2005 WEMS SERIES

The Wisconsin Endurance Mountain Bike Series (WEMS) has just released their tentative 2005 race schedule. As always, all these events will feature a 3, 6, and 12 hour event. Check out their website for the most up-to-date info. I will see you on the start line.


*Tentative

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

Wok to greater fitness

OK, this actually might count as a training tip.

Listen carefully......Get......yourself.....a......wok.

Yes, as in one those blank pan things you see in Chinese take-out places. If your cooking in this thing chances are you are eating healthy. I like to put in about 1 cup of water, then pile in a bunch of veggies and maybe some fish. When cooking with a wok, the heat is very high, so turn the burner as hot as it will go. Let the water boil. This will create steam, which in return cooks your food. Cooking with steam is the best choice for veggies, cause it keeps in all the good stuff for you body to help you stay lean and mean. Cook your food till the water is about 95% evaporated. Then dish the food onto your plate. Finally, shovel the high quality veggies into your grill. Enjoy.

This works great with frozen bagged veggies as well as with the fresh stuff.

Jeff Kerkove said at 3:31 PM :: ::

Enjoying the off-season.

Well, not really. The off-season is boring. Normally the free time I have during the season is spent on the bike. Now, I am just lounging around and messing with the blog. Thank God the off-season is only like 2 weeks more, then I can start being "active" again. Next week I need to go try to get some type of membership to the local YMCA or Cedar Falls Rec. Center. Also, I wish the part-time work I contacted would get back to me. I really need the money.

The 2005 sponsorship dance is not 100% complete yet, but I should hear more very, very soon. I have contact some "personal" sponsors to help aid me for 2005 other than what Cateye is going to offer. Should here from them soon also. Stay tuned.

Speaking of sponsors....
Last year I had the chance to race on Fox forks. Honestly, I would have never bought one of these cause of the price($780), but I would change that now. For 2004 I rode the Fox F100X and F80X on my 2 bikes. These things rock! They are super stiff and they go where ya point 'em. The never required pumping up with air (unlike my past Rock Shox). Also, they have the inertia valve in them which keeps the fork locked-out till you hit a bump, then it's activated. How cool is that! I hope we get to rage on these forks next year.


Let see, what else is there....
Guitar Ted should have more "tips" up tomorrow. Maybe he'll discuss proper technique to cut stylish side-burns. Have you seen his?

If you have any requests or questions, just e-mail me or post under "Comment". And "NO" I will not talk about the new Cateye lights. Well, atleast not right now.

Don't forget about the IORCA meeting. It's just about as important as voting, so be there!

Go Vikings! I am listening to the game over the net, since I don't own a devil box, I mean TV.

Download this new web browser. It's called Firefox. It's sleek, fast, and a heck of'a lot better then IE or Netscape.

Happy Halloween! Don't stop at my apartment. I don't have any candy. If you do stop, you'll get a Chicken Boca Burger or a banana. Is it wrong that I eat like 6 bananas a day? Matt Chester does.

Need some high quality entertainment.......CLICK HERE , and HERE, and even HERE. I know Dirtram, Carlos, A Lo, Guitar Ted, and Eduardo with love these. You guys owe me!

Ok, no more blah, blah, blah. Once the training begins for 2005 there will be no more stupid posts, and more post actually aim'd at my racing.

I wonder how slow it is today at the shop?

Jeff Kerkove said at 10:26 AM :: ::

Working hard.

Just having a little fun on a very slooooooow Saturday at Europa Cycle and Ski. Kind of looks like my high school year book picture......yeah right! Thanks to A-Lo for taking this swell picture with his Verizon camera phone. Can you hear me now?

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:23 PM :: ::

ATTENTION: Iowa Mountain Bike Racers

The Iowa Off Road Cycling Association (IORCA) will hold it's annual business meeting on Saturday November 20, 2004 at the Briggs Woods Golf Course Club House in Webster City, IA. at 6:30 PM.

You should attend if: You are a race director planning an event for next years IORCA calendar, You are a racer with ideas or concerns with the current rules and regulations set forth by IORCA, You are an officer on the IORCA Board or an athlete guide or you would like to be, You just want to get involved with the decision making process.

Remember: If your voice is not heard at this meeting your complaints will go overlooked and not be addressed. You are the voice and the membership of IORCA and your voice counts. So be there!

Directions: From US Highway 20 take the Highway 17 South exit at Webster City, Proceed south (Appx. 2 MI) to Briggs Woods Park. Turn left and follow the signs to the golf course. Address is 2501 Briggs Woods Trail, Webster City, IA. 50595 if you want to do a Mapquest.

FYI: Meeting could last between 1-4 hours depending on how much gets brought to the table. Pizza and beverage following if anyone is interested.

copied from the IORCA Yahoo group.

For anyone in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area that might be interested........I am thinking about heading over to Webster City to give my 2 cents worth. Want to carpool? Contact me.

Out.

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:38 PM :: ::

P.B. cookies and todays commute

Wahoo! I got a package at the shop! And guess what.....it was filled with P.B. cookies. ROCK ON! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, to my Aunt and Uncle from the North-Land for sending down the sugary goodness. About 3 cookies didn't survive the shipment, but oh well, the others went down very easy. You are more than welcome to send more....hint, hint, hint :-) And as far as my race schedule and sponsors.....keep posted to the site.

Now for the rest of you. Todays commute was interesting to say the least. It was very warm, like 80 degrees, which is not normal for late Oct in Iowa. The weather guy was saying a cold front was to move through later in the day. Translation....THUNDER STORMS! Sure enough they did. I was like 1/4 mile from home and the gates of hell were unleashed upon me tonight. It started pouring, and the wind was blowing atleast 30 mph. I was soaked in like 1 nanosecond. For some reason I though that if I ride faster I might stay drier......Right. I might of well have jumped into the Cedar River. Thank God it was warm out, cause I would have froze if it would have been a seasonal 45 degrees like it's supposed to be in late Oct.

Now a list of the odd things I saw on the commute into work.
1. A flattened squirrel with the walnut still in mouth.

2. A green chile pepper.....ya know, the ones that come in the Papa Johns Pizza box.

3. A flattened dog. I think this is the little yippy white dog that charges at me everytime I ride by. Thing is, it didn't charge today. It's hard to tell though, cause the splat in the road look'd a bit like the dog, but yet there was leaves stuck to it so it was hard to 100% identify. Well see here in the near future.

4. A little old lady on a motorized cart. I think it was the clone to the evil one in Dumb and Dumber, who stole Lloyds box of goodies and big ten-gallon cowboy hat.

5. A 20-something guy blowing his leaves out of his yard with one of those electric blowers, and next door to him was a 70-something lady raking here leaves with a rake....by hand....like it's supposed to be. ROCK ON LADY!!!!

What should I dress up as for Halloween? Hmmmmmm. How about that Squirrel guy from Des Moines. He has his own original style. He came to the mountain bike time trail about a month ago on a Raleigh mnt bike pulling a B-O-B trailer, and the B-O-B trailer pulling his single speed. All this while dressed in an orange prison issue jump suit. Cool! Actually, I am not going to dress up cause I am a party-pooper. Yes, I just said "pooper" in my blog.

Also checkout FSA's website. They have some sweet stuff for 2005. Plus they finally updated their site.

Well that is it. I get to work the shop all day tomorrow. Wahoo! More money.

Out.

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:42 PM :: ::

Care for the TAINT.

Click below to find out more. Careful, this link is blow-milk-out-your-nose funny. Plus it's coming from the mouth a CSC pro rider. So is this what they think about when they break off the front of the peloton......along with Guns-N-Roses lyrics?

Do you follow proper care?

Jeff Kerkove said at 12:47 PM :: ::

2005 Giant bikes rock! Do you?

READ THIS FIRST- Everything I say about Giant, or any sponsors product I use, is all based on personal experiences. If I am sponsor'd or not, I am going to give you the truth on products. I have had nothing but good luck with Giant bikes. 2005 will mark the 7th year on a Giant bike. Thanks Giant!

Ok, I normally don't secret massive amounts of drool when I look at bike catalogs. But, the '05 Giant bible, I mean catalog, has some sweet hoop-ty rides in it, that caused me to have to get a dixie cup to catch the drool. The Giant rep stopped in the shop last night. I think we might be picking up the line to try to push a few bikes.

For 2005 you will be able to purchase the T-Mobile road and T.T. bikes in the lovely shade of pink (see it here). Also, they have 2 full carbon hardtails, and 2 carbon NRS bikes. Plus, throw in the new Trance, Reign, and Faith, and you have one heck of a line up for hours of giggle'n in the dirt. I can't let out too much info yet, cause the bikes are still on the down-low mode. Hell, the Giant rep only had 2 catalogs. I can tell you that alot of the bikes are using Fox forks, Race Face cranks and cockpit components, Shimano der's and shifters. The Trance look'd pretty cool. TRAAAAANNNNCE (say it in that Homer Simpson craving donuts voice). Four inches of travel front and rear.....can you say "24 hour racers lazy boy." I checked out the specs, and the top-tube length of the NRS and Trance are about the same, so it can be raced.

