Riding Amasa Back Trail in photos
All photos from todays spin posted here.
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:29 PM
Sunday, March 30
All photos from todays spin posted here.
Saturday, March 29
Moab Rim Ride: Ride report
I have come to the conclusion that this post would be to time consuming to type up if I did a blow-by-blow account. So, I will just cut to the point and highlight some of the photos. I ended up finishing 3rd overall...1st geared bike...with a finishing time of roughly 10 hours and 40 minutes. Rode pretty much the entire route with Dave and Lynda. The 3 of us sat in about 4, 5, and 6th place until the 50 mile mark and then were able to gap the other riders on the road. The last 50 miles ended up being the toughest and most brutal riding in the event. Lots of rock drops, sand, and sketchy sections. It wasn't until about 15 miles from the end did I loose separation with Dave and Lynda due to a flat tire. And, because of the nature of the terrain, making up time was impossible. Plus, throw in the fact I got turned around once which add about 15 minutes of "which way do I go" time.My Nutrition Intake
190 oz of water/sports drink
20 oz of Coca-Cola
6 Power Bars
5 Reese's PB Cups
6 Endurolyte pills
6:15 AM start
Early hours of the event on Sovereign Trail.
Rolling behind the Monitor and Merrimac buttes.
Out on Hwy 313, where we got our gap into a headwind. This is about 50 miles into the route.
Gold Bar is rough and in some case dangerous. You got to stay out of the holes and crevasses.
Gold Bar is also STEEP! Notice the jeep at the top of the climb.
Here is the elevation profile off my Suunto T6 for the entire route.My ride was good. I felt good, strong, and comfortable the entire time. My new fit to my bike had me dancing on the pedals. It wasn't until I was playing catch up to Dave and Lynda did I really feel that I was having to dig deep. The icing on the cake? Top 3 riders on Ergon grips. Dave and Lynda were on GE1's with GR2 barends and I was on the GR2 with carbon barends.
I have over 50 pictures posted HERE.
Jeff Kerkove said at 8:33 PM
Friday, March 28
Moab Rim Ride: Lodging & Pre Ride
Check out our lodging for the days we are here. It's less than 300 yards from the start/finish of the Rim Ride. And it sleeps 20 people comfortably. Ok, not really. But it is roughly the same price as pitching a tent in these parts, plus it has wifi and electricity. Not bad gig in my mind.
The inside as lush wood grain floors, central air/heat, and 1800 thread count Egyptian sheets. It even smells of pine trees for that fresh mountain feel.
The kitchen and cupboard space is more than enough for 2 mountain bike dirt balls. You should see the bathroom and shower. I'd show it to you....if there was one in our camp condo. Kidding aside, this is more than enough to keep us comfy and happy leading up to the event tomorrow.
Later on in the AM Carney and myself ran out the 1/2 way mark of the route and stashed about 420 oz of water in the bushes. Think of it as an insurance policy. If we need it....we fill our hydration bladders and bottles. If not, we simply dump the water and bring the platypus bladders back with us (late edit: see bottom of post). Once we got back to camp from stashing water, we dialed the bikes and got fully loaded to do a test run with full equipment and weight. This gave as a chance to see if the bikes pressures were dialed for the course.
All of this, plus 100 oz bladder are going in my BD2 pack....maybe a bit more. You are looking at roughly 4,000 calories. Might add and subtract some different food choices. Think small samples of PB & J with banana squished between two chunks of bread. Mmmm, delightful.
Dave Nice met up with us for the pre ride. We did and out and back of the first 10 miles...roughly...of the race. Which I might add will be done in the dark. As usual, Dave is going 100% fixed for the 100 miles.
He is the junction of Bar M Trail and Rock'n A Trail. Not a bad view I must say.
Rock'n A Trail is slick rock...just follow the red A's. You get lost...you are an idiot. I say that, and now I am probably going to get lost here. Doh.
My bike ended up being dialed right on the nose for all the weight I am carrying. I also felt really good on the pedals...legs are light and snappy. Nothing more to do now than rest and get some good food in the system. I leave you with the above picture of Fixie Dave descending back into Moab.Late edit: Appears that water cannot be "dropped." Looks like we will be going back out and picking it up this PM. Got to play by the rules.
Late late edit: Water has been intercepted, removed, and emptied at 5:10 MST
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:22 PM
Thursday, March 27
Moab Rim Ride: Thursday Spin
Carney and myself loaded up the Ergon FJ and rolled out of FC at 8 AM. When we left is was snowing like crazy and a balmy 32 F degrees. Six hours later we arrived in Moab. Sunny and 65 F.
We decided to head out for about 60 minutes of light spinning to shake out the legs.
We rolled out on the first 7 miles of the race on Saturday. It's mostly bike path/gravel to the entrance of the Bar M Loop. It's pretty mellow gradual climb to the trail head...nothing too tough.
Then turned around and glided back down into Moab. Tomorrow will be a bit more of the same with a few hard bursts to blood flowing really good and to blow out any lactic build up.
