A Strange Day.
This has been one of the more stranger days in the last few weeks. When the time comes I will unleash today's goodness.
One of the more interesting things that happened is the shop was invaded by Monkeytron via UPS. Looks like Monkeytron will be at the remainder of my endurance events for 2005. G-Ted snapped some pictures of the invasion. Rumor has it that Monkeytron will be at Interbike.
Speaking of Interbike, it looks like I might be there for a few days thanks to the folks at ELETE. This will be a great time to share info on ELETE and also hangout at the booths of my other fine sponsors such as Giant and Cateye. Stay tuned.
What else happened...
Went out for a 1 hour spin to keep the legs happy after work. Was about mowed down by the UNI Womens XC Team. LOOK OUT! Crisis was avoided.
G-Ted shared some crazy medical information with me at work that had me dry heaving at my work stand. This is a clean site and I will not mention the details.
That is all. Stay tuned, caue some interesting race news might be coming soon.
UPDATE: I am still heading to Boone.
Good luck to those racing in Whistler this weekend! Remember to take the time and look at your surroundings. It's amazing up there.
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:40 PM
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Top Secret Info....well, not really.
Got an e-mail from Brian in California regarding a few things that I do during my 24 hour efforts. I figured I will share the knowledge with everyone else. Remember, this is my personl preference which works for me. Make sure you try it in training before you race. And now the questions...
Q: I see that you have mulitiple brands of bars, balance, power, clif and mulitple brands of "energy" drinks; gatorade, power bar, elete and hammer, oh and red bull & coke! I know with the gels, like GU and power bar gel, they are all very similar in the number of carbs, sugars etc. some have caffeine and some dont. With those, it seems to be about what flavor you like the best. But with drinks/powders and bars - they can be so very different. I am wondering why you have so many types/brands with you at your races? Do you actually eat and drink all of those items on your list?
A: Most of the items on my list from the other day I use during an event. I got'a keep mixing things up so I don't get sick of any one item. One lap might be half a Power Bar. Next lap will be half a Balance Bar. I always have a bottle of Power Bar Endurance and ELETE. Also carry a flask of either Hammer Gel or Perpetum in a paste consistency.
Q: Do you eat anything as you ride, and what do you find is the most useful food for eating while on the bike?
A: Most solid food is consumed as I roll out of the pit. While on the bike it's mostly consumption of liquid in flask and bottle.
Q: Do you take tools/pump etc with you on the laps to fix stuff that may go wrong... flats etc..?
A: I carry a Park Tool mini tool pack with tire levers..chain tool...Hex wrench...tire patch, a spare Maxxis tube, and a CO2 cartridge.
Q: Do you have a back up light system - like some sort of AAA powered led lamp mounted to the handle bar?
A: I have used a Black Diamond Ion small LED headlamp that is like the size of a quarter. Now I carry the Cateye EL-400. That little guy mounts to a helmet, or fits in the pocket. It's way tiny and bright enough to ride on if needed.
So there are your answers. If anyone else has questions, please e-mail me.
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:52 PM
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More Anthem
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:24 AM
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Gear'n Up
I am pretty much finished getting ready for the Iowa 24. I have both Giant NRS's cleaned and tuned. I have Maxxis MiMo 2.0 mounted on both bikes. All the batteries for the Cateye "shot" lights are charged. And I just got back from getting some food for the race. What did I get you ask? We'll here is a rundown...
- Balance Bars
- Power Bars
- Clif Bars
- Mini Bagels
- PB & J
- Pringles
- Ramen
- Gatorade Endurance
- Fig Bars
- Gallon Jugs of Water
- Pop Tarts
- Coke
Other items that I had on hand that will go along are...
Another item that I have become attatched to during the last few 24's is the ThermaCare back warmers. It helps a ton when the lower back starts to get sore. Just unleash this guy from its package and it instantly starts to warm. You then wrap it around your waist and enjoy lower back warmth for 8 hours!
The rest of my gear will get loaded up on Friday...then I will head to Boone on Saturday in the early AM. I am way pumped to go back to this venue. Lots of good trail and super people throw'n an awesome party!
What else happened today....
I spent a good amount of time at the shop. Did a boat load of repairs, and assembled Mr. Saul's new 2006 dirt sled by that one company that I cannot talk about since it was not a Giant. It's a sweet bike. I'd ride it. G-Ted has some pictures of the build.
After work it was to Wal-Mart for race food. That place is a zoo. I went and even looked for some Monkey's for the 24 hours race just like Monkeytron. But...no luck.
Went and got gas in the car. Did it today since gas is rumored to go up another 20 cents. GASP!
No bike. Today is my day off for the week. Tomorrow is the road group ride. I'll be there on the road bike to get in a few hard efforts before Boone.
That's all for now.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:04 PM
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Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!
Sunday means one thing in Iowa during the summer...It's race'n time! Well, it was race time for everybody but me. Ihad to work at the shop. Dang!
So, to get some fat tire fun in today, I gravel grinded up to the race course at 7 AM and turned a lap on the sweeeeeeeet course. I cannot believe how rock'n that trail is. Plus, it's only like 30 minutes worth of gravel away.
So I got up there, turned a lap, chatted with the racers, talked about the Iowa 24, then high tailed it back to Cedar Falls to be to work by 11:30.
Say hello to Jimmy. Jimmy is one of the local fast BMX freaks we have here in town. Heck, just yesterday, he won a state championship! Earlier in the month G-Ted talked him into trying the mnt bike race today. He agreed, and G-Ted loaned him a mnt bike to race on. Geez, what a swell guy. Anyway, Jimmy pulled off a 5th place inthe Beginner race. He said he got the hole shot (BMX lingo) and then his legs started to burn after like 5 minutes. I was laughen pretty hard. I told him he needs to learn to embrace lactic acid and make it his friend. Well, he had fun, and that is all that counts.
Carl was hang'n out also. He helped set up the course and assist in the daily activities. Carl is the only person I know that just all of a sudden starts singing Iron Maiden tunes and rock'n out. It's crazy! He should have some pics up soon.
Nothing really exciting happen at the shop today. Whizbang brought me some fresh tomatos from his garden. He rocks too! I wonder how his new nude doll is doing?
Ok, that is enough. Rest of the week will be spent focusing and preping for the Iowa 24. Should be good times with good people. I would go and get my food for the race tonight, but going to Wal-Mart on a Sunday night is dangerous! Playing on the freeway would be safer.
I wonder how JY enjoyed is first true dirt experience? Are you ready for 24?
So...I need to know who the person is that got to my site by typing the following into a search engine...."Jeff is cool" That is too funny!
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:38 PM
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Spin'n it out.
Both myself and Carl had to work today. I was a the shop, and he was setting up the race course for tomorrows XC race north of town. Since we were both hang'n on our feet all day we decided to just go out and spin it out. Nothing like a bit of fresh Iowa farm land air. Carl also tried to get in some 24 hour racing specific training in. I tried not to laugh too loud.
Head'n out with the Swiss National Champ. Yep, were are in Iowa. See the corn silly?