Right now, I am hoping I can get on a Trance for next year. Everything I have seen posted on the web regarding how they ride is "excellante!"

If your like me, keep checking the GIANT website daily to see if they have uploaded the 2005 rockets.

So, I wonder if Steve from Giant and David from Cateye read the madness that is this crazy blog?

Out.

Jeff Kerkove said at 9:11 AM :: ::

Need some motivation for 2005.

Do you need some motivation for the 2005 endurance race season? Check out the link below. Make sure you have Quicktime installed on this computer of yours. This clip gave me goose-bumps. Crank up da volume too!

Enjoy, I know I did!

GET THE DRIVE FOR 2005!

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:05 PM :: ::

Good training resources.

I have read 4 books over the years that have help'd me to get into the cycling form that I have today, along with the insane Fatty Off Season Traing Program. These books are great, cause they help you to design a program towards your specific goals. They are not endurance racing specific, but you can tweek it to your needs. Below I have included the book titles and a link to them at Amazon.com

The Cyclist Training Bible by Joe Friel Good for general racing. Really good if your a roadie.

The Mountain Bikers Training Bible by Joe Friel Similar to book described above, but with more of a focus on core strength, and overall power. All together now P-O-W-E-R

Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition by Monique Ryan One of the best sports nutrition books out there. Easy to read. And fun to read.

Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes by Monique Ryan Another great nutrition book. This book breaks down nutrition programs for cyclists, mnt bikers, tri-geeks, swimmers, runners, etc. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Well, I am off to rob a bank so I can pay my bills. Anyone know which bank in the Cedar Valley is the easiest to rob?

So, I wonder why my parents never "Comment"? :-)

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:12 AM :: ::

Could it be....

GUITAR-TED-
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Could this be the great Guitar Ted?

I can neither confirm 'nor deny that it is or is not.

I received this picture via e-mail from an undisclosed source. Scary.

What do you think? Is this Guitar Ted?

Sound off.

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:37 PM :: ::

Holy Crap!

Holy Crap! My site has had 10,000 hits. Who would a thunk?

In other news...
Today is a bad mail day. Lots and lots of bills. Ho-hum.

T-minus 2 weeks till I start training again.

The 2005 sponsorship dance is almost over....shake, shake, shake that booty, shake, shake.

Is coffee a fruit?

Stay tuned.

Jeff Kerkove said at 12:08 PM :: ::

The Pit Crew Creed

I. I shall be willing to sacrifice sleep in order to feed my racer.

II. I shall be willing to fill bottles and cook food regardless of conditions.

III. I shall be willing to do as much work as possible, so my racer can rest....set up pit, organize pit, tear down pit.

IV. I must learn some minor mechanical techniques....lube application, light installation.

V. I must be willing to run back and forth to the battery charging area.

VI. I must keep track of my racers nutritional intake.

VII. I must keep track of lap times for my racer, and the other racers who are a threat.

VIII. I must always keep my racer in a "positive" mood.

VIIII. I must be willing to wash bikes.

X. I must be a "multi-tasker"

XI. I will not run naked through pit-row at midnight.

XII. I must be ready for anything......AND I MEAN ANYTHING!

XIII. I will not drink my racers Red Bull

XIV. I will be a human-anchor for the pit tent if needed.

XV. See "COMMENT" posted.

XVI. I will not wonder off in the middle of the night, so my racer has to send out a Search and Rescue party in the A.M. hours.

XVII. See "COMMENT" posted agian.....CAUTION

If there is something missing, please give your 2 cents worth in "Post Comment"

Jeff Kerkove said at 9:10 PM :: ::

Hey Lance! (insert sound of beer belch here)

What a great Tuesday. Well, not really... Its typical fall Iowa weather: rainy and a balmy 50 degrees. This is what the weather is supposed to be like for the next 3 or so days. SWEEEEEET!

I have been commuting to work by bike now since the end of the race season. This is the only riding I am getting in for the next 3 weeks. Then is time to hit the weight room and start actually training on the bike in anticipation for the 2005 season.....WAHOOO! I normally don't commute to work by bike during the season due to the fact that I stand around on my feet all day. It's tough to stand around for 6-8 hours a day than come home and try to put in a 3-6 hour day on the bike during the summer. Well, training is done for now, so I am riding to work.

There hasn't been anything overly exciting in terms of stories to tell from the recent commutes. Last night I was flashed by like 3 cars, cause my Cateye Stadium 3 light was burning out their eyeballs. What do I say......"Deal with it". The other day I took the long-way home on my commute and rode through the UNI campus. Sure enough there were these frat punks sitting on their steps gorging on brew. Their comment......(in a Beavis or Butthead voice)..."Hey Lance (insert burp sound here)!" And just think, those fit athletes, I mean drunk'n fools are the future of this country. Huh, huh, huh he said "fit".

Today, it's raining so I am going to have to dig out my CRAFT rain gear (see yesterdays post). Getting to work dry will be no problem-o with this gear. Some other rock'n commuting gear is Nema shorts. They fit like regular cycling shorts, plus they has high style factor. I recommend the Crown Jewel shorts. Check out the link: NEMA CLOTHING....chicks dig it!

Well, that's about it. I get to work the night shift.....again. That is why I recently got my Night Monkey certification. So I will be heading to work soon. Also I have checked into some part-time work for the off-season. I hope that comes through otherwise I won't be able to pay all da bills during the winter months.

Oh jeeze, how could I forget this.....CONGRATS to Iowa boy Jason McCartney from Iowa City for getting hooked up on the newly formed Discovery Cycling Team for 2005. I bet him and Lance are best buds now!

I wonder what organic food the Dirtram consumed today?

Out.

Jeff Kerkove said at 12:41 PM :: ::

Hot products I'm using.

CRAFT
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

These are 2 Craft products that I have been using for about a year now. I have nothing but good things to say!

First is the Craft Excess Rain Jacket.
It's a foul weather shell made from fully waterproof Vent Air rip stop fabric, designed to be both durable and light weight. Pit zips and a rear vent offer additional breathability. This jacket is very light and very packable. I can roll it up and fit it in one of the 3 pockets on any of the cycling jerseys I own. Another cool thing is this jacket has 3 pockets in the back like a traditional jersey....Rock On!

The second product is the Craft Pro Turtleneck. This is your first layer for moderate to cold weather conditions. Pro fabric is recognized by GORE-TEX and the choice of elite and professional athletes all over the world. Pro fits close to the body, expels excess heat in warm weather and traps body heat in cold weather, moving moisture away from your body keeping you drier longer. I use this in the summer months for heat acclimation training. It breathes, but yet it traps in heat. These Craft base layers are also great for wearing while riding the indoor trainer. They help you from melting into a nasty pool of sweat.

Check out Craft's website for these items, and many, many more products.

www.craft-usa.com

Jeff Kerkove said at 10:44 AM :: ::

The Drivetrain Police

Hey y'all! It's way early, I've got my cuppa black goodness, and it's time for more mechanical madness. Jeff mentioned that his sweet rigs may be for sale, and how "clean" he keeps them. Puh-leeeze! This cat is, like TOTALLY obsessive when it comes to maintaining his rigs. I know, I watch him do alot of this. But you know, he hardly ever has a mechanical. Coincidence? I think not!

The working idea here is, if ya' gotta' rely on your rig, replace anything that you even think might be worn out. Don't chance it! The risk of a mechanical is not worth it in a race, or in the back country. (We call it the "boonies" here in Io-way) I agree, that for folks like Jeff, this is critical. The main point of focus is the drive train- that's where the action is!

What you can do is get yourself a good ruler, (steel preferred- not necessary) your repair stand, and have your chain pretty clean. With your rig up offa' da ground, line up your ruler with the chain between the lower jockey wheel and the front chain rings. Line up the "zero" mark, or the end of the ruler, ( where ever your rulers gradations start) on the center of a chain rivet. Now, check and see if where your ruler reads 12" is on the center of another chain rivet. Yes? Then it's all good! No? You've got chain wear. What in the world am I talking about? Well, most of us call it "chain stretch", but in reality, it's chain wear. New derailluer chains measure out on a ruler so that a chain rivet falls exactly on "zero" and twelve. Why? Look, it's just the way it is. Live it- Love it!

Now, make sure you have your chain shifted up to the middle ring. Try grabbing your chain with your index and thumb at the three o'clock posistion. Pull it off the chain ring outwards, if you can. Can't hardly see any space between the chain and chain ring- good! See alot of space between the two- bad! (Your chain was probably bad too!) This test shows whether or not the "valleys" between the teeth on your chain ring have elongated due to wear. Generally, if your chain ring is badly worn, your chain is shot too.

What You Should Do: If you have determined that you have significant wear, based on both tests above, get those things changed! Maybe you want a second opinion? Okay, go and find someone with the proper measuring tools,( there are actual tools designed for these tests!) and have them check it out. You could do nothing, and keep riding. Eventually, your shifting will suffer, your chain will start "skipping" under pedal pressure, and a small, burrowing creature will take up residence in your riding shorts! (Well, all but the last one!)

