topflightpro

That's because there is one person putting on NCCX. He sets the whole schedule and runs it, and has been for probably 20+ years.

Over the years, others have tried to host events against the NCCX calendar, but turnout was terrible. So people stopped. Now, the other cross series around the state are organized to run before NCCX starts - hence the August and September races.

burnthesheep

Ahhhh, that makes sense. The folks who do Dixie/Herbalife seem organized also, as they alternate the dates for the same time of year perfectly so our guys who crit race can do both and crit to their heart's desires.

Soon as I can, each year I'll do the whole NCCX calendar and travel for the weekends to stay overnight for the Sat/Sun race thing. Age of kids right now that just doesn't work out.

Last year was:
-TT regionals
-2x Cross Central
-1x NCCX
-1x Christmas Cross

This year it appears E3 is putting on the TT series in Greensboro again, they've teased it but no dates yet. I'll use that as a testing grounds for regionals. I wanted to do their duathlon but wife is out of town this coming weekend.

Psimet2001 

We do the whole family thing. Have for the kid's entire lives. Every weekend at least one day all day. Winter is the only rest really. Parker was like 3-4 weeks old when we dragged him out to CX Worlds in Louisville. He didn't last long that day. Wife couldn't breastfeed him in the beer tent because the Belgians were too rowdy.

It's taken 15 years for the eldest to turn his disposition from uncaring, to hating everyone for making him go, to hating everyone for making him race in the rain and the cold, to actively trying, to finally achieving some success. Walked into the basement this morning and found he jumped on the trainer last night even.

Sometimes I envy "normal" people and normal families. ...or even just racers who come out, race their race then go home and have part of a weekend to do other things. Seems kind of cool.

himespau 

Dude, you should have posted here. I could have hooked you up with a place for that. We had a young one at about the same state. I felt terrible about not going to the Worlds when they were a couple miles from my house, but it was cold and crappy out if memory serves and I didn't feel like I could justify leaving my wife and baby for the day to stand around in the cold watching bike racing as much as I wanted to. It wasn't too long after that that family time caused me to take a couple year hiatus from any serious riding.

burnthesheep

I tried to get the kids into it. They won't have anything to do with endurance sport. It's all soccer and likely basketball. The taller/older kid is picking that up now a bit. So I'm glad they have something.

My dad was super lucky growing up that I took to golf how I did and we could go out for a good time all the time while both of us were doing exactly what we wanted. I actually tried that as well before I ever got into bike stuff myself. I tried to get the oldest on the golf stuff and he wouldn't have anything to do with it.

Psimet2001 

Yeah mine hate everything. I don't understand it as I loved sports of all kinds growing up but I also spent a helluva lot of time in front of the TV and whatever rudimentary computer we had. If I had the computer setups that have then I probably would spend all day in front of them as well. We tried the soccer and baseball stuff. The older kid liked baseball but the practices got to be too much for us. So much of kids sports now is about the parents. It's so immersive it's scary. I lose riders every year because they have a kid that does well and all of a sudden every waking moment is that kid's sports.

It is what it is - it is great for many people but it just isn't our thing. Cycling for our kids is that thing we make them do so they get outside at least one whole day a week. They set up the tents for the team in the morning, help set up courses if it's cross, sometimes work as a crossing guard, race their race, help tear down at the end of the day, go out to eat with whomever is staying, etc. There's been some definite benefits to doing it this way for us and them both but there's also a lot of drawbacks. They don't spend a lot of time with kids their own age.

We did make the oldest race in miserable conditions though. Conditions I wouldn't have raced in. "You don't do any other activity or sport so this is your thing. We have dry clothes and a warm tent for when you're done. I'll take you jacket at the start line." There was more than once where I looked into his face as he was climbing a hill in the pouring rain well off the back and out of contention and felt I was a horrible parent. .... but at least he will have memories and cycling will always be something he comes back to throughout his life.

burnthesheep

Well if they care about soccer or basketball whatsoever then they have to at least run at some point. I run off season enough to be competent. It's an age now both will need to start picking up a couple weekly 5k runs if they want to do middle school ball sports. You can't just chase your brother around the yard and expect to be on those teams these days without a little conditioning.

Then I can go with them for that at least.

I wanted them to do cross soooo bad as we live off a greenway network near a pond where I could probably map out a little safe short practice lap. But if they aren't going to do it, I'll just go to the real lap course after work or on team practice nights in that season. I dunno, maybe I should map it out anyway.