Check it out! The Swiss Champ is also a big fan of
Tifosi Optics and
Bell Sweep Road Lids. What's so funny? Huh?
This is what's funny! It's the worlds largest cow on a trailer. What's even better yet is RAGBREI...I mean
RAGBRAI is spelled wrong. RAGBRAI is what Iowa is most famous for. That...and John "The Duke" Wayne.
This is funny too! Iowa has a meth problem. Hmmm, I wonder why. Is it because the main ingredient is already mounted on a trailer with a hitch.
Back up. Attach. Drive away. Geez!
So Pro Carl then went into his specific 24 hour training. It goes something like this...Eat....
...followed by the
Donkey Tuck...
...followed by more eating. He is on to something here!
So that was our nice little ride. I learned alot from So Pro Carl today. Thanks buddy!
In other news...
Here is a picture of the 2006
Giant Anthem. It's supposed to replace the tried and true NRS design. I really do not have much info on this hot little rig yet. All I know is it is going to be using the newly introduced
Giant Maestro suspension platform. Stay tuned. InterBike is coming up fast.
Also...
Geography Quiz: Name the Iowa city in which this home sits. It appears that the owner is removing the pool from the back to make way for a vert ramp. Where is this? Sound off!
And...
There is a industry review of the new Cateye Triple Shot. I personally don't think the picture of the beam shows the real light out-put. Good review!
For Sunday...
Riding up to the
race course at 6:30 AM to turn some laps. Ride home to be back to work by 11:30 AM. Run the shop. Go home. Plan the attack for the
3rd Annual Iowa 24 Hour Race.I wonder how the
24 Hours of Afton went? Chuck? Scott? Craigness?
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:05 PM
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Not Going to Worlds.
Yep, you read that correctly. Why you might add? Because I posted a personal opinion on a public forum regarding the escalading price of entry fees in endurance racing in general.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE FORUM. MAKE SURE YOU READ EVERY SINGLE POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM! UNDERSTAND IT!
My comments which posted claimed that I personally thought that the price of fees at endurance races across the country where getting out of hand ($400 to race World's. 1/2 paid by me, the other by sponsors). The folks at 24 HOA, which I might add, I have NO personal issues or grudges against, replied back. I read their post. I then commented back with an apology, and a way that the future of the sport might become more obtainable for all. This seem to set off a fire storm.
2 weeks past, then the other day I recieve an e-mail directly from 24 HOA regarding my facts were harming the sport and process of 24 HOA. They stated that my comments would directly effect the way this sport will be futurized. I read thru the e-mail somewhat confused. Instead of e-mailing back and forth, I took the time to personally contact the founder of 24 HOA. We discussed the issue in a civilized mannor for about 45 minutes. The phone call ended something like this...
Jeff: Thanks for your time and I'll see you next weekend.
24 HOA: I need time to let this settle. We'll see if you will be participating. I'll contact you.
What!? Ok, I thought. 24 HOA does run their own series. They control every aspect of the events since there is no governing body in endurance racing. So I waited, and waited for a reply. Finally today, I sent an e-mail to 24 HOA stating that I was preparing to drive 2 days to Whistler on my own dime to race, and I would really like and answer.
They replied back with a document stating that because of my actions, I am banned from all 24 HOA events for 1 calander year.
OK. They can do what they wish. I will leave it at that and will not fight it. I am NOT going to make this a grudge. I, personally will not speak of this matter anymore on this blog or any public forum for the betterment of the sport and 24 HOA. Good luck to those racing, crewing, running/organizing, and volunteering in one of the worlds best venues.
Hotels have been canceled. I do enjoy the 24 HOA events by the way. If I didn't I wouldn't have competed in 3 of them. Looks like I will have to look to the future.
So, now instead of heading to World's I will be hitting up the 3rd Annual Iowa 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race in Boone.
I have more training to do. The season is not over yet. Thank You.
Jeff Kerkove said at 3:44 PM
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Brake Love.
El Camino is Spanish for...Holy Crap! These are the gratest disc brakes ever made by Hayes!
I was finally able to get out after work to hit up some Iowa singletrack to spin the legs and push out a few hard 15-30 second hard effort bursts. During this time I did some fine tuning of the Hayes El Camino's. Normally this is something that has to be done in the shop. But with all the external on the fly adjustments, it allows you to do it while raging down the trail. Bonus! So the brakes are good to go for Whistler.
Next few days will be spent getting stuff ready for the road trip. Packing...cleaning bikes...installing tires...lubing...check...and rechecking. The time is drawing near for one of the best events and venues of all time.
So, the rest of the evening will be spent surfing the net till 6 PM then it's off to run some errands. Then the Whizbang Roast at the Other Place eatery.
Oh!
Don't forget about these 2 primo local events coming up!
Camp Ingawanis XC on August 28
Iowa's 3rd Annual 24 Hour Race over Labor Day weekend.
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:46 PM
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Weapons for World's
Wow! Less than 10 days till 24 Hour Solo World's in Whistler. Everything is coming along as planned. Am I nervous? Yep, a little bit. Am I looking forward to the 2 day drive? Not really. Do I feel that I have the fitness and tools to do well? You-bet-cha! The sponsors have stepped up big...great equipment and financial help. THANK YOU SPONSORS!!!
As far as training goes leading up to the event, most rides will be short and to the point. I will try to ride each day to keep the legs "in the know" for how to ride a bike. Tonight after work I am going to go out and test some recently intalled Hayes El Camino's. These things seem to be pretty amazing! No, I have not had trail time yet, but the parking lot test gave me goose-bumps.
The lever itself is no bigger than a standard v-brake lever. It's pretty amazing what Hayes has done here. Also, the brakes came pre-bled...BONUS! The only problem was there was too much hose line for my bike set-up. As easy as 1-2-3, I trimmed the hose, re-installed, and BAM, I was ready to roll.
The caliper too is way tiny. When on the bike, you can hardly see it, cause it blends into all the other thing going on in the back of the bike. The centering of the caliper went smoother than other discs I have worked with. Also note, that the El Camino uses a different brake pad from the other Hayes brakes out there.
So tonight I am going to go out and play with the power adjust knobs and get them dialed in for what I think I will need at Whistler. More to come after i get some "real" riding in on these "stoppers"
So the rest of the day is work...riding...and a Roast of Whizbag at the O.P. Should be good times.
So who else is road-tripping to Whistler? Anyone driving farther than 2 days? I am really looking forward to the sleeping under picnic tables at Interstate Rest Stops like my trips to 24 Hrs Moab and Worlds at Whistler last year. Good Times!!!
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:55 AM
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Putz'n
Spent this AM spinning the legs out at the park. Was a bit cool...51 degree. Had to throw on the long sleeve for the 1.5 hour spin around. Legs felt really good after having the old dudes lay the wood to me last night.
I was pretty surprised to see no traffic. Normally, this pace is full of runners, and cyclist in the early morning. Must have been too cold. Was
JY out here today? How about
Carl?
