Albany Criterium

Sunday was the day of the Albany Criterium. Jim's race was in the morning and he was grouped with the Cat 4/Cat 5. There were about 30 riders in his race.

Jim probably had the biggest cheering section of all...we were quite an impressive bunch. I think there were 9 adults and 4 kids. In the above picture he is near the back making a move on the outside (white helmet and jersey).

The pro race wasn't until the afternoon and the overall turnout seemed really low, so we had the courthouse lawn to ourselves...really pleasant race watching accomodations.

Unfortunately there were a few crashes. One was right at the end of Jim's race where we could see. Another supposedly hit a brick building pretty hard. I'm not a competitive person by nature (I'm not the one you want on your team if winning is important), and I would much rather Jim finish last then crash. Our cheering section plus Jim's training propelled him to 9th place, a good solid finish. He felt good about it and much more relaxed than the last criterium.

We ate lunch at a restaurant that was on the course. Fun to stick around to watch more racing. After lunch we went to a building where they are making a carousel. They have all sorts of animals in all stages of completion.

Then we went back to Jim's parent's home. They set up their zipline with the tire swing to make it easier for the kids.

It was a big hit!

Ezra liked watching. Actually Ezra likes most things, he is just such a happy baby.

Jim's Grandma came over to visit too. It is so nice when we are able to see lots of people. Our trips can feel pretty rushed when we try to do it all.