Bike Repair

I've wanted to learn how to do more advanced maintenance on my bikes, and I got the opportunity today. After an hour or so riding around Berry Creek and Singletree, my bike wouldn't shift into the largest cogs, which I need for climbing hills. I got home and decided to overhaul my rear derailleur. I studied up on how to do it and went to work. I even got to use my new chain tool to remove the chain. After over an hour of tinkering and experimenting, I was up and running again. The drivetrain on my mountain bike is pretty shot and needs to be replaced, so it still has some kinks. For instance, the chain link that reconnects the chain is now frozen and won't bend like it is supposed to. So the chain ends up slipping every time that link goes over the cogs. I learned alot from the whole experience. I could have just tightened the cable and not messed with anything else to solve the problem, but then I wouldn't have learned anything. Here's a shot from the top of the first climb I did.


I also took this panorama which turned out pretty well for my first attempt.

Fingertip Flapper

I got my first flapper in a long time today. And it was a bleeder. I decided to enjoy a beautiful Saturday with a nice bouldering session in Wolcott. Started out great and I was feeling really strong. I finished one route that was shown to me earlier this week that I couldn't get because I didn't have the strength. I easily got up that route on the first try today. The hardest part is at the bottom, but the scariest part is topping it out. It is about 20-25 feet high and the feet aren't very good up top. A fall to the crash pad is ok (if you hit it) but still not ideal. I messed around on some other problems and started working this one crimpy balancey bastard (a.k.a. tiny finger holds that require impeccable balance). After trying it a few times I fell off with my right hand on this tiny sloper. Apparently it was pretty sharp because it sliced off the first few layers of skin.


The focus on the pic isn't that great, but you get the idea. I was surprised that it actually didn't hurt that bad. At least until I tried to remove the gauze that I was holding on it. Some kayakers gave it to me at the rock and then I sped home to clean it out.

The lesson from the whole ordeal: bring your freakin first aid kit. As I was getting ready to go to the rock, I thought about bringing it. Internal dialogue = "If I bring it, I won't need it. If I don't bring it, I will need it. But I won't be out that long and nothing will happen anyway." Stupid.

Playing with Photoshop

Clearly I should be sleeping instead of doing this tonight. The first picture is an original.


I thought the first edit was kinda cool with the shirt. I used a filter to add an effect on it.


Then things got a little weird. I thought something needed to go in the cup for some reason.


Don't ask me. I guess my creative juices boiled over.

Saturday Climbing

Went climbing at Seedhouse Rock outside of Steamboat on Saturday. It felt so good to rope up again. At first I was actually pretty freaked out. It has been a long time since I got on a rope. But after my first two climbs I was right back in it. The third (and last) climb of the day was a 5.11, but I think it may have been a little closer to 5.10c or so. I fell on one part, but got the rest of the route clean. After that climb I wanted to do some leading, but everybody else was ready to go, so I figured I would end on a high note and get back to leading another day.


I started playing around with Adobe PhotoShop to edit my pics and realized most of them need very little editing. I'm going to practice with my camera to learn how to use all the features and take better pictures. If I get into it, I may end up buying a nice camera that takes pictures in RAW format so I can do some real editing.

Tight legs

My legs are incredibly sore and my IT bands are so tight that I have been having trouble going to sleep. Maybe it was from the 3 Vail Pass hill climbs I did last week and then hiking up the mountain at Steamboat on Sunday. It's a dull/medium pain that just never goes away and irritates the heck out of me. The only thing that has ever helped me with tight IT bands was Trigger Point Technology. I've tried to lay down hints that it would be a great gift (though expensive) and nobody picked up on it. So I decided it was time to fork over the dough and pay for it. I don't really have money for it right now, but sleeping better and feeling better are worth it.

Better Belly

I'm finally over my stupid stomach issues. I was still cautious of what I ate through Sunday, but much better. I was getting really bored this weekend and set up a slackline in the front yard. I anchored it from our patio post to the bike hitch on my car. Not the best set up because my shocks would give and create slack in the line. Oddly enough you don't want much slack in the line of a slackline.

Yesterday was the first Hot Summer Nights concert in Vail. Every Tuesday some band plays and a bunch of people go and drink a bunch of beer. People seem to go more for social gathering than to watch music. The Reverend Horton heat played yesterday which was pretty cool. I haven't heard most of the other artists for this summer.