Speeds were high. Look out! 12 mph. At this speed squirrels will pass you. And little old ladies on motorized scooters.
The ride ended with a spin to downtown Cedar Falls. Not much go'n down here either. There were some people sip'n joe at Cup of Joe, but not much else happening.
1/2 of the engine for World's.
Rest of the day is shop time. Going to start taking NRS's into get them prep'd for World's. Have to run around town and do some stuff and get some design work finalized.
So, who's race'n at Ingawanis this weekend? Would like to, if I can find someone to cover for me at the shop.
Jeff Kerkove said at 8:03 AM
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School'd by Old Dudes
Yeah, so I just got back from the road group ride. There was only a few of us, cause I think everyone else is tapering for State Crit. Anyway, I showed on my mnt bike to add up some more tough guy points. The rest of the guys, who were all old enough to be my dad, were on road bikes. They were, in no particular order...Adamson...way old.
Klaren...yep, he's old.
Boller...let me see....yep, old.
Engstrom...he to is old. I also gave him the nickname tonight of Chief Bulging Calves, since they are the size of a dorm refridgerator. You have to see them to believe it.
We left town at 6 bells and headed north toward Finchford. For some reason Chief Bulging Calves took advatage of the fact I was running a 42 x 11 and threw down. I had to sit on the nose of the saddle to stay with the group at the near 30 mph pace line. Thanks buddy!
After that it was on to Janesville, where Adamson jumped for the stop ahead sign. I got shot out the back and had to bust ass to catch the group. Once I caught up, Chief Bulging Calves busted off the front into town. Yep, he won.
We regrouped in town and headed over to Wagner road do the whole roadie pace line thing. No body attacked. Once we got to Wagner Rd., Chief Bulging Calves started to up the pace. We were pace lining down the road at 25-27 mph. This is when we lost Klaren. This pace kept all the way back to Waterloo for the next 6 miles. Boller even threw in some super pulls. This old dude was bust'n. When he suffers, you can tell, cause all this sufferage flies out of his nose and mouth. I know, cause I got some on my leg when he pulled thru. Ew, Gross!
Once we got into town we all regrouped and rde home. I would personally like to that the old dudes for kicking my arse tonight. Here are the ride stats...
Time: 2 hr, 37 min, 40 sec.
Average Speed: 19.5 mph
Distance: 51.59 miles
Max Speed: 33.5 mph
This officially ends my sufferage training for World's. Now it's time to start tapering. Throw in some easy rides, with some short hard efforts, etc.
Also...
Looks like the 24 Hours in the Sage WILL NOT happen. They published the wrong dates in Dirt Rag. Dang.
Time to fuel back up...stretch...and sleep. Sleep will be on the top of the "List of Things to Do."
When was the last time an old dude waxed your butt on a ride?
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:35 PM
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Just some stuff...
Tonight is the road group ride. Do I rage on the mnt bike or road bike? I really should start to do a bit of a taper for World's.
Are you a fan of Trek/Fisher bikes? Check out G-Ted, Carl, and the infamous Monkeytron for the latest on the 2006 goods. A camera was smuggled.
Anyone want to do more night riding...how about Friday night? Carl or JY? E-mail me.
I still have some fee/travel support for some races after World's. Do I go back to Moab? Some other events? Rapture 12 Hr? Blue Mound 12 Hr? 24 Up the Nose? 24HOA Conyers? Maybe a 24 hour event in Colorado? Who knows, just need to make sure that there is some night riding and someone to support for me. I am now taking applications.
Need to pick up the car today.
Hmmmmmm. The 24 Hours in the Sage has me think'n. Can I recover from World's in 20 days then do another 24? Decisions. Desicions. So, is there any Colorado'ians out there that want to crew? Any of you Durango freaks?
Time to eat some breakfast. Then it's off to the shop....and beyond.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:27 AM
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So, I went for a ride.
A nice little ride with Carl. Put in about 60 miles in the early AM on the road sleds. We are having some sweet weather here in Iowa thanks to the fine folks up in Canada. The temp was sit'n around 52 degrees when we headed out on our loop. Cold enough to have to throw on a long sleeve jersey to keep the chills at bay. Since there was not much inensity involved this AM, I took the camera along. Enjoy.
Look Ma, no hands!
Head'n towards New Hartford. Check out that sky!
Chasing down Carl, since he took off when I stopped to water the flowers along the road.
Check out the elevation Iowa has to offer.
We had to yield to Flag Lady. Flag Lady was working really hard. Flag Lady was sport'n the neon green t-shirt. Flag Lady is cool.
Flag Lady let us go. She is the keeper of this fine fresh black top. Thanks Flag Lady!
These guns have a really really good shot at a solo podium spot at the
24 Hours of Seven OaksSpeaking of the 24 hour race....make sure you go. It's a killer deal for one super swell event.
The guns belong to this man...Darth Jackal. Or what ever he is calling himself now days.
Geography Quiz: Do you know what town this is located in? Sound off!
So that was todays ride. Was a good time. I would personally like to thank the girl driving to work/class that was coming at us driving her car while shielding the sun with one hand and talking on her cell phone with the other for not mowing us down. Thanks super safe driver girl!
The rest of the day will involve going to Wal-Mart to pick up 2 of the items in the cyclist food pyramid....olive oil and parmesan cheese. Then I will take the Mazda to the car fix-it place to have them change the oil and make sure it is safe for the 2 day drive to Whistler, BC.
So do you know the location of that last picture?
Click Here if ya want to see what a pro Giant XC racer does on his "free time" Warning: Bad Tan Lines.
Jeff Kerkove said at 11:43 AM
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XC Action in the Sunlight
Got to bed last night about 11 PM after the night ride with JY. Beep, beep, beep, beep, the alarm clock goes off at 5 AM. Thunder down some coffee...some Malt-O-Meal....a banana. Throw on the Giant kit. Saddle up on the NRS #1. Open can of Red Bull. Guzzle. Proceed to Bike Tech to meet up with the others while watching the sun come up in the East.I get down to Bike Tech around 6:20 AM. The others that show include....Citron Rob (aka Hoooo-la-hand), JY, Adamson, Bidwell, and Craig. We head north for Camp Ingawanis on some fine Iowa gravel at a leisure pace of 17 mph. Once we get in we hit up the loop on the South side. We cruise around at a good pace so all the varying talent levels can enjoy. We do 2 laps, and then Craig and Adamson head back to Cedar Falls to partake in other activities for the day.Next up, myself, JY, Citron Rob, and Bidwell turn out another lap at a higher pace. At this time we loose Bidwell. We wait....and wait...and wait at the end of the trail head. We then decide to ride the course backwards to try to find him. Note: riding the south side backwards kicks ass! We ride an entire lap backwards and end up finding him at the trail head. No harm. No foul. We then decide to pack it up and head home so I can get to the shop by 11:30 to work. All and all it was a great ride was some swell folks. JY should have some pics. Now it's time to watch the time tick by till 5 PM.
