Public Display of Bad Eating.
OK, I did it. I'll admit it. Someone brought in a tub of X-mas candy. Within this tub resided my candy of choice...the oh so smooth and creamy Reese's PB cup minis. This is my "just can't say no candy." So, I hearby state the fact that I ate my fair share of these last night at work. It will never happen again. I swear. May my ass grow to the size of a VW bus if I do.
Today I am at the shop till 3 and that is all. There is no working out. All effort will be saved for when we rob the Kwik Star......errrrrr....when we go on the huge ride tomorrow in the most epic conditions on Sunday.
What to ride along? See post below.
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:39 AM
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My Tops of '05
Best New Product I Used: Ergon Grips
Best Low Key Event That Kicked My Ass: 12 Hours of Thunder in S. Dakota
Best Use Of Personal Opinion: Remember this?
Best Place to Not Eat A Pre-Race Meal: Denny's (the story to go along with this.)
Best Use of a Blow-up Monkey: Podium at Boone
Breakthrough Performance of the Year: Buchanandale taking 2nd at Boone
Best Trans-Iowa V.1 Story: G-Pickle
Best Use of Middle Finger: Paddy
Best Place to Waste Time: MTBR Forums
Best People To Hang With In An Airport at Midnight: Guys from Blue Collar Mtb
Best Way To Pick Up Women: Semi-Nude Podium appearances
Best Facial Hair On A Cyclist: This guy.
Best Way to Spend Your Noon Hour: Reading this blog.
Thanks everyone for a great 2005. Here is to 2006, and may your bike go fast.
Jeff Kerkove said at 9:42 AM
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Smoooooooooth
Smooth. That is the one word that describes my pedal stroke right now. Whether it is at high rpm or during a muscle tension interval, the power to the pedal is consistant all the way around. Right now I feel really good on the bike. I just have to make sure that I keep my workouts short and to the point for the most part. I want to make sure that I am still going strong by mid-October. And really need to make sure I am flying in late July for 24 Hour Nationals in Cheese-consin.
Speaking of strong...
I wish I had a road bike with a power tap on it. I would love to train via watts instead of heart rate. Training by power output seems to be the way to go now days. The only down fall is it is out of my price range. Maybe Cateye should think about coming out with some type of power meter. That would be cool. Hint. Hint. Hint.
Not much else going on today. I am heading into work at 3 PM, and will spend most of the evening doing tunes on DH skis. A lot of customers droping that stuff off, cause they are heading to CO for some powder.
Speaking of powder...
The snow is almost gone here in Waterloo/CF. The temps had been above freezing during the day for the past week and a half. Not too much longer and everything will be sloppy and brown.
One last thing. There is a ride planned for New Years Day. We are leaving Pfeiffer Park in CF at 10AM for some gravel. Bring you cx bike, mnt bike, or recumbent with plow. Food stops planned. Estimated ride time is 3-5 hours. Dress smart!
Time to eat some egg whites. Mmmmmmmm, protein.
Jeff Kerkove said at 10:06 AM
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I am Ranting!
I just got back from pumping iron at the YMCA. I am just about finished up with my Max Strength phase. I have about 1.5 weeks left. After that, it's on to 2nd to last phase. Since not much exciting happened at the "Y", I figured I would rant about something I have experienced over the past few weeks at the shop. Here it goes...
A young gal comes into the shop, about it her mid 20's. She is a runner, who has blown out her knee more times than she cares to count. She has never owned a road bike but wants to start. So, she comes in and gives me all the details. She tells me what she is looking for, how much she is going to ride the bike, and where she is going to ride. Based on all her details she is looking into a performance road bike. She explained how she was going to ride fast and aggressive. Nothing fancy, but rather something with Shimano 105 components or higher would fit her needs.
Since she has never owned a road bike I started from square one showing her everything there is to know about the road bike she should purchase and why. I kept it simple as not to flood her mind with mumbo-jumbo. After spending an hour with her, and seeing how much she was willing to spend, I told her that she should look for a traditional road bike with Shimano 105 through-out, carbon seat post, carbon fork, double crankset, and a non-traditional wheelset. Bike within this description range in price from $800-$1200. Since she was not buying today, and was going to shop around, I put all this in writing for her and sent her on her way with my business card.
