Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta. Hmmm. You might be thinking, "I didn't know the Todds were into car racing." There was a time that we watched NASCAR when James was small, but that was back when we had time to sit and just nap/watch TV on Sunday afternoons. No, today we really don't follow car racing of any sort. So why, you ask, is she posting anything about Road Atlanta. (Come to think of it, if you don't live in Atlanta you probably weren't thinking any of this...)

There is actually a bike race on this road course. It runs backwards from what the cars do and is fairly intense.

As you look at this picture, it may strike you that something is wrong. If you dig back into the recesses of your mind....well, before Oregon (or maybe it was interspersed with Oregon)....you may remember that James catted up to Category 4. This process infamously strikes fear into the hearts of the moms of junior cyclists everywhere, especially 12-year-old ones. Category 4 means you're riding with...you guessed it....MEN. Big men. Men that are sometimes 3 times the size of your child. (Not very often because it is very hard to ride very far on a bike if you weigh over 200 pounds.)

This was James's second Cat 4 race. I was very glad that I was out of town, because 1) it was unbelievably hot the last week of July and 2) I was very nervous about this race. It's a long course and they just keep riding around it (I think it was 45 minutes, but I could be wrong). If you get dropped from the group, it can be a very long, lonely day.

Did I mention a very long, lonely day? James was such an incredible trooper. He just didn't give up. His junior teammates dropped out, but he just kept on pedaling.

I was so proud of him for just finishing the race. I am positive that I wouldn't have made it 2 feet.

This was the first race of Gwinnett BikeFest...the first of 5 races in 5 days that James would do. Guess what our next post will be? You guys are so smart.