Also, John Adamson, whom I refer to all the time on this blog, got some love on Cyclingnews from his Leadville 100 experience. Check it out. And, super fast XC geek, Brian Eppen and wife of Iowa City won the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic...on a tandem...OVERALL! Wow! Stay tuned to G-Ted's site. He is at the Trek Show. Lots of bling to look at soon I am sure.Time to earn my pay.
Jeff Kerkove said at 10:48 AM
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Night Ride...Day Ride
Goooooooooood Morning!
Last night I was able to get out into the woods after dark for some night riding. JY and Meyself are preping for those all important 24 hour events coming up here over the Labor Day weekend. I headed out at 8:25 PM for some easy spinning before I meet JY. I was cruising around in the low light conditions with both the Double and Triple Shot LED lights on. All of the sudden the Double Shot starts to "stobe". Hum? What the heck? Well, the battery went retarded on me. Both the battery and light are prepoduction...so, that means something is wrong with the battery. It was just freshly charged. And for those of you out there looking into these lights....when the light starts to flicker/strobe that means the battery is getting low. Nice.
So I waited around for JY to show. After he got to Pfeiffer Park, I told him of my situation, and we headed back to my crib to switch to a different battery....That did the trick! When then pushed on towards the single track in GW State Park in Cedar Falls. We first hit up the easy open stuff to get the light angles set on our helmet and h'bar mounts. Rode thru the XC ski trail and the twisty stuff next to the campgroud. Got lots of weird looks from the people stuffing their faces with Smores.
Next it was on to Greenbelt. We dropped in to some nice trail that was littered with twigs and branches. The "shot" lights put out more than enough light to ride thru at an comfortable pace. I led for the first half, and then let JY led off his lights. JY was making comments about my new "shot" lights...."Wow, they sure do put out a white light"....That's way bright!"....etc, etc, etc.
We pushed on thru the 'Belt. The trail was a bit slick in spots from the race the night before. We came around a blind coner right into a mud pit. JY hit it and gave his best sliding into home plate impression....SAFE! He got up. Gave a good laugh. And continued.
After that we dicided to keep riding to the next rail head then hit up the paved trail for the ride back into CF. We tempoed back into CF when JY's lights died on him. So, the trusty Cateye "shot lights" led the way home for both of us.
Overall, the first true off road ride with the lights from Cateye is 2 thumbs up from me. There is plenty of clean light. The Double Shot is light weight on the helmet/head. The amount of light that the combo puts out is ample enough to race on. I was amazed at the amount of light coming from just the 2 LED Double Shot. You can spot 'coons with this thing...WOW! I have a few suggestions for Cateye...but that is for them, not you.
Now, it's time to get ready for the 6:30 AM mnt bike ride up to Camp Ingawanis. Stay tuned.
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:09 AM
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Random-onium
Working at the shop all day Saturday, cause everyone else is jet'n out to the Trek Dealer show in Mad-Town. G-Ted said something about taking the new Fisher 29ers of some sweet jumps. He is also curious as to why they don't make a Trek Sledgehammer. Vote for Pedro.
UNI is getting up to get down. Let the shop become a made house. Whaaaaaaa!
T-Shirts for Iowa's 3rd Annual 24 Hr Mountain Bike Race are done. Go'na have to race to see 'em.
Team kits for the Bike Tech Team are complete. Check 'em out!
Don't forget! Group mnt bike ride to Camp on Sunday. We are move'n out at 6:30 AM.
Gas prices blow! $2.50 a gallon. I will never make it to B.C. Looks like I'll have to ride there. Twinkies and Twizzlers are cheaper fuel.
I see Solo Goat didn't have a good time at the NORBA Snowshoe Marathon. That's OK buddy! You're still go'na haul azz at World's.
I have visions of Leadville 100 dancing in my head. No. No. No. YES! There is new linky on the sidebar of a beverage I recently tried. FRS Plus, is some pretty good stuff. Helps on the recovery side of things plus give you that little extra boost to throw down on the bike. I was running some in my flask on last Tuesday's road group ride. Needless to say, it helped to to stick with the roadies while on the mnt bike. I recommend giving it a whirl. Heck, they have a money back guarentee!
Time to get some breakfest in my boiler. Then to the shop....and BEYOND!
Remember... Always pimp the sponsors. Even at breakfast.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:29 AM
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Ahhhhhhhhh.
Ahhhhh, the recovery spin is complete. Felt good to just go out and spin on the mnt bike in an easy gear. Theraputic if you will. Here are the specifics of the ride...
Time on Bike: 1 hr, 32 min, 35 sec.
Average speed: 14.9 mph
Distance: 23.15 miles
Max Speed: 25.5 mph
Average Heart Rate: 111 bpm
The rest of the day will be spent at the shop. Hope the "stoppers" show, so I can install them for the mnt bike ride on Suday morning. Also thinking about doing some light test runs on Saturday. That will all depend on the rain fall totals in the next few days. Today is super hot...92 degrees...and the weather man is forecasting nasty storms this evening. Could make for an interesting night.
Other than that, I am finishing the Bike Tech Team kits, and waiting on the folks in DSM for the next step on the 24 Hour of Seven Oaks t-shirts.
Speaking of the Iowa 24 hour race...
Noo-Noo, you better throw down in the solo race!
Today is a good day. Why? Cause it's pay day yo!!! Wahoooooooo!
Jeff Kerkove said at 9:01 AM
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Roadies Get Revenge.
So, yeah, the local roadies that suffered on Tuesday night decided to unleash the fury tonight. There was only a few of us that showed for tonights ride...Me, Reed, Fry, Adamson, and Kisch on his mnt bike. So we had 2 mnt bikers versus 3 roadies. Before I met up with these guys for the 6 PM ride I spent 45 min working Look Out Park Hill. Yeah, my legs were a bit toasty when I got there but oh well.
So we headed North out of Cedar Falls towards Finchford. We were doing a rotating pace line at about 25 mph. About 5 miles out of town Adamson broke off the back. The rest of us continued on. The pace then went higher. We were crusing down the road at 27 mph. When I would pull, I could only put out about 22 mph. My legs were still fried from Tuesday night and the hill work out earlier. After I did my pull, Kisch came to the front on his mnt bike and pulled up the hill at close to 28-30 mph. POP! That was it for me. Game over. Good night. Drive home safe.
I waited for Adamson who was still chasing from behind. We cut the route and headed towards Janesville. We were riding at tempo...25 mph. Felt good and was carrying on a conversation. We headed over to Wagner Rd., where on the first hill Adamson up'd the pace. I fell off and was left to fend for my self for the next 8 miles back into town. Somebody must of forgot to tell him it was a group ride. As in you ride in a group. Oh well.
For the next 8 miles into town and then the 5 miles back to the apartment I was all by my self. Tonights ride was a good kick in the junk and a mental toughness ride. I never did see Kisch, Fry, or Reed the rest of the night. I though for sure they would catch me from behind.
Here are tonights ride stats from the Cateye Enduro 8...
Time on the Bike: 3 hr, 6 min, 48 sec.