Last night she returns, with some info on a LeMond and a Specialized bike she received from a shop within the state of Iowa. She asked me what I thought and how it compared to what I showed her. The LeMond was spec'd out with Shimano Tiagra road groupo. This shop stated to tell her that Tiagra was a better groupo than Shimano 105. NOT TRUE! Same goes for the Specialized. The Specialized was a $700 bike spec'd out with Shimano Sora. Sora is Shimano's entry level component set up. But this shop continued to tell her that this was a top level bike.
So here is my rant: Why the hell do certain shop employees feed the consumer bull s***t when it comes to buying a bike? Why lie? Is it to sell a bike? If you sell this customer a bike you says rides a certain way...and it doesn't, you have lost a customer. Not only did that shop loose a customer, but also the industry. The industry suffers enough already in the USA. We can't afford to lose more potential consumers
My thoughts: Keep it real. Tell the hard facts the way they are. There is NO reason to "yank" the customer around. Integrity, reliability, and the ability to be trusted sells itself.
Rant off.
Jeff Kerkove said at 9:32 AM
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A Fastie
Did 3 hours of bike at the YMCA. Did some Muscle Tension workouts, and high cadence work. I am beat...cooked...toast...you get the idea. Tomorrow will be weights.Rest of the day was spent at the shop. Lots of DH ski work coming in the door. Yipee!Need to figure out what kind of riding to do on New Years. Temps are looking to be around 40 degrees. Anyone local have any urges to get out with me and log the miles on gravel??I have no plans for New Years Eve. Don't really feel like doing much. If the right situation comes along I might stay up past 9 PM.I wonder where Buchanandale is at?
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:47 PM
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Announcement of new Nutrition Sponsor.
This just in! I have just signed a 1 year contract to use, test, and promote the new recovery based supplement called Recover-Ease. This will be a new area of nutrition for me. There are numerous aides out there to help athletes recover, but this one looks to have great promise! Just look at these numbers...
Supplementation with Recover-Ease has shown:
- 52% reduction in Fatigue
- 51% reduction in Muscle Soreness
- 38% increase in Energy
- 24% boost in Mental Function
- 20% boost in Immune Function
- 16% increase in Overall Mood
- 5-day faster return to normal training
These numbers conclude that, adequate recovery is important for competitive athletes, not only for the obvious benefits of being able to train and compete at a higher level, but also for the less obvious benefits of protecting the athlete from overtraining, illness, and injury.
So, starting in a few days, this supplement will be a staple in my training nutrtion. As with all my sponsor products, I will give you the reader proper feedback on the results of this product. If it works great, you'll hear it from me. If it is not up to my standards, you will also hear it from me. I don't believe in pimping products that don't work.
Hope everyone is/was having a great Holiday Season!
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:36 PM
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"I Can't Make It."
Trans-Iowa V.2 is at full speed. The discussion is going strong and huge. The field is full. And, of course some people are now second guessing their decision to join this trek across the state. There are numerous people around cyber space who have also noticed this. You can read a rant HERE....and HERE....and even HERE. The online discussion speaks for itself. As far as my thinking on the matter...anyone can sign up. We are all big boys and girls. We can make our own choices. Either you can do it or you can. Simple as that. Those who train and prep with the most heart will roll across the line in Decorah.
In other news...
Muscle tension work out today on the bike followed by leg speed work. Tomorrow, I might try to get out in the AM for some gravel/snow riding. JY, you up for riding on Friday also? As far as the bike goes, i am right on schedule to go for Oauchita Challenge. I can't wait. The only down fall right now is: will I be riding last years Giant NRS or something new? Not sure yet. Only time will tell.
My training buddy, Buchanandale, has 2 bikes for sale. A Trek Fuel and a Giant XTC with carbon stays. If ya need a bike, these things are priced to go and in super shape. Contact him!
Time to get ready for the YMCA. I should be outside today with the nice weather, but my specific workout is more important and cannot be duplicated in the flatness of Iowa.
Word.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:50 AM
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High Entertainment Value
It's better than donuts.
It's more entertaining that reality TV.
It's guaranteed to waste 1 hour of your life per day.
More entertaining than 40 Year Old Virgin....OK, not really. But still pretty good.
