EB Cycling Club

[Road Guy]

Yesterday we rode from Copper Mountain to Vail Pass, felt good and then decided to go towards vail - was really fun until we realized we had to go back up to vail pass -

All in all legs did pretty good for some 10% slopes at 10,000 feet - but that ride back up to vail pass (from Vail) was a bitch!!!

 

[Road Guy]

Riding through Leadville today and someone put this in the woods.. literally scared the shit out of me when I looked left...

 

[Road Guy]

has anyone taking a mini bike tech class anywhere?  I don't want to take a full master bike tech class but was wondering if anyone had taken any of the ones at REI and if they are any good?

Would like to be able to do my own tuning and not have to always rely on taking and retrieving from the bike shop..

 

[Road Guy]

We have the Tour the Moon this weekend - I have put nearly 600 miles on my road bike this summer and for the most part have enjoyed riding but I am so ready for this to be over and do something else.. 

Anyone who has done this it looks like the fist 5 miles is a gradual uphill and then there is around 5 miles of 7+% grade and then it levels off again? And by level off it goes to 3-5% grade.

 

[cement]

You got this RG.  The 7% is not bad, I thought it was 6.  But it's kind of long and continuous. There's an aid station at the end of most of the climb, great photo op there.  You'll be ready for a break and a snack then.  A joke the wife and I had the first time was "photo op!" when we started getting tired.

There's virtually no climb until you get to the park.  Are you doing the 40 or adding the Fruita loop for 60?  I'd just do the 40 if you're unsure.  An extra 20 miles of flat before the climb won't help except to drain your legs.

Make sure you have the flashing tail lights for the downhill tunnel, and watch your speed there.  I rode thru with dark sunglasses the first time and it was scary as hell. A good forward light wouldn't hurt either.  We saw a pileup in there last year.  The first two tunnels are nothing, they're on the uphill and you can almost see all the way thru.  The downhill one is long and unlit.  We would stop at the switchbacks above to make sure we had a nice gap before going thru.

 

[Road Guy]

We are just doing the 40- we have heard the Fruita loop isn't worth it - plus 3000 uphill is enough workout for me!

They basically require you to buy lights when you register now, I think they have had some accidents - but we have them!

We have done 2500 FT of elevation mountain biking, but that was a slow burn at mostly 2-3% - to me its enough practive but the wife is paranoid she is going to get stuck in between a bunch of overzealous riders.. we plan to try and be near the back of the pack - 
 

It doesn't help that she has had a ton of bike patients in the ICU this summer, and most of them were just bike crashes (no vehicle) it makes her brain overthink stuff..

 

[cement]

I crashed on Saturday at the bottom of the Lake Dillon dam.  Going too fast I skidded out on loose sand, hit my head and was knocked out, then skidded on my face.  Pretty ugly. The bruise on my hip is epic!

not to scare you or anything.

But you guys are really fit, you'll be fine on the climb.  There will be some competitive types on this event, but lots of regular folks too.  The super riders will all take off for Fruita, so you won;t be passed by masses on the uphill.  On these events we usually find a few riders doing pretty much the same ride we are and share the misery.  Then you see them at the lunch afterward and you feel like superman!

 

[Road Guy]

yikes, hope all is ok!  knock on wood I haven't fallen yet!!!!!!!

The wife is worried about going over the side of the cliff...

 

[leggo PE]

The wife is worried about going over the side of the cliff...

This seems very unlikely if she knows how to properly use her brakes and has good grip strength.

 

[Road Guy]

I know, but that's just how her brain works seeing the 0.01% bad things that (might) happen to you in life every day at work.  She has seen so many bad motorcycle patients she freaks out if when one zips past  us on the interstate, similar to PTSD I guess..

 

[leggo PE]

I know, but that's just how her brain works seeing the 0.01% bad things that (might) happen to you in life every day at work.  She has seen so many bad motorcycle patients she freaks out if when one zips past  us on the interstate, similar to PTSD I guess..

That's fair.

 

[csb]

I crashed on Saturday at the bottom of the Lake Dillon dam.  Going too fast I skidded out on loose sand, hit my head and was knocked out, then skidded on my face.  Pretty ugly. The bruise on my hip is epic!

not to scare you or anything.

But you guys are really fit, you'll be fine on the climb.  There will be some competitive types on this event, but lots of regular folks too.  The super riders will all take off for Fruita, so you won;t be passed by masses on the uphill.  On these events we usually find a few riders doing pretty much the same ride we are and share the misery.  Then you see them at the lunch afterward and you feel like superman!

Oh no! I hope you're okay! 

 

[cement]

Oh no! I hope you're okay! 

Feeling better every day, thanks.  Nice to have a pile of sick leave to use.

Finally looked at the bike last night, the derailleur didn't look happy.  LBS had previously said I might be needing a new one soon.

Changing bags of frozen peas and heading back to the sofa.

 

[MA_PE]

Bags of frozen peas?  Which head did you hurt?

 

[cement]

There'll be none of that until the stitches come out.

I've got a hematoma that looks like a pint bag of blood on my hip

 

[Road Guy]

Hope the stitches come it soon!

Did a drive through of

the ride - didn’t look as bad as I thought -

It’s like I’m on the set of city slickers 3

 

[Road Guy]

That last little bit of uphill was F’n bullshit

We opted out of the extra Fruita ride - was windy as F by the time we got to that point.

 

[csb]

Feeling better every day, thanks.  Nice to have a pile of sick leave to use.

Finally looked at the bike last night, the derailleur didn't look happy.  LBS had previously said I might be needing a new one soon.

Changing bags of frozen peas and heading back to the sofa.

When I was in fifth grade, I hit a patch of sand while flying down a hill. I dislocated my elbow and flew through the air, then slid on my side for a bit, putting a flat spot in my Avenir helmet. I don't envy you at all. 

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

I went on my first outside ride in 6 weeks on Saturday. Ouch.

16 miles. It felt like it was the beginning of the season again.

I'm considering finding an early June ride to train for to keep my cycling up - it'd make my boyfriend very happy (though he's more MTB and I refuse due to vision issues). 

I've bike commuted a few times in the last couple of weeks but 3-4mi isn't much and I don't want to go too fast there and get gross before work (no shower here) 

 

[csb]

I went on my first outside ride in 6 weeks on Saturday. Ouch.

16 miles. It felt like it was the beginning of the season again.

I'm considering finding an early June ride to train for to keep my cycling up - it'd make my boyfriend very happy (though he's more MTB and I refuse due to vision issues). 

I've bike commuted a few times in the last couple of weeks but 3-4mi isn't much and I don't want to go too fast there and get gross before work (no shower here) 

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