Tim Racette

2023 is already upon us so here’s a photo dump and quick summary of the past few months. We left off in September, returning to AZ from Spearfish and  it was full steam into Evie’s school semester and me putting on the MBAA enduro series.

Mattie started pre-school, then got kicked out for pushing other kids on the playground. She started at a new school this week, doing well so far…

In addition to doing anything outdoors, she enjoys playing in the snow, toilet paper roll telescopes, scootering, bike riding, putting things in bags, playing with Lucy, climbing, and playing with friends.

We spent Christmas in Spearfish and got to enjoy a few days of -20 degrees (as the high!), but later that week it was back into the 50s. We arrived just after a massive winter storm so we got in some XC skiing, sledding and even a ride through the canyon after the snow melted.

I slipped on the ice near the end of our trip and banged up my other hip (not the one I fractured in 2018). Now they’ll be evenly calloused. It’s been about 2 weeks and it’s feeling much better.

The first MBAA XC race kicked off this past weekend. Nice to get my garage emptied from all the boxes of water bottles, bars, merch and other misc. race prep items.

Enjoy the host of photos from the past few months!

We’re back in AZ after wrapping up a great summer in Spearfish, SD. The new house worked out even better than we could have imagined. Looking back through these photos the start of summer feels forever ago. We did lots of family hikes and playing in the creek with friends along with quite a few house projects.

The summer was capped off with the annual Dakota Five-O, best race / party of the year on one of the hottest days of the year this time around! I’ve been struggling with a hamstring injury, but it was still fun to ride. Evie raced single speed and had a great day. It’s pretty awesome to roll from your door to the start line in less than a minute.

Now that we’re back in AZ it’s full steam ahead working on the 4 enduro races that the MBAA has planned this fall in addition to preparing for the winter/spring XC series. If my hamstring gets better I will likely jump in and race the C4 in Cave Creek, one of the most fun races in AZ with a great post race party as well and close to home!

A few Summer Highlights:

• • Driving in Uncle Gil’s Model T in 4th of July Parade in Belle
  • Tubing the Sand Creek River with the Hansen’s
  • Hammocking by Iron Creek
  • Swimming at Iron Creek Lake
  • Many evening fireside chats by the Solo Stove with friends and neighbors
  • Another Dakota Five-O in the books

Enjoy the photos.

Whew, taking a minute to reflect back on the last few months. In April I raced the Whiskey Off-Road and placed 4th. Raced a great race after years of bad luck and blow ups climbing out of Skull Valley! I followed that up a week later with a win at Flagstaff Frenzy, the final race in the MBAA series.

Been taking a break from riding the past few weeks working on house projects in Spearfish. Will get back on the horse soon and gear up for the 2nd half of the season later this summer.

Right after Flag we journeyed up to our new summer destination in Spearfish. After a few days of thrift store shopping and Craigslist/FB Marketplace furnishings we got things pretty well setup.

Spent the spring mapping out projects and getting things ordered so I could jump on the egress windows right away. Did some yard grading, lots of odds and ends, replaced a bunch of leaky valves, water heater, old wiring, and planned out future projects. It was a productive May.

A quick trip back to AZ to put on the AZ State Champs in Prescott made for a fun MBAA retreat with staff. Got some good plans in place for 2023 and beyond. The fall enduro series kicks off in October so I’ll be prepping for that over the summer along with more house projects, biking, and playing with Mattie.

Lately Mattie’s favorite things are… chasing ducks, looking for deer, honks from trash truck, building forts, and going on hikes/mtb rides. Some photos for your enjoyment. Cheers!