In my final prep for the Colorado Trail Race, I came across a momma bear and her 2 cubs today on my ride up Boreas Pass Rd on the city limit of Breckenridge, CO. They didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry.
The higher I went...the darker the clouds got.
Yes, even darker. But, no rain. Yet.
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:12 PM
With CTR coming up in 8 days, the riding is mellow and short-and-to-the-point. It gives some time to mess around with the Epic HD cam....experimenting with different places to mount the thing. Today, I zip-tied the helmet mount to the seat stay of the Rotwild R2 hardtail. Only thing missing here is a rider in tow. Any volunteers?
Jeff Kerkove said at 2:36 PM
E is for elevation. A little last minute CTR training prep at Elevation up in Rocky Mountain National Park today. If you can get up there early enough to beat tourist traffic, it is a fantastic place to get in to some ride time at 11,000-13,000 ft. With Trail Ridge Rd under construction, I opted to ride up Old Fall River Rd.
As a dirt road that sees a bit of traffic, it was pretty much as smooth as the freshly paved Trail Ridge Road. The climbing is pretty mellow and gives a lot of switchbacks to get you up to the treeline pretty quick. My legs felt good...I wanted to drill it....but that was not in the plan for the day.
About to top out at the Alpine Visitor Center...Elevation 11,796
Then turned around and climbed back up to 12,000+ feet.
Quick pit stop to take a picture of an Elk. Highlight of the ride....when a lady from TX said: "Awwwww, hey kids, come over here at look at the moose." Seriously! I set her straight....told her is was a reindeer. Ha!
Jeff Kerkove said at 5:13 PM
This is a post I have been looking forward to making since April. First, a disclaimer. Yes, Team Topeak-Ergon is sponsored by SRAM with product. However, this doesn't not effect what I am about to lay out here on the blog.
As a new revolution to the mountain bike industry, the 2x10 drivetrain system gets a lot of haters....and a lot of lovers. I'll be honest, I was wondering how this rider labeled 'limited gearing' was going to effect my riding here in Colorado. Honestly, it hasn't. The 2x10 gives as much as the 3x9. In fact, the 2x10 removes a lot of the repeated gear ratios found on 3x9. With the XX I find myself not shifting as often as I need to on the 3x9 systems....because the gear ratios are more thought out. Every click of the shifter gives you a gear that is different. Each gear is unique.
The cassette and chain appear to have a good lifespan. The team riders have been running the hollow pin chains with virtually no issues. Chain wear has been spot on with other non-SRAM chains I have used during previous seasons. The 10sp cassette also is shifting crisp and smooth as the day out of the box with no signs of excessive wear and tear. Keep in mind, all the images I am posting in this post are on my hardtail. This bike has seen all my racing and 90% of my mtb specific training this year.....7 races and over 1000 miles of racing and training!
The rear derailleur is still ticking along just fine. I have had rocks fly up off the trail and hit it and it just keeps ticking right along. The pulleys are smooth as butter! As with all the other XX parts, installation and tuning is easy.
The 39-26T crankset is ideal for most riding and racing applications. Personally, I haven't found any limitations to this gear ratio setup. Anything steep that couldn't climb in this gear....was probably best to hike-a-biking anyway. For those familiar with the Little French climb in Breckenridge....I was able to clean the climb both laps in the Firecracker 50 and in the B68. The gear was perfect....no granny gear needed. One item to note that I have heard from all the team USA riders is how smooth and easy the cranks spin. Ceramic bearing are what they are cracked up to be. I can't describe it....you need to experience it! Only negative note I have about the crankset is that the chainring bolts did work a little loose. A little loc-tite was a quick fix and it hasn't been an issue since.
The crank arms are showing some wear and tear, but that is expected. There is nothing out of the norm here. Riding and racing is going to cause scratches, gashes, and other cosmetic issues. Some people might find this an issue. However, I do not.
