Preview of Marathon Nationals course in Breckenridge, CO

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:55 AM :: ::

Altitude adaptation

It's not long now! The Colorado Trail Race is about 1 month away. The prep is getting streamlined and the training is specific to the event. This past weekend, I made it a 3 day weekend by heading up to the Breckenridge area with 3 different bikes and 3 different workouts planned.

Friday, was a road bike session with some damn near max effort intervals up Loveland Pass. Ouch! Lets just say hitting the power numbers at 11,000 ft is a tad bit more difficult than at 5,000 ft.

Saturday was some 50 mile race efforts on the Marathon Nationals course in Breckenridge. Course is in fantastic shape....fast and a little loose....but in super shape. No snow on course, which is a first for me in all the years I have raced this event.

Yes, it's a hardtail course. But, tire changes will be coming for me.


Sunday was the ride I was waiting for all weekend! Basically, 4 hours at a high altitude. Pace was 'play it by feel' Oddly enough, today is when my body finally started to kick over this thin air. I felt great! The views were great as well, as I climbed around 11,000-13,000 ft outside Montezuma, CO.

When you start at 10,200 ft, it doesn't take long to get above treeline....1 hour to be exact.


Fantastic dirt roads on top of the World!  They just kept going and going.....


"Hey little buddy, I need to get by and go up that hill."


I was on the CTR race bike today....fully loaded as it will go on race day with all equipment.  Notice the 'climbing' gear.  Yep, it was a nice slog up the mountain(s).  Honestly, the gear was just right.  Any steeper....I'd be walking anyway.  The SRAM XX is nice little element into my CTR prep.


Still going up!


I needed to follow that road across the valley to complete the 'loop' I had mapped out on the GPS. Only one problem....


A big ass snow field with a huge drop on the other side.....ie: the Continental Divide.  Continental Divide drop = point of no return....certain death.

Now worries, as I retraced my route then took another road back down to Montezuma, CO then started riding around on some of the many dirt roads in the area....

Heading up to Argentine Pass. I did not make it to the pass as I ran out of ride time....I only had a 4 hour day planned.


The turn around spot. Time to head back to the van and then leave for 'reality'


Ahhhhh yes, welcome back to 'reality'.  The concrete jungle of the Front Range.

All the images are posted here.

Jeff Kerkove said at 4:28 PM :: ::

Lunch Ride

Why sit down for lunch at noon when you can hop on the bike...and eat while pedaling to the trail? Shred!

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:42 PM :: ::

2 wheels and some trails

The mtbing here in Fort Collins, CO is really bad. There is no reason you would ever want to live here ;)

Jeff Kerkove said at 6:44 PM :: ::

Continental X-King 2.2

More details and information to come on this new tire being released this week at the Continental Tires press camp in Slovenia.

Jeff Kerkove said at 4:26 PM :: ::

Colorado Trail Race test run

On Saturday I left the house at roughly 8:30 AM with a route and a plan to head west.....and to return Sunday mid-afternoon.  The goal of the trip was to dial in my kit for the Colorado Trail Race.  What do I need and what don't I need.  I would ride 8 hours west.....and then on Sunday ride back home, another 8 hours.

My route included a good mix of all kinds of Colorado terrain. For example, and old road turned foot/bike/horse path.


The roads varied in structure. Some smooth...others a little rough, but totally rideable.


Roads then turn to singletrack!


One of many 'forks' in the trail. Had to get off this trail at this point, as it leads into wilderness area where bikes are not allowed.



Lots of good water flow in the high country right now. There was no shortage of clear and clean streams following from the higher elevations. As welcomed as these water sources were.....they likely are the cause of my 'issue' later on in the evening.



Back on the trail where things began to get a bit 'chunky'. This was a long hike-a-bike section right on the border of a wilderness area. Go left off the trail and you were in a protected wilderness area. Go right off the trail and you were in National Forest Service land.  Eventually, this trail just disappeared.  I had to resort to following the thin red line on the GPS....bushwacking through the woods and carrying my bike over blow-down.


