#kappius

[orthopodcyclist]

Preride of Go Nuts race 2 today. Lots of climbing and techy stuff. Fortunately, this bike is ready with my #kappius wheels ready to go wrapped in my Racing Ralphs. And with just a touch of pink. #kappiuscomponents #sufferless #rideschwalbe @gloryboundgyrocobirmingham @alabamaorthospineandsports @noahgallowayathlete #cannondale #leftys #cannondalescalpel29er #mtbtraining #xcracer

[hermeticascetic]

Just Out

A new book about my father Jupp Kappius and Operation DOWNEND has just been finished and is now available on Lulu. Bernard O’Connor, with whom we had the pleasure a few years back already, dived into primary and secondary sources to lay out the ins and outs of Operation DOWNEND in book format. Last time, when he was researching the Tempsford Academy, we had very little help to offer, but this…

[eliflap]

ruote KAPPIUS

nuove ruote disc da Kappius, i tubolari sono larghi 25mm

  new disc wheelset from Kappius, tubulars are 25mm wide

[hermeticascetic]

Remembering Our Ancestors: Josef Kappius Sr.

Remembering Our Ancestors: Josef Kappius Sr.

On the last day of April in 1882, Josef Kappius, our (great-) grandfather, was born in Bochum, Germany to Johann Kappius and his wife Gertrud Haselhorst.  Johann had left his hometown Haaren a couple of years prior and had settled in Grumme, today part of the city of Bochum in North-Rhine Westphalia.  He and Gertrud, who originally came from Störmede, had married on 8 September 1881 in Bochum,…

[hermeticascetic]

Remembering Our Ancestors: Franziskus Xaverius Kappius gt. Reelen

Remembering Our Ancestors: Franziskus Xaverius Kappius gt. Reelen

When Franziskus Xaverius Kappius was born on 3 April 1821, four generations of Kappius farmers had been living in Haaren, where they worked the Reelen farm.  But Reelen’s Xaver was not going to inherit his father’s farm, in fact, none of his three brothers or three sisters did because when Xaver was in his mid-fifties, the farm was lost.  His father Franziskus Heinrich (or Hans, for short) had…

[hermeticascetic]

Happy Birthday, Willi! My Stepdad would have been 87 this day, and he loved Mario Lanza's songs.  Here's to you, Willi.

[hermeticascetic]

Remembering Our Ancestors: Jupp Kappius

Remembering Our Ancestors: Jupp Kappius

Josef Kappius, known to everyone only as Jupp, was born at the onset of the 20th century, on 3 November 1907, in Bochum, Germany.  He was the first child and only son of Josef Kappius Sr. and his wife Antonie Lingemann, both of families that originally came from Haaren at the borders of the Sauerland.  But Joseph Sr. and his brother had already been born in Bochum, where their father Johann had…

[hermeticascetic]

Remembering Our Ancestors: Angela Maria Tacke

Remembering Our Ancestors: Angela Maria Tacke

Haaren, a small but very old village in Germany which today belongs to Bad Wünnenberg, is the place to where we can trace the Cappius/Kappius family in history.  There, they lived since the late 18th century, and there they still live, not all of them, but many.  Their farm and extensive lands, and with them their house name Reele(n), eventually got lost, but parts of the family just moved to…

[orthopodcyclist]

Mountain bike season has, at long last, arrived.  The Go Nuts series (out of Columbus, GA) is my chosen series for the year.  Fewest conflicts and closest races.  Not the largest Cat 1 women field, but the Cat 2 and 3 fields are quite healthy.  There just are not  many ladies who want to race that far (or were forced to several years ago and have not had the good sense to request a down grade).  The races are well done so that is a major plus as well.

I have actually had 2 races in the last 2 weekends (and missed my Red Mountain Composite first NICA race – sorry!).  And to continue the string of twos – got 2nd in both.  The primary take away from these races is that my fitness is much better than last year (and many more before that) AND I am better if I preride the course.  Such a no brainer, right?

