This race was smoke'n fast right from the gun. Seems all the heavy hitters were out for this series final race. The course was a 28 mile point to point with a claimed 4,000 ft of vertical. Although, I recorded about 2,800 ft of climbing....as did others.
The big ass climb (full race highlighted in yellow) at the start pretty much blew apart any race there was after the 3 mile dirt road lead out from the start. I suffered up this climb with heavy legs....no gas....no spunk.....dragging a boat anchor...and the boat for that matter. There was also a few other racers I was surprised to see dragging ass with me. I knew that today was not going to be good after grunting up this climb in my middle ring. Shortly after the top, things came around...but the damage has been done...the gaps were made. The remainder of the course was super fast and fun.....big ring material if you ride aggressively enough.
Half way through the 28 mile course, I was riding some singletack with 3 other guys...all downhill and fast. Then I felt a sharp pain on my right knee. Sure enough, another bee sting. The second one in 2 weeks. It did nothing more that turn red and look like a mosquito bite. Knowing my past reactions to bee stings, I keep pushing on, but I kept an eye out for anything weird that might be happening to me body. Nothing ever came, and I just kept riding as hard as my fatigued body would let me.
Rest of the race was uneventful except for the crossing of Tipperary Creek which was deep and cold! All the guys in front of me ran through.....but I rode it, as I was told to "stay left" by the course marshall standing at the entrance to the creek-o-doom. I made it...but not with out a big push on the pedals. Yea me!
In the end I would finish in 1 hr and 51 minutes. My goal was anything under 2 hrs based on last years times. My finishing time this year would have netted me 3rd overall in last years race. This year, I would have to settle for 27th. Crazy fast field stacked with some of CO's faster short distance racers.
Kick'n it with Yuki post-race.
Out riding after the race with Yuki. As if we didn't get enough.
Some fine Winter Park singletrack! Yuki and I got in another hour of riding after the race....before we both decided our legs were FRIED.
Time to now focus on next week: The Park City Point-2-Point.
2010 will bring a new focus. While the racing and events will stay nearly the same as this year, a new adventure is looming for me personally. I have proved to myself I can race a solo 24 hour race, a 100 mile race, a 100+ mile race, and a mtb stage race...and do well at all. The next adventure? Multi-day unsupported racing. Specifically speaking of the Colorado Trail Race. That is right. Nearly 500 miles on the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. How long will it take? Not sure. Could take 4 days....could take 7. All depends on weather, fatigue, and mental strength. So the prep starts now for 2010 with the acquisition of gear....everything to carry me and my items needed to survive over roughly 500 miles of remote CO backcountry. For example, here is some tinkering in Photoshop on a possible bike setup...
Is this how it will be? Maybe...maybe not. Still got to throw on 2 water bottles & cages onto the frame....and carry an Ergon pack. There are so many variables to figure in. For example....sleeping at 9,000-11,000 ft. One word....Brrrrrrrrr. Only time will tell. In the meantime...check out what I am getting into from one of this years racers.
Here is something I don't do too often....and that is intervals that mimic the start of an XC race. Holy moly! Two minutes of peg'n then engine....then tempo'n for 5 minutes after that tapped into an effort I have not done for a while. While the burn was unkind for the first 45 seconds....I soon settled into a man made novacaine that let me push hard.
The intervals started with about 300 yards of flat....then hit the climbs of the foothills. Interesting to look at HR now at the ripe old age of 31. Pushing above 175 has me at my limit. I remember back in the day when I could push the 190's. Oh, how times change.
Off topic....Anyone loose a pet deer? This guy was wondering along a road it town...and approached me as I rode by. Silly deer! Here kitty, kitty, kitty!
The silence has now ended. That was a darn long time with no update. A record maybe? Who knows. The combo of being sick and then working the RMBS in Denver left little time for my attention to be focused on the daily blog update. The same went for twitter and facebook. Well, now the sickness has lessened and I am back at it. Two hours today with some intervals thrown in to stimulate the engine. Looks like Topeak-Ergon is heading to Winter Park to take on the Tipperary Point-to-Point this Saturday. Some 28 miles of singletrack fun at 9,000 ft should be a good way to start off the weekend. For now, the week is full on Interbike prep madness. If you are in the industry...you know. At times, it sucks....but the rewards are well worth the effort.
This just in!
The new D-Torqwrenches from Topeak. With all those ti bolts and carbon bits out there...these wrenches should take all the guess work of proper torque spec during bike builds. Testing report to come!