Average Speed: 17.6 mph
Distance: 54.83 miles
Max Speed: 32 mph
The next 2 days will be recovery rides followed by the group mnt bike ride to Ingawanis on Sunday AM.
Ding! Laundry is done.
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:18 PM
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Slacking.
Whoa! I missed a day. Oops.
Anyway, yesterday was boring. Woke up. Went and picked up some fruit. Went to the shop. Pampered NRS #1. Then did my shift till 8 PM at the shop. My only riding yesterday was the testing of bikes at the shop. But, my legs feel really good right now. Good enough to do some hill repeats after work, then show for the road group ride at 6 PM...on my mnt bike of course. That's about it. Pretty blah day. I did get my helmet mount for the Double Shot. Hope to get out on that here in the next few days. I wonder when my "stoppers" are going to show up? More to come this evening after the ride.
On Sunday there is a pretty big group of us heading up to Ingawanis. Meet behind Bike Tech. We are heading north at 6:30 AM! Fat tires need only apply.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:41 AM
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A Mnt Bike On A Road Group Ride Is Not Supposed To...
...Be there in the first place.
...Pull the group of 15 roadies down the road at 27 mph.
...Try to win the 2nd sprint of the night at 32 mph.
...Feel A-OK pulling thru at almost 30 mph.
...Be one of the last riders shelled out the back while heading into Hudson.
...Solo into Hudson, while the others behind you try to chase you down.
...Think about World's, and then think "God, it will hurt worse than this."
Ok, so I survived...by the skin of my teeth. I would personaly like to thanks Kisch and Kruger for pulling up that one hill at over 26mph. That's when I popped and was forced to fend for myself all the back to the out skirts of CF where I finally caught John, JY, and Hoooo-la-hand.
The quote of the night comes from JY as he is heading into the sprint outside Dike and he thinks he has it won. But I come charge'n up behind him. As he looks over and says..."Bull Shit!" He got me. I was maxed out coming along side hime at 31mph. Ouch!
Tonights ride stats are brought to you by the Cateye Enduro 8...
Ride Time: 3 hrs, 52 min, 28 sec.
Average: 18.3 mph
Distance: 71.07 miles
Max Speed: 34 mph
I am fried. Like KFC chicken. Time to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be active recovery by commuting to and from work.
In other news...
This one Rep stopped in with this one bike from this other bike company. I rode it. It was pretty cool. Want to see it? Click here. That's all I am going to say about that.
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:46 PM
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Solo's In Training.
Carl and Myself headed north again up to Camp Ingawanis to get some primo training in for our upcoming 24 hour events. Carl will be racing solo at the 24 Hours of Seven Oaks, and I 'll be doing the whole solo gig at World's in Whistler, BC. Here are the pictures that Carl took with his camera...then I stole them off his site.
Our weapons of choice: Carl's Gaint XTC hardtail, and my Giant NRS Composite.
Oh, the anticipation of singletrack. It's all downhill to the river.
Having fun! Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. More please.
Climbing. Yes, this is a climb. The camera doesn't do a darn thing for the steepness. Somehow my tongue managed to fall out of my mouth. Ooops.
All good things must come to an end.
Geez, look at all the greenery. I bet Ewoks live in these parts. Maybe?
So that was todays ride. I think we are both going to be alright for our upcoming 24 hour death marches. Carl is looking lean and mean so look out solo racers at Seven Oaks.
Todays ride stats brought to you by the Cateye Micro Wireless...
Ride Time: 5 hrs, 3 min, 8 sec.
Distance: 67.57
Average Speed: 13.3
Max Speed: 30.3 mph
In non-related news...
JY kicked major arse at the Tour of Kansas City! Check it!
Tomorrow...
Work followed by the road group ride on the other NRS Air.
Later this week...
Possible night ride up at Ingawanis. JY, I have your lights at the shop. Stay tuned.
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:30 PM
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Eye-Wee-Gens at the Leadville 100
Some of the local flatlanders did pretty well at the Leadville 100 this past weekend. Hey, it's not an easy event. You try riding our bike at 12,000 ft for an average time of 9 hours when you live at 120 ft above sea level. Here are some results...
- 115 Bruce Nelson Eldridge, IA 9:18:15
- 119 Connie Inks Waterloo, IA 9:18:15 (2nd in her race category!)
- 157 Bruce Grell Davenport, IA 9:38:10
- 203 John Adamson Cedar Falls, IA 9:55:46
These are the names I recognize, either from Trans-Iowa or from the fact they are local racers on the Bike Tech Team. Good job guys! If you want to see all the results CLICK HERE.
I am off to do a HUGE ride with Carl. More to come later.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:41 AM
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Pit Crew Turns 51!
Hey everybody, my pit crew for World's (my Mom) turns 51 today! How cool is that?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:53 PM
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Short.
Last night...Worked the Europa Cycle and Ski booth at the Cedar Trails Festival Night Ride. Saw lots of crazy stuff including but not limited to: flashlights strapped to h'bars, 300lb men wearing Discovery Team bibs, an assortment of freaks with their helmets on backwards, guys drinking beer yelling at each other about Shimano vs. Campy, 3 old school Bontrager mnt bikes, a guy slam down 3 boxes of Chicken Mc Nuggets, some dude stretching in front of our both for a solid 2 hours wearing shorts and a t-shirt that were too short, etc, etc. On a good note, there were 1500 people that showed up for the night ride. I am impressed!This Morning...Went out on the road bike for 3 hours of tempo at a set HR. Legs felt light and snappy. That's a good thing. Can we race World's now?Right now...I am at work. Pretty slow at the moment. Wondering if my secret "stoppers" will arrive tomorrow.Monday...Day off, since I worked the weekend. Looking to do a huge mnt bike ride. Might go back up to Camp Ingawanis, cause the singletrack is primo. Any and all are welcomed. Carl?End.
Jeff Kerkove said at 11:33 AM
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Epic: Complete
Todays mnt bike ride is in the books. I headed out at 8:15 on the NRS all loaded up with the items listed in the previous post. The ride was to meet at 9 AM. This extra time gave me a chance to hit up Look Out Park Hill a few times to get the blood moving. At 9 AM I meet up at Hooooo-la-hand's crib and waited for others. The only other person to show was Tim. Tim is a Europa regular. He is not a racer. He rides, just to ride. Good for him! I tip my hat to him for showing up for the ride. We waited around awhile thinking G-Ted would show, but he didn't.....tear. Where was G-Ted?
Anyway, we headed out north of Cedar Falls for the 7 mile gravel grinder to Camp Ingawanis. The ride was pretty mellow due to the difference in talent and fitness levels. The pace up to the Camp was around 18 mph. Not bad. There was a bit of sprinkles in the air, but not enough to get anything wet.
Once we got up to Camp Ingawanis we checked in, then aimed the tires towards the trails. We spent about 2.5 hours at Camp hitting up the maze of trails that now lace this place. Even had to ford the river. Now I have 2 wet pairs of Shimano cycling shoes. Oh, well.
Todays ride can be classified as a "Fat Burner" ride. It was the kind of ride where the energy source is body fat cause the pace is low enough. We had a great ride. The course was a bit sticky, but sticky in a good way. Had really good hook up with the Maxxis Ignitors.