With the sun getting low, I arrived at the area I planned to sleep for the night. Elevation was roughly 10,500 ft.....and this was the view!


I unpacked all my sleeping gear, built a fire, and heated up a meal. Note, the stove will not go on CTR with me. I brought it along on this trip simply because I had the room...and I wanted a warm meal before bed and coffee in the AM.  My plan was to go to sleep early....then get up early (4 AM) to start the ride back to Fort Collins in the dark on Sunday AM.



There would become one problem as I made myself at home in my camp. The problem would become the mosquitoes! I hate mosquitoes! I tried to sleep, but the buzzing and biting was out of this world. After being at camp for about 1.5 hours, I packed up and head back to Fort Collins. Along the way, I stopped in 2 different locations....both at drier and lower altitudes....hoping to be able to get my nights sleep in. Wrong! I was still attacked by the mosquitoes. This brings me back to the filtering of water. Yes, the ample supply of water is great for long distance travel in the backcountry right now....but this water is also the breeding grounds for the little creatures that didn't let me sleep.


The ride home was a race against the sun. I had lights....but not super bright lights. Thankfully the traffic on the paved roads I rode on to get home was not bad.


I rolled into Fort Collins sometime after 10 PM. For the day, I spent roughly 12 hours on the bike....and accumulated about 120 miles of distance covered.

Now I need to figure out a lightweight way to solve this potential CTR mosquito problem.  Not a fan of bug spray or deet....as they don't work for me.  Might start looking for a mesh net that covers most, if not all of my sleeping space.  Thoughts?

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:38 AM :: ::

Singlespeed

A yummy 2 hours on the Rotwild HT turned singlespeed in the foothills just west of Fort Collins.  Nice little strength workout for sure!  I very well think I used muscles I didn't know I had in my arms, legs, and lower back.  Burly.

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:53 PM :: ::

Riding on marbles

Got out to Lory State Park today on the mtb for 2.5 hours.  A lot of zone 3-4 HR time over some very loose and dry terrain.  Had the wrong Continental Tires today.  Was running the Race King 2.2.....needed the Mountain King 2.2 for a little more bite in the corners.  More than once I about shot myself off the trail into the unknown.  Had the EPIC HD cam along for the ride again.....experimenting with different mounting spots.  I mounted it where the top tube meets the seat tube.  The result?  See below.  Not the best spot....but,  you never know until you try.

Jeff Kerkove said at 3:44 PM :: ::

Blue Sky

Today's ride was on Blue Sky Trail under blue skies.  How fitting that mother nature provided a perfect foreground for today's footage.  Received a EPIC HD Cam a week back and today was a good day to try it out since there wasn't a lot of structure in the workout.  I mounted the cam to the handlebar and away I went.  Below is a 5 minute block of footage from the Blue Sky Trail which runs from Loveland to Fort Collins.  Enjoy!

Jeff Kerkove said at 5:26 PM :: ::

Fully loaded...packing heat

Got out this weekend in between the all day rains and the weird intestinal thing I have had going on. Saturday was a drag day. Sunday, I was back to normal...and the rain stopped. I got out for 3.5 hours on the CTR bike...although it was on some dirt and paved roads. It was a good first feel for how the bike rides fully loaded...as well as wearing a fully loaded down Ergon backpack.