Bummer of a few days that all started yesterday in the AM. I woke up feeling tired and blah-like. Didn't really play too much into it since it was like 7 AM and I had just returned from a busy and big effort weekend. I went through my morning tasks then saddled up for a light 1.5 hour spin on the mtb. I made it about 1 hour into the ride before being stung by a bee in my upper lip. Due to my last bee-to-face interaction, I high tailed it home to take any precautionary measures. I put ice on the sting, and swelling went down and back to normal.
The rest of the day, my early AM sick symptoms would get worse....achy body, tired, flu-like. I went to bed early...as in 6 PM early...and slept like 11 hours. I woke up this AM a lot better, but the be sting swelled up a tiny bit again over night. I stayed off the bike again today....favoring rest and recovery....instead of digging a training hole.
Disclaimer: I was contacted by Prolong Energy to try out their product and write a review on my blog. The product was given to me free of charge and was tested until the product ran out.
When I was contacted to try this new race/ride fuel, I jumped at the chance. Being an endurance racer, I have sampled just about every pre-made powder mix out there. Based out of SoCal, Prolong Energy was new to me. I was sent the 13 serving container of the Prolong Energy, which retail is $30. The flavor....Lemon-Citrus. Actually, it is the only flavor they have at this time.
When you look at the numbers compared to the other similar products out there, Prolong Energy has the edge. It is a high calorie drink....basically all you need during an event. I tested this product on two different 4 hour training rides as my only source of fuel and electrolyte intake. I can say that I had a clean energy burn and no cramping or GI issues. I also used the Prolong Energy at the Laramie Enduro where I placed 3rd...and at the Pierre's Hole 100 which I won. During these races, I supplemented Prolong Energy with regular water and Power Gels.
Mixing it in bottles is easy....and it mixes fast. The mix is like powdered sugar....so not much shaking is needed. One 24 oz bottle takes 3 scoops....and leaves you with a milk-like drink in your bottle. Prolong Energy suggests 1 bottle per hour of riding. I followed their instructions for all my rides and races. And now, here are my random thoughts...Pros & Cons....
Pros - It works for me, giving me the energy needed to ride long and hard.
- Mixes fast and easy
- Easy to drink when chilled or at room/air temp.
- One stop fuel source. No need to carry drink bottle...and gels....and electrolytes if you don't want to.
Cons - Expensive compared to similar other products.
- If you ride/race a lot...you will use a lot....forcing you to buy a lot.
- Only one flavor
- Might be a bit salty tasting for some.
- Hard to drink when warmed by the summer sun.
Finally, if I had to give it a rating out of 5 Stars....5 being the best.....I would give it.....[drum roll]
It works as advertised...but to me, doesn't stand out that much more than some similar products already out there. I highly suggest it, especially it you are burned out on Hammer's Sustained Energy or similar drink mixes.
New feature on the Ergon website. Pretty cool to click through the pages for the World Cup team and read the Q&A. Click the image below to gain access.
The Pierre's Hole 100 was a first year event held on the west side (backside) of the Grand Tetons. I stumbled upon this event while searching to fill a void in the August race calendar. Located outside Alta, WY, this 4 lap 100 mile race was a perfect fit. Each 25 mile lap consisted of awesome singletrack, two-track, gravel roads, and paved roads. Going into the event, the weather looked sketchy with temps below 50F and a good chance of all-day rain. When I woke up the morning of the event at 4:30 AM, the skies were partly cloudy and cool...about 40F.....stars were sparkling in the sky. Breakfast consisted of some Cytomax PreFormance, 2 bananas, and coffee. Shortly after consuming breakfast and doing the daily AM duty in the bathroom, I headed up to the venue to get dressed, warm up, and set up my cooler next to the start/finish for my nutritional needs.