What I Say: Check out your chain/ chianring wear at cleaning time! Especially AFTER races, or extremely muddy/ dirty/ dusty riding. Best to find out you need new parts afterwards, instead of RIGHT BEFORE a race, or important ride! ( WORD to LAZY RACERS!) Get a Park Tools chain checker, and a Rohloff cassette checker. Be the drivetrain police!

See y'all next time! Ridin' an' Smilin'!

Jeff Kerkove said at 4:59 AM :: ::

More "LINKS" added for your pleasure.

Here is a list of a few new links that I have added to the sidebar of my site.

PEARL IZUMI - is there a better clothing company?

CLIF BAR - The best tasting bar on the market, and recommended highly by myself.

POLAR PAK - Gel cooled and gel heated hydration packs.

ENDURANCE RADIO - Training and nutrition advice coming to you in a delayed radio stream.

SLOANE ANDERSON - Cateye Enduro Team member from Tacoma, WA. And ladies.......he's taken, hands off! Way to go Sloane on the recent marriage!

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:48 AM :: ::

The new "Header"

Finally, I got this HTML thing nail'd down good enough to post my own header. The picture is from 12 Hour Nationals that were held in July up in Duluth, MN. This is the view looking down the mountain towards the "Great Lake" from about mid-mountain. Do you like?

Jeff Kerkove said at 3:24 PM :: ::

Random stuff

Well, since I have been back from Moab, I have yet to see the sun. It's been rainy and somewhat cool. This is not good from a bike buisness viewpoint, but from a off-season viewpoint, I don't feel guilty for just lounging around inside the apartment.

From now til about mid-November I am going to do nothing "active" accept for commuting to work by bike and run back and forth to the kitchen. So this means I will pack on a few pounds and work a ton and hope to survive the winter months financially. As soon as I figure out what is going to happen for next years sponsorship, I will post my bikes for sale on this site. I am thinking of running a silent auction via e-mail. Is anyone interested in my bikes? Anyone that knows me, knows that I am anal about keeping these things clean, so they are in mint condition. If any of my bikes are of interests to you shoot me an e-mail, and we'll chat.

Lets see what else is there......

Oh, I am messing around with the site trying to make it NOT look like everyother blog out there. I went to college for print based graphic design, so getting used to this HTML stuff is taking awhile. I need to get a different header for the blog. The blue box with plain white text is visually very very stale.

Anything else......

If you go onto www.velonews.com you can read all the latest transactions on the mtb side of things. The RLX team is no more. Plus Giant is down sizing their team. But, Maxis is dumping even more $$ into teams. It's complete chaos, but that is how the sponsorship dance goes....shake that booty, shake, shake, shake that booty!

What else.......

I have officially become a Europa Night Monkey. This is the term used by the employees of the shop that work the late shift. Since I am done race'n for the year, I am working late afternoons till close. Nothing wrong with that. I will be able to do my workouts in the AM which is how I would rather do it anyway.

Well, I am going to go out and look for the sun. If you bored, check out this site from a RAGBRAI team........ www.evilcycling.com .......I have warned you!!!!

Jeff Kerkove said at 12:23 PM :: ::

So you want to be a fast solo racer?

Sweet tats
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Here is the secret. In order to be a super fast solo 24 hour racer, you need to get some tats. Just look at Santa Cruz Syndicate racer Mark Hendershot from Michigan. You will see this guy atop the Solo World's podium some day soon. He has tried many times already, but has fallen short. Your time is coming Mark.

Rage on Mark!

Jeff Kerkove said at 4:27 PM :: ::

Check it out!

CATEYE COMPUTER
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Here it is. Pretty sweet huh! This is the limited edition Cateye Enduro 8 computer I got from David at Cateye while out at Moab.

Can't beat those Giant blue team colors.

Jeff Kerkove said at 9:23 AM :: ::

Dust.....sweeeeeeet!

I LOVE DUST
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Jeff Kerkove said at 3:07 PM :: ::

You want me to line up where?

WHERE'S WALDO
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Jeff Kerkove said at 3:01 PM :: ::

T-minus 15 minutes and counting.

ALMOST TIME
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:58 PM :: ::

Put my bike where?

BIKES
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:56 PM :: ::

Alittle pre-race flex for the camera

TOUGH GUY
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:55 PM :: ::

The pit area

HOME
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:53 PM :: ::

View from the pit

VIEW
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:47 PM :: ::

CATCH'N SOME AIR

FAT AIR.JPG
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

This is why you race the 24 Hours of Moab. Checkout the background. We don't have that in Iowa. To bad I only got to do this 3 times......Tear.

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:26 PM :: ::

Random stuff.....

Ho hum......

Oh, the joys of starting the off season. Today, I went out for 2 hours on the Giant NRS Air and just putzed around Cedar Falls/Waterloo. I don't think I saw another soul out there. Alot of the cyclists around here are "fair-weather" That explains why it's been sloooooow here at the shop. To stay buisy, myself and Carlos have been getting the rental XC skis waxed and good to go. I threatened to stab him with one for something to do. You can read all about it at his blog.

www.carlosdajackal.blogspot.com

Other than that, I have been chill'n and trying to get rid of this cold that seems to have overtaken my body, not to mention kill my chances at Moab......tear.

Looks like the sponsorship dance should come to an end by the end of the month. It will be interesting to see what my options are. I would like to stay with Giant, cause they have great products, plus they have been so good to me over the past 3 years. Thanks Giant!!!!!!

I should have some pictures from the 24 Hours of Moab to post here by morning. There won't be too many, but enough to make you want to go out there next year.

Well, time to get back to the skis. They don't wax themselves.

I wonder if Carlos has stopped the bleeding yet from the XC ski impalement?

Rage On!

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:02 PM :: ::

Back Home.

Whoa! What a drive. I left Moab at 5:30 AM on Monday and drove straight thru to Cedar Falls, Iowa and arrived back home at about 11:10 PM. The drive wasn't too bad. The worst part was driving the passes through Colorado. Loveland Pass and Vail Pass both had about 1 inch of snow on the ground and the plows were out. I had to put my winter driving skills into use 2 months early. It looked like what it looks like in the middle of December here in Iowa.

I had tons of time to think about the Moab race on the way home. I went back as far as 3 days before the race trying to think of anything I did or ate that could have contributed to the total body shut down. This was the first time ever that I have had my body just shut down. I think that i am coming down with some type of virus or something. I have been blowing my nose, and have just been drained of energy. Anyway, the race is done, and it's time to start planning for next year.

It was interesting to get to meet some of the people that read this site. I think I had like 4 or so people come up to me at Moab and ask if I was Jeff, and then go on to say that they read the site everyday. Crazy! I also ran into some people that use to race and live around here.....Kris Wilson and Chris Sindt. There was also one guy who came up to me and ask how my season was going.... I said it was great, and he replied that he raced against me at the 24 hour race in Montana back in June......Weird.

Well, I think the season is done. I need to make some money to hopefully survive the off-season. The season was "good" for me. I had some great results and some not-so-great results. This year proved that I can ride and race with the bigger names in the sport. As Chris Eatough said at World's......"you have the highs and the lows"......I had both sides of that this year. The bad finish at Moab is fuel in the fire for next year. The off-season will be intense, and i will be back with more fitness. Now, I have to see how sponsorship pans out for 2005. I will keep you all posted.

Lastly, Thanks for all the support and well-wishes via the "Post A Comment" Nice to see that so many people care as much as I do. Thanks also to all the sponsors, especially Cateye and Giant.

Stay posted to the site. Even though the season is wrapped-up, you can follow my off-season training, and see how the 2005 sponsorship dance pans out.

Thanks Guys!

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:00 AM :: ::

Mechanics Corner: Keep Moving Forward!

Howdy hey! Couple 'o tidbits to share with you all. Jeff's report from Moab got me thinkin'. ( I know, I know! Veeerrrry dangeroso!) Anyway; whatever goes down, against you, or even for you, you've got to keep moving forward! When you stop- you die. End of story. Same goes for your fitness, riding skills, and maintenance skills/ habits.

See, just because it's "the end of the season", doesn't mean you have to stop riding. Have some fun, already! Get out and night ride. Try slogging through the snow. Dare to ride when the temps are below zero! Clean your bike after every ride! Most of all- MAKE IT FUN!

I am not out of my tree here! I quite like my tree. And no! I don't hug it! Just try and get out whenever you can. The more people the merrier! You'll keep alot more of your fitness throughout the winter, and it beats th H-E-double hockey sticks out of indoor training. ( I personally think indoor training is one of the portals to Hell, along with Worksman trikes....but that's another story!)

What I Say: Get out and ride your bicycle! You love to do it anyway, or you wouldn't be readin' this tripe. There are ways to stay warm, ( anybody know the newspaper trick?), see in the dark, and get traction on snow and ice without spending a bundle. No 'skyooozez! (Nobody likes a whiner!)

Guitar Ted uses and endorses 29" bicycles. ( Congrats Nat on your win!) Ova' an Out!

