Out-running Winter
So, this AM I got an email from Wiens stating....."Epic ride on Friday? We may encounter gun toting hillbillies and we likely will get lost numerous times." How can I say no to this? This left me with a short AM to work before making my way to Boulder to get a ride in before the cold front moves in. By cold front I mean a 30F temp drop from today's highs in the 80F's and a chance of rain low and snow high.
Dark clouds moved in as I reached gold Hill on my chill paced mtb ride. As I started to head back down....the clouds began to spit. Nothing more than that.
So the plan now is to pick up Yuki on Thursday late in the afternoon then drive to Gunnison. We will crash in the lower levels of Casa de Wiens.....then a 6+ hr death march will ensue Friday AM with some of Gunnison and CB's finest cycling talent. Stayed tuned. The entire 'event' will be documented via the cams.
Now, lets see what twists and turns the mountain weather throws at us.
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:51 PM
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Interbike detox
Got out on the bike after about 9 days off it. To much surprise, my legs felt pretty good. While spinning over to the foothills trail I was chased down by Dave. I ended up getting a riding buddy for the day. It felt great to get back out there and put the legs through the paces. Much more coming this weekend. Planning a Topeak-Ergon video shoot in the mountains if the weather holds out.
Speaking of mountains....Have you seen the new issue of Mountain Flyer? Much to my surprise, my mug is splashed across the inside of it. Yeah me!
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:35 PM
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Back from Interbike.
Back from Interbike, and I am beat....throttled...thrashed. I can't complain one bit about Interbike. It was good for Ergon...plus, the brand and image is growing out of control...out of control in a good way. My body is worked over...almost worse than when I race on a mtb. Day starts at about 7 AM and ends at midnight if I am lucky. Plus, throw in about 9 hours of standing. It is a perfect cocktail for a tired body. Now I am back home and getting caught up. I have lots of email and other tasks to get squared away. Oh, and I need some exercise! I need to get out an do something in the mountains ASAP! It has been since last Saturday at Gooseberry that I have ridden. Interbike is best left to photos....so, here ya go!
More pictures here!
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:32 PM
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Gooseberry
And now, it is time for a break from the 11 drive to Las Vegas...
Jeff Kerkove said at 11:43 PM
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Race Report: Vapor Trail 125
Yowzers! This year was special in more ways than one. First of all, the weather was a huge factor. Rain and snow at the higher elevations had the traditional 10 PM start time pushed back to Midnight to allow the rain/snow to move through. And that was a good call. At 11 PM the rain stopped and we had rain free ride for the most part. Also, due to the weather, the course of just about 130 miles was shortened to 100 miles. Two sections that potentially can add 4-6 hrs of time to your race time were cut out for safety reasons.
My race I thought would go well....as it has the past 2 years, but the fatigue monster that became huge at last weekends PCP2P caught up with me.
At midnight, we all rolled out of town. It was a neutral lead out that had us taking about 60 minutes to get out to the gravel and the true start of this race. When we hit the gravel, I went to work at my pace. I was at the front and leading the group. Shortly I was joined by Josh Tostado. We rode together for about 2 minutes before his pace was much harder than I wanted to go. He and another rider (who would drop out some 8 miles later) pulled ahead of the group and out of sight. The group let him go...never to be seen until the finish.
For me, I kept my pace not getting into the little race battles forming. For the most part I was riding with about 6-7 other people. As this dirt road drives to the Colorado Trail, it gets steeper. My legs were very sluggish on the slightly steeper pitches. This bothered me....but I figure my legs needed to 'come around'. By the time we hit the Colorado Trail, the group of rider I had been with on the road had gotten about 200-300 yrd gaps on each other. Finally riding singletrack in the CO Trail, my legs were ticking along just fine...and at a pace I needed to finish the VT125. Riders in my group included Matt Turgeon, Cully Todd, 'Huck' from CB, and Jason Stubbe. We would soon been join by the womens leader, Ezster Horanyi. Going through the CO Trail my legs got progressively more sluggish. Steep grunt climbs made the legs burn. Granny gear was used when it shouldn't have been. Hike-a-bikes hurt worse than actually riding. Matt Turgeon eventually fell off the pace.......then did I. Both of us were now riding solo with the other riders glowing lights within sight.
About 4 miles from Aid Station 1, I was joined by Andrew Carney. He passed and stated "I found my legs." I gave a "I feel like hell" reply. I kept pushing on...but it was slow. I finally rolled into Aid Station 1....3.5 hrs after the race started. Josh Tostado had been there 30 minutes earlier. At the aid station was my chase group and Cully Todd. The chase group of Eszter and her man-friend left.....and about 40 seconds Cully Todd and I left. We rode together chatting about the race and what was to come. The pace was comfy. Finally, we empty out on to the paved....then dirt....the jeep road that takes us up to Hancock, CO and the Alpine Tunnel. I fell off Cully's wheel....legs were 5 ton weights. Having been here before, I rode steady hoping to ride through this bad moment....really the first all race. Eventually, I was riding solo until I was caught by Matt Turgeon on his SS. We exchanged words.....and he kept going. Knowing what was ahead I was at the point of no return. Either go back downhill to the Aid Station 1 and bag the ride (a 10 minute ride).....or make it to Monarch Pass.....some 5-7 more hrs of riding.
I decided to bag the ride. Legs were shelled and sore to the touch. All the racing over the past month....and especially the trench-digging race in Park City are which led me to my fate. I would soon learn that Sonya bailed about 3 miles into the race with light issues and a over stuff pack that blew at the seems. The DNF and DNS rate was high. Most pulled at mile 15 and mile 30. Many didn't even leave town after the start time change. The weather played with peoples mojo....as did the moist course. As for me, my legs are in need of recovery.....from the past month of racing. I need a recharge.
