as the lead truck waved the flag, the riders around us took off.  I realized at that moment, that Keller just did not quite have the energy to pick up his pace as he was looking pretty tired and winded already.  He got really distracted and discouraged watching the other riders whiz by him, and I could see his motivation lessen.  I remained silent.  We rode for some time this way, me behind him, watching him look over his shoulder at the constant train of riders that would pass.  With each pass, I swear I could see him sink a bit lower in his saddle.  

Of course, I tried to offer words of encouragement, and tell him everything was fine, but really he was deflated.  He looked really uncomfortable on his bike, and was keeping a pretty fast cadence... a bit to fast if you were to ask me.  He told  me his upper leg was rubbing on the saddle, and to me his seat looked a bit too high.  UGH!  The last thing I wanted was for him to be uncomfortable, thus leading to a miserable experience.   We were less than 2 miles into a 14 mile ride and he was saying that his butt hurt!  I made a conscious effort not to play into his discomfort, but as I silently rode behind, I began to see all these flaws in his form.  Oh no!  As much as I tried to bite my tongue, the words just spilled out of my mouth and I began giving him little "suggestions" on how he could make himself more comfortable.

By this time, we had reached the very rough, newly built piece of trail that we would be riding today, and I could tell in how Keller was riding his bike that he was not having much fun.   He pulled over on the side of the trail and took a drink of water.  I began talking, and blabbing some mother hen nonsense and Keller just looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Can you just stop giving me suggestions?"

We hopped back on the bikes and began to ride again, and I kept my mouth SHUT.

It was not long after this that I believe an angel was sent to intervene.

His name was J.P., and I would guess to say that he was in his early 30's.  In the hour that we spent together on that trail I learned that he recently had moved to Bend and had not ridden a bike in 15 years before entering a cyclocross race this past fall.  That experience inspired him to get healthy by regularly riding his bike.  The Echo to Red, was his first attempt at a Cross Country mountain bike race and his only goal for the day was to finish and have fun doing so.

This was where it got steep, and the views were so spectacular, walking worked best.

J.P. pulled his bike right in between Keller and I and stayed there until the end of the race.  Every time Keller stopped to get a drink, J.P. stopped too, usually with gasps about how thirsty and tired he was.  And when Keller got off and walked his bike over the section of trail that hung over a cliff at the edge of the river, so did J.P, again with his commentary about how high we were and how insecure he was riding on a trail so close to the edge of the cliff.    It was during this time of the race, riding with J.P.,  that Keller's spirit began to lift.  I purposefully lagged behind giving the two of them space to ride their own race, and at their own pace.

I loved watching Keller's head move from side to side as he took in the beautiful surroundings, and I swear I witnessed the moment when it hit him.  The moment that any mountain biker, trail runner, climber, hiker ect experience when they find themselves surrounded in natures pure beauty and realizing that it was by the strength and power of their own bodies that got them to this incredible place.  It was picture perfect, which is why I had to stop and snap one.  A train, a river, the vineyard, a prairie, and my adorable son pushing his bike up the trail.

This portion of the trail was stunning.  Really incredible.  That is a Vineyard to our right.  Sno Road Winery gives Mountain bikers access to their property.  A very unique trail system.

We had a blast riding through the river section of the trail, with twists and turns and bridges to navigate.  Keller had a burst of energy and loves technical riding like this, so he got quite a bit ahead of J.P. at this point.  I stayed behind J.P. and offered words of encouragement because he seemed to like that.

The climb out of the river section is hard.  A very steep trail that turns to a gravel road along side of the vineyard.  Keller pushed his bike up the trail, and J.P. did too, and then Keller stopped at the top of the trail and took a water break.  J.P. joined Keller and appeared to be pretty tired, as he huffed and puffed and bent over to stretch his back.  We all shared some Hammer Gel's that I had in my jersey, and I encouraged them that they were on the home stretch.  2 more miles to go!

We all hopped on our bikes and began the gravel road to the finish line.  As we came to the intersection of trail where all the other categories riders filtered in, I saw Alleck, my 6 year old, on the side of the trail with his bike in a heap.  Hannah Hart, a fellow mountain biker who chose not to race today took Alleck and some of the other kids on a ride.  Alleck's derailleur malfunctioned with his chain jammed in between the cassette.  They needed me.  So, I gave Keller and J.P. each a high five and sent them on their way.  Keller would be fine, as it was a straight shot back to the finish line.

Trevor, who had finished a short time before, was able to greet Keller at the finish line.  As he tells it, Keller had a fierceness all over his face and was determined to finish the race strong.  He came into the finish chute in a big group of "old men", as Keller describes them, and with J.P. close behind.  Even with me gone, J.P. stayed behind Keller.

Later that day, J.P. came up to thank us for the ride. I think he genuinely enjoyed his race, riding with a 9 year old boy and his mom.  I honestly think that having J.P. along, is what helped to make this first race a pleasant one for Keller.  He wanted to feel like he was riding alone, not with his mom, and I think there at the end, is how it worked out.

Keller walked tall the rest of that day, was excited to ride the trails again as soon as we arrived at camp.  Unfortunately, he ended up in the E.R. with stitches in his leg...... a minor slice to the shin, and he is just fine.

Dad took Keller to the E.R. for 5 stitches, while I stayed back at camp with Alleck for a sunset ride that he had been waiting for ALL DAY.  He and I had a blast, although he told me that he closes his eyes when he rides steep descents!  With big brother in the hospital, I did not exactly take that piece of info well.  We had a conversation about safety while on a bike.  Rule #1:  Eyes remain open.  Wide open.

Sunday, this bridge was nearly under water.  The water was rising!

The next day, our family was all smiles as we rode the beautiful trails of Echo Valley for 5 hours together!  Keller was on fire, and I could tell, that something had changed in him.  He was confident, determined, and motivated, and this time all these things were coming from inside him.  He pushed himself, he struggled, and he may have even given up.  But in the end, as it all played out, he grew up.  It was a beautiful thing, and I am one lucky mom. 




We had a blast.  Team Hammer Nutrition, riding on Niner's.  Thanks to Fuzzy with Niner Bikes, we had a blast!