Jeff Kerkove said at 10:31 AM :: ::

24 Hours of Moab.....Not good.

It is funny how things can change so fast. I got up the morning of the race good-to-go. I felt fresh, I had a awesome breakfast, and my routine was normal. I got to the race and set up, and drank tons of water due to the forcasted high temps (80 degrees). Everything was on schedule. I checked in and placed my bike on the rack for the lemonds run. I went to grab my H2O bottle, and snap, my cage broke. Damn! I got back on the bike and went back to my pit and grabbed the second one off my Gaint XTC. I was sweating it a bit, but had 45 mins. to fix it.

The run started with the normal dust cloud that everyone talked about. I was about mid-pack off to the side to stay clear of the dust. I finished the run and got to my bike for the start down the jeep road that we drove into the venue on. It was fun and fast. My legs felt awesome. I was like the 9 Solo rider out of 50 or so to hit the single track. I went through my first lap keeping a decent pace trying to gap the solo riders behind me and keep in touch with Cameron, Nat, Ect. up in front of me. I made sure to drink lots, sipping from my PolarPak and bottle filled with Hammer.

At the end of the first lap I came in and pull to my pit area and I come to see that the wind had tossed my pit area tent across the solo pit area. So, my pit area was in shambles and my Dad was scrambling to get my stuff together. I got my stuff an headed out for the 2nd lap. About half way through the lap I started to get this nasty headache and my body started to ache. I had flu-like symptoms, minus the vomiting. I continued to soldier on, but it just got worse. I couldnt eat or drink. I also had no power. One thing is for sure......if you don't have any power on this course you are screwed do to the fact you have to hop over rocks and power through sand. I finished my 2nd lap in 7th place. I got back to the pit and took some pain killers, and the normal Hammer products. I headed out for lap 3 which would be my final lap :-(

Lap 3 started slow. I just couldn't get going. I felt like I was fighting the bike. My headache was getting worse, and i could NOT take on any food or liquid. I was doing like 4 mph on flat sections that were big ring sections the first 2 laps. My legs started to ache, and my body was starting to sieze up. I pulled over to stretch out a bit and collect my thoughts, but it just didn't work. I rode back to the pit area and sat for a bit. As I sat there, things just got worse and worse. I sat around for about 1.5 hours before I did the hardest thing to do in a 24 hour race, and that is call it. I figured my health was more important.

Right now as I type this I feel like I might be coming down with the flu of something. My body aches, and things just don't feel right. It sucks that this race didn't work out. I felt good to go, and my prep leading up to it was on schedule. The worst part is that I let my sponsors and supporters down with all the time, money, and travel invested in the trip.

Now it's time to gather my thought and think about next year and what is to come. I need to get back to this course! I feel I can do well. It has that kind of Midwestern flow to it with not along of climbing, so i feel that I can do some dammage on the field.

I am going to go and rest up a bit and try to get my body back to normal before sitting in the car for the next day on my way back to Iowa.

Out.

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:23 AM :: ::

Last post before the race.

This is it. This is the last blog before I get to suck dust for 24 hours. I just got done sitting out back behind the hotel cooking my pre-race meal with my Dad. For those of you reading this that have camp-cooked with me before a race know that it was garden pasta with Hunts sauce and big chunks of french bread. It was great and my tummy is full.

Plan on getting up at 7:00 AM and eating breakfast then heading out to the race at 8:00. I need to get ice and some other small items before the race. I marked out my pit area with yellow tape and my table on Wens......I hope no one moved it or stole my table. Who would steal a table anyway? Sounds like something "The Chad" would do.

Anyway. The bikes are primed and ready to go. I feel good to go. Now everything just has to click. Anyone that has raced an endurance event knows what I mean by "click". The body, mind, bikes, lights, and nutrition all have to work in harmony with each other.

Ok, that is enough ranting. If you care to follow the race live just click on the link below. And I will be back later.

http://www.grannygear.com/realtime/public/?view_race=grannyg_2004_moab

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:50 PM :: ::

Here is your chance.

Ok, ok. Here is your chance Europa Night Monkey's.......

I wonder what the Night Monkey's are up to? Working? Or hardly working?

Jeff Kerkove said at 3:15 PM :: ::

Next years team?

I have had some e-mail regarding next years team. Well, this is what I know.

There will be a team, but not sure if I will be on "that" team. Some of the bigger NORBA style teams are interested in boosting their teams with endurance riders. Those teams are Team Maxxis......the team with Geoff Kabush, and Santa Cruz Syndicate. Plus there will be the Cateye Enduro. Chances are pretty high that I will be on one of these 3 teams. All 3 teams will work with Cateye and use their lights. Any of these teams will be a good "gig" do to the great equipment they use.

I should know where I am going to be at by the end of October. I will keep you all posted

Hope this makes sense.

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:18 AM :: ::

Moab Day 4....Part I

Good morning.

Just got up and am enjoying the "black goodness" Hard to believe I have been here for 4 days already. Time flies when you are have'n fun. My Dad got here last night arounf 8:30ish. He drove straight through from Algona, Iowa.....about 17 hours.

Today is "prep" day. I am going to clean up the bikes a bit, and make sure they are good to go. I am also going to make sure my Cateye Stadium 3 and "Proto's" are all juiced up. Thomas Prehn from Cateye USA is supposed to coming into town from Boulder, CO today. I am not sure what he is going to do......support me?? Be a vendor?? I have to call him later in the day to meet up and see. Other than that, I am going to stay off my feet and eat a high carbo diet.

Well, I need to get some breakfast.... The waffles smell pretty good. Maybe I hit up the fruit?

Oh, I almost forgot, good luck to you nut-bags race'n the 12 Hour of John Muir. I did it last year and it's a pretty cool course. I want to do the next one in Franklin. We'll have to see how I feel.

Stay tuned.......

I wonder what "The Brett" is doing at work today?

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:09 AM :: ::

Moab Day 3.....Part II

O.K. I am being bored. I had to get out of the hotel room for a bit, so I thought I would just ramble on about Moab and the last few days.

This hotel rocks. The La Quita folk treat you like family. They make cookies everyday around 4:00.....hell, that's right now! It has been very hard to stay away from the Peanut Butter ones. Mmmmmm!

I think I am the only one in town who is not driving a 4x4 car or truck. I don't understand how Shimano Tech Support, Fox, and Specialized got their semi rigs out to the race course. The road is so narrow and rough. I bet they took down a few shrubs while turning some of the tighter corners. When you are out at Slickrock there are jeeps and 4x4 trucks rage'n up and down the slickrock farther south. Looks a bit scary. The other day, there was this guy out there with a Mercedes Benz...spelling?.....looked way to nice to be climbing up rock faces.

The way things look now, it appears that the Adrenaline Series is better run. Granny Gear sticks you with all these hidden fees......camping, etc. Plus, racers have to carry a batton, plus a credit card to scan after every lap. Where in sam hell am i going to stash that stuff so it's easy to get? Maybe I will just carry it in my mouth. We also have our 2 number plates....cool. But, they give you numbers to pin to your jerseys. What are we road race'n?

I can smell those P.B. cookies, and it's driving me bonkers.

Can wait to use the new lights....David from Cateye gave me 2 sets to run during the race. Should be interesting to hear rider comments when I pass them. These lights are insane in the brightness department. Hope nobody at the race "spies" them and starts asking questions.

I have a sunburn.

The weather looks to be great for the race. Highs near 80 and lows around 45. Can't beat that.

Stay posted to the following link for live results.
http://grannygear.com/Races/history_results.shtml
Click on 24 Hours of Moab 2004 Real Time results. Like you didn't know that.

Time to move on. I might come back later if I get bored again. Hard to believe I am bored in Moab. Too bad I have to race, otherwise I would be out riding Porcupine Rim.

Out.

Jeff Kerkove said at 3:24 PM :: ::

Moab Day 3

Wow! I just got back from pre-riding the race course. It sure is different. If you like sand, rocks, rocks, lizards, rocks, rocks, boulders, big drops, and slickrock, you need to get your registration in for next year.

The course is 12 miles south of town. You head out of town on a highway for 12 miles, then you hit what the locals call a gravel road for 3 miles to the actual race itself. This is NOT a gravel road by midwest standards. You know how out in the country in the midwest you see road that have signs that say "Class B Road....Enter at own risk, minimum maintnence, etc"? Well, the road to the race site is WORST! I have to take my poor Mazda at a speedy 2 mph the whole way just not to rip the axles in half. When you finally get there, you come up on tent city.....and it is a city. Everything is trucked in....water, electricity, food, etc. The pit and expo area is about the size of my home town. If you live near CF/Waterloo, it's close to the size of Dike.....I kid you not. Anyway, my pit area is set up right next the the entrance to the SOLO pit area. I woul d like to go into the pit further, but you would need 4 wheel drive. One thing they don't tell you when to prepare for this race is you need to bring a rake. You have to clear out shrubage, and thorn bushes out of the way just to get to sand/dirt. Well, I barrowed a rake, and staked claim to my own little piece of heaven out in the desert.