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:45 PM
Wednesday, March 26
Gearing up for Moab
Short 2 hour ride today to get the legs ready for the Rim Ride. Headed out for 2 intervals. First interval was 20 minutes at roughly 280 watts and the second was another 20 minutes at 290 watts. Both of these little sessions are letting the legs get opened up for this weekends Rim Ride. Weather is most excellent today with highs pushing into the low 70's. Speaking of weather....Moab also looks good. But, my fingers are still crossed, as every time I visit a desert like environment it rains/snows.
For those that are into looking at the power files (and there are a lot of you)....here it is. Interesting to note that after the fit on Monday, it is easier to maintain a consistent power level. The spikes today during the intervals were very minimal. Me happy.Rest of the day is going to be spent getting things packed up and getting the bikes dialed. I have new stems coming in from Thomson that need to be installed today, as well as some bottle cages, and a clever light mount set up. Then tomorrow in the AM, Carney and myself are bolting for Moab in the AM.
Updates should come from the road. I believe there is free wifi at our lodging choice.
Jeff Kerkove said at 11:15 AM
Tuesday, March 25
Trip to Pro Bike Center
Yesterday, I took another step in getting dial for the 2008 season. Being the day off from training I headed down to Golden to visit Nat at Pro Bike Center. The plan was to fit me up on my mountain bike and road bike with the Wobble-Naught system. Maybe you have or may be you haven't heard of the fit....but believe it or not....there are a lot of folks on this fit. Name pro or top rider, and you can almost bet they are fitted to this system.
The fitting is pretty extensive (see videos). Why? Because there are a ton of measurements taken...more than any other fit I have done. Bones are found....bones are measures....points are documented on the skin with markers. The fit revolves around your muscles and joints, hence the reason for all the measurements. The feet are also measured for exact cleat placement.
After all the measurements of my body, the numbers are then "crunched" in the computer to give the perfect fit to each bike and pair of shoes that I brought in. The changes to my previous fit were pretty drastic. My cleats were moved farther back and angled....my seat was slid forward and lowered.....and both stems gained another 10mm in length (120mm on rd bike, 130mm on mnt bike). As a result, I am further over the bottom bracket which translates to more power and constant pressure on the full pedal stroke.
Now, I take the fit to the road and dirt. Pedaling on the trainer at Pro Bike Center it felt better. It was like things just finally "clicked." I was also introduced to a small focus/change in my pedaling style to get the most out of the fit. By pedaling with "high knees" this will allows the weight of the leg to do some of the work on the pedal stroke rather than having to sit and focus so hard on a full pedal stroke rotation.
Stay tuned as I adapt to the fit. Muscle memory is now going to have to be re-trained.
Thanks Nat!
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:42 AM
Monday, March 24
The Rim Ride: Prep
The Rim Ride is drawing near. This early week is all about figuring out the little things: what supplies to carry, how to pace, how much nutrition, how bright of a light system. As I sit here about 6 days out I have a pretty good idea of what should happen. But, we all know that this is not always the case.As for the pace, I know what I am going to do. If everything else "clicks" I should be able to have a good ride. What is my pace? Well, you'll just have to follow me. In previous events of this distance, I tended to get in the heat of the battle right from the gun. For the Rim Ride, I have a different plan. You'll just have to wait and see.
Now, what to carry? I am planning on racing with the Ergon BD2. This will give me enough room to carry what I need to finish strong after an estimated 10-11 hours racing/riding the bike. Here is a run down...
NUTRITION (4500-5000 calories)
100 oz of liquid nutrition in BD2
24 oz of liquid nutrition in bottle on bike
Assorted Gels
Nutrition bars (Power Bar, Clif Bar, etc, etc)
Banana(s)
Coca-Cola (ie: sugar water)
Any other items I can find at the grocery store.
BIKE SUPPLIES
Topeak mini-tool
Topeak mini hand pump
Topeak Moon-shine HID light (Really, am I going to even need a light?)
3 tubes
CO2
Finish Line lube
SURVIVAL ITEMS
Go-Lite paclight Gore-Tex jacket
2nd set of gloves
Map of course/route
Any items I am not already wearing (arm warmers, leg warmers, skull cap, etc)
Seat bag with 1 tube
Off the top of my head, this should do it. I am sure I will think of a few more items over the next few days. It's always interesting doing these events to see what other folks do to prep. Some race light....while others pack the kitchen sink. Me, I would rather be safe than sorry. I'll put myself right in the middle.
More to come as Saturday draws near.
Jeff Kerkove said at 8:15 AM
Sunday, March 23
The dirt has been spoiled.
This is what I woke up to on Sunday morning. Total bummer, as it turns all the singletrack into unrideable muddy poo-poo. I suppose you could ride the dirt today....but that wouldn't be cool as it would damage what excellent trails there are around here. Those folks that ride horses should take note.
I still got on the dirt bike for todays 3 hour tempo. Was supposed to be 4 hours...but my legs were throttled from Saturdays effort. Ended up climbing up to the top of Horsetooth Mountain....snapping a few pictures....taking a shot of gel....then rolling back down the road I just rode up. The gravel service road was all I got on, as everything else was peanut butter. Those folks out there hiking were cursing at the mud. They kind of looked like this.
