All in the family

The story goes something like this. My sister, Becky, went up to visit our parents with her two daughters in tow. Kacey, just a little tyke at the time, brought along her beloved bicycle. Before she even had a chance to jump on board, my dad — her grandpa — had his wrench out to remove the training wheels. He believed she was ready. And, boy, was she ever.

As it turns out, Kacey went on to have some pretty darn good cycling experiences in her life. She ended up capturing six national titles: one Pro National Championship for track (points race) and five collegiate and U23 National Championships in three disciplines (road, track, cyclocross). Kacey also rode on professional road racing teams and performed in World Cup events in Europe.

But there's more. It's unlikely many of you have ever heard of the Red Hook Crit. It was a criterium bicycle race, held annually in Red Hook, Brooklyn, starting in 2008. The series was founded by David Trimble. Red Hook races also were held in three European cities: Milan (Italy), starting in 2010; Barcelona (Spain), starting in 2013, and London (England), starting in 2015. Riders used brakeless, fixed-gear bikes. There were often crashes during the races due to the high speeds and technical courses. It was, at one time, sponsored by Rockstar Games, among others. A women's competition was added to the event in 2014.

Anyway, the point I wanted to make is that Kacey won the first-ever Red Hook Crit in 2008. Beating all the competitors; when it was co-ed. My niece also took first place in the women's Red Hook race in Barcelona, Spain in 2015.

Well, as they say, the apple didn't fall far from the tree in Kacey's own family. Especially, when it comes to cycling genetics.

The photograph gracing today's blog posting is of her son, Huxley, who is two-and-a-half years old. The image was taken within a couple of minutes of getting out of their car — having just arrived at their Pennsylvania home after a long plane trip from India. Huxley's first request was his helmet and bicycle. Just like his great Uncle Patrick, he loves going for a ride.

March madness ...

For the most part, the weather has been cooperating here in Maine and the miles are piling up.

In March, I managed to go for a bicycle ride on 26 out of the month's 31 days. So for the first three months of the year, I've only missed 17 days. Bikes utilized in March included my Trek Domane road machine, the Specialized Crux cyclocross beast, and one two-wheeled gem I haven't had the opportunity to tell you about. But more on that mystery bike in a future blog posting. March miles totaled 690.

For the 2023 season, thus far, I've gone for a pedal 74 times and spun my wheels a total of 1,815 miles. For those keeping track, I'm ahead of last year's pace. Stay safe!

Perhaps one day, in the future, Huxley and I can go for a ride together.