That'd be a good futuristic augmented reality thing, practice cyclocross stakes. Lol. Soccer cones it is for now.

hubcyclist

I got my son a road bike in spring 2020, he asked for it, but after a couple of weeks the excitement wore off and basically gave it up the entire summer. He doesn't play sports and playing with other kids isn't super active, so we've been making him ride his bike 4 times a week, which includes Zwift in the winter. I've given up any illusions of him being into it like I am, and he doesn't have to be. it's kind of a gamble to make him do something he'll end up hating, but I think getting him to regularly exercise is more important than anything, since he doesn't have the foresight to see that good habits now will carry into adulthood. He's also involved in swimming and has moved from lessons to a swim team which is 45mins a week, so that's great for him.

Psimet2001 

Very similar to mine. Add to it us making him sit in the tent all day at a race every weekend. Even backup batteries wear out eventually.

The oldest caught on and really does love cross now. Said to me the other day, "I really miss riding outside. Can't wait for spring." I hope the other good things in his life come to him easier than this did.

The 9 yr old sits on the stating line near hyperventilating saying "I'm going to die. Here's how I'm going to die. This is horrible. I'm going to die." the other kids are all smiling and posing for parent's pictures...

caloso

I'm not sure where my kid falls. I'd been dragging him to races since he was little, and he was always game, but never super in to it. He was doing pretty well with soccer up till high school. He got cut from the JV team then his club coach quit to coach his son's travel team and Lucas kind of soured on the whole thing. He tried rugby for a season, wasn't really his thing, then started running track. He did well and the following summer I was expecting him to run cross country, and he surprised me by saying he wanted to race CX instead. And damn if he didn't win the local series as a 15-year old. And he did it again this year as a 17-year old (no series in 2020 due to the pandemic).

Right now, he's all in on track (400 and 800). He's hoping to break 50s in the 400 and 2:00 in the 800. These are fast enough that he might be able to walk on to a Div II or III team in college, but we'll see. We're about 2 weeks from getting most of his college application decisions.

burnthesheep

I have an eye on a local DU or two this year along with TT regionals. I'm finding right now run volume with my riding workouts I'm still equal or up on power on road and TT bike versus regionals last year. Not really cannibalizing much if careful on the intensity and timing of the runs.

I just have concerns with family stuff being able to hit every TT in a series. As you get no podiums per event, just the end. And pretty sure their points are for all events. So missing one pretty much ruins your series. With cyclocross at least they roll the podium out for each race in the series, not just the end. So if you can't do all dozen races, you can still get some accomplishment.

I think I could in a traditional 5k 30k 5k right now go: 21:45, 41:45, 21:45. Maybe should try it one night at our TT/run club group.

carpediemracing 

re: kids, Junior has zero interest in riding a bike right now. He rode each of his bikes about 20 minutes, most of it while in the shop. Thing is that he seems to know what he wants and what he doesn't want, so we don't push him. He comes to races and knows the courses and such, but the actual riding is meh to him. I think part of it is that the standard is so high, so to speak. So he can't do the stuff I do so he doesn't want to try. He sees the kids practicing bunny hops or whatever, bumping drills, etc. He'd rather throw a frisbee or play catch with a nerf football.

On the other hand he's into karate. Goes regularly, super active, one of the more involved students in the class. Since he's now considered "advanced", the class participation ratio has flip flopped. Before it was 20% engaged, 80% not. Now it's 80% engaged, 20% not. He's one of the engaged but now no longer one of the better in the class, simply due to numbers. So I think that's been a challenge. But still, all good.

TMonk

how are you guys getting pro cycling updates? Steephill.tv used to be my outlet but it's not getting updated any more.

caloso

Twitter mostly.

Doge

This is a snag from Junior doing a loop last week. He's not doing fighters, but loves this plane.
His flying future is still unknown and cycling is still what he enjoys. I have no reason to post here much, so I don't. I'll perk up again if he starts racing again.

TheKillerPenguin

That's pretty ****** metal! \m/

hubcyclist

anyone want to jump in the road forum and help me out against the Freds? lol people are offended I've given advice to a poster for wanting to get $3k aero wheels to forget the wheels and train more given a thread they have another forum where they won't train more than like 5ish hrs a week. I dunno, I think as a hobbyist community we should be better than enabling people to make dumb purchases

topflightpro

Nope. I learned to stay out of those arguments a long time ago.

hubcyclist

yeah it's no win, I've never considered myself a troll but I guess I'm persona non grata there at the moment lol

caloso

Well, I'm impressed.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6750907784

Flatballer

If you want the bike industry to stay afloat I wouldn't necessarily recommend making a hobby out of talking people out of luxury purchases.

If it's a college student who is gonna go hungry though, that's one thing. A middle aged guy with disposable income? Meh.

Flatballer

The translation is "Midday Check-in" and I'm very disappointed that it isn't a lot more blue than that.

Have you seen this one?

caloso

Yes, apparently that's the same guy.

TheKillerPenguin

Legend

Flatballer

Nice. That's pretty epic.