Cursing at rocks and the glory of winning!

Well ,I just got back from the 24 Hours of Rapelje, which is just 30 miles west of Billings, Montana, and I am happy to report that I came away with the win in the Solo category. This was one of the strangest 24 hour races I have done. The town of Rapelje only has about 60 people in it , and there is nothing for as far as the eye can see in all directions. The course was a 15 mile loop located in the high plains of the Rocky Mountains. If I had to compair it to any other existing course it would be like Sea Otter (Laguna Seca). Lots of big rolling hills, and NO trees. Instead of trees, there were lots of cactus. If you were not running "slime-like" tubes, you were screwed. I am happy to report, that I did not have any flat tires during the entire race. I did have a major mechanical, but I will talk about that later.

The race started at high noon. It was about 75 degrees, and a strong wind out of the north. The race started with the the always fun Le Mans run. Out of all the racers, I was about the 3 person to my bike. The first lap, I rode with two guys that were doing the "4-man" race. The three of us took turn pulling through on the entire course, since it was wide open. I was the 2nd one back into town on the first lap. I swang by my tent for some H2O, and continued on. Teh 2nd lap was awesome, until the one technical section of the entire course. It was a downhill on some of the local Rimrock. It was about 50 yards long, steep, and full of large loose softball size rocks. Anyway, one of these rocks kicked up and ripped on my X-9 rear derailluer on my full suspension NRS. I had to single speed it back to town, and switch bikes. Because I was single speeding, my speed dropped, and was caught by half the Solo field. NOT GOOD! I was so mad. I got back to the tent, and switchedt o my hardtail. The course was very rough! It was like riding down railroad tracks for the entire lap. The course just ate me up. I had to drop air pressure in my tires and soften up my Fox fork. That did the trick and I continued to rage. I kept turning out laps. I had no idea who was a solo rider on course or a team rider. Everyrider I would pass I would fly by, acting like I wasn't suffering, but i was, to make them think they were in for a long ride.

The laps continued. I continued to eat, drink , and keep an eye on my equipment. It couldn't have went any better. The night riding went pretty quick. The Cateye Stadium 3 light I was riding turned the high plains in to day. My night laps were just as fast as my day laps.

I survived the night with no problems. Day light broke, and looking at the results, I had accumulated a 4 lap lead. For the rest of the race i just keep riding, keeping the pace nice and easy.

In the end, I had turned out 16 laps on the 15 mile loop. The closest rider to me was at 12 in the end. Overall, I felt pretty good. The only thing super sore was my ass, from having to ride the hardtail for 15 laps. I could have asked for a better race. Everything worked good! The WTB Epic Wolf tires had awesome hookup, the Fox fork saved my body, and the Cateye Stadium 3 headlight kept my speed up at night.

I recommend this race to anyone! The people are super nice, the entry fee is only $50, the course will kick your ass, and if you win you get imortalized in local cafe (I am the only solo winner NOT from Montana in the races history). The Stockman Cafe is who gets all the money from this race. They treat you like a god! They serve a meal after the race, that is worth the drive alone. If you are interested in this race check out the website link below

http://cu.imt.net/~yvcc/

It's time to unpack and get ready for work. If you have any questions about equipment, or this race please contact me.

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:28 AM :: ::

Is that a Prairie Dog stuck in your cassette?

Well, It's just about time to leave for Montana. I still have to get everything packed up, but that won't take too long. I figured I will sit here and chug down a pot of the "black-goodness" ,a.k.a coffee, and fill you in on the equipment I will be using to try to take the win this weekend.

Here is the breakdown.

BIKE 1
Frame: Giant NRS Carbon
Fork: Fox F100X
Brakes: Avid Mech. Disc
Controls: Truvativ Team
Components: Sram X-9
Crankset: Truvativ Stylo
Saddle: WTB
Tires: WTB Epic Wolf 1.95
Tubes: Slime PV (this is a recommendation of the race director)
Pedals: Ritchey WCS

BIKE 2
Frame: Giant XTC Alum/Carbon Hardtail
Fork: Fox F80X
Brakes: Avid Mech. Disc
Controls: Truvativ Team
Components: Sram X-9
Crankset: Truvativ Stylo
Saddle: WTB
Tires: WTB Epic Wolf 1.95
Tubes: Slime PV (this is a recommendation of the race director)
Pedals: Ritchey WCS

LIGHTS
Cateye Stadium 3

There is a quick look at the equipment. I have ridden Giant NRS Air's the past 2 year before I was chosen for the Cateye Enduro Team, and I love the way the bike treats you when you sit on her for 24 hours. I would recommend it to anyone, and I am not just saying this cause they are our sponsor.