As far as the course...... It rocks! There is nothing like it back home. If you want these conditions you have to come to Moab. The lap, according to my Cateye computer, is 12.5 miles. It starts out with gradual climbing through desert sand and small patches of slick rock. This goes on for a ways before you come up on more slickrock which looks like steps, and you have to pick your lines and hop up and over rocks. Next is hard pack sand road for a ways. Then you come up on some nasty rock ledges and drop offs. You just pick a line and hope the rocks don't give. Next up is more sandy roads and then the first major climb. The climb is similar to Look-Out Park Hill in CF, but in sand......Sweeeet! After than you get to go down hill...Weeeeeee! The downhill is on sand and it feels like your floating on air. You easily get up to 30+ mph. Next parts of the course are more sand road, slick rock, and the canyon. The canyon, which is what I call it, is a bunch of 3 foot rock drop offs. It goes way down, then you have to scale back up the side. Can you ride down and up this?? I can't! I supposed if I wanted to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life I could huck the gap if I get enough speed. The rest of the course (5 miles or so) back to the finish is a blast. It's slickrock around a big rock structure, followed by big ring sand road and then a gradual climb. Once to the top its sand road back to the start/finish. This is a blast! Big ring and 30+ mph to the end of the lap.

This race WILL be tough. There are so many factors. The bike and body need to hold up to constant pounding. I am going to run 2.1 tires to take the "edge" off and to float on the sand. Hopefully I can make it through with out any mechanicals. There are many places to get flats, shred tires, and even brake a frame. I am just going to stay in cruise control and let the race unfold.

I had a chance to talk to Cameron Chambers after my prelap. He is pretty pumped. He got 2nd last year so i think that he thinks he is going to "own" this race. He's also going to be running 29's on this course. I believe this might be an advantage. From what I have gathered from 29er owners and how they handle, this course is ideal. And Squirrel if you are reading this.....Cameron says "Hi" back.

Well that's about it. I am going to wash up my cycling clothes and raise the feet up for the rest of the afternoon. At 3:00 local time I am going to head down and pick up my registration packet at the Moab Arts and Rec Center. If you have any questions about the course, just post a comment and I will reply back sometime today.

Attention Scott Cave......You are right in every way about the course. Thanks for the re-con work, and i know why you don't want to race this year.

Attention future 24 Hours of Moab Racers......bring a rake, and an offroad vehicle.

Stay tuned.......

I wonder what the Salsa Queen is up to?

Jeff Kerkove said at 12:28 PM :: ::

Moab Day 2.....Part II

I am back.

I went out this morning with David from Cateye for a 2 hour road ride along a road that ran along the Colorado river. It was a sweet ride, cause there a these huge rock walls that are on both sides of you. The wind in Moab today is freakish. The locals say that it hardly ever get windy, but today there is a sustained 22 mph NW wind. It must have followed me here from Iowa.

During the ride me and David discussed next year. There are some good things coming, though I am not sure where I will be. At Interbike he talked with different people and current teams. Some of these current XC teams want to enlarge their teams with enduranced based riders, and are looking to take on one or two of the current Cateye Enduro Team members. We will all still use Cateye lights, but won't be on the "Cateye Enduro Team" so to speak. The 2 teams that are interested are Team Maxxis and Santa Cruz Syndicate. Either one of those teams would rock, but so would staying on the current Cateye team and riding Giant. Check out the links below for the new team info.

http://www.maxxis.com/products/bicycle/riders_profile_details.asp?id=4

http://www.santacruzmtb.com/

As for the rest of the day....not really sure. Might go walk around town for a bit to stretch out the legs, then come back to the hotel and watch alittle TV. Tomorrow, I am going to pick up my registration, go out and pre-ride the course, and lay claim to my pit area of death.

If I really have some thing exciting to tell, I make sure to come back for Part III.

I am out!

I wonder what Guitar Ted is doing?

Jeff Kerkove said at 1:48 PM :: ::

Moab Day 2.....Part I

Good morning! Had to get up a bit early this morning to enjoy some of the black-goodness before this mornings ride. The Breakfast at this La Quinta hotel rocks! They have a Make-Your-Own- Waffle machine. I wonder how big I can make it? They also have a variety of coffees, cereal, OJ, eggs, fruit, bagels, muffins, and lizard on a stick. Well, they have eveything but the lizard thing. Everything in Moab, has some type of lizard reference to it.

This morning, myself and David from Cateye are going out for an easy 2 hour ride to talk about next year. He is either going to say "The team is a GO for next year", or "There will be no Cateye Enduro in 2005." I hope it is good news. Stay tuned later in the day for the details...

He is some stuff that I noticed on the guys bikes from yesterdays Slickrock ride which you will see coming to a bike shop near you in 2005-2006......
WTB Carbon fiber riser bar.
WTB seatpost.
WTB stem.
All 3 of these items were very, shall we say, "Ritchey" like. I will see if I can dig up some more info from these guys.

Also last night, I scored a Cateye Enduro computer for my NRS. It's not just any Enduro, but a custom colored one. It's blue, and has Giant Bicycles printed on it. David said that there are only like 100 in existence. Lucky me.

Well, I need to refill the coffee mug, and get a bit of normal food in me. Stuy tuned later in the day for more updates. I am not sure how I am going to spend my "Mid-Week-Day" in the middle of the desert. I am sure I can dig something up interesting.


Adios for now!

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:53 AM :: ::

Moab Day 1 and many thanks!

Hello from Moab! Let me start by saying thanks to a few people.

First, a big thank you to Kyle Sedore and family for housing me on Sunday evening after the "Larry". The accomedations were 4 star! Plus, he has a cat, and the cat uses the toilet......The cat is too good for a litter box. Rock on cat!

Secondly, thanks to the gentlemen who refused to give me his name, but gave me some "funds" to help along the way to Moab. Thanks man! You rock!
Lastly, a big thanks from the Des Moines crowd for the words of encouragement and well wishes. I even got a to talk to "Squirrel". And what's up with Sterling gaining 5 lbs?

Now for the good stuff.....

Had a good drive out. Had a delay for about an hour do to a car accident on I-70 by Vail. The had to shut the interstate down to land a helicopter on the road. Pretty cool to watch. I made it about 5o miles from Moab on the first day. I slept under a picnic table at the first Utah rest stop on Monday. Thank God for degree ratings on sleeping bags, cause it got cold.

I got up on Tuesday and finished off the next 50 miles to Moab. I got into town where I meet up with David from Cateye, and Wes and family from WTB at La Quinta, our hotel.

After a feww words of howdy and hello, we geared up at went out and raged at Slickrock for 3 hours. It was a good time. Wes from WTB was on a singlespeed.....dude's an animal! After the ride we came back and eat some grub.

Later in the evening we went back out to Slickrock to test the new lights. I wish I could tell you all about them, but they are in the hush-hush stages for a while. I can tell you that there is nothing else like in in the cycling market today. We did numerous tests, including speed, climbing, and descending by setting the center of the beam at different angles. We would go out and do each test, and then give feedback on which angle was better. We did this with the new cateye and a competitor brands light. David at Cateye said that they still need to get the beam width and output nailed down.

Well that's about it for today. I am a bit tired, so if there are any spelling errors, just blame it on that. Time to hit the sack. Oh, by the way.....gas is overpriced! It averages for $2.09!

I wonder what Carlos is doing......

Jeff Kerkove said at 12:07 AM :: ::

More Lubing Techniques

Hey there, back again with more about lubing your "sled", your "rig" ,that "fine ride", that "flow machine", that WHACK!!...............OUCH! um......sorry! Your bicycle, that is. Today, I would like to let you in on a little trick to help you lube your derailluer cables. Stay with me now! With your rear derailluer shifted up onto the largest rear cog, make sure your wheels, cranks, and everything is perfectly still. Got it? Now, very, very importante'! Do NOT move the cranks, and use your rear shifter to click down to the fastest gear on your indicator, but DO NOT MOVE the CRANKS!!! Chain still up on the largest rear cog? Good! Oh! If you have that goofy rapid rise stuff, just do the reverse of what I just described, okay? Then march right down to the bike shop and get a bike with a "high normal" rear derailluer! ( More on that another time!) Okay, back to work peasants! Now, you may have noticed that your rear derailluer cable got real slack. This is good! Really! Now, by the miracle of slotted cable stops, you can remove the rear section of cable housing from the cable stop. You should be able to slide the housing back and forth along the cable at this point. Grab some teflon impregnated chain lube, (like Tri Flow) and run some of this up and down the bare cable. Then slide the housing back and forth over that same area. Or, try dripping lube down inside of the housing itself, either way run the housing back and forth afterwards. If you see blackish, or rusty colored residue on the cable, wipe it off man! Didn't your mom teach you to wipe! Re-lube and repeat the procedure until a minimal amount, or no residue is seen. Replace the cable housing back in it's stop. Hopefully, you still haven't moved that crankset? Keep yer mits off it! We're not done yet! Move up to the next section of housing and repeat the procedure, until you reach the shifter. Make sure that the housings are all firmly seated in their respective housing stops. Okay? Now you can move the cranks. Move 'em round an' round! Shift like crazy! Make sure it shifts well throughout the range. If there is trouble, there is probably a housing section not seated in a stop correctly. Check it ya' foo! Otherwise, you should be good to go! A similar technique can be used for you front derailluer too. Whew! That's alot 'o info! What I say: Smooth shifting is good! Less effort required to do it if everything is slippy-slidey. Check out your rig. If you have under the bottom bracket cable runs, lube that guide the cable slides across. Take your shred to a new level! Mo' later, so see ya sooner!