Shifting is super crisp...very road bike-like. The trigger 'throw' is short and to-the-point resulting is super fast shifting. I have yet to mis-shift while training and racing on SRAM XX. Being able to shift under full pedal load is awesome and a advantage on the race course!
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:31 PM
Just got these straight from Germany for the USA based Topeak-Ergon riders. This is a new tire that the Europe team has been collaborating with Continental on to bring to the public.
The tires that were sent are 2.2 and 2.4 width. They are also all Protection. I love the new all black Protection tires....as well as the new graphics.
Here are the tires mounted up to DT Swiss 1450's with tubes for size comparison. The left tire/wheel is the 2.4....the right tire/wheel is the 2.2. The X-King 2.4 is very similar in footprint and casing size to the current Race King 2.2. The X-King 2.2 is just a little bit narrower....but not that much...similar to the current Mountain King 2.2. I just added the X-King 2.4 to my Colorado Trail Race bike.....replacing the Mountain King 2.2. I can say that these new tires from Continental do inflate and Stan's out very easily....which is important to the Topeak-Ergon riders here in the USA.
Jeff Kerkove said at 1:41 PM
What better way to cap off a successful weekend on the bike than hiking the highest peak in Colorado, Mt Elbert: 14,433 ft!
Sonya Looney joined me for this roughly 5.5 hour round trip trek up to 14,433 ft.
Starting at roughly 10,200 ft....would would see all the different 'environments' of the the Colorado high country.
Mt Elbert....turn right.
"Where is the top?"
Typical 14er terrain....chunky.
The summit....and we shared the summit with about 10-15 other hikers.
Sonya taking in the views...just off the summit.
Jeff Kerkove said at 8:53 AM
Proof my heart was working during the event.
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:21 AM
Jeff Kerkove said at 7:51 AM
Yes, 2 days. The plan was 8 hours on Saturday.....sleep on route....then another 8 hours on Sunday. The route I drew out on the GPS was a bit tougher than I anticipated. Tough and long hike-a-bikes, plus a 2 hour block where mother nature unleashed some hail and rain while I was hovering around 12,000-13,000 ft above Montezuma, CO. So, my pace slowed quite a bit. At the 8 hour mark I was sitting at 9,800 ft....which right now in CO is prime mosquito territory. So, I pushed on up to Georgia Pass (11,585 ft) to get above the treeline. As anticipated, no bugs what so ever. But there was frost. The ride had big views and a great mixture of terrain. Here are some select photos from the training ride:
Singletrack in the early hours of the day on the CT.
Making my way up to the Divide.
Heading up....as the weather still looks good.
Finally reached the top...with weather moving in....and it came in fast. Lucky for me, there was no lightning. Only cold rain and hail. I found a road that appeared to head 'down'. In a hurry, I took it. Only to have it drop about 1,000 ft in elevation....and then dead end. So, I had to ride back up and got over Saints John Rd back down to Montezuma.
Here come the 'real deal' rain.
MontBell Outpace Parka rain gear doing its job.
Skies finally clear after about 1 hour. Clouds cling to the mnts for 1 hour post rain.
I made my way up to Webster Pass as the rain ended and skies cleared. This image looks directly west.
Directly behind me in the image above is 'Red Cone'. I took this road back down to 9,000 ft to then connect to the CT to get to Georgia Pass before dark. This road got stupid rocky at the tree line.
Ride. Eat. Drink. Filter water.
On the Colorado Trail (CT) and heading west for Georgia Pass after some dirt/rock road riding and some minor route finding.
Georgia Pass....my Holiday Inn Express for the night.
The view out the 'bedroom window'
Good morning!
While it was cold, I did not have a bad nights sleep.....got in about 7 hours of off/on shut eye. All my gear kept me warm. Other than myself, everything was covered in frost. The first few pedal strokes of the morning were 'brisk' to say the least.
Heading to Breckenridge on the CT as the sun works its way up.
The shadows start to recede as the sun gets higher.
Jeff Kerkove said at 4:35 PM