Pre-Lap and Lap 1 The race started at 6:30 AM with a short 3 mile pre-lap before heading out on the full 25 mile 1st lap. The gun went off and I went straight to the front at my early race pace. I immediately had about a 70 yard gap on the field. Not being in a huge hurry, I maintained my lead for about 1.5 miles before being joined by another rider on a SS who was racing the 50 mile race. This rider laid down a pretty quick pace for the remainder of the pre-lap before we headed out for the first full lap. This rider was was a local so I stayed behind him and followed him through the first half of the lap to get a good read on the good lines of the course. Once I got to the section of the course that I recognized, the rider up'd his pace and pulled away. With no need to chase, I let him go...never to see him again. Now alone, I was hitting a long huge down hill that started on a fire road then switched over to wooded singletrack. This was one of the best parts of the entire course....with super flowy singletrack and cow dodging. Yes, I said cow dodging, as this part of the course was an open range. Lucky for me, I only had to yell at one small cow to get out of the way on this lap....and this would be the only one the entire race. At the bottom the descent, I now emptied onto a gravel road which then took my a up to a paved switch back climb towards the ski resort where we started. When I hit the gravel, I saw some riders coming up behind me. Out of these 2 riders, only one was a 100 mile racer. This rider on a Spot hardtail wearing a Dale's Pale Ale jersey rode with in sight distance of me. Once to the top the the paved climb, the course took a left turn onto a forest service road. It climbed briefly, before dropping about 1,000 ft into the valley below...and into Idaho. The descent was fast....and sketchy in spots with deep water ruts, water bars that would launch you off your bike, and loose soil. The descent ends at private property. I then pedaled up this farmers driveway...through his farm.....then through the horse corral before hitting the hardest climb in the race. Right before the climb, I was joined by the 2nd place 100 mile racer on the Spot branded bike. Also with him was the 2nd place 50 mile racer. Now on this long climb, I let the 2nd place rider set the pace. Grinding it out in the middle ring, he had me pushing hard...harder than I wanted to. But, I didn't want him to get away from me. This climb takes like 20-30 minutes to climb. Half way up, he dropped into the granny gear...as did I. The climb finally stopped at the paved road that lead up to the ski resort. Onto this road we rode wheel to wheel on this gradual paved climb. After about 5 minutes of so of paved climbing we hit a left turn that took us to fresh singletrack for the final descent to the ski resort and start/finish line. Myself and the Spot rider came into the line together with a lap time of 2 hrs 17 minutes....if you take out the 3 mile pre-lap, the lap was right at the 2 hr mark.
Lap 2 Rolling out for Lap 2 with fresh bottle and gel flasks, myself and the other rider went out at a solid tempo. The pace was perfect to ride all day. Together, we rode the opening service road climb and descent....and short climb. About 100 yards from the top of the service road descent I took the lead and led into the singletrack. The singletrack was a mix of buff, rough, and rocky trail. Speeds were high....and speeds were slow due to the grunt climbing up the side of the ski resort. Still riding with the 2nd place rider, we rode about 50% of the course together. On the descent down to aid station 2 I put a small gap on this rider. Now with a 3 mile paved climb in front of me, I burned a few matched to increase the gap. I soon found myself riding solo....and not knowing my gap on this rider. Through the rest of Lap 2 I pushed the pace as hard as was comfortable and smart when pacing out an event as difficult at the Pierre's Hole 100.
Lap 3 I came in from Lap 2 alone and once again grabbed 2 fresh bottles and 2 gel flasks. I also grabbed more electrolytes from the aid station at the start/finish line. I headed out on lap 3....as the skies began darken. This lap is where i really began to feel the effects of this race course and the 4,000 ft of climbing over each 25 mile lap. Legs were getting heavy....and the snap was slowing down. I pushed. I pushed as hard as I could to still eek out another 25 mile lap after this one. In the later parts of the lap I was getting time splits from people on course. One guys said I had 25 minutes on 2nd place. Another guy said I had 10 minutes. Such a dramatic spread in time. Not sure whether to believe what they were telling me, I pushed on up some of the steeper climbs passing slower riders pushing their bikes. With about 3 miles left in lap 3 the skies opened up with rain. Not heavy rain, but enough to get the roads wet and to make the 50F temps feel much colder than it was. This forced me to pull up the arm warmers which were slid down in the heat of battle on lap 1. I finished out lap 3 feeling like it was time for the race to be over. While it was not raining at the finish line, you could see it falling at different spots around the mountain. This would make for an interesting 4th lap.
Lap 4 At the beginning of Lap 4 I stopped briefly again to grab fresh bottles, electrolytes, and gel flasks. I took the opportunity to get a good shot of sugar from a Starbucks Double Shot. I slammed the coffee flavored beverage and continued on for the 4th and final lap. Still with no idea how far 2nd place was behind me I pushed as hard as i physically could. The sugar from my Starbucks beverage did the trick for about 1 hr before it wore off. Lucky for me, this happened just before I reached the top of a climb to start a long singletrack and fireroad descent. On the way down the descent it began to spit light hail. By the time I hit the singletrack, the hail was falling pretty hard. It turned the ground from green to white and the trail I was riding on became slippery.....not from mud....but because I was racing over ice pellets. Sure enough the hail lasted until hit the bottom the descent. At the bottom, the hail was already melting for my climb up a long stretch of paved road. This road gives you a lot of time to think....."Will I get caught?"......"Will the weather go bad again?"....."What are the side effects to the pain I am feeling in my body?". Regardless, of the pain, I just kept pushing...telling myself not to dismount the bike. The last stretch big climb out of the valley was hard...very hard....very slow going.....pedal strokes that were squares rather than perfect circles. This two-track climb topped out onto a paved road. Thinking this would be much easier, the gentle grade just made a mockery of my beat'n-to-death legs. Thankfully, the engine had the gas left to get through the road and final section of loamy singletrack.
