Pit Stops the Kerkove way.
The Pit Crew....of One.
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.
I have been requested by a number of people who have sent me e-mails to give out some of my "pit stop" tips. Well, here are a few that ALL endurance racers should follow, unless your name is Chris Eatough. If that's the case, you have it nailed down, and I wish I was as cool as you are :-)
HOW LONG OF PIT STOPS? During 12 Hour races my longest stops are generally around 15 seconds or less. 12 hour races are run-and-gun, so there is no time to waste.
During 24 hour events, the same goes. If I have a lead, I might take a bit more time. To be successful at these events you have to keep moving forward whether it's at 2 mph or 30 mph.
DO YOU CHANGE CLOTHING? During 12 hour events I can get through an entire event in the same shorts and jersey. If it rains or the conditions change, then i will swap out top and bottoms if the competition allows.
In 24 hour events I will switch clothing at the half-way point if I can (that's if the competition is not close). Once again, conditions such as rain, heat, and yes snow will lead to many changes of clothing.
WHO HELPS? My parents do an awesome job. My mom (look at the nice picture) does most of my fueling and cooking. For 24 hour events you need atleast 2 people to crew, and for 12 hour events I have been able to get by with one. I have 2 bikes, so I don;t have a mechanic at every race. At major raecs I have a bike junkie friend who come along to play mister fix-it.
SOME TRICKS: To make things easy on my crew, I lay out the pit the same at every race. I also have a dry-erase board that I write down what I need per lap (what drink mixes, what E-cap products, etc). This is done before the race. Keeping your pit crew informed makes things run smooth like nice warm butter. I am also very organized. I have all my clothing in one container, all my food in one container, my lights in one container, and cooking and general supplies in one container. That way there is no searching for everything.
One final note. Eat and drink while riding, keep the servings about hand size so you can take it with you and eat/drink it as you start your next lap.
I hope this helps. If you have more specific questions e-mail or post.
Rage On!
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:04 PM
