Yeah! Got back on the bike today after about 1 week of no riding. Air travel is an amazing thing. 7 AM I was in San Diego. At 1 PM, I was riding with Sonya at 6500 ft outside Boulder. Legs felt good....and the bike foreign. Kind'a weird actually. Looking forward to 3 hours of leg stimulating pedaling around Boulder.
So, I wasn't sure what to expect today. I have been off the bike for the last 2-3 days because I have been feeling 'under the weather.' Last night I started feeling pretty much back to normal. One thing was for sure, I needed to ride. With the Oval Ride going today, I made this the plan. I told myself the second I don't have it in the legs I was going to pull off and spin home. This ride is notorious for being hard....but today it wasn't what it could have been. Don't get me wrong, I still had to dig deep....so did others.
About 10 miles in the ride, myself and another rider dangled off the front. It was a test for me to see what the legs could and would do. The legs felt good enough at the time. At the stop light, I sat up and got back in the group as 3 others jumped ahead with the rider I had been riding with and rode away. A long way. This lead group would stay away from before Windsor, CO all the way to Carter Lake. The main group of the Oval Ride was disorganized today. To many fitness levels left the group unorganized. Rolling into Berthoud, CO the group was together.....then I found myself up the road with 2 other riders. We went for it. With no super huge burst in speed, we kept it steady and road away from the main group of 20ish riders behind us. Just before the Carter Lake switch backs we saw the group of 4 that had been off the front for over an hour. Sure enough and the top of Carter Lake we caught this group to become a larger and now stronger group.
We would ride as a group all the way to the base of the climb to Horsetooth Mountain Park. Here the group would split and 3 riders would ride back to town together. The rest of us would ride solo into town to call it a day.
I was surprised how my legs felt today. I suppose you could say 2 days of recovery was what the Dr. ordered. I am sure I will be sore tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, Sunday starts 6 days of no bike. I am off to SoCal for work....but it will be to talk about bikes. So that is training.....right?
I am pretty excited to announce that SRAM will be supporting Team Topeak-Ergon USA in 2010. SRAM is a new supporter to the team and we welcome them with open arms. Leading the way in drivetrain technology, SRAM will be supporting the team with XX. What does that mean? Well for those not up to date on current mountain bike drivetrain....current drivetrains use a 3x9 gear combo. This new XX combo from SRAM is 2x10 which will offer faster shifting, smoother shifting, and helps drop the overall weight of the bike.
Team Topeak-Ergon USA will be equipped with the following:
This technology is a jump forward in innovation. I am looking forward to bolting these parts on the new Rotwild bikes for 2010. Stay tuned as parts roll in and I can give a first hand account. Reviews and first hand accounts on the 'net have been nothing but positive and mind blowing.
Seems I caught some sort of bug. Doesn't appear to be too bad. Thank goodness! Yesterday was a taste that something wasn't right with my inner workings. I headed out on a 2.5 hour training ride that involved some lengthy hard intervals. The warm up seemed not right.....sluggish. Sure enough, 1/2 way through the first interval the power severely dropped and the HR was waaaay higher than it should have been. I made the call and turned it around for home. The rest of the day I felt drained and tired.
This AM I woke up at my normal 7ish AM. Out of bed I had no spunk or energy. That was a clear indicator to take yet another day off from physical activity. I am bummed, as I was hoping to get in some longer and harder hours before next weeks trip to SoCal for work. I still have 2 days left before I leave on a work trip. Praying that this is a 24 hour bug.
In the meantime, I am sucking down the tea, citrus fruit, and Cold Snap. It is a waiting game now.
Next week will be busy. Sonya and myself are launching an Ergon assault on SoCal. Road trip!
It is no secret that a series of large weather systems are moving in from the West. Heck, I was supposed to head to St George, UT this weekend to ride myself stupid, but that got canceled due to massive amounts of rain in the desert. Yes, I said desert. From there is was onto LA and San Diego for some Ergon related work and riding. Now, there will be no bikes, and I will be flying out with my partner in crime. Not all is lost. Just sucks that weather can take a plan that has been set for months.....and turn it inside out.