After riding around in the woods for 2.5-3 hours, we gravel grinded back to town. I rode Hooo-la Hand home, then circled the park for another hour and change.
So that was that. Nothing really exciting happened on the ride, other than Hooo-la-hand getting a flat and then see that the joint in his rear rim was coming apart. Just a good ole ride with buddies. Speaking of Buddies...Where is Carl?
For those of you keeping track at home...Ride time for today: 5 Hours 32 minutes 12 seconds.
And...
The new Bell Sweep R is a rock'n helmet. You can hardly tell it's on your mellon cause it's so lite. Bonus! Should be great for those 12 and 24 hour events.
And...
What the hell is with the SPAM coming in thru the "Post a Comment" Geeez!
Tonight, if it's not raining, I get to work the night ride for the Cedar Trails Festival.
Wahoooooooo!
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:28 PM
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Gear'n to Get Down.
A checklist of gear for today's 9 AM ride to Camp Ingawanis (a.k.a. the new Sugarbottom....followed by prancing in the woods...followed by riding home. More to come on the ride when I get back.
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:39 AM
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Brain Love
Finally, after waiting months, and then months again...The Cateye Enduro Team will be flying some new brain buckets. Say hello the the Bell Sweep R.
This little gem hardly weighs a thing! Plus an added bonus included is some large vents to mount up that new Cateye Double Shot helmet light. I just got this thing today, so I don't have any time in it yet. But, tomorrow, I hope to get is some long hours on the mnt bike up at Camp Ingawanis. Here are some stats on the brain-bucket...
With 20 functional vents actively channeling airflow over the head and out the rear, a feathery curb weight and a bevy of top-level features, the new Sweep R has moved to the front of the pro peloton. Bell's signature GPS Fit System insures an optimal fit, while the Fusion In-Mold Microshell and bottom wrap along with an internal reinforcing skeleton make the Sweep R strong yet svelte. Dialed race graphics-including a Special Edition Tyler Hamilton model-accentuate this design masterpiece and make it worthy of its 2004 Tour de France debut.
MSRP: $114.99
Sounds good to me! More to come on this helmet. I need to give a special thanks to our Bell rep at Europa Cycle and Ski. It was he who went out of his way to get the lids for the Cateye Team. THANKS PETER!!!
In other news...
Spent the entire day at the shop. Take standing around for 8 hours + last nights suffer fest and I now have sore legs. So, no riding for me. Going to use today as my day off from the bike...something I do atleast once a week during the season.
For those of you inthe Cedar Valley...
We are gravel grinding up to the Camp and then riding the single track on Sat. All are welcomed. Pace will be easy, cause we have a mix bag of talent coming along. Those riding up will meet at 9 AM at Pfeiffer Park. Those driving will be up at the Camp around 10. E-mail me before 9 PM if you want more info.
One last thing...
I see that there is a $500 payout to the winner of the Expert/Pro race at the next race in the Iowa State Mnt Bike Series. $500 to win at Sugar Bottom? WOW!
So there.
Jeff Kerkove said at 3:44 PM
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Road Rage'n on the Mountain Bike.
Thanks to the fine folks at SRAM, I was able to mount up on the NRS for the road group ride this evening. Tonights equation for my training was very simple...
Mountain Bike + Road Group Ride = Pain and Suffering
Both were accomplished. The weather was pretty sketchy. We were/are in a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. I knew that would keep some people away. So, ignoring the weather I geared up and headed down to Bike Tech to see who else would show. The only other 2 to join me on their road bikes...Carl and Hoooo-la-hand.
We headed out of town to the North towards Finchford. We took turns taking 30 second pulls at about 25ish mph. This continued all the way to Finchford...out of Finchford....to the 3 tier hill...then into Janesville. Yeah, my legs were burning, but was still able to throw down an attack going into Janesville. I dropped Carl, then Hoooo-la-hand zoomed around me. I had to sit on the tip of the saddle and dig at 32 mph to suck his wheel to the stop sign.
Once into Janesville, we headed back to Cedar Falls, cause the skies were getting pretty dark. All the way into town we continued the paceline work taking pulls at 22-26 mph. When we were just about into town, Carl attacked at 28 mph. He dropped Hooo-la-Hand. I was able to dig and stay on. When were about to our corner I came around him at 30ish. I was maxed out.
We regrouped and spun into town were we saw local old timer mnt bike stud, Brian Bowman. He was walking his cat. Yep, his cat. The highlight of our discussion was not the discussion itself, but rather his cat barfing in the grass. Nice. Kind of looked like the stuff that flew out of my gut at 24-9.
After the barfing cat and a good laugh, we headed home cause it was really dark and starting to thuder and lightening. Sure enough, about 6 blocks from home the skies unleashed their furry. I was soaked. The water was running out of my helmet pads into my eyes. Ahhhhh! It burns!!!!! The sweat was bad. I made it home soaked like I just got out of the shower. Good times!
Now I am thundering down some pasta and doing some laundry.
Time to stretch out a bit.
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:57 PM
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Blogging before work.
Dang! It's raining. When was the last time it rained here in Eastern Iowa? Seems like all it has been for the past 2 months is primo swamp ass conditions...90 degrees with 90% humidity.
Well, anyway, I am gearing up for work. Then the group ride tonight at 6:00. For those of you that are doing the group ride this evening....LOOK OUT! I am going to want to throw down. Lots of pain. Lots of speed. Lets just hope it does not rain.
Last nights ride was a waste of clean chamois. It was only 1 hour. I went out to the park. Rode arond the park twice. I averaged 15 mph with a HR of a killer 115 BPM. Yes, I am now recovered. I almost got passed by a guy on his Trek hybrid bike. But I didn't. I dug deep and put it in my 39 x 23 and spun away. Wheeeeew, that was close. Looks like I am still the Bike Path Champion.
That's it. Time for work. I leave you with some linkies for your pleasure.
elliottmegan.blogspot.com (Iowa pro who has raced on the road for Saturn, Quark, etc.)
tristanschouten.blogspot.com (hella fast Wisconsin NORBA pro)
therealjoeythompson.com/blog (Colorado State Tubing Champion)
g-tedproductions.blogspot.com (I too, have so-pro tans)
jasonsager.com/blog (Colorado State Tubing Champion Runner-Up)
paddyslament.blogspot.com/ (no words can describe this man.)
sologoat.blogspot.com (A goat with endurance!)
So, I am curious. Where is everybody surfing in from...City? State? Country? Planet? Sound off freaks!
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:56 AM
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A Huge Thank You!!!
I owe a huge THANKS to Promotions Manager, Steve Westover at Giant Bicycles. Steve sent me an e-mail today telling me how he is leaving Giant to move back to his hometown in Washington state to raise his 2 children with his wife.