Last night I par-took in the hammer fest of the Tuesday night road group ride. I was surprised to see the super fast roadie guys didn't show up. They must be planning a taper for this weekends Iowa State Road Race Championships. As for me, I got 5 hours in on the Giant XTC last night. I went out before the group ride and did some speed work on the local training hill. I felt pretty good, but I still fade just a bit when i start to crest the hill so that is something I need to work on. After the hills, I hit-up the group road ride. Once again, I was giving a bad time about being on the mnt bike. I don't let it bother me, I just let my riding do the talking. I felt awesome! I rode at the front all night, did a few attacks. It's goin to be a good weekend.

It's time to pack. I will try to update this "blog" as I find Interents connections between now and next Monday. I hope my race goes well, and I don't have any mechanical problems such as getting one of those Montana prairie dogs stuck in my cassette. That could get pretty messy.

Thanks for reading, and I hope the next time I post, I am telling you about how I won the 24 Hours of Rapelje.

Jeff Kerkove said at 4:52 AM :: ::

Eat, recover, eat, sleep, recover, eat, eat....

WOW! All I have to say is that doing long rides sure does a number to the appetite. During the race season it seems like my grocery bill increases ten fold. I really need to get this under control. Atleast doing long rides keeps the weight off.

Well, I have one more day of work left before I leave for Billngs, Montana. I think tomorrow after work I will hit-up the Tuesday night death march, also known as the Tuesday night road group ride. Once again, I am going to show up on my Giant XTC and hopefully inflict some pain. I know a lot of the fast roadie guys will take it some what easy since this weekend is the Iowa State Road Race Championship over by Dubuque, Iowa.

Today, I went out for just 1.5 hours on the mnt bike to work on leg speed. Just fast enough to keep the heart rate at a calm 140 pbm. I felt pretty good, and hopefully it continues into the weekend. I think I will praise some of my new equipment for this year. The component sponsor for Cateye Enduro is SRAM. I had a been a Shimano guy in the past. Last year, I rode the new XTR dual control levers with disc brakes. That stuff is the shiz-nit! I never had problems with it, and it fits into my riding style. This year we are running the X-9 trigger shifters and rear derailuer. X-9 makes XTR and XT rapidfire shifter a joke. The SRAM X-9 is so precise and solid. There is no play or slop. It's push, and your in your gear. The other cool thing is you shift only with your thumb, unlike Shimano, where you use your thumb and pointer finger. If you get the chance to ride SRAM X-9, or even X-7, you won't be sorry.

www.sram.com

In other news, I see on MTBR.com where Tinker had his bike stolen at gunpoint. That makes me glad I live in the heartland, where the worst thing that can happen is your neighbors cows get out and wonder onto the highway....just kidding! I seen that on MTBR.com, my teammate Eric Warkentin won the solo 12 hour category at the 12 Hours of Weaverville in CA. That dude is fast! Also on MTBR.com they are keeping tabs on the 8 or so guys and gal that are racing The Great Divide mountain bike trail. Those guys are freaks. It sounds like a good time, but I say that as I sit here in front of my computer and not at 10,000 feet in the pooring rain at 2:00 AM.

Well, thats about it. I wil lkeep you posted maybe one more time until after I return from Montana next Monday. Hopefully, I might be able to find a internet connection in Billings and post a few words.

Ride hard!!

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:14 PM :: ::

Here is what I have on tap

Here is a look at the races I plan on raging in. Stay posted, cause I am sure this will change based on how my legs feel and as new races are promoted. Oh, and the price of gasoline.
If you are at any of these races, swing by and say "Hi"

JUNE
24 Hours of Rapelje (Montana)

JULY
12 Hour National Championships (Duluth, Minnesota)

AUGUST
12 Hour Challenge (Mankato, Minnesota)
24 Hours of 9 Mile ( Wausau, Wisconsin)

SEPTEMBER
24 Hour Solo World Championships (Whistler, British Columbia)
12 Hours at Council Bluffs (Potosi, Missouri)

OCTOBER
12 Hours of Sugar Creek (Ferryville, Wisconsin)
24 Hours of Moab (Moab Utah)

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:49 AM :: ::

Jeff got new Rubber!