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:33 PM :: ::

Mechanics Corner: Lube Techniques

Hello to all! Just want to take this opportunity to wish Jeff well on his travels, and especially for this weekends up coming 24hr. slog at Moab, Utah. Go Jeff!
Okay! Calming down now. Lube! It is what makes life for you and your bike easier, cleaner, quieter, and FASTER! Do it right, and enjoy extended cycling nirvana. Do it wrong, ( or not at all), and endure fiery hell calamity, with occaisional wallet hemoraging.
The chain be the main place where lube should rain, not in the plains of Spain! Let me 'splain. You see, most of us would lube that chain, and then go for a ride. BZZZZT! Wrong! There is a better way. When riding, your chain is spinning mighty fast. So, all that high tech gobble-de-gook you just put on your chain is being flung all about. It is not staying on your chain. Better to lube when your bike is going to sit for awhile afterward.
Clean, then marinate: First off, don't lube dirt! What?-you say. I say, clean the chain first. Yes, every time you lube! It is easier if you have some sort of "quick-link" connector for your chain. Then you can remove the chain to clean it. Otherwise, do the best you can while it's on the bike. Use a chain cleaner system, or brushes and rags with de-greaser. Dry with compessed air, (watch out! use saftey glasses! Really!) or wipe down and let air dry. Once the chain is clean, lube the chain on the "inside run" of the chain. In other words- the side of the chain that comes in contact with the teeth on the cogs. The teeth on your chainwheel/cogs will get some lube, but most importantly the teeth will help work the lube into the guts of your chain and may even push some dirt out through the top part of the chain. (i.e.- the outer side of the chain) Use a liberal amount of your favorite lube, and when finished wipe off the excess. Now, let it soak in for awhile- a good long while!.
What I Say: Get in the practice of lubing your chain, cables, and other moving bits on a regular basis. Especially after really dirty/ muddy/ rainy rides! Use a multi-purpose lube like Finishline Cross Country lube, (Jeff's fave!) Tri-Flow, or Hippie Slick Chain Sauce. (My personal fave! Check out www.hippieslick.com)
There be more a-cummin'! Jeff will be rather, shall we say....otherwise occupied this week! So I will fill you in on a couple more lubing techniques through-out the week. Don't be dis-chordant!Stay Tuned!

Jeff Kerkove said at 10:37 AM :: ::

All pack'd up...

This will most likely be my last blog till I get to Moab, unless I am ahead of schedule and stop at some coffee/cyber cafe to write a few words from the road. I already have the car pack'd up. All I need to do tomorrow morning, is throw the bikes on the rook rack and throw my bag of civilian clothes in the back.

I am going to start b heading to Des Moines for the last race in the Iowa State XC Series. The last race is a 8 or so mile time trail. This wil be my 2nd race this year under the 12 hour mark. I am not going to know what to do. Anyway.....it's a 8 mile loop through the ghetto of Des Moines by the Des Moines river. This race has a ton of shwag and other prizes with a high bling-bling factor. I figure I might as well go down and support the local series and open up the legs a bit. After the race I plan on staying in Des Moines before departing for Mars.....I mean Moab, on Monday in the AM.

That's about it for today. Nothing really exciting to write about. I spent all day working at the shop. It wasn't an overly crazy day, so I was able to essemble ALL the 20" BMX bikes (you're welcome Guitar Ted and Carlos). Below is a list of questions customers asked today....keep in mind the name of the shop is Europa Cycle and Ski

Question 1: Do you have 2lb ankle weights in stock?
Question 2: Where are your soccer balls?
Question 3: Do you have any more of those yellow friendship bands?

I also picked up a new sponsor....."Sponsored by Mark" Thanks Mark! Hope all that stuff you picked up from me works.

OK, no more rambling.......I am OUT!

I wonder what Dirtam is doing?

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:20 PM :: ::

BREAKING ENDURANCE NEWS!!!

Just received this from Nat Ross (Subaru-Gary Fisher) via e-mail. You are some of the first endurance freaks to read this. Geat ready, and buy those plane tickets!

Kona Bicycle Co. signs 3-year deal for new Kona Sleepless in the Saddle world series
of marathon racing

KONAWORLD The Kona Bicycle Company today announced that they have signed a three-year deal as the title sponsor for the newly-formed Kona Sleepless in the Saddle world series of marathon racing. The 2005 world series includes three 24-hour races on three continents; England (home of the original Sleepless in the Saddle), Australia, and the United States, with plans for expansion in 2006 and 2007.

The sponsorship gives Kona ownership of an event that caters to their core customers and can easily be replicated in any country to support Kona distributors and dealers around the world. The events will be managed by UK-based Patrick Adams, who has run the wildly successful UK Sleepless in the Saddle and the Mountain Mayhem events.

"I love what I do and Kona just seems so in tune with why I do it," said Adams. "Kona will provide a platform for cyclists to go out and find what they have inside their soul and their body."

Kona Sleepless in the Saddle 2005 Schedule:
Event one -- August 13th/14th 2005 at Trentham Gardens UK
Event two -- September 10th/ 11th 2005 at Snow Mountain Ranch, Denver, Colorado.
Event three -- December 3rd/4th 2005, in Redesdale, Victoria, Australia.

This year, the Snow Mountain Ranch, USA race will crown the G24 global champion. The G24 championship is awarded to solo riders at one race a year: the USA event in 2005, Australia in 2006, UK in 2007. This is a solo category for men and women.

-more-

There are also plans for the Snow Mountain, USA event to establish a collegiate championship for colleges in the USA as well as shop/mechanics category (an unusual category which will incorporate a mechanical task to be completed by the rider just before the start/finish area between 1:00am and 2:30am)

Adams marathon events are designed to focus on fun and accessibility. "For most of the cyclists at the events, it is not about winning. It's about attaining new personal heights, new visions, and discovering new strengths that they didn't know they had. It sounds crazy, but many of the participants thank me for putting them through hell."

"(The original) Sleepless in the Saddle rightly has the reputation as one of the folksiest 24 hour races going," said Chipps Chippendale, editor of Singletrack Magazine. "Patrick Adams combines an exciting and efficient race organization with a great course and a friendly atmosphere. It's a race where you can be head to head with another racer one minute and downing a trackside beer with them another. With Kona's worldwide support, it's going to get even better from here in terms of organization and professionalism while still keeping its chilled roots."

About the Kona Bicycle Company:
"We wont make mixties."

www.konaworld.com


 

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:00 AM :: ::

Emergency Mechanics Corner!

I know, I know! I said I'd post on Monday's. But this is a special report that will hopefully prevent possible "man-sausage" damage!
I recieved a question from "Anonymous", concerning a chain replacement that resulted in a "skipping" that can't be dialed out by tuning the derailluer. A potentially dangerous situation if the skipping were to occur while hammering out of the saddle! Yeeeow! Instant Barry Gibb!
Since the consequences of not answering this question until Monday were so great, I just had to respond immediately. The world doesn't need another falsetto male pop star! (Besides, I always HATED disco!)
The answer is rather simple. Your chain, (the old chain that broke), was all nice and comfy with the cassette cogs and chainrings it was "mating" with all these miles. Suddenly, the love triangle was broken! A new chain was introduced. The cassette cogs and chainrings did not "mate" well with this new interloper. Things were not "meshing" well. The old cogs and chainrings were laidback, loose. That shiny new chain is all uptight 'n stuff. So, what's the ol' cogs and chainrings do? They kick that bee-otch every chance they gets!
What I say: Please, do not change "just" a chain if you've been running a mtb drivetrain for months in dirt, grime, and unimaginable spoo. As much as you may protest, your bike will win!( and we'll have another high-pitched whiner to deal with!) Change that chain, cassette, and your middle chainring. Well, if you use the middle chain ring the most, change it. If your using the big ring all the time your either a poser, have hateful knees, or your Tinker Juarez!
You may change "just" the chain "if" you do it often enough to avoid all those parts wearing in with each other. Get a chain checking tool, learn it, use it! Park Tools bro!
Ova 'n outta hee-ah!

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:38 PM :: ::

Endurance Racer Tip of the Day

LOWER BACK NIRVANA
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

The Therma Care heat wrap products rock. If you have done any type of endurance racing I am sure you have felt lower back pain, or shoulder pain, and even knee pain. Therma Care makes a heat wrap that fits almost every part of the human body. I used the lower back wrap at Whistler, and it made a huge difference. I suggest you give these things a try. They are pretty cheap....around $5.00 for a pack of 2 or so.

And that is your tip for the day.

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:54 PM :: ::

Surly you want to buy this bike...

THE SURLY YO!
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

It's not mine, but a buddies. I have included all the specs. and the contact info. So if you like.....contact Carl at the e-mail below.