I owe everything from the past 3 years to him. He took a chance with me 2 years ago and hooked me up with a sponsorship to focus on endurance racing. He got me all the gear I needed...bikes, clothes, etc. He was TOO good to me! He also got my foot in the door with the Cateye Enduro Team, which I have been racing for, for the last 2 years. So needless to say, with out his help, there might be a huge chance that I would not be where I am at today with my racing success.
Thanks Steve for everything the past 3 years, and I hope to keep working with Giant down the road!
Jeff Kerkove said at 3:31 PM
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What's up after World's?
That is a good question. I am going to hit up a few more events till atleast the end of October. I would like the rest of my events after World's to include some night riding so I can keep getting Cateye so info on how the new Triple Shot and Double Shot are working. After all, Cateye is using myself and Sloane as lab rats for their new LED lights. Below is a list of races I am eyeing. Of course my cash flow...which is lacking...will play a big part in where I go.
September 23-24: 24 Hours in the Sage in Colorado
September, 24: Rapture in Misery 12 Hour in Missouri
October 1: 12 Hours of Blue Mound in Wisconsin
October 1: 12 Hours of Dino in Indiana
October 1: 12 Hours of Bootleg Canyon outside Las Vegas
October 8-9: 24 Hours Conyers outside Atlanta, GA
October 14-15: 24 Hours of Moab
So, where is everyone else racing?
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:11 AM
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Group Ride = Circus
Geez, what a ride. The only thing lacking was the freak bears riding the tiny bicyces. If it could happen tonight...it did. I did not show on the mnt bike since my cassettes did not arrive, so I had to use the old stand by...the road sled. I got off work at 2 PM. Headed home and took a one hour power nap. After that it was a little bit of design work. Finally around 4 I suited up in the Cateye kit and went out to the park and spun the legs out till 6. I also did a few hill repeats to get the legs warm. My legs felt a bit sluggish from Mondays 5 hour TT, but nothing too bad. Since the weather was like 93 degrees with a heat index of 105 degrees, the ELETE and Hammer Products were flowing like a fine wine.
We meet up for the 6 bells group ride. There was like 6 of us. Kisch was there on his mnt bike support'n a huge 1 gallon size Hydropack. I just shook my head and smiled. Other riders included Fry, Reed, JY, Engstrom, Klaren, and that one guy who I can never remember his name. We headed out of town...less than one mile out of town Kisch is pulling the group down the road at 27 mph with full knobbies on the mnt bike. Klaren is shelled out the back. The rest of us are strung out. Now I can feel that my legs are not recovered. JY goes to the front and settles things down, cause he is tapering for the Tour of Kansas City this weekend. After his pull the rest of the group does their turn at the front. Then comes Kisch again. Once again we are near 30 mph! I am about cooked. The legs are no longer happy or snappy. There are gaps starting to form between the riders. Then it happened. SNAP! Ching, ching, cha, ching. Kisch's easton seat post spontaneous combusts and his WTB saddle bounces off the road. THANK GOD! Something need to slow his ass down. I bet it was the 1 gallon hydropack that pushed the seat post to the limit.
That was that. He went home. The rest of us pace lined to Dike where myself and JY turned back, cause he was tapering and I was not recovered and didn't want any more miles today. You could tell peoples legs tonight were not that great. Most of the group was still cooked from State Road Race on Sunday. I think Kisch is the only acception. Tomorrow will be an easy ride.
I wonder how Kisch's 8 mile ride home standing up was?
Did you know that other than personal bookmarks, and search engines, most of my traffic to this site comes from the one and only Real Joey Thompson. Must be some of that Giant and Maxxis love.
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:22 PM
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The Great Weight Debate.
Over the past few weeks myself and my teammate, Sloane, have been discussing the pros and cons of using lighter weight bike parts to help with endurance racing success over e-mail. I can tell you right now, that the bike set ups that the Cateye Enduro Team is running this year is NOT the lightest available. But then again, it is not that heavy.
This is a loaded question. The Cateye Team runs non-stock bikes, meaning we get parts from specific sponsors...Giant, Fox, TruVativ, Maxxis, Hayes Brakes, Cole Wheels, SRAM, etc, etc, etc. Then we build them up. This year we got some nice parts to spec our bikes, but they are NOT the lightest available from our sonsors. For example, we run SRAM X9 versus X0. And, we run aluminum Truvativ Team components versus the carbon stuff. Did you know that the TruVativ Stylo Carbon GXP crankset weighs more than the almuminum? Just something to think about.
I am a firm believer in "peace of mind components" instead of the ultra light weight geek stuff. I would rather take a weight gain to get fool proof / race it and forget about it parts. For example, Ergon grips. They are not the lightest grip on the market, but what you gain in comfort and performacne is worth the weight gain. The same goes for FOX shocks. They are a bit heavier than Rock Shox or Manitou products, but FOX is soooo smooth and stiff. Once you go FOX you'll never go back. I also run low end SRAM chains and their mid range cassettes for longer durability.
For Maxxis, we have a choice on tires. They offer their eXCeption seriesof tires which are lighter in weight. The down side...higher chance of a sidewall cut. I have not had this problem, but it is something to think about when choosing between tires.
I even had this discussion briefly with Mike Curiak after Trans-Iowa. He ha the same mental thinking on this matter that I do. He has done long enough event for a long time, and has witnessed first hand how light weight parts will not hold up over the long haul. He says to find the happy median between the two. I AGREE!
So, when the next time you sit down to spec a bike or buy new parts for your bike, think about this. Do you want to keep replacing parts? Do you want to have to fix a snaped carbon seatpost out in the boonies? The list goes on and on.
So, what are your thoughts on this matter? Speak to me people. The people of the industry are listening.
Tonight...Road group ride...on the Giant NRS Air if I get a specific part I have been waiting for [insert evil laugh here]
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:30 AM
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Not 8, but...
...still hard as h-e-double hockey sticks. Todays goal was to hurt. Mission accomplished. I headed out at 8:15 AM for a fast century. I loaded up my pockets with a the mp3 player laced with death metal, a Crank Bros. Power Pump, spare tube, 2 clif bars, a flask of raspberry Hammer gel mixed with Sustained energy, and 8 servings of ELETE to put in bottles along the way.
The weather was to be hot...90 degrees, and the wind out of the SW at a whopping 10 mph. So I headed out for a 100 miles as fast as I could do it and still make it home with out pooping out on the road. I first headed south to Dysart. This was only 25 miles south of town, but way hilly...by Iowa standards! I managed to suck down 2 bottles. While in Dysart I stopped at the Quickie Mart and filled up bottles and ate 1/2 of my Clif Bars that I brought along.
After Dysart, I headed south on Hwy 21 down to Elberon. Never been to Elberon before. Don't plan on going back. Lots of strange people. Every person I saw in this town was flying a NASCAR t-shirt. I hate NASCAR. I got into town fast and then left fast...kind of like a NASCRAP driver.
Next it was time to head west to Vining. Never been here before either. While coming into town I was greeted by a Ford F150. I really got to see what the passanger side mirror looks like. Brilliant! I caught up to this truck while going thru town. The driver was getting out of his truck to go into the local cafe. Yeah, the whole 5 ft 2 inches of him. I think he was like 85 years old to. Who gives these people driving rights? Did he need a booster seat to see over the steering wheel. Fossils driving large vehicles is a bad thing. Maybe they should just be allowed to drive Hoverounds. Thoughts?