So now, I can train my butt off until the end of Saturday. Then, on Sunday hop on a plane to LA....then fly back on that following Saturday AM from San Diego.
I'll be honest, the bike work late this week and on Saturday dug a bit of a fatigue hole. Makes me glad today was only 2 hours instead of the normal 5+ hours. With the pace being pretty chill, I headed out with Sonya to pedal around the hills west of Boulder. A refreshing ride it was. We pedaled up Old Stage Rd....up and down Lefthand Canyon....and then up and down Lee Hill Rd. We finished it out with some urban spinning back through town to the house. Ahhhhhhh.....
I am in Boulder this weekend. Plan for today (Saturday) was for 4-5 hours of fast paced road group riding. Coach said to "Empty the tank." I have always heard of the Gateway Ride here in Boulder. It is basically the weekly hammer-fest this time of year. I bet we had 50-60 riders show up at 10 AM for the ride. Only knew a few of the riders in the group, I had no idea what the ride would be like.
The Ride rolled out north of town to Lyons at a chill pace. It was not until we started heading north that any effort was laid out. I had to initiate the harder riding. We were cruising along with like 60+ people. I basically pulled out of the pack and just road away. I was soon joined by 2 other riders, one of them being Kat Statman. We set a tempo and stay away from the large group behind us for about 25 minutes.
It was not until before the Carter Lake switchbacks of doom that we were caught. The switchbacks pretty much blew apart our ride. Riders were yo-yoing. Me, my legs were heavy and not 100%. I was sitting right in the middle of the lead group and the 2nd group with 2 other dudes. Though for sure I would being riding back to Boulder with these 2 guys, but that was not the case, as when we got to the descent off Carter Lake, all the groups stopped to fuel and regroup.....
After a quick snack and some chit chat we dropped off the reservoir and started heading back south to Boulder....
From here on out, the pace would only pick up a few times....nothing too crazy. The group would roll back into Boulder and riders would go their own ways. For me, I needed some more time, so I headed up into the foothills to get in some climbing with my all ready group ride fatigued legs.
Here is a recap of today's training. Got in roughly 95 miles in about 4.5 hours...21 mph average speed. It was a good day....but my legs didn't feel 100% right. Not sure what the deal was. Can't complain at all since it is only January.
Warm today. Well, warmer compared to what it has been over the past month or so...hence the reason for the frozen mass of water in the background. Temps here in Ft Collins were just over 50F Chances that is 45F warmer than were you are at. This is one of the joys of living here in Colorado. The temps spike high like the mountains.....then they drop like the valleys. The good news, is the warmer temps are forecasted to stay for the long term. Long term meaning with in the next 7 days that 9 News shows us Front Ranger's
Workout today was very relaxing....therapeutic if you will. Headed out for a 2 hour tempo on the hardtail...and threw in the climbs that roll along Horsetooth Reservoir. Saw a few other cyclist out there...and one runner running shirtless....in shorts. Really? Was it that warm? I suppose it was. I personally had most of my layers unzipped. I was overdressed. Guess the runner had it nailed....even with his bright red chest.
Heck, it is only Tuesday and I am already looking forward to weekend rides. Long, hard, and fast on Saturday. Then some good mountain dirt road action on Sunday!
Wow, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday, the roads were complete crap! Today, those same roads were about 95% dry. I really didn't expect the roads to dry that much over night since temps would drop into the teens. I figured for sure the Rio Group Ride would not happen, so I did my workout solo today. 4 hours alone pushing a heart rate of 139-159 bpm.
At the base of the foothills, I ran into the Rio Group Ride...some 20 riders strong. I caught the group and rode with them for a few miles. Riding with the group was not putting me where I needed to be for my workout, so I pushed ahead to ride alone once we crested the hill at the entrance to Horsetooth Mountain Park.
For the rest of the ride I would run into a few other cyclists....mostly riders from Boulder....and a few more from Ft Collins. One thing is fore sure, if you want to get someone's attention...catch and pass them on your mtb. Passed one guy up on Carter Lake.....he chased me down....then asked where I was from and what kind of gearing I was running. He seemed surprised when I told him it was a standard 44-32-22 and mtb cassette.
