I remained in 5th until the doubletrack. At this point, I started to gas out on Lap 1 of 5. It was a long race and I knew I would get my legs again. Just a question of when. I drifted back to 25th or so, back riding with the guys I typically see while racing; Jon Davis, Jason Hilimire, Travis Sheefer, Matt Schiff, etc. The pecking order was set for the day. We would battle all race. Living in Eagle, it was a huge help to know the course. Riders were over shooting corners and crashing in the twisty blind corners.  I was able to keep a smooth race.



Bailey's Climb proved to be the toughest part of the race. This short steep climb crushed riders. Riding aboard the new SRAM XX1, which kicks ass by the way,  I was at the limit riding the 32 x 42 gear combo. I was at XC pace. No time to recover. Full gas from the gun! Surprisingly it felt good.



For the remainder of the laps, myself and the riders in sight would battle. It was a good healthy race. In the end, I finished in 21st place out of the 90 or so that started.

Results: http://eagleoutsidefestival.com/firebird-results/

Strava file: http://app.strava.com/activities/53684131

Next up, I get to race on this course again in a few weeks time for the Vail Rec. District XC Series. But, before that is the 64-mile Gunnison Growler. I haven't taken part in this race for a few years. Looking forward to putting rubber back on Hartman Rocks.

In the meantime, the trails are perfect here in Eagle. Going to load up on miles Friday-Sunday before chilling out heading into the Growler.  If you need your dirt fix, come to Eagle.  Trail map here: http://eagleoutside.com/activity-overview/#/mountain-bike/

Kerkove gets a taste of enduro racing in Moab

May 4, 2013
Moab, UT

This past weekend on the Magnificent 7 trail system west of Moab, UT marked the opening round of the Enduro Cup Series, a three race enduro series in Utah. Enduro racing is a rapidly growing racing format that combines downhill riding skills with XC like fitness on a series of timed stages. Racing aboard a 6” travel Canyon Strive, Jeff Kerkove of Team Topeak-Ergon threw himself into the mix of the Enduro Cup – Mag 7 