Hiking the Betasso Loop...

I'm excited to say that this has been the summer of several family hikes for the Koels.  This particular day we enjoyed the sights and smells of the Betasso Preserve, a beautiful location with a family-friendly loop for hiking and mountain biking.

There's almost always a few legs of the journey that Gage would rather do from Daddy's shoulders, and Brent is good about accommodating that for as long as his body will allow it. 

Occasionally there are benches along the trail, upon which you can sit and take in the breathtaking mountain vistas.  That's me with the boys.  What a view!

Growing up so fast...

Doesn't Gavin look so grown up in this picture?  The combination of missing teeth and a recent hair cut really does it!

The boys often dress alike, and I know that I orchestrate that sometimes, for sure.  As you can see in these pictures, Gage is our affectionate little sweetheart, and he loves to hug Gavin, even though Big Bro is often so rough with him.

Ridge at 38 Criterium

Along with riding more, I have also been able to race more.  On paper (or according to my power files), I am stronger than I ever have been on the bike.  It has been rough waiting for the results to show up that match what I see in my training.  Finally I broke through in the 35+1-2-3 race at the 38 Criterium in Wheat Ridge.  We all raced together, but the 35+3s were scored separately and I ended up 3rd (11th overall) out of ~60 riders.

Here is the podium shot of the top three places.  My team mate finished right ahead of me and took second place.  I actually enjoyed the race quite a lot.  I had great legs and it was the first time I have raced with the 35+1-2s.  They have a much more tactical race than I am used to and it flows much more naturally through corners because the quality of the racers is much higher and skilled.

The race organizers also had some great kid activities at the race to keep the little ones entertained.  There was a jumpy castle and also one of the beat face painters I have ever seen.

You can see both of the boys with their faces painted.  They were psyched to be lions and tigers together.  It is easy to see that the paint really just is an outward reflection of their inner personalities.

Here are the boys with me after the awards ceremony.  It was a great race and fun to have the family there to cheer me on and celebrate the good results.

Father's Day Car Show

We spent part of Father's Day down at a car show in Boulder with Grandpa Mike.  He had just completed rebuilding his car (seen above) and was happy to show it alongside others and work the car collector scene.  Here are the boys living the high life next to this amazing car.  The car show just so happened to coincide with a visit from Grampa T and Gramma S (Tara's dad and step-mom), so you can see them talking to Grandpa Mike in the background.  This was just about the perfect venue for Grampa T on Father's Day, and we were happy to see them, albeit briefly.

Gage even convinced the guy who owned the car a few spaces over to let him sit in his car for a picture.  It's hard to express how nervous I was that one of kids would ruin some super expensive show quality classic car that was even owned by a member of our own family.  I am not quite sure how we got out of there without a picture of the boys and Grandpa Mike, but we all had a great time seeing him in his element at the car show.

Sonic Boom Kids Criterium

Some of Brent's bike races have had kids' races, too, and it's been fun to have our boys get involved in those.  The Sonic Boom race takes place in Louisville every year, and it was a wet mess this time, actually preventing Brent from racing that day.  But Gavin and Gage got in on the kids' race, and the rain didn't stop 'em!  Gage was among the top contenders in his age group...

...and I think that Gavin got second place in his category!  We were so proud of them both.

That's Gage in the picture above.  You can see how wet it was that day!

Here, Gavin is holding up his ribbon, which entitled him to a Sweet Cow ice cream upon completion of the race.  You better believe that free ice cream brings kids out of the wood work.  Even when they're riding through puddles!