Today's route was similar to Saturday's route...but with more climbing. Stats on the route are roughly 70 miles and 3,900 ft of climbing. Felt good today...especially when going uphill. Average HR...not including the roll out and return to the house....is 150 bpm.
Monday is an off the bike day. Core work is on tap as well as giving the mtb and road bike some much needed cleaning. Hopefully by the end of the week most of the snow will be gone here.
Oh yeah, had a Carnizzle sighting on the way back down into town. I could see his long lady-like hair flailing in the wake of his effort...;)
Today's post ride meal: 1 egg, 2 egg whites, 1.5 cup of brown rice, 2 cups of spinach, olive oil.....cook it all up in a frying pan on medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and turmeric to taste.
Good blog title, eh? First thing that came to my mind after today's training session. While the past week we here in CO have been like the rest of the country....cold and some snow. Well, it was not until today that we finally got above freezing for the first this week. Temps in the low 40F's were a welcome sight as I headed out on a 4 hour solo mission to complete the training task that LW Coaching laid out. I was on my mtb today only because they do not plow the roads here...and the warm weather was making the roads sloppy....super sloppy. Yeah, I should have fenders for the mtb....but I do not. Honesty, don't think it really would have helped much.
The first 1.5 hours of my session where fine....roads were OK. But the farther south and west I went the worse it got. There was standing water on the roads for miles upon miles at a time. Didn't take long and I was soaked. The spray coming off the front of the front tire was so bad that I could not see my GPS, Suunto HR monitor, or out of my Adidas sunglasses. I wanted to remove my sunglasses, but that would be certain doom for my eyeballs. Everything....and I mean EVERYTHING was covered in a white film from the ice-melt they put on the roads. Question. Wouldn't it be cheaper to plow the roads rather than spray them with chemicals? Just a thought.
I returned home looking like I just got done racing in the hot desert and sweating out all my electrolytes. Not the case. All the white stuff is off the roads. Eeeeek! I am not about to clean the bike until Monday. Need to give the roads a chance to dry off a bit. I am sure tomorrow will be more of the same.
Today, I had the GPS I purchased after X-mas on board that I plan to take on the CTR. I took it along for sake of simply using it, getting use to its operation. I basically didn't touch it. I stuck it on the bike.....turned it on.....and did the ride. The GPS recorded the route....then I uploaded it to geek out on the data it saved.
Here is the route I took today. About 75 miles and 3,800 ft of climbing...that is if the gps data is 100% correct.
Same route as above...but viewed in Google Earth.
And one more for you. This one is HR and elevation off the Suunto T6.
The following Q & A session comes from you, the readers. These questions were posted in the comments section a few posts earlier.
Q: Now that you have live here (Ft Collins, CO) for a couple of years do have a favorite training route or trails? A: Lots of good road and dirt routes around Ft Collins. Heck, that is one of the biggest reasons I moved here! My favorite road ride from the house is the loop up to Estes Park and back. Also like the out and back on Trail Ridge Rd in RMNP. Best mtb route? Favorite singletrack session when riding from the house is Bobcat Ridge. Still enjoy heading out on all day epics to the National Forest land out by Old Flower Rd. Still so much out there I have not seen/ridden yet. Kind of close to the house, I enjoy riding all the dirt roads in the Boulder foothills as well.
Q: I'm always interested in people's dietary preferences (off the bike). Do you follow a strict schedule? A: I watch what I eat, but I am not super strict. No, I do not weigh my food. I simply eat how we 'should' all eat. Lots of fruit, veggies, fish, nuts, etc, etc. I try to cut out as much processed food as I can. When I do eat processed food I try to make smarter choices. Recently, I have been cutting out pasta in favor of rice....going kind of half-ass gluten free....kind of. Don't miss the pasta either...and feel generally better.