I'm planning a camping trip for this weekend. Hopefully I can find a place where we can climb, canoe/kayak, and road/mountain bike that isn't too far away. I'm really looking forward to getting out and spending the night in the wilderness.

As Sick As a Baby in a Germ Factory

I been sick the last few days. No fun in the tum tum. I woke up at about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday night by the outside trash can being blown over by the wind... at least I thought. Within about 5 minutes of waking up I got ridiculous cramps in my stomach and made a bee-line to the bathroom. It was like that for most of the night. I spent Wednesday at home either moaning in bed or passed out on the couch "watching" TV. If I needed anything from upstairs, it was time to go ape and crawl up. My muscles were sore and aching.

Thursday was much better because the visits to the bathroom had pretty much ended. At least until I tried to eat a turkey sandwich. It's been crackers, chicken noodle soup, and gatorade since then. I came to work today because I don't have enough sick time left. I only had about 19.5 hours built up and those 2 days wiped 16 of them out.

I initially thought it might be salmonella poisoning from the big tomato scare, but I don't see how it could be. Upon talking with a co-worker, he said he got this rotavirus from his daughter a week or so ago and it was apparently going around. Looked it up and the symptoms were pretty accurate. Great, I got baby-AIDS. CRAP!!! I just googled "baby AIDS" and it actually came up with the rotavirus stuff. GROSS! I guess you have to be careful what you joke about. It just may come true. OK, back to my super-hydration routine. Give me some Gatorade! (apparently this rotavirus makes you delirious, too.)


This is what you look like if you get baby-AIDS.

The Games

What a weekend! The more I live here, the more I get addicted to the outdoors. Watching and competing in the Teva Mountain games was awesome. I didn't see a lot on Thursday or Friday because I was working. Friday night I ran ice and PBR for the Ozomatli show and made some decent tip money. I was a little apprehensive about doing it, only because I didn't want to wear myself out for the Hill Climb on Sunday. But I shouldn't have worried about the concert, I should have worried about standing in the sun for hours watching the World Cup Bouldering competition. It was sick. I saw Sharma suck it up in the semi-finals and not advance to the finals. I was a bit disappointed, but seeing the other men/women tear it up was amazing. They are stupid strong. After the semi-finals I walked around a bit until they opened the VIP tent next to the climbing wall for the finals. This became a bit of a problem for me. VIP tent = free beer. (Problem 1) I didn't drink that much, but I shouldn't have had any since i was racing the next day. Oh well. I went home right after the finals and had a nice relaxing dip in the hot tub.


I was surprised how un-nervous I was for the race (yes, I just made up un-nervous. Add it to your vocab). I usually don't sleep well the night before and get un-relaxed (see how I did that? Just call me Mirriam Webster). I had stored my bike and other gear at my office in Vail so I wouldn't have to worry about loading it up that morning. They posted the race order at 10 a.m. and had the first racer start at 11, so I knew I wouldn't be rushed. Got on my bike to go check the starting line-up and I was set to go at 11:21:30. I still had some time to kill, so I decided to go check out some of the other climbing competitions. I shifted into my largest cog (the easiest gear, necessary for climbing hills) and disaster struck. My rear derailleur wasn't shifting into gear. It is now about an hour before I am supposed to crush this hill climb, and I can't get into the most important gear. To keep it PC... FUCK!


I raced to a bike shop in Lionshead Village by my office and found that my derailleur hanger was bent. They are installing fire sprinklers in my office, so they got access to my bosses office where I had my bike locked. My guess is that it got knocked over and bent by them because it was riding fine on Friday. bastards. Luckily the guy fixed it pretty quick and I went to change and then warm up. During all of this I was still surprisingly calm, given the fact that I was about to compete in my first race ever and my bike was messed up. After a second trip to the bike shop to adjust the derailleur again, it was time to head over to the start line. No time to warm up. (Problem 2)



Still I was relaxed and just trying to have fun. It helped that one of my friends was checking riders in for the start of the race and I could talk to her. The race started on a ramp, took off down a chute of spectators, and up a short hill to the access road where I would spend the next 20 minutes pushing my legs and lungs to capacity without failure (a.k.a. bust your ass, but don't blow up before the climb). We took off in 30 second intervals and I was the second to start from the Beginners category. I passed the guy in front of me within a mile and was feeling really good. That's a pretty big confidence booster. But I knew I had to slow down or I was dead. I passed a lot of other riders in other divisions which kept me going strong. The whole time I would check behind me for anyone coming up for an attack. Nobody was in sight. AWESOME!!! The Pinarello is mine (they were giving a 2006 Pinarello Galileo to the Beginners winner)!