The first race (8 days ago) was inconveniently scheduled to start at 9AM eastern Saturday.  I had 6 cases on Friday in the OR, so there was not time for the elusive pre-ride.  However, the pre-race chicken Parmesan was tasty when Madalyn Roberson and I finally made it into town.  The good news for this race was the absence of cold.  I shan’t refer to it as warm or hot because those words are reserved for June and August, respectively.  So, after dragging ourselves up at 6:30 local time (5:30 Central and against my religion on Saturday) we arrived at the race venue.  After registering and getting the bikes ready we split up to warm up.  I wanted to see some of the course.  I had no idea how long the course actually was, and almost did not make it back for the pre-race meeting because I could not find the anticipated shortcut out.

So the race starts and my heart rate spikes to the 170s and doesn’t really go down for the race.  Hits 184 at the finish.  That is actually awesome for me, because I do not think I was pushing myself as hard as I thought when racing in the past – certainly not recently.  I learned that inhalers may need to be a part of my spring racing regimen, unfortunately, with that HR and allergies.  Still, finished second with a large margin from first, but – it was her home course, and she clearly rides bikes a lot, so…

Onto the tween week.  My wrist was sore Sunday and I ended up wearing a brace for the day to let it rest.  I think it objected to a hardtail race?  But that cleared up nicely within 24 hours of rest so, that hurt was over.  BUT, Monday at Red Mtn gym practice I got pegged in the head with a Lacrosse ball.  Those suckers hurt, but the real problem was a neck spasm.  Conveniently I had already scheduled an emergency massage that night anyway after the race for recovery, or something like that.  Neck better, another boo boo eliminated.  Tuesday – wicked case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) either from the race or gym ultimate frisbee the night before, oops.  Unplanned rest day it is.  The rest of the week was a little bit less painful, thank goodness.

Now to race #2.  After stopping at the hospital on the way out Saturday, I headed to Villa Rica, GA for the pre-ride.  Super pumped to have my full suspension Scalpel back with my new Kappius wheels (more efficient with more points of engagement on the wheels and a wider tire print because the rims are wider) – especially when I started on this course.  The first 3 miles are relatively standard, if tight, single track with roots and turns and hills, but the last ~2 miles of the trails are super techy with rock gardens, ledges (up and down – some at the same time…) inconvenient roots and narrow, uphill bridges.  Mostly rideable at speed but a few sections that I was not interested in trying to race pace attempt.  So happy for extra squish.

Race day.  Repeat the 6:30/5:30 situation.  Still against my religion on Sunday too.  My Holiday Inn Express let me down for breakfast.  No apple cinnamon oatmeal.  Just regular oatmeal with cinnamon and sugar you can add – yuck.  At the race venue, a lot of people were already there at 7:30 local time.  And EVERY SINGLE PERSON was mad about the cold.  Temps in the low 40s at that point, but climbing to mid to upper 50s during the race.  Everyone was in a dither about what to wear (like it was the Oscars or something).  I was just hoping to convince myself not to overdress (and slightly failed, but not as bad as I have in the past).

Warm up.  Inhaler.  Then race start.  First 2 laps – awesome, I am in front and feeling good.  Third lap, bonk.  I hit a wall – physical first then mental.  I got passed and could not muster any fight whatsoever.  I believe my legs protested the oatmeal (that is not it, but I like the sound of it).  I know I was afraid of really screwing up some of the techy stuff when my brain quit, but I made everything that I tried just like the first 2 laps.  So at least that was good.  When I got done, I just pulled over and got off my bike seat and stood for quite a while letting my HR and breathing calm down (I do not know how hard I went on the 3rd lap because my HR monitor shifted and was inaccurate).

  Cool down.  Inhaler.  Awards.

Checked phone and began getting reports of the awesome job Red Mountain is doing at NICA Tannehill.  GOOD WEEKEND.

Now to not race for a few weekends – 3 in a row is tough on the body.

XC Racing and all the things that hurt… Mountain bike season has, at long last, arrived.  The Go Nuts series (out of Columbus, GA) is my chosen series for the year. 

[orthopodcyclist]

Podium pic from Sunday. @alabamaorthospineandsports @gloryboundgyrocobirmingham @noahgallowayathlete #kappiuscomponents #kappius #cannondale #rideschwalbe #sufferless