Q: I would like to know what kind of gym work do you do? A: I do not go to the gym....anymore. I used to before I hired Lynda at LW Coaching. Now all gym-type workouts are complete at home. My coach has me following the Core Performance program via this book. About 95% of the plan can be done from home...with hardly any huge investment in weights.....dumbells and kettlebells work really well. The Core Performance book is very clean and is simple to follow. The training system is broken up into phases...and shows how much of what exercises to do each day. This plan takes up 6 days per week. Each workout on average lasts about 1 hr....some as little as 30 minutes.
Q: How long are your workouts on the trainer this time of year? A: Lucky for me, I don't ride indoors that much anymore. When I lived in Iowa...well, that was another story. Now, my indoor workouts on average are about 1 hr. At the longest...about 1.5 hours. That breaks down to 15 minutes of warm up.......60 minutes of intervals.....15 minutes of cool down. That 60 minutes of intervals varies based on the time of year and what needs to be stimulated or worked on. Example from today.....
The question as asked via the comments in the post below:
I am curious what you are bringing on the Colorado Trail Race and how much weight you think you will be adding? What's your idea on how long it will take you?
This a good question...as well as complex. First off, what is the Colorado Trail Race? It is a 480+ mile non-stop mtb time trial from Denver to Durango. No entry fee. No support of any kind. No nothing. You start...you finish....you survive.....hopefully. I decided to toe the start line for this event in 2010 after I found the personal need for a new challenge. I wanted something more difficult than a 24 hr solo race.....a mtb stage race.....a 100 mile mtb race.
As I sit here in early January (-6F outside!), a lot of thoughts have gone down on paper. There has also been a lot of research done via many ultralight backpacking websites as well as a site like bikepacking.net. Ultimately, the final decision of what I am taking will result after some testing and trial runs. Here is what I have down on paper so far.....
Clothing - Bike shorts – Team bib shorts - Jersey – Team SS Jersey - Base Layer – Craft sleeveless - Gloves (warm) – Ergon Short finger - Gloves (cold/wet) – Endura or Gore - Helmet – Cratoni Team Issue - Socks - Swiftwick Merino - Shoes – Northwave Touring - Cycling cap – Team Issue Buff - Sunglasses – Adidas Supernova’s (2 sets lenses)
Gear - Bikepack - Epic Designs - Backpack – Ergon BC2 (Drilled out? Straps cut down?) - Arm warmers – Team Issue - Leg warmers – Team Issue - Wind shell jacket – Team Issue - Rain pants – GoLiteRain Pants (Montbell?) - Rain jacket – Montbell Outpace parka - Down jacket - MontBell UL Inner Jacket 7.3oz - Down pants – MontBell UL Down Inner Pants 6.8oz - Water bottle - TBA - Water Filter - MSR or Katadyn - Water bladder – 100 oz Ergon/Hydrapak bladder - Tarp/Bivy Shelter - ??????? - Sleeping bag - MontBell UL Super Stretch Down Hugger - Sleeping pad - TBA - Head lamp – (2 or 3) Princeton Tec EOS Bike...Other? - Batteries –(?????)Lithium AA
Tool Kit - Topeak Mini Tool - Topeak Carbon MTB Pump - Spare Crank Bros. Cleats and bolts - Patch kit for tire and tube - Spare derailluer hanger - (2) chain links - (2)Spare spokes - Chain lube (wet) in micro dropper bottle - Plastic tire lever - Tubes - (2) Standard Conti Tubes - Multi tool - Leatherman Juice S2 - w/pliers, knife, & scissors - 4.4oz - Fire Starting Kit - Toothbrush - Colgate Wisp mini brush - Toiletry kit - 1" camp roll toilet paper
Medicine - Medical Kit – Adventure Medical Kit - Benadryl for bee stings - Ibuprofen
Repair Kit / Emergency Kit - (4) large zip ties - (4) small zip ties - (4) safety pins - (1) application of Krazy Glue - Duct tape - (6) Purification water
Misc. Items - Camera kit – Digital Camera & Flip Cam - Garmin Etrex Vista Hcx GPS - SPOT personal locator - Sunscreen - TBA - Lip balm - TBA - Chamois cream – Chamois Butt’r - Bug repellent - 100% DEET (or similar repellent) in micro dropper bottle - 0.3oz - Waterproof Storage – (4) 5x4 Aloksak, (1) 4.5x7 Aloksak - Purchase Power – Cash ($1 and $5) and credit card
Nutrition - ELETE dropper bottle - More TBA.....