I kept pumping the pedals. I would check every few minutes to see if I felt like I could push harder just to make sure I was giving it my all. I kept repeating to myself "Smarter, Faster, Stronger" or "Pinarello" to push myself. About 1.5 - 2 miles from the finish a guy came up beside me. Not good. It wasn't the guy I had passed, so he had gained at LEAST 30 seconds on me if I finished with him. I pushed a bit harder and pulled ahead of him. That pace wasn't going to last for long. He attacked again and I couldn't keep up. Another guy passed me. Not good. The Pinarello was gone. I kept pushing it as hard as I could, but I couldn't even get out of my seat to sprint up the last 100 yards. At least I knew I gave it my all and had nothing left. If I wasn't gasping for air, coughing up a lung, and in pain, I would know that I had energy left that could have got me to the top faster. The camaraderie at the top was pretty cool. Everybody was congratulating each other for a great race and strong finish.

I ended up in fifth place out of 13 riders with a time of 39:23. You can check out the results. Scroll down and click on Backcountry Hill Climb. I am under the Beginner Male division. Not sure that the guy who won should have been in the beginner division as he competes in expert mountain bike races, but I'm still happy that I did well.

Teva Mountain Games!

It's Teva-Time, baby! Today is the first day of the games. There isn't alot that I will be able (or care) to do today because I am working. I plan on being a bar-back at the Ozomatli concert on Friday, so I am going to train tonight. Hopefully I will get some decent tips and be able to see/hear the band.

Yesterday I did the hill climb again. There wasn't much wind at my back, so my time wasn't as good, but I pushed pretty hard up the hill. I stood and sprinted the last 200-300 yards which really took it out of me. The important thing is that I recovered quickly and was able to push it back to the end of my ride. I ended up riding around Vail Village to check out the set up for some of the events. After work I helped bag about 100 bags of sand to hold tent poles in place.

I found a few dangerous sites that I am becoming addicted to. Dangerous because it is very easy to spend money on stuff that you didn't plan on buying, just because it is a killer deal and it is cool. At your own risk, check out Steep and Cheap (general outdoor gear/apparel), Chainlove (for the bike lovers), and WhiskeyMilitia (snowboard/surfboard lifestyle stuff). They list one item at a time and sell it until it is gone. Then another item pops up. Everything is between 50% and 80% off. So far I've been strong enough to say no. Not sure how long that will last. Hopefully pretty long since I don't have any money.

Climb Time

I had my first day of climbing on Saturday. We went to the boulder in Wolcott for about an hour. The rock is great because it has pretty much everything on it from easy to kick-my-ass. Wolcott is a quick drive from my place, so I will be able to head down there any time for a quick session. This is Kyle working on the back side of the boulder.

Unfortunately, after this picture my camera took a turn for the worse. The screen got cracked and the metal casing got messed up, too. Luckily I have renter's insurance, so it's covered. My new camera is on its way already.

I pretty much spent the rest of the weekend at the driving range (which re-injured my ribs) and chipping whiffle balls at the house in the front yard. We had a sick game of HORSE going on for awhile. I lost pretty quick though. I'm alot better at home than at the range because I'm not trying to hit the ball as hard as posible. That doesn't mean I'm any good at home either. We just play around with a bunch of trick shots... over the fence and off the hot tub, through the front door, upstairs bathroom window, etc.

This Sunday is the Teva Mountain Games Hill Climb. So far I have done the route twice. Once on Friday and once on Monday. I didn't try to ride too fast either time, but I was still decently pleased with my pace. My bikes are in the shop today for "June Tune." It's basically a full bike tune up at a great price. Not much else going on. I'll keep you up to date as the week progresses.