See what is on the racers minds.
What gear?
What light?
How are you carrying your nutrition?
Use a rack?
Are there cougars in Iowa?
Can we die from inhaling pig crap fumes?
Check out the T.I. V.2 thread / discussion
Caution: Enter at your own risk!
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:41 AM
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Muscle Tension.
Just got back from a great bike workout. This time of the year, the workouts on the bike are very specific, mostly because they are indoors. The longest my indoor bike sessions will go is 3 hours...if that long. There was a few times back in the day were a couple of us would turn out 6 hour roller rides. Those were good times.
Anyway, back to today's work out. For the month of December my workouts focus on building strength on the bike. Muscle Tension workouts are a great way to do this. These workout are for sustainable strength and recruits fast twitch muscle fibers while working aerobically. The workout consists of pedalling at very low cadence (about 50rpm) in a big gear for 5 to 15 minutes at a time in the saddle, focusing on leg strength and power. I try to remain aerobic in terms of heart rate. There should be a full rest between efforts -- generally the rest period should equal the length of the work period. Due to the low cadence at the start of each effort in power starts and stomp intervals and throughout muscle tension efforts, a rider can pay good attention to improving pedalling technique by applying more power as foot pulls across bottom of pedal stroke and kicks over the top. (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THESE TYPES OF WORKOUTS.)
Another thing, I make sure to drink a lot of water. And to help the process, I add ELETE to all bottles.
Think of this bike work out phase as the riding style of Jan Ulrich climbing. Slow and powerful.
In other news...
Some of you might of noticed that my teammate, Sloane Anderson, has not updated his blog lately. There is a reason for this. Over the past month or so he has been moving from the Seattle metro area to Bend, OR with his wife. He just sent me an e-mail saying that he already has some training ride planned out with Adam Craig. Look out! Someone is going to be flying this year.
Also, we have the Cateye Triple Shot instock at Europa Cycle and Ski. Come check it out! I can also confirm that the Double Shot is availble thru QBP at your local bike shop and at Trek dealers. WORD!
That is all for now.
Jeff Kerkove said at 9:43 AM
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Coffee at my Door.
Got to give a huge shout out to Chuck from Team New~Mart for the azz load of gas station coffee. It's all nicely measured out in little packets and came with coffee filters...bonus! You rock dude! Thanks for keeping me wired!
And now, the best part...
The arrival of "the package"
Notice the some-what torn open box. I became over stimulated.
The preparation. Wee little coffee packet and a coffee filter that doubles as a shower cap.
Mass consumption provided by Cateye.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:39 PM
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Random Thoughts From The Arctic.
Good Monday to everyone. As I sit here and type up this blog entry it is a swealtering -9 degrees F outside. That would earn any Trans-Iowa V.2 racer bonus points for training out in it. Speaking of Trans-Iowa V.2, you should see the online discussion going on. This race is going huge again in 2006. People cannot wait. G-Ted and myself have the hard stuff nailed down. We still have to re-drive the route, and get the stuff-sack sponsor set in stone, but that won't take much....I hope.
Last week a few pairs of Diadora cycling shoes were dropped off at the shop for Buchanandale and myself to try on to get an idea as to sizing for our kicks for the 2006 season. For me, I am going to go with the Team Racer MTB Carbon. The shoes fit really well. I have been a user of Shimano shoes the past 5 years, and have nothing bad to say about them. These Diadora shoes seem to be a bit more thought out. The sole, versus the Shimano's, is a bit more ergonomic. Same goes for the heel cup. It form fits the bottom of the foot like a glove. Once I get some time in these I will post the highs and lows if there are any. Another interesting note is the fact that since we have had them at the shop we have showed them to some consumers walking in the door. There has been some interests. I think we could get 4 pairs or so out the door to some of the hard-core folks.
Time to get ready to go pump some iron and do some light cardio. T-minus 3 months and change till the Ouachita Challenge. I wonder if I'll have my new equipment by then? Yeah, I am stress'n.
Are you racing Trans-Iowa? Do you want to volunteer some of your time? Contact me if you want to volunteer.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:17 AM
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Day of Rest.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I am refreshed.