I would finish my 4 lap 9 hours and 17 minutes after I started. This was good enough for the overall win on the Men's Open 100 mile race....some 15 minutes over 2nd place.
First place in each race got a custom wool jersey....and those that went under 10 hrs in the Men's Race got the belt buckle...as well as a bunch of other little items. The prizing didn't stop there. Also received an entry to next years race and a free day of snowcat skiing at Grand Targhee. Guess I need to learn to ski now. Ha!
Seriously, this event is going to get HUGE! It has the venue and course to make it an instant epic! Next year they are adding more singletrack...and making the laps 33 miles...so you only have to do 3 laps. Keep an eye out for it. I am heading back!
Lastly, about 2 hrs after I finished it began to sleet....then came the grapple....then snow. Not enough to stick on anything.....but still, it was snow....in August. It would go on to rain the remainder of the evening at the campground. In the AM, the Tetons were covered in a light snow.
Time to go racing at the Pierre's Hole 100, which is held on the back side of the Grand Tetons....back side of the mnts seen in the photo above. Updates are likely to be few and far between due to the remoteness of the venue and campground. Right now, the biggest factor in the event other than the course and distance is the weather. Cloudy, rainy, and temps around 50F could make for an interesting race. Going to try to update my twitter and facebook account via my phone as reception allows. Stay tuned!
It's race week once again. This time, it's a 100 miler on the west side of the Grant Tetons at Grand Targhee Ski Resort. Race is a simple four 25 mile laps on a course that looks to be toughy. This is a first year event and I am always up for racing in new places, so the event should be a good time in a great part of the USA.
Needless to say, I am foaming at the mouth right now. My fitness is at a high level. I just want to unleash some power in a race situation. 100 miles should be more than enough time to flex some muscle.
All week, the workouts on the bike are aimed at keeping the system stimulated. The fitness is already there....just need to keep it primed and ready to pounce.
Few more blog posts to come before Sonya and I head north for the race on Thursday. Also coming down the pipeline is a review of the sports nutrition Prolong Energy.
Super chill ride on Saturday was the highlight of the week! An awesome weather forecast allowed myself along with other Topeak-Ergon riders, Sonya Looney and Yuki Saito to head up high to ride the very famous Crest Trail. This traditionally shuttled ride was a sweet 3 hour out and back ride for us. No pictures or further chit-chat needed. All the details of this ride are in the video!
This video is take at Bobcat Ridge....about 10 miles west of Fort Collins. This is a good loop if you like to climb...and then descend. The climb is loose, long, and steep....heck it give you just about 2,000 ft of up and up. Follow that up with a ride across the top of the ridge....before dropping back down to the trail head on a nice techy trail. Here is the roughly 1.5 hour loop broken down into about 8 minutes of video.
Spent 2 hours riding in Fort Collins with 3 members of Team Niner-Ergon. The pace was relaxed...and the singletrack was primo! The video below gives a sample of the terrain covered.
The Laramie Enduro was a new race for me. Only being about 50 miles from my house, I needed to get up to Laramie, WY to give this highly talked about race a try. Situated at the pass just east of Laramie, the single 72 mile loop is very similar to the riding here in Fort Collins. Biggest difference is the elevation...which sits between 7,400 and 9,100 ft.
The race began at 7 AM under clear....but chilly skies. Temps at the race start where hovering right at the 40F degree mark. My plan for the race was to race it exactly like the Firecracker 50. Same HR zones and same nutrition. At 6:45 AM, the entire 400 racer field lined up for a dirt road climb up to the opening singletrack. Having pre-rode the day before, I knew it was important to be one of the first into this section as to not get gapped off for the dirt road that followed after the singletrack. The gun went off, and we shot up the dirt road. Just up the climb I was sucking wheel in 3rd place. As we got towards the top, the guys in front of me slowed a bit and looked back. That is when I picked up the pace...went to the front...then and led the entire race field into the singletrack.
I ended up taking the lead through the first section of singletrack out to the first open and windy road section. Here I slowed to allow the small group of 4 or 5 riders to get organized to form a pace line into the wind. This group would eventually result in the top 4 riders overall. As we pushed down the road, we had a good gap. As I looked back there were riders as far as I could see. The group I was in rode together until about aid station 1. Shortly before, myself and another few rider were gapped off in a section of singletrack. While the gap wasn't big.....the sections of open road in the winds are what did the damage and allowed the eventually 1st and 2 place finishers to get away.
