We suited Emily up in her Rain Suit and rubber boots, along with her woolen beanie/"toque" and gloves/"mitts". She was a bit slow to move at first, as I remember being as a young child in all my snowsuit clothing getting prepared for the Canadian outdoors. Em's curiosity and love for puddles overcame the confines of the rubber attire and she explored her surroundings. Unfortunately for her, she fell several times and managed to use her face to brace the fall. She seemed to enjoy "eating dirt" though, which pleased her father and inflated further his dreams for her future as a professional mountain biker. The many spectators of the race, became Emily spectators; and she had a few onlookers and a few cheers after a fall, when Emily was stood up again, fully smiling, amidst the wet mud, on her face.
Bryce decided to do the short race (30 min + a lap, vs 45 min + a lap) as he hadn't been training much and had been sick for the past few weeks. His attempt to "blow it all out" worked and his cold seems to be lessened post-race. He came 2nd in his race, so I think he was pretty happy with his efforts.
The course got slashed with rain the day before the race, so the bikes and riders got covered in mud. Not that seemed to effect the outcome at all. We had hoped to see some muddy carnage with cyclists sliding off their bikes on each corner, but most riders were pretty lucky.
Emily enjoyed watching all the bikes riding together and kept calling out "dada" which is her name for bike. She didn't get much dirtier than this after almost 2 hours in the mud, which was pretty good for the cleanup at the car. What was really cool, was after taking off all of her muddy gear and getting her nice and warm and eating in the back of the car, she cozied right into my down jacket and looked like she was ready to fall asleep. I have always loved being outside, and playing in the cold weather, but the most awesomest thing about doing that is the feeling of warmth you get after you come back inside and get into warm clothing. It was beautiful to watch our daughter learn to appreciate one of the awesome things in life. Next step: introduce hot chocolate and marshmallows to that moment. She will flip.
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