WA-HOO!! My WTB race tires just showed up today. I am so pumped. I was starting to wonder if they would ever show. Anyway, They sent a bunch of their Epic Wolf tires in both 1.95 and 2.1. It looks like it will be a good all-around tire. Check out the link.

WTB Epic Wolf

I will give a good write up on how these tires perform after I get a crash-course on them in my 24 hour race in Montana next weekend.

I really don't have to much to say today. I went out this morning for an easy spin on the mountain bike. My legs felt pretty good considering last nights carnage road ride. I guess what ever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

I think the reason I stayed strong all last night was because of the Hammer/E-Cap products I have been using. It took me about a year of trail and error for proper nutrition for my endurance events. I tried Hammer's products and low and behold the stuff works. I use a wide range of their products such as Hammer Gel, Perpetum, Sustained Energy, Endurolytes, etc... They offer extensive knowledge on endurance nutrition, and back up all their products no questions asked. I invite you to check them out.

Hammer Products and E-Caps

Well, that's about it. We are having a down moment here at work so I thought I would get a quick blog in. This weekend is our big RAGBRAI Sale. For those of you who don't know what RAGBRAI is, it's a week long ride across the state of Iowa. Actually, it's a week long kegger across Iowa. Everybody thinks it's the biggest thing since sliced bread. When I am out doing my training rides in my Team clothing cars will pull up and ask me if I am training for RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI is a great time for the "Everyday" cyclist, but to the racer folk, it's a joke. I have nothing against RAGBRAI. I have worked it before, being a mechanic out on the route and you meet lots of nice people, but every year it becomes more and more like a college frat party with lots and lots of drinking. I have seen riders pulling full size kegs behind their Cannondale touring bikes in a Burley trailer. Nice! If RAGBRAI sounds like you idea of a good time check it out. They make you register to ride, but not everybody does, and I recommend NOT.

www.ragbrai.org

Thanks for reading!

Jeff Kerkove said at 4:30 PM :: ::

Who says you need a 53?

Well, I just got back from the Thursday night road group ride. It was a tough ride. I showed up for the ride on my hardtail Giant with slicks. The group rides are always tough, cause we have a mixed bag of riders. There are Cat 1's thru Cat 5's. All guys give me crap for showing up on my mountain bike, but to tell you the truth, the pain that you feel during these ride on a mnt bike is about what it feels like at about hour 18 of a 24 hour race. There is really no other way to simulate this pain and suffering.

As for the ride, it started out pretty mellow. We were cruising along at about 22 mph, until we got to the first hill, then all hell broke loose. All the fast guys started to attack, an I was forced to start getting on the pedals. Cresting the hill, I felt pretty good so I attacked and got about a 100 yard gap on everybody. The local "Pro Roadie" caught up quick and we worked together to the next town which was about 5 miles away. I don't have a computer on my mnt bike, so as I gasped for air I asked my partner how fast and he said we were pulling down the road at 33 mph. I was shocked, cause my legs felt good since i was spinning like mad in my 44 big ring.

As for the rest of the ride, we ended up riding for 5 hours, and out of the 11 of us that started the ride only 6 of us made it pack to town in the lead pack. I was thrilled with my perfomance. I feel like things are going to be coming together for the 24 Hours of Rapelje in Billings, MT next weekend.

Thats about it for now. I am pretty tired and I need to crash so I can get up tomorrow and spin the legs out before work.

Thanks for reading!

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:57 PM :: ::

Bored at work...

Who says bike shops are buisy in the summer? I suppose since we just had some nasty weather move through, all the fair-weather cyclists will stay indoors until the sun shines again. Oh Well. I figure I can use this time to rant and rave. We are all caught up on repairs and all the cool bikes are assembled. Check out my employers website:

www.europacycle.com

Lets see....what product am I currently using that kicks ass? How about my Giant NRS Air frame set. This thing rocks. I have riden the NRS Air's from the last two years, and this one takes the cake. The main frame is now carbon, which has a high "bling-bling" factor. Plus, Giant has upgraded the rear shock from Rock Shox to Fox. This is the biggest improvement. There is to more topping out or bottoming out. It's always smooth like bud'er. The weight of the bike has dropped a bit, but the biggest thing the carbon adds is it soaks up a lot of the little trail chatter. Thanks Giant!!!

www.giant-bicycles.com

This morning I got a 3 hour road ride in. The weather, is what we Iowan's call "Swamp-Ass" conditions. Nasty, humid weather, which makes you feel like your ass is always sweating. What a joy.