Surly 1x1 black 18" rigid fork
Rear Paul hub laced to Sun Rhyno lite
Coda front hub laced to Aero rim
Race Face Turbine cranks.....in blue
SRAM 9.0 brake levers and calipers.
Profile Design stem
Azonic Riser bar
WTB headset
Bontrager Jones 26 x 2.1 fatty tires
Clipless pedals if ya want 'um
16,17, and 18 T ACS Claws freewheels (all 3 included)
Spot 34T front Chainring.

PRICE: $550

There are the details.......want more info?

Contact Carl below yo!
E-mail: fuel_95@hotmail.com

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:39 PM :: ::

Before you e-mail me :-)

OK guys.....before you e-mail me about the new Giants read this.

NO, I don't have one yet.
NO, I don't know how much they cost.
NO, I don't know when they are available.

That pretty much covers it. Thanks to the 100+ of you that have inquired by flooding my Inbox. Stay posted to Giants website.

No harm done.

Jeff Kerkove said at 1:27 PM :: ::

Moab prep and more rain.

Damn! I checked the radar, and all the rain was on the east side of the state. But, as you guessed, I got about 40 minutes north of town and all of hell was unleashed apon me. It wasn't just spit'n, it was a gully washer. It's like the rain clouds hunt me down like a house fly looking for nice steamy pile of poo. I headed back to the shop in the pouring rain trying not to eat the snot running out of my nose as fast as the rain was falling. I got back to the shop and just soaked the floor. I stood around for about 40 minutes until it stopped pouring, then headed over to Look-Out Park Hill and raged up and down it 10 times and headed home. It wasn't exactly the ride I wanted, but it will work.

After the ride I headed to Sprawl Mart, a.k.a. Wal-Mart to pick up supplies for Moab. Below is the list.

4 cans of Red Bull....a good kick in the pants at 3 A.M.
5 gallons of water.....gulp, gulp, gulp
4 assorted Power Bars
6 assorted Balance Bars
6 assorted Clif Bars
2 packages of Chicken flavored Ramen Noodles.......all the good stuff...salt, fat, calories, it's warm, and it cooks supa fast
1 bottle of honey
1 jar of Peanut Butter
1 bag of mini bagels.....they fit in the palm of your hand. Awww, their so cute. They rock when topped with P.B. and honey
1 bunch of bananas
1 can of Pringles......they're nasty for 'ya, but they are crunchy and full of salt, fat, and calories
4 dust masks......rumor has it, that the dust is out of this world at 24 hours of Moab. I am not going to suffer, because I have "Sand Lungs"

I will pick up more supplies out in Moab. These are the essentials, plus add in the Hammer / E-cap products.

Ok, that is good for now.

Jeff Kerkove said at 12:31 PM :: ::

Ahhh.....I like this bike

PICTURE FROM VELONEWS
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

I can't get enough of this bike. I hope i can get my hands on one. Nothing like 4 inches of fun for solo 24 hour racing.

Todays ride was short and to the point. I took the road bike out and spun around George Wyth State Park at a blazing 18 mph, while keeping the heartrate sub 120. My legs feel pretty good. Can't wait for Moab. They are saying that it is going to be the single biggest one day event ever in the USA........Cool!

I think I might go to the T.T. in Des Moines on Sunday on my way to Moab. I have not done any hard-ass intensity for a while, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

If anyone in Des Moines is reading this, and would be willing to house me on Sunday night after the race, please e-mail me. I plan on heading off to Moab early AM on Monday.

Well, I have to go to work early today. Thanks for reading.

Jeff Kerkove said at 10:02 AM :: ::

All the cool people come out for Interbike.

CELEBRITY SIGHTING.
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

And they got good taste to.

Come to Jeff.

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:12 PM :: ::

Todays Training Stats

NUMBER OF HOURS IN SADDLE: 6 Hours 8 Minutes (this does not include stopping at the shop to fix the first broken spoke all year in my Cole Prototype wheels)

CALORIES CONSUMED: 5,477

FOOD INTAKE: 2 flasks of Hammer Gel, 8 Endurolytes, 4 large water bottles.

AVERAGE HEARTRATE: 164 bpm

NUMBER OF LOOK-OUT PARK HILL REPEATS: 27

NUMBER OF TIMES I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BLOW CHUNKS: 4.....I Verped once, does that count? (Verp=vomit and burp at the same time)

JEFF VS. SQUIRRELS: Jeff 3 Squirrels 0, The squirrels are overtaking Black Hawk county. I either ran over or nicked 3 squirrels

MOTIVATION LEVEL: Through the roof! I didn't want to stop. I felt like a million bucks. I hope my legs feel like this for Moab.

WHAT I DID DURING THE RIDE: Hill repeats, tempo work, sprints, rage into the wind

POST WORKOUT MEAL: Chicken breast, 2 Potatos, Apple, lots and lots of water

And I am spent. Time to go surf the net and hunt up top secret pictures for Interbike.

Jeff Kerkove said at 4:59 PM :: ::

Iowa based cycling coach can HELP you!

Do you need a coach? Well, here is one that can help you out at an affordable price. Check out Quixote Cycling Programs out of Des Moines. Donny helped first time solo racer Sean Noonan to a 2nd place at the 24 Hours of Seven Oaks in Boone, Iowa back on Sept 4-5. Read the great write up below from QCP Website and make sure to scope out the website for all you coaching needs. Donny knows his stuff and comes highly recommended! Plus he writes up some pretty swell race recaps. Check it out below!

Noo-Noo & the Big 24!
A 24-hour race is just that, a race that lasts 24 freakin hours. Riders can do it with teams of 4, 3, 2 or the ultimate suffer-fest, solo. Sean "Noo-Noo" Noonan set one of his biggest goals of this year to place at Iowa's second annual 24-hour race in Boone over Labor Day weekend. It would be his first solo endurance race of the year because scheduling never made it possible to attend a 24 with enough time to recover for the Labor Day event. Sean did pack a 24-hour team event and some 12 hour solo races into his calendar but the big 24 solo would be treading into unknown waters. As his coach, I committed to being Sean's camp leader. I would keep track of Sean's progress through the entire event, make his food and motivate him through the tough hours of near-delirium, middle-of-the-night mountain biking.
 
One big hit against Sean going into the event was his age - endurance racers tend to be a bit older. Since much of the work is just being able to push through intense pain and sleep deprivation it requires a mental toughness that is not found in many young riders. In fact, many of the top endurance racers in the country are nearing 40 and even 50. Noo-Noo is only 18, and for most guys his age I would have recommended that they avoid the solo effort but I have to admit he is more headstrong than most teenagers I know and I trusted that he understood what he was getting himself into.
 
Setting up for the race took some doing. Sean had a grocery list about a page long on top of an endless to-do list. All of which had to be done by noon on Friday before the event. Taking a page from the Bobke book of training I advised Sean that on the Friday before the race he should, eat everything in the house and sleep for 12 hours. Sean did just that - plus two extra hours of sleep. Our only wild card for the race was Sean's bike, or rather lack thereof. His bike was good enough to get the job done but it was not a full suspension and was lacking a mate. In 24-hour mountain bike races a full suspension bike can take a lot of the beating throughout the event and is always recommended by the pros, even for courses that do not require it technically. Having a second bike on hand is a big help as well. If the first requires maintenance then the rider can use the back-up and not lose any time. As it was, Sean was going to take a beating on his hardtail and without a back-up, any mechanical mishap could cost us dearly.
 
Once the race was about to get underway, Sean and I made note of the primary competition. Of the 16 solo riders we felt that only two were as prepared or driven to go the distance against Sean: Dennis Grelk and Mike Blahut. We knew that the winner of the race would be the person who could sleep the least and stay on his bike the longest, hence the 24-hour double-meaning-mantra of, "The Best Less the Rest". For the first few laps Blahut set the pace for the soloists with Noo-Noo and Grelk just behind but an intense 20-minute rainstorm during the second lap would take a nice chunk out of our sails. The course became very difficult to manage when wet and the bike got bogged down with mud. After a 31-minute opening lap from Sean, the third lap on the rain soaked course would take over an hour.
 
Though by the fifth lap the rain had passed, the course dried and Sean set into his rhythm. He completed 10 laps in a row with an average time of 47-minutes per lap (not including rest). I pushed Sean to eat something every lap and I kept the food coming in a combination of fruits, pastas, cream cheese sandwiches, potatoes, cookies and energy bars. Sean, being a vegetarian, took any type of meat off the menu and in retrospect; I doubt I would have fed him much meat even if he was a carnivore. I was aiming for 300 calories and 20-35oz of fluid each lap and attempting to do this with the variety of easy-to-digest food, protein and carbohydrate replacement drinks, and electrolyte supplements.
On top of the food we worked in a light foot and leg massage every few hours where I applied a muscle relaxing cream. The massages would help transfer any lactate acids that built up in his legs by moving the blood and circulating it back through the heart. It also helped wake Sean up as I prepped every massage with a cold water rinsing, sometimes I even splashed water in his face to help him focus.
 