Sunday, the day of rest. Nothing going on for me today but going to the shop to sell the crap-ola out of XC skis. This will be the 2nd weekend in a row where we have sold through our stock of XC ski goodness. It's good to see. I remember the first 2 years at Europa when we never sold through the inventory. Well, we get some snow, and POOF, all the skis go bye-bye.
If you live under a rock or in a van down by the river, you most likely didn't know that Trans-Iowa V.2 is filled. Yesterday it opened...and yesterday it filled. It was a crazy process highlighted by a moments of heart stopping fun. Let me show you....
7:00 AM: I wake up to see that some people had registered over night. WHAT! I go over to online registration and shut it down. A few people got in, and then spread the word over the Internet like wildfire. That then led to the e-mail/phone carnage.
11:00 AM: I go to the shop to work. Before I got there, and while I was there, the phone had rang from people wondering if the race was filled. Oh, don't forget about the e-mails in my in-box from people wondering if the race is full. I think I answered like 100 e-mails in an hour.
12:55 PM: 5 minutes till registration goes online. Bang! A circut blows at work and all the computers shut down. Ahhhhhhhhh! I am freak'n out and pacing like mad. At one minute after 1 PM, registration goes live once we get the computer going again. In the matter of 15 minutes 30 people register. Over the next 2.5 hours the race would fill up.
It was fun sitting at work and watching in real-time the people registering for this event. It took over an hour to register the last 10 spots, so those who didn't get in have no room to complain. There was plenty of time. Should be a good event. There are a few returning from last year, but most are newbies. Should be one epic race.
Here are few "bigger" names who signed up for the event: Mike Curiak, Matt Chester
Keep in mind, it's not the fast racer who wins. But rather the one who plans and trains the best.
50% mental...50% fitness
HERE is a great video clip for any and all cyclsits out there.
Have a great Sunday!
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:26 AM
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The Rest of My Saturday...
Got a hell of a workout at the YMCA. 3 hours of workout specific bike time.Trans-Iowa V.2 registration is full. It only took 3 hours and change. Doesn't appear that the early registers effected the outcome. Those who missed out had plenty of time to register. That is a load off my back. Time to start planning the small thingsEuropa X-Mas party this evening.I am beat.See you Sunday.
Jeff Kerkove said at 3:28 PM
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Crazy Saturday!
I have only been up for about 45 minutes, and already today has taken an interesting twist. I check my e-mail, and in my In-box is 7 Trans-Iowa V.2 race confirmations. WHAT THE CRAP!!!! Registration is not supposed to open till 1 PM CST. So, I bolt over to Active.com and it was on. Not sure how that happened. Might be a ball-up at Active. I told them to have registration open up at 1 PM CST. They said that they would take care of it. Well, somehow in the mix of last night, registration went online. A few people got lucky and logged on...then registered. Next thing I see is the fact that registration was open was posted all over MTBR.com. Not good! Good thing it is early in the AM and not a lot of people saw/figured it out.
Those of you that got in...you're lucky.
For the rest of you...Registration WILL open at 1 PM CST / 11 AM PST
I am off to the YMCA for a bike workout and then work and then the Europa X-Mas Party.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:01 AM
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It's All About the Belly.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:36 AM
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Work'n the Bike.
It's Thursday and the bike called my name. Needed to get in 3 hours. Mission accomplished! Got to the Y around 8. Did a half hour of warm up spinning, then moved into a muscle recruitment workout. Did 6 sets of 3 minutes on...5 minutes off. The workout forces you to put it in a harder gear than you are comfortable with and focus on even force thru the entire pedal stroke. You are pulling as much as you are pushing. HR is low, and RPM is slow. It's all about using every single muscle in your legs and butt.
After this workout it was to the group spin class. Did a bunch of different work outs. Lots of high legs speed drills where I focused on breathing, keeping the knees in, and not bouncing. I think I was the only one NOT bouncing. The instructor looked like she was sitting in one of those low-rider cars that hop down the road. You know what I mean. The instructor also added in some more power oriented work. It was a pretty good spin.
After the workout I need some more bike time, so I moved back upstairs and got on the spin bike in the fitness room. Nothing hard here. Just tempo work with a HR of 150ish. Presto! 3 hours. Legs feel good. Tomorrow will be weights, and either an outside ride or spinning at the YMCA.