It's a blue bird day today. Weather is looking on the up and up next week with temps pushing the big 7-0. Plus weather for Moab is also looking good (fingers crossed).
First 1.5 hours of riding was going up. The last 1.5 hours is going to be all going down for the most part.
Tomorrow is Wobblenaught bike fits. Full documentation to come. Also, need to start packing up for the Rim Ride and figuring out some of the little details.
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:37 PM
Saturday, March 22
Oval Ride: Today we climb.
Tiny group today for the Oval Ride. Reason? There was a crit in Greeley, and then one tomorrow in Boulder. So that pretty much took out all the CSU hammerheads and the entire RIO team. So 8 of us decided on a new route for today. We headed up and over Horsetooth.....then to Big Thompson Canyon towards Estes Park....then took the right to head the rest of the way up to Estes via Glen Haven and the pain in the ass switchbacks just out side of town.The ride was pretty mellow until we got off the dirt road above. Once off this road we were on Hwy 34 heading west...and up...towards Estes Park. This is were things got heated. It wasn't long, and guys were pulling up the climb at near 25 mph. What the!?!? The few of us that there was were gritting our teeth, biting our stems, and yo-yoing off the back. By the time we got to Drake, we sat up. And it is a good thing we did, as I was on my last helping of suffering. Now there was only 4 of us. Two guys decided to call it a day and head back down. Justin and myself decided to keep on the original plan and head towards Estes Park. We took the Glen Haven option to get in some steeper climbs (7%-18% grades) on low traffic roads. The climbing speed was just on the edge of popping for me....close to 20mph for most of the climb. We were able to chat while riding....but only 2 words followed by a big gasp....followed by 1 word....followed by a cough. Towards the top, the road jumps....and it gets mighty steep. Here speeds dropped to a crawl. Justin has a huge motor on him. During the Oval Rides, I would place him as one of the top 3 in the fastest guy category. Thing is, he's a Triathlete. He's a top 40 at Kona...so you know he has the engine. Being on a custom camo colored Cervelo TT bike he just cruised along, while I tried to get any draft I could...which wasn't much. I was suffering pushing the 50T....as he was suffering the same pushing the 56T. Crazy!
After about 2 hours and change of climbing we topped out at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Justin and myself took the time to add on more layers and take down some food. From here it would be all downhill....and into a f'n headwind. Pardon my French.
This would be my view for the next 2 hours. We rolled into Estes Park....and then down Big Thompson Canyon on Hwy 34. The whole way down was a head wind that required as much effort to keep it moving forward as it did climbing up. By the time we got to the bottom I was starting to loose the snap in the legs and dangling for my life off of Justin's wheel. With in the last mile, I lost the imaginary string that connected us. Being only about 1.5 miles from our turn off he rode away...and waited for me for the push back towards FC.We ended up riding back to Masonville together. After that, I headed back low to Fort Collins, while he headed farther north towards Poudre Canyon. He said he needed that 120 mile day. Why? He is getting ready for Ironman China in a few weeks. I think he'll do juuuust fine.
Fun little numbers for the duration of the hammering...including my push back to FC. What you are not seeing is the 30 minute spin to the ride....and the 30 minute spin home. Average watts: 247
Average HR: 153
Average Speed: 19.2
I climbed well today...or at least I feel I did. Gives a boost of confidence rolling into the Sea Otter XC.
Tomorrow is 3-4 hours of dirt at my Rim Ride pace. Must refuel to get back on the horse.
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:00 PM
Friday, March 21
More dirt...and wind.
One hour 20 minute light spin. Nothing more...nothing less. It's all prep for the bigger training days on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is the 90+ mile Oval Ride where the pace will be anything but leisure. As for Sunday....I hit the dirt. Looking for 3 hours at my Rim Ride pace.That's it for today. I have a bunch of work related tasks to get squared away today.
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:51 PM
Thursday, March 20
Just a 2 hr light spin.
Very light spin on dirt today. No big ring...no effort. Nothing but the middle chain ring and light snappy leg action on the pedals. It was a good late morning to be out, as the temps were pushing the low 60's and the trails were pretty quiet. Only other folks I ran into out on the dirt was Georgia and her pain inflicting training posse.
Since today was pretty mellow, I took the camera along and got a little snap happy. Enjoy.
Oh, I wish you could feel the wind right here. Just as bad...if not worse than yesterday. My cheeks were flapping and there was no need for the "farmers blow."
This pretty much sums up the trail down on the Loveland end.
The oh-so-smooth Magura Durin soaks it all up. After about 10 hours of dirt on this fork, I am sold. True test will be the 90+ mile Rim Ride...err....race next weekend.
A 2nd helping of rock with a dash of wind please.
Down into the valley I go. It's the final push north to Fort Collins. I should also mention, that today was my first Sidi shoe experience. More to come on this later. I am not sure how to put it into words. (drool)Legs felt good today...as they should. I could have spent all day out here just riding back and forth between FC and Loveland. It's all prep for a group ride on Saturday. Going to try to up my 4 hour wattage PR on the Oval Ride....and keep the wounds minimal. And then the focus looks toward Moab. Moab is going to be aimed at adding to the training pile.
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:45 PM