As the first twelve hours ticked by there was little difference between the top three soloists, but a huge gap between those three and the rest of the field. The selection had been made and as we predicted, Blahut, Grelk and Sean led the way. Since Blahut's camp was right next to ours I had kept checking on him out of the corner of my eye. I noticed that he was not taking much, if any, rest after each lap and had not seen him eat anything substantial in the first 6 hours. He had set a great pace and taken lead of the race but I predicted that he would not be able to maintain his effort through the night.
 
I told Sean that we needed to stay as close to Blahut as possible and do our best to draw even before midnight. In a straight race, Blahut has the advantage over Sean - he can simply go faster and finish the laps sooner. But in this endurance event I felt that Sean had an edge over him with his preparation, fueling and recovery. Grelk on the other hand was hiding in second place on the course for most of the first half. His lap times were consistently 10 minutes ahead of Sean and 10-15 behind Blahut. I had to assume, not knowing Grelk, that he was just as prepared and committed as Sean and through the night he would be the biggest threat to win the race.
 
After midnight each of the top three would be tested greatly. Dennis started increasing his lap times and took the lead over Blahut and now the two of them were both one lap ahead of Sean. As I predicted, Blahut hit the wall and decided to nap after 17 laps. At this point Sean was in both a good and bad spot, sine we failed to draw even with Blahut before midnight I felt that it was tactically advantageous to do so before Sean took a long rest. He had the opportunity now to take over second place from Blahut and begin to chase down Grelk but had been refusing food for over 4 hours. He complained of stomach pains for the past three (which was most likely due to the lack of food) but was now in a vicious cycle. His stomach hurt because it had no food but was now too upset to comfortably digest anything. The opportunity was there to make our move but with Sean's fatigue it would be very difficult.
 
At just past 1:00am Sean begged me for rest and crumpled over in pain, it killed me to do it but I forced him eat food and complete just one more lap before he took a substantial rest. This would let him draw even with Blahut and each pedal stroke after that would be chasing down first place. The 17th lap was Sean's defining moment of the race; under unimaginable fatigue, food and sleep deprivation he had to complete the 5.6 mile loop of hills in the dead of night. He would not be alone though, using our cell phones and setting his to answer automatically, I was able to speak directly into his ear piece and he could also talk back to me. I called him every 3-4 minutes for the entire lap and inspired him with every emotion possible. I pleaded with him, cursed at him, made false promises, made him laugh and told him how great of a tactical move he was making. The only emotion I didn't give him was my worry, Sean needed to finish this lap in one piece and without mechanical troubles to the bike. A task that is easier said than done when you're approaching 15 hours of racing.
 
Sean was on his last leg and would surely need rest when he returned but I was also very worried about Blahut. I wasn't sure how long he intended to sleep. He and his wife had shut out all of the lights in their camp and to help ensure they got a peaceful (and lengthy) rest I shut down all of the lights in mine. I turned off my DVD player, never walked by their camp and asked surrounding camps to keep it down. People were sleeping and Sean needed them to sleep for a long time.
 
Almost 70 minutes later Sean finished the lap safely and his reward was an hour nap. Now while Sean took his rest we had to watch as Grelk took the race. He rode consistently through the night and set some of his fastest laps while Sean and Blahut were asleep; it was a great move tactically and deserved applause. However, the race for second was up for grabs still. Blahut would have more rest than Sean and if they awoke at the same time I had to assume that Blahut would regain his steam and take the lead from us. Our only chance was to get in as many laps as possible before he woke and after Sean's hour nap I woke him up and told him our position in the race. It was now 4:30 in the morning and we needed to get at least 2 but ideally 3 laps ahead of Blahut while he slept.
 
Coincidentally, Grelk had decided to nap at the same time Sean was heading out and the thought had crossed my mind that maybe Grelk would sleep for a while too, giving us a shot at first. But he did not; he dropped down for close to an hour and then remounted and continued on course.
 
Sean did his job and around 8:00 in the morning he finished his third lap since the hour-long nap. Now Sean was three laps ahead of Blahut and two laps behind Grelk but the race was not over and, in fact, our second place was still in jeopardy. See, with four hours left to go, Blahut was coming off a 6-hour sleep and if he started clocking 35-40 minute laps compared to Sean's now 55-65 minute lap average, he could still regain second place. I gave Sean a 30-minute rest and told him that when he awoke he would have to do some of the best racing he has done yet.
 
At 8:21 in the morning Sean went out to chase after Blahut and hopefully solidify his second place. That was the primary objective. Sean and I also had to be ready to make a move against Grelk; if Grelk had a mechanical or bonked too hard to recover we wanted to be in a position to take advantage. Sean returned at 8:55! Setting a 34-minute lap!! 3 minutes off his fastest lap time and only 4 minutes off the fastest lap set for the entire race. This was an outstanding accomplishment! After 20 hours of racing, only 90 minutes of rest and hardly any food for the past 10 hours Sean did a lap 10 minutes faster than Blahut who had rested for over 6 hours. Sean followed that with a 46-minute lap coming back into camp just before 10:00am. Those two laps were phenomenal and I'm still not sure how he pulled it off. In retrospect, we could have stopped racing there but I did not want to leave anything to chance and told Sean that he needed to finish one more lap in the next hour to leave no doubt on his second place and 50 minutes later he had done just that.
 
The final tally for Noo-Noo was 23 laps and 2nd place in his first ever 24-hour solo race. 2 laps behind Grelk and 2 laps ahead of Blahut - the three of them were head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
 
I do believe that Sean dug deeper than he ever has before and pushed himself through an immeasurable amount of suffering, both physically and mentally, to achieve what he did. I am very proud of him. He learned that pain is a part of bike racing and the pain you feel in your legs is just the tip of iceberg. That disabling pain can spread to your stomach, your heart and your mind; how we overcome that pain is what defines our sport from the rest. Congratulations Sean!

HERE IS THE LINK TO SUCCESS!
http://www.quixotecycling.com/

Jeff Kerkove said at 9:11 AM :: ::

GREEN SHORTS MAN TO PUT-ON KICK ASS TIME TRIAL!

MA-HAIRY....I don't know how to spell his name.
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

This man you see in the picture above puts on one of the best races of the year. Although he dresses funny....his shorts are really white, but I made them green....he puts on a mountain bike time trial in the ghettos of Des Moines. Great prizes. Good turn out. Green shorts. Plus he donates most of the entry fee money to the Lance Armstrong Foundation....you know, that guy that keeps winning the tour.

Here is the 411

"The Larry"
(a.k.a. 5th Annual Sycamore Mountain Bike Time Trial)

Sunday, October 10th, 2004.
$20 will get you in the race.
10am ~ first rider starts
noon ~ last rider done

Benefits:
Central Iowa Trail Association
Lance Armstrong Foundation
Variety Club of Iowa

Prizes:
Tons of Schwag for all the girls and boys from sponsors including Jordan Motors,
Giant Bicycles, Grounds for Celebration, Court Ave Brewery, Maharry Photography,
Oakley, Active Endeavors, Bike World, Poster by G., and Target.

PLUS:
$100 fastest male time
$100 fastest female time
$50 mystery prize... could it be for best cross-dressed racer?

Race Info? Don't email me... call 515-276-8314.

Jeff Kerkove said at 1:15 PM :: ::

Mechanics Corner: Questions Answered!

Hello again! Time to address a few questions I recieved since I last posted. By the way, any questions you might have concerning BICYCLE MECHANICS, can be asked by clicking on "post a comment" found at the bottom of this post. Any other types of questions may be asked at your own risk!
"anonymous" asks: What is that knob on my Axel Comp for?" Answer: I don't know. Why don't YOU ask him? If I were you, I wouldn't let anybody on my suspension fork! Ha! Just kidding! Really, it's a preload adjuster. That would be a way to make your spring stiffer in your fork, requiring a greater force to activate the fork. Less preload does the opposite, making your fork squishier.
A couple questions were related to how often I will post. Gee! Kinda personal, don't ya' think? Well, the answer is every Monday. Now, on to todays tidbit! DOWN BOY! DOWN!
Now That You Have A Repair Stand........
Use it to clean your bike. But, hold on! Not just any 'ol way! Noooo-no! I have seen people ruin their bikes by cleaning them wrong. At least, I thought they were people. Maybe they were something else! ...........uh, that's another story.
Be very careful of high pressure water use! Even putting your thumb over the end of a regular garden hose can raise the pressure enough to get past those seals on your bearings and suspension components. Use a very wet rag, or sponge to knock off the chunks 'o earth, and rinse off the rest by letting water pour over your bike. I like to use a spray bottle of 409, or soap and water. Pedros Bike Lust is also awesome.
What I say: Use high pressure water sources, and you are asking for it! You are not human! You can't be reasoned with! Your bike will hate you!
Tip to anodized frame owners: Clean your bike with Hippie Slick! It's da bomb!
Tip to people with stickers on their bikes: Formula 409 can and will ruin stickers! Beware!
Until next week, Ride on, Foos!

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:40 AM :: ::

SWEET!

2005 GIANT NRS AIR
Originally uploaded by kerkovej.

All I can say is "Sweeeeeet!"

Stay tuned to MTBR.COM for the best and most up-to-date coverage.

http://www.mtbr.com/interbike04/

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:50 PM :: ::