Once out of town I continued to bust ass to Toledo. I got into town and hit up the Kwik Star for some more water. I also added even more ELETE. This was the last of it. I was using electrolytes fast than I could put them in. My gloves, shorts and jersey sleeves were all crusty white from the salt. I still had 50ish miles to go, and no more electolytes. Doh! Doh! Doh! Doh!
The only way north out of Toledo is Hwy 63. I really went hard to get off this road, due to the fact it's a major State Hwy. I had no other route. I went about 8 miles north then went west again on E29 to Garwin. Garwin is great. That is all I have to say about that little poe-dunk village.
Next it was North to Gladbrook, where I got even more water and consumed some more food...Clif Bar ala Mode.
After Gladbrook it was to Lincoln....then Reinbeck...then Hudson(got more water and food for my belly)....then finally back into Cedar Falls on the bike trail.
I was cooked! Spent 5 hours on the bike, and suffered a bit more than I cared to cause of my electrolyte shortage. I think my mileage was right around 118. I will have to double check my Cateye Cordless 7. My clothing is all white from all the salt that was shot out with the sweat. Yum!
Now it is time to chill out for the rest of the day. Maybe go for a short walk to get the blood flowing.
Whoops! It's not my fault...I swear!
Current thought of the moment...."Boy, I should could use a new Giant road bike. Maybe one of these?"
Added at 6:55 PM
Just saw this after Solo Goat mentioned it awhile back! There is a 12 hour race just outside Las Vegas the day after Interbike. Hmmmmm, interesting isn't it Solo Goat?
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:04 PM
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Big day planned on Monday.
Got up this AM before I had to be into work at noon and put in 4 hours on the bike. Did a bit of everything....intervals, hill repeats, sprints, high rpm spinning at a set HR, etc, etc, etc. Since I was a slave to the master at the shop all weekend, I have Monday off. WAHOOOOOOO!
So I have a goal of 8 hours planned tomorrow at my 24 hour pace. Not sure where I am going to ride to as of yet, but the wind ins supposed to be light out of the SW and the temps are to be around 90. Might try to get down towards Marshalltown. Not sure yet. Go'na have to look at a map. I will try to take the camera. But if it takes up room that I could be carrying a flask of Perpetum or a Clif Bar it will stay home. With the high heat tomorrow there will be mucho amounts of ELETE consumed.
Today was the Iowa State Road Championships. I wonder how JY and the rest of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls roadies fared?
Next weekend is Iowa State Mountain Bike Championships...I think? I might go if I can find someone to work for me on Sunday. I would like to do the XC race then either gravel grind or road ride the 100 miles back to Cedar Falls. Is this a bad idea?
G-Ted went on a mnt bike ride on Saturday with his new bike setup. Check it out. I rode it at the shop the other day and it is waaaaaaaay comfy. Pretty ideal for Trans-Iowa.
Don't forget about the 24 Hours of Seven Oaks! Win the solo race and walk away with 5 Benjamins in your pocket. Sounds fair to me.
That's all. Gotz to finish my whole wheat pasta topped with olive oil, p-cheese, Italian seasoning, and fresh cut roma tomatoes. Yummmmmm.
What I am thinking now..."I wish I was faster. Like this!" Now that is fast! Dang!
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:08 PM
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Endurance Athletes Take Note!
I recieved an e-mail from a fellow endurance athlete today. This "person" was peaking for World's in BC, but will be unable to compete do to a mystery illness. This "person" is pretty bummed and wants to stay on the down low, so I will not mention his/her name. The bad thing is this "person" had a really good shot at the podium. Here is the info that was passed on...
It's called Mysterious Mono. Yep, you read that right. It takes its toll on endurance atheletes in the 20-30 age group range. Here is some more indepth info. Please read. It is pretty important. If this of interest to you...you will click on the link above. Keep in mind, that this pertains to all enduro feaks...runners, swimmers, Tri-freaks, etc.
Happy Training, and get well soon to the person who gave me the heads up.
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:38 PM
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Time to hone da skillz.
There. One full week of active recovery from my half ass performance at 9 Mile. Still trying to figure out what the heck went down with my belly. Was it Denny's? The water? Something else? Who knows. One good thing is my throat is fianlly back to normal. No more raw-ness here.
All this week I have been working nights at the shop. That is cool with me, cause it forces me to miss the group rides. Otherwise I would be out there raging. I want to make sure that I am 100% recovered before I start honing for World's. Today(Sat.) is a day at the shop followed by some high leg speed spinning thru the park on the bike path. Speaking of the bike path...if you ride on the bike path you might a need a refresher on how to act/observe the other users of the bike path. CLICK HERE to see what I am getting at. Sunday I will start gearing up to get down. I am going to do a ton of sufferfest workouts for World's. No matter how bad you hurt in training, it never hurts as much as it will at Whistler, BC. Looking to get in some one-legged hill repeats up Look Out Park Hill, and start showing up to the road group ride on my mnt bike. Yeah, those work outs hurt. Hurt like hell! Ahhhhhhh, it burns!
Got another link for ya. Patrick Humenny. This freak was one of the 9 finishers of Trans-Iowa this year. Oh yeah....he did it on a C-Dale single speed. He also is the #1 consumer of canadian bacon. FREAK!
What else is there....
All year I have been doing my road training on the Maxxis Refuse 700x25 road tire. This is a great training/high mileage tire. I highly suggest it. It has a hard casing and wears really well. Plus it's only like $25 a tire. Not too shaby for peace of mind on huge rides.
If you have not gotten word yet, rumor floating around is that Giant is phasing out the NRS for a new design. It's supposed to mimic the Trance platform with a more racer friendly geometry. The new name? Anthem. Stay tuned to Giant. That is all I know, so don't e-mail me!
The great Solo Goat reveals his race nutrition on his blog. I must of missed it, but I am not seeing the Krispy Kreme's on there.
Anyone want to bust ass with me down to Cedar Rapids and back Sunday night on the Nature Trial? Good times I swear. 100 miles round trip. High quality bike time. Leave a comment if ya want to get in the dark with me.
Time to gear up for work. Should be good times. Only 2 of us working. Can you say "short staffed?" Carnage will ensue today at Europa Cycle and Ski. I hope to come out alive.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:38 AM
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50 in the AM
Went out this AM with Carl and JY. JY joined us on his Special-Ed Roo-Bay for about 20 minutes as he was finishing up his AM ride when we where heading out for our quick 50. Now I am going to photo blog. 
While leaving town JY and myself had to wait for Carl so he could talk with his fan club. That is Carl in the back ground making friends.
JY attacked Carl. Carl then attacked JY. I just watched. Did you know Carl is the Swiss National Champ? Either did I.
Carl taking a picture of me while I take a picture of him. We are such loosers.
Jeff Kerkove said at 10:00 AM
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