There. With that said and done....let the addition and subtraction begin. Shelter and sleeping items can change in a heartbeat. All depends on how comfy I need to be. Clothing items can also be added....or taken away. Long term forecast will dictate what clothing should go...and what should stay. Still much time to make a final race set up.
Next question is....How much weight? Well, the goal is to get as much weight off my body/back and on the bike...hence the reason for the Epic Design frame bags. With my bike and final total equipment I am hoping to be at 45-50 lbs range. This is minus food and water.
Finally....How long will it take? My goal is 4-5 days....about 110 miles a day. Off course this is with a perfect race......perfect weather....and perfect execution. Is it obtainable? Yes, it was proved last year when a new course record of 4 days 3 hours 20 minutes was set.
Weather has turned chilly and a tad snowy again. Training is moving indoors for the next few days. Weekend promises a warm up, so larger and faster miles can resume. This weekend will take me to Boulder. Speed and elevation are the goals.
In the meantime, the direction of the next few post is under your direction. What do you want to know? Post your questions in the comments section about training, equipment, races, etc, etc.
All layered up and ready for war...weekend group ride war. My layers include.... - 1 Craft ProWarm base layer (a very key component to keeping warm!) - 2 Team issue long sleeve thermal jerseys (need those pockets) - 1 Team issue wind vest - 1 Buff on my head - 1 Buff around my neck - 1 Team issue bib shorts - 1 Team issue leg warmers - 1 pair Swiftwick Merino socks - 1 pair Craft toe warmer - 1 pair Craft Nemo Booties - 1 pair of Northwave mtb shoes (These are the same shoes I wear in the Summer) - 1 Cratoni helmet - 1 pair of Endura Strike Gloves - 1 pair of Craft Lobster Gloves (in case the temps drop)
I doubled up on the group rides this weekend. Saturday was the Oval Ride here in Fort Collins. Traditionally the ride is lights out after we get about 5 miles out of town. But a low turn out and cooler temps kept the pace chill. I had to take it upon myself to launch the attacks and push the pace. Overall, I got what I needed. Saturday's ride shows things are on track for 2010.
Sunday was another road group ride. The Rio Ride is little bit more tame. To 'up' the effort requirements for myself, I showed up once again on the mtb. Mission accomplished, as at the end of my 4 hr training session, my legs were feeling the effects of both group rides when climbing. Pretty much all ride today we watch black clouds form over the foothills. We saw a tiny bit of snow....but nothing much. As I type this, those black clouds have moved off the mountains and over the town. We are getting brief heavy snow showers...but nothing is really sticking.
It's that time of the year. Bike cleaning seems like a daily chore. Rides last 4 hours tend to lead to marathon bike cleaning sessions. As a cyclist, it is a fact of life....especially if you want your equipment to last a long time and work well. With temps near 40F it was easy to get out there and bathe the mtb. I am sure I will be back to cleaning again next week.
With the Colorado Trail Race on the horizon for 2010, the gear acquisition has started. One of those items that is needed not only for some navigation help during the race....but also for general mtb adventures here in the West is a GPS. Finally, after X-mas, I pulled the trigger and picked up the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx. Based on reviews from other riders and price point, this was the route to go...no pun intended. From messing around with it here at the house/around town it seems super easy to use. Only thing I wish it had was a stem mount similar to Garmin's cycling specific GPS devices.
This is the "rail" mount clamp that is available for this GPS. It works fine if you want to mount the GPS on your handle bar....or other similar shape. For me personally I wanted to mount the GPS to the stem to start with. So, I modified the 25.4 diameter Garmin bar clamp.
I went to town with a dremel tool, removing the hinging lower part....and then drilling 2 holes that will accept 2 zip ties.
When it was all said and done, this is what I ended up with. Once I am ready to hit the trail, I need to add the 'leash' from the GPS to the stem for those possible unplanned GPS ejections.