Finally, when I reached aid station 1, I was joined by 2 other riders. I rode with them for a bit before dropping of their pace...which was harder than I wanted to go. I would ride solo all the way to aid station 3....the half way mark. At aid station 3 is where I had my drop bag for nutrition re-supply. I grabbed 3 fresh bottles, and 3 fresh gel flasks. Also at this aid station were the 2 riders I was chasing....as well as the group of 3 riders that was chasing me. We all left the aid station together. There was now about 6 of us chasing after the 2 leaders...who had 10 minutes on us. We all basically left the aid station together and carved out the sections of trail that followed. After the section of singletrack, we emptied out onto a dirt road climb. This rolling road with deep water ruts had the group riding together for about 1/2 the climb. Half way up the climb, myself and another rider got gapped off. We dangled about 100 yards off the back from the other 4 or 5 riders charging up the climb. At the top of the climb, there was a left turn onto some singletrack which was hard to see. The riders in front of me missed the corner and kept raging down the dirt road. Myself and the other rider yelled at them....but the riders just kept pushing ahead...and off course.
In a lucky turn on events, I went form being in 7th or 8th place to now the 3rd place rider on course. Not knowing how long it would be before the rider off course would get back on course, I pushed on...and upped my pace. Myself and the other rider that made the right turn pushed through some high grass singletrack. the grass was so high in places it was very difficult to see any rocks on course. And for me, that would be bad, as I railed a basketball size rock hidden in some grass and was on the ground faster than I knew what happened. The rider behind me asked if I was OK....and kept pushing on. By the time I got up and figured out what the hell just happened, the rider put about 1 minutes on me...and pushed me now into 4th.
It wasn't long....and I was back on his wheel. I rode with him for a few minutes....until I came to the front to pull into the wind on the road...and noticed he was now like 300 yards behind me. Now back in 3rd place I settled into a tempo that would allow me to finish...and finish strong. At the 5th and final aid station, I refilled a bottle with water as I was getting low....and drank 1/2 a can of Coke. I knew coming up was the toughest climb and section of the entire race thanks to some pre-race BETA from some folks who had raced here in the previous years. Known as the Government Trail, this loose, rocky, and rooty trail is best suited for going downhill.....but we had to climb it. Having saved enough energy, I was able to get up the climb with out being caught be the 4th place rider....or the riders who got lost after aid station 3. Once to the top, the remaining 3 to 4 miles of singletrack was rolling until the final dirt road decent to the finish line.
This race just goes to prove, NEVER give up. Things can happen...people can crack....people can get lost...bikes can break. I was asked by a rider after the event why I yelled at the riders that got lost. He asked why I just didn't keep racing and not say anything. My response was simply, "Karma." I tried...as did the other rider with me.....but the heat of the moment had them in their own little world. I might add, that early in the race when I was riding alone, I missed a corner....but noticed my mistake very early as I saw riders heading up hill at me. That got my adrenaline pumping.
The heart rate was pretty solid and consistent the entire race. There was a few times in the event where the legs pooped out....but I was able to come back around pretty quick. My nutrition had me with a good clean energy burn all day.
Age Group 30-39 Men's Open Podium. I took 2nd in my age group....and 3rd overall in the 72 mile race with a time of 5 hrs and 23 minutes. My race time goal was 10 minutes in front of or after the 5 hr mark.
2005 Results
12 Hr Sugar Creek :: 2nd
12 Hr of Metro :: 1st
12 Hr of Thunder :: 2nd
12 Hr of Winter :: 3rd
24 Hr of 9 Mile :: DNF
24 Hr of 7 Oaks :: 1st
24 Hr in Japan :: 1st
2004 Results
Stump Farm 12 Hr :: 2nd
24 Hr of Rapelje :: 1st
12 Hr Nationals :: 3rd
24 Hr of 9 Mile :: 10th
24 Hr Solo World :: 12th
24 Hr of Moab :: DNF
Bio
NAME: Jeff Kerkove
NICKNAME: Mr. 24
COUNTRY: USA (Colorado)
TEAM:Topeak-Ergon DOB: 2.7.1978
HEIGHT: 6 ft.
WEIGHT: 165 lbs.
RACE CATEGORIES:
Pro (XC & Endurance) Click for full Bio
Kick'n it with Yuki post-race.
Out riding after the race with Yuki. As if we didn't get enough.
Some fine Winter Park singletrack! Yuki and I got in another hour of riding after the race....before we both decided our legs were FRIED.