Time to focus on 2010!
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:43 PM
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Vapor Trail 125: Hours before the start
Today is the day. Race starts at 10 PM tonight (Saturday). Rest of the day is focused on travel to the event, eating good race fuel, rest, and watching the weather closely. Lets just say the weather forecast keeps changing about every 6 hours. Here is a break down of the weather from key spots on course in the order we will see them...
Start line in Salida at 10 PM
St. Elmo area at the end of the Colorado Trail section
Areas in and around Monarch Pass
Final sections of the Rainbow Trail
Time to dress warm and keep moving forward.
Jeff Kerkove said at 10:43 AM
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Last number plate of the year
This weekend....as per my race schedule....will be the last race of the year. Of course, we all know that can change as events are added at the last minute. This weekends race is the race that I give the nod to as the best course and event of the entire year: Vapor Trail 125. Starting and finishing in Salida, CO, this 125 mile......err.....130ish mile single loop course starts at 10 PM on Saturday and takes riders 15-19 hours to complete. The course is mountain biking in its purest form: dirt roads, techy singletrack, hour long hike-a-bikes, hours spent above 11,000 ft, and jeep roads that are better suited to an army tank rather than a 4x4 jeep.
I have raced this route the last 2 years. First year I placed 7th while coming out from Iowa. Last year, with a longer course I placed 5th. This year I am hoping to move up the ranks again, but the field is the fastest it has been to date. Athletes like Josh Tostado, Jake Rubelt, and Jeff Irwin are just a small sampling out of the field that can light this course on fire. But in reality, a little good luck is always needed. This race is long, and pacing plays a huge role in success. In the past years we have raced we have been blessed with great weather. While temps sat near freezing at 11,000+ ft at night in the past....this is normal....it's the f'n Rocky Mountains. This year, we are going to be hit with a cold front...as per the weather forecast. This could make for a very interesting and chilly first 8-9 hours of racing. I am keeping an eye on the weather....this will dictate what I carry off the start line....including a pack or not.
Bike will remain unchanged from last year. I am running the FS bike with Continental Mountain King 2.2 ProTection tires with Stan's. The handlebar/stem will be raised 5 mm for added comfort over the 125+ mile event. I am using 3 different lights.....with no need to change out batteries. One light will burn for 15 hrs and is used for the slow open road sections. Then, I have a handlebar and helmet light that will both burn for 9 hrs. I will carry one small cell-phone-size battery in case my bright lights decide to burn out.
As for clothing? This is all personal. I, for one, can deal with cold temps. I guess I can thank those sub-zero training rides in Iowa for that. Right now, the plan at the start sits with the following items:
- team bib shorts
- knee warmers
- wool Swiftwick socks
- Craft base layer
- short sleeve team jersey
- long sleeve team jersey
- team wind vest
- team skull cap
- short finger gloves.
I will also have on-board long finger cool weather gloves and a rain jacket. If the weather really looks sketchy, I am loading up the Ergon BD2 with additional clothing. Getting wet at 11,000 ft at 2 AM could be killer....literally.
In the meantime, here is the course profile from last year as recorded by my Suunto T6. It will be a carbon copy of this years course as it remains unchanged.
Or to really put things into perspective, here is a GoogleEarth rendering of the entire route.
Prepare. Focus. Execute. Achieve.
Jeff Kerkove said at 8:52 AM
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Eurobike snippets
Here is a sneak peek from Eurobike.....and the 2010 Topeak-Ergon team bike! All I can say is WOW!
Jeff Kerkove said at 6:17 PM
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Race Report: Park City Point 2 Point
My race went super for about 40 miles, then the floor fell out from under me. Not sure what the deal was, as my pacing and nutrition was unchanged from similar events already completed this year. I was riding in the top 7 or 8 guys overall...and feeling super! After 40 miles I went backwards with no power to the pedals...and could not stomach anything with out wanting to barf or gag. I think I dropped roughly 15-20 spots in the last 30 miles spinning the granny gear...even stopping and walking. I thought I could ride out of the funk after 1 hr, but it never came.
The course was tough...75 miles of singletrack. Some of it rough...some of it buff. For the most part, you were always on the gas and fighting the terrain. I can't think of another event that gives you so much quality singletrack.
This is about the only good thing that happened all race. Cash via Slyfox...and his costume! Wish I got one of the $20's...and not the $1's I stuck in my pocket. Oh well, it was all good!
The damage is evident in the HR file. Even the profile of the terrain was not kind. I will be back next year. The event is too well run and the quality of the course is some of the best I have ever been on. My final result was 11th out of the Pro Open Men....and my time was 8 hrs and 40 minutes. For me, I know I can pound out this race course in and around 7.5 hours.
Now it is time to focus on this weekend's event: Vapor Trail 125.
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:24 PM
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PCP2P: The day before the race
Ahh yes, the day before the PCP2P. All is well here in Park City other than some darker clouds rolling in from the West. So far no rain. The team here is hoping for a nice quick shower, as the course is super dry and dusty. Today, Sonya, Yuki, and I all went our separate ways on the bike to do our pre-race routine. For me, that included about a 1 hr ride with some tempo and sprint intervals thrown in to keep the legs spunky.
I chose to climb up to the Silver Lake Lodge area of the course and check out part of the course. As expected, good singletrack and steep service roads....and views of Park City to boot.
After the spin it was back to the condo to hose off all the dust on the bike....
...and to compare digital photos from our rides.
Pre-race meeting is at 6 PM tonight....then race begins at 7 AM on Saturday.
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:29 PM
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