FYI...
Jan. 1 I will start to ramp it up a bit on the bike. Time to gear up for the Ouachita-Challenge. Most of my bike workouts will be at the House of Pain. If you live local, this is the place to be for indoor suffer-fests!
In other news...
G-Ted got a new frame.
Trans-Iowa V.2 registration opens on Saturday.
My car is still doomed to the driveway.
Europa X-Mas kegger is Saturday night. Who want's to be my date? Be forewarned...you might have to see my boss's workshop....and old bikes...and if you are really lucky, his attic of vintage stuff.
I say Trans-Iowa V.2 fills up in less than 2 hours.
That's all.
Jeff Kerkove said at 10:48 AM
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More Snow.
Another 8 or so inches of snow. This time the driveway gobbled up my Sister's car. Really, the only way to get around today is by foot, ski, and bike. I will be heading into work at 2:30 on the Surly 1x1.
This AM was spent at the YMCA lifting weights and doing some light cardio. The YMCA was a dead. The weather pretty much kept all and any form of life inside till about 11 AM. The only way I was getting to the YMCA this AM was to walk.
Tomorrow will be saddle/chamois time.
That's all. Nothing else to write about.
Jeff Kerkove said at 12:01 PM
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Blogging in Double Time
Spent all day at Trek University in Dez Moinez.
Learned a bunch of stuff about the Trek lines.
Trek gets their carbon fiber from old leisure suits
Brand Manager, Ryan Atkinson, from Fisher bikes is cool.
Rumor on the street is Cameron Chambers moved to Moab. Oh boy. Look out solo field at 24 Hours of Moab.
We are in a Winter Storm Warning...again.
Trans-Iowa V.2 registration opens on Saturday.
A day off from physical activity is making me feel lazy...and fat.
I ate 3 Peak Bars today.
I drank a ton of coffee.
I wonder what bike I will be rage'n on next season.
Time to get ready to close up shop.
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:16 PM
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Monday...Ho Hum.
Not much going down today.
Went to the YMCA for MS weight lifting. Did 30 minutes of stairmaster followed by about 2 hours of lifting. After the lifting it was 45 minutes of stairmaster. Went alittle hardcore today on the 'master. Cranked it up to level 18 on a scale of 20. Felt good, and the breathing was under control. The worst part is the balls of my feet started to get a bit numb. Is that bad?
Rest of the day is a piece of cake. Going to walk to work. Deposit my pay check. Walk home from work. Go to bed.
Tomorrow is my recovery/day off. I will be in Des Moines all day at Trek University with the Europa clan. Should be a fun filled day of belching, dirt jokes, and Trans-Iowa V.2 discussion. Well, atleast everything but the belching and dirty jokes. I can't wait to learn everything there is to know about Trek's '06 line up. [sigh.]
Out
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:56 PM
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Polar Bear Club Ride.
Hello sun. Would you like to tag along with the group and keeps us nice and toasty warm on this early AM ride?
4 of us saddled up for some morning gravel run. Temps were hovering around 19 degrees as we headed north out of Waterloo.
It's only December, and the ditches are already full of snow. That is NOT a good thing.
The pose heads north towards Janesville, as I slip back to snap a Kodak moment.
"Hey, you want to see my secret dismount exercise for cyclocross success in 2006?"
"Wahooooooo!"
"Sorry, I know no tricks. But I do have big wheels."
Yielding (more pics on JY's site) and Fox bring'n up the rear heading back south to the 'loo
To top off the ride we tried to ride the bike path back into town. Well, 5 inches of hard snow made it a bit difficult.
"Today's ride was great. I sure wish we would have scored a deer. And, yes, my Trek jacket is vintage."
"Does this helmet make my butt look big?"
After the ride today, I was at the shop till 5 PM with Buchanandale. Here we see Buchanandale demoing his 2006 sponsors product.
After riding sponsor product, why not read about sponsor product.
Ron Saul stopped by the shop while out getting some chamois time in. With the sudden change in temperatures, Ron's bike decided to take a crap on the shop floor. Ron, you need to potty train your bike.
If you get snow, you sell thru your xc ski stock...IN ONE DAY! Have to re-order on Monday. Hurry Russ! Hurry!
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:05 PM
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