Monday, January 27, 2014

Gran Fondo Hincapie 2013

 Nick has developed a passion for cycling over the past couple of year. Caroline and I went with Nick to his first bike race last year, the Gran Fondo Hincapie.  Nick set goals, hired a trainer, and developed a self-improvement plan to improve his racing experience.

 This year the whole family went. We cheered daddy on from the car this year, since it was 29 degrees at the start of the race. It is amazing the parking you can get when you have kids in the car. Last year, I got right by the finish line, and this year, we were near the finish/starting line.  All you have to do is tell the cop you have kids in the back, and you are a complete shoo in for primo parking!

3-years-old and up also had a bike race, so while Nick was on his 70 mile journey, the kids and I hung out at the festival.  Tillman entered his first bike race. It was all up hill, but Tillman completed it without stopping. He even got a "shout out" from the announcer as he crossed the finished line. He was the only one with a balance bike, and I'm pretty sure he was the youngest. 

 Tillman got a medal for participating, and he was very proud!
Once the kids race was done we enjoyed the jump castles and food.  All while keeping an eye on the Garmin tracker to make sure we were at the finish line to cheer daddy on!  

Tillman enjoyed 3 cotton candies, got some "chip locks" (aka chap stick) and a bike bell from one of the vendors. He is still enjoying the chap stick! 



 After the festival we headed to the road to cheer daddy on!
Here daddy is on the final hill to the finish line. 

Nick crossed the finish line 1 hour earlier than last year. Shaving an hour off of his time was a huge accomplishment, and the kids and I were very excited and proud of him.

Nick finished 41st out of 287 riders.

We had a few celebrity (cycling kind) sightings.  George Hincapie, himself, at the finish line signing a bike.

Here's a photo op with Taylor Phinney, pro racer for BMC.  Clearly Caroline is more interested in her bottle than mingling with the celebrities! 

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