The learning process will begin this month. While it shouldn't be too difficult, I need to find all the magic settings for the GPS and my riding style. Also need to make sure this stem mount is going to be the ticket.
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
Yeah! Got back on the bike today after about 1 week of no riding. Air travel is an amazing thing. 7 AM I was in San Diego. At 1 PM, I was riding with Sonya at 6500 ft outside Boulder. Legs felt good....and the bike foreign. Kind'a weird actually. Looking forward to 3 hours of leg stimulating pedaling around Boulder.
Clear and effective marketing by this Orange County bike shop.
I am pretty excited to announce that SRAM will be supporting Team Topeak-Ergon USA in 2010. SRAM is a new supporter to the team and we welcome them with open arms. Leading the way in drivetrain technology, SRAM will be supporting the team with XX. What does that mean? Well for those not up to date on current mountain bike drivetrain....current drivetrains use a 3x9 gear combo. This new XX combo from SRAM is 2x10 which will offer faster shifting, smoother shifting, and helps drop the overall weight of the bike.
Seems I caught some sort of bug. Doesn't appear to be too bad. Thank goodness! Yesterday was a taste that something wasn't right with my inner workings. I headed out on a 2.5 hour training ride that involved some lengthy hard intervals. The warm up seemed not right.....sluggish. Sure enough, 1/2 way through the first interval the power severely dropped and the HR was waaaay higher than it should have been. I made the call and turned it around for home. The rest of the day I felt drained and tired.
I'll be honest, the bike work late this week and on Saturday dug a bit of a fatigue hole. Makes me glad today was only 2 hours instead of the normal 5+ hours. With the pace being pretty chill, I headed out with Sonya to pedal around the hills west of Boulder. A refreshing ride it was. We pedaled up Old Stage Rd....up and down Lefthand Canyon....and then up and down Lee Hill Rd. We finished it out with some urban spinning back through town to the house. Ahhhhhhh.....
Here is a recap of today's training. Got in roughly 95 miles in about 4.5 hours...21 mph average speed. It was a good day....but my legs didn't feel 100% right. Not sure what the deal was. Can't complain at all since it is only January.
Warm today. Well, warmer compared to what it has been over the past month or so...hence the reason for the frozen mass of water in the background. Temps here in Ft Collins were just over 50F Chances that is 45F warmer than were you are at. This is one of the joys of living here in Colorado. The temps spike high like the mountains.....then they drop like the valleys. The good news, is the warmer temps are forecasted to stay for the long term. Long term meaning with in the next 7 days that 9 News shows us Front Ranger's
Heck, it is only Tuesday and I am already looking forward to weekend rides. Long, hard, and fast on Saturday. Then some good mountain dirt road action on Sunday!
Today's route was similar to Saturday's route...but with more climbing. Stats on the route are roughly 70 miles and 3,900 ft of climbing. Felt good today...especially when going uphill. Average HR...not including the roll out and return to the house....is 150 bpm.
Here is the route I took today. About 75 miles and 3,800 ft of climbing...that is if the gps data is 100% correct.
Same route as above...but viewed in Google Earth.
And one more for you. This one is HR and elevation off the Suunto T6.
All layered up and ready for war...weekend group ride war. My layers include....
It's that time of the year. Bike cleaning seems like a daily chore. Rides last 4 hours tend to lead to marathon bike cleaning sessions. As a cyclist, it is a fact of life....especially if you want your equipment to last a long time and work well. With temps near 40F it was easy to get out there and bathe the mtb. I am sure I will be back to cleaning again next week.
I went to town with a dremel tool, removing the hinging lower part....and then drilling 2 holes that will accept 2 zip ties.
When it was all said and done, this is what I ended up with. Once I am ready to hit the trail, I need to add the 'leash' from the GPS to the stem for those possible unplanned GPS ejections.
The learning process will begin this month. While it shouldn't be too difficult, I need to find all the magic settings for the GPS and my riding style. Also need to make sure this stem mount is going to be the ticket.
Navigation simplified...and clean.
$9,000+ road bikes are nice.
Working. Really, I am.