Between what I was wearing, what was in my pack, and what is on the bike....here is the complete list:

Clothing
Bike shorts – Team bib shorts
Jersey – Team SS Jersey
Base Layer – Craft sleeveless
Gloves (warm) – Ergon
Gloves (cold/wet) – Endura
Socks - Swiftwick Merino 4
Shoes – Northwave Touring
Cycling headwear – Team Issue Buff
Arm warmers – Team Issue
Leg warmers – Team Issue
Rain pants – GoLite Rain Pants
Rain jacket – Montbell Outpace parka
Down jacket - MontBell UL Inner Jacket

Gear
Backpack – Ergon BC2
Water bladder – 100 oz Ergon/Hydrapak bladder
Helmet – Cratoni Team Issue w/visor
Sunglasses – Adidas Supernova’s (2 sets lenses)
Water Filter - Katadyn Hiker Pro
Tarp shelter, 3 ti stakes,  2 guy lines
Sleeping bag - MontBell UL Super Stretch Down Hugger #5 (40F)
Sleeping bag cover - MontBell UL Sleeping Bag Cover (gore-tex)
Ground cloth – Adv Med Kit bivy cut in 1/2
Head lamp – Princeton Tec EOS (zip-tied to helmet)
Topeak light and Batts.
Batteries – Lithium AA

Tool kit
Topeak Mini Tool
Topeak Carbon MTB Pump
Spare Crank Bros. cleats and bolts
Patch kit for tube
Spare derailluer hanger
Chain links (2 sets)
Chain lube (dry) in micro dropper bottle
Brake Pads (2 sets)
Tubes - (2) Standard Conti Tubes
Small Leatherman

Medicine/Medical/Hygiene
Adventure Medical Kit trimmed down to the stuff I hope I don't have to use.
Benadryl for bee stings
Aleve
Sunscreen – dropper bottle
Lip balm
Chamois Butt’r – dropper bottle
Toothbrush - Colgate Wisp mini brush (qt: 4)
Toilet paper in Aloksak bag

Repair Kit / Emergency Kit
(4) large zip ties
(4) small zip ties
(4) safety pins
(1) application of Super Glue
Duct tape
(6) Water Purification tablets
Fire Starting Kit – waterproof matches & Mag striker

Misc.
Waterproof Storage – (4) 5x4 Aloksak
Purchase Power – Cash ($1's and $5's) and credit card
Camera kit – Fuji FinePix Digital Cam

Nutrition
- ELETE in dropper bottle
- Misc. food/calories

The weight of the bike, bags, and gear as seen in the image above is 31 lbs.  I am always open to thoughts, suggestions, and comments.  After all, this is a learning process.

Today's route wasn't anything special. Picked a loop with a long climb...and some longer descents. Bike went up hill well. It rides 'lighter' than it feels when you lift it.  Bike really isn't that heavy when loaded....or as bad as it 'could' be.

Now it is time to weed out what I need in my race kit....and what I don't.  I am sure things will change between now and Aug. 2 at 6 AM.

Jeff Kerkove said at 7:24 PM :: ::

Back on the bike!

Yeah for exercise!  I have been off the bike since last Thursday.  Random weird illnesses have been attacking my body...all of which have resulted in 2 trips to the Dr and a blood test.  The blood test came back with nothing but good news....and every day gets better and better.  Today was the first day that I have had the energy or urge to get on the bike and pedal out some hours.



A simple ride today on the trails in and around the very very full Horsetooth Res. This weekend is a small CTR test run with full gear. I am just hoping the weather man is very wrong in his forecast!

Jeff Kerkove said at 2:40 PM :: ::

Training tips!

Click the image to read the article!  I gave my 2¢ worth.

Jeff Kerkove said at 8:33 PM :: ::

Ill'n

Training pdate is coming at some point. Last week was busy with prep for the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, CO....which I got pretty sick at. I spent 2 of the 3 days I was there in the hotel room in bed and in the bathroom. Ewwww. It sucked sooooo bad! I am still not 100%...and after a trip to the Dr it is a waiting game. If I am not back on the rebound by Wednesday, it is back to the Dr again. Total bummer! I missed a great sports event...and have had a set-back in my training for CTR. This weekend was supposed to be a 2 day mock-race trial run. Now, it has to wait. Crossing my fingers!

Jeff Kerkove said at 10:58 AM :: ::