Dean and Grant
my sons Dean and Grant are not small children anymore
they are each in their later teens
actually Dean is 20!!!
this weekend past was the MoCo Epic
such an Amazing Event
a serious Memory Maker
over the years I have ridden this event in various incarnations
doing the ride with either of my boys was always a highlight...
not easy... but a rewarding pleasure just the same
the bike was definitely part of my boys' childhood
we rode on the city streets
we took all sorts of day trips to the woods
as much as we could we went to local bicycle events
when they were little there was no NICA
youth cycling was no where near what it is now
most of their events were "Just for Fun" events at the adult cycling events
those worked...
the J Bomb at Wakefield as hosted by Trails for Youth were always on our calendar
but of course... youth soccer prevented them from attending everything
then as they got older rowing took priority
my boys are beasts
Dean and Grant are Awesome Boys!
there is so much that I love about them...
it is a parent's duty to be proud of their children and to show it
I am proud of my boys
they give me so much to be proud of
I will admit... I pushed them... expecting a great deal from them... they always delivered
when we did the MoCo Epic or the NoVa Epic... we did 25 or 30 miles...
each of my boys rocked those distances with only minor caterwauling
yesterday was the 2021 Edition of the MoCo Epic
with my Achilles Injury riding was not an option
there was the desire to head up there and take some photos and say hello to some people
but in the last minutes of event planning the mountain bike team I am associated with got pulled in to man an Aid Station
so... representing DCMTB I would assist with the Aid Station
knowing that Sunday there was a conflict... I tried to do some volunteering before hand
knowing I would be attending my younger son's rowing race at the Occoquan near Fountainhead Park it was clear that I could not be two places at the same time
so... I volunteered to pick up the food for the Aid Station
one afternoon I went to Costco and grabbed all sorts of hot dogs, sausages, etc for a Halloween\Octoberfest themed Aid Station
the intention was to attend both events...
Wilson had quite a showing at the Occoquan
as a Senior in HS Grant is the Captain of the Wilson Men's Rowing Team
on this day he would be rowing in the Varsity 8 and the Varsity 4
GO TIGERS!!!
shamefully I just missed the morning race...
tried to time my arrival just right
arrived a few minutes late
totally botched my approach
which had me staying for the afternoon race
when that race ended I rushed to the car with the dog
in the car I checked the GPS
53 Minutes to Aid Station 5
I called Scott Fulton
Scott was the backbone of the Aid Station
I had dropped off the Costco goods at Scotts house for early morning Aid Station pick up
when I talked to Scott I was informed that the Sweep had just rolled past and they were starting to tear down
I would be rushing there for nothing... so I pointed for home
yes... so many great memories of the MoCo Epic
I really wanted to get up there and shake some hands and kiss some babies
but it was not in the cards
had to set my priorities
could not be two places at the same time
also wanted to volunteer at the Aid Station
but at least I was able to contribute to the Aid Station
I must say... an afternoon at Costco is not as fun as working a MoCo Epic Aid Station
perhaps as chaotic... but not as fun!!!
good times for sure...
when the Achilles heals... I will have to get on some dirt with my boys...