Anyway, the ride was all good, until the Fed-Ex home delivery van buzzed me. I gave him the finger! The car directly behind him saw the whole thing and got a good laugh out of it. If that van would have stopped at any of the farm houses along my ride, I swear I would have ripped off him mirror. Atleast I wasn't wearing any of my "Team" clothing, so I stayed somewhat under the radar.

In Other News...The coffee maker I ripped off from Wal-Mart is still shooting out 12 cups of coffee in under 8 minutes, One of the names I did on a repair today was Dick Herter...pretty funny!, I found a 12 hour race to go to on September 18 down by St. Louis, the chinese take-out place next to us here at the shop has parking signs out front that read..."East China Paking Only"....and I am not making this up., My co-worker tonight is wearing a pink t-shirt that says "Tough Guys Wear Pink."

Well that's about it. Tomorrow it's back to work at 8, then back on the bike to get ready for the 24 Hour of Rapelje which is June 26-27 out in Billings, Montana. I think I might hit up the Thursday night road group ride. I haven't done as many of these ride this year, since I have been focusing in riding alone to learn to stay focused during my longer races.

Thanks for reading, and why doesn't anyone comment on my boring life???

Just Kidding!

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:13 PM :: ::

....And Jesus said "Let the water be cold as hell!"

I just got back from a 5 hour gravel-grinder on my Giant XTC Alum/Carbon hardtail. The wind was a little brisk, but the worst part was the fact that the County DOT just dumped 3 inches of fresh gravel on every single mile of gravel road from here to the Minnesota border. It was nothing but mashing on the pedals for the duration of the ride. I am sure my legs will be screaming in the morning.

Anyway, I want to use this blog to pimp one of the sponsors for Cateye Enduro. Our hydration pack sponsor is Polar Pak.

www.polarpak.com

Yes, they make hydration packs just like the other brands, but.....
the cool thing is that the bladder is filled with a gel which can be froze in the freezer or heated up. So, if you want cold water, freeze the bladder over night. Get it out for you ride and throw it in the pack, and off you go. I did a 4 hour ride in 90 degree weather about a week ago, and the water stayed chilled the entire duration. I have used Camelbacks and Hydrapacks before getting hooked up with Polar Pak. Hands down, I would pick the Polar Pak over the other companies. Check out their website. They make all kinds of different packs based on riding style and activitiy.

The other day I did my part to take slow the corporate take over of the world by Wal-Mart. I don't know if it's just in the Midwest, but it seems like every town has one of these places. Anyway, I had a coffee maker that was brewing slow....as in like 3 hours slow. I tried all the tricks to fix it....vinegar, cleaning solution, etc. Well I went to Sprawl-Mart, I mean Wal-mart and bought the same coffee maker. When I got home, I just cleaned up my old one and stuck it in the box, and took it right back. Presto! Hot coffee fast, and it didn't cost me anything! DOWN WITH WAL-MART!!!!!

That's about all for now. If I come up with anything else before i crash, I am sure I will post it here.

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:07 PM :: ::

Sleepless in Iowa

Well, here I go. This is my "official" first rant. It's 12:24 in the morning here in the flatlands of Iowa, and I woke up to go to the bathroom and am having a hard time geting back to sleep, so i thought I would give you the low-down for my 2004 race season. This year I am racing for the newly formed endurance racing team known as Cateye Enduro.

http://www.cateye.com/news/enduro_team.html

The purpose of this new team is to promote Cateye, and to test some new "high-tech" lights that they will be having come out sometime in the next 2 years. All riders on the team are raging on Giant NRS AIR's, with Fox forks. This combination is super plush and is ideal for long distance cycling.

Most of the races being hit up by the team include Trans-Rockies, La Ruta, 24 Nationals and Worlds, and other local events. For me, I have only been able to ge to one event this year and that was the 12 Hours of Stump Farm in Green Bay, WI

www.wemseries.com

I ended up placing 2nd in the solo race which was good enough for the first race of the year. The next race on the calander is the 24 Hours of Rapelje in Billings, MT. This race looks interesting to say the least. The town is so small that everyone is asked to carry everything in. Plus, I don't think there are any trees on course. Weird huh...?

Well, I am starting to get a little sleepy. I need to get some rest for tomorrows big day in the saddle.

Stay posted to this site for rider updates, rants, thoughts, etc......

Jeff Kerkove said at 11:26 PM :: ::

YIPEE!! MY FIRST BLOG!

Well, Here it goes. Once I get this thing set up the way I want it, I will type a little more garbage to fill you head with. Check back soon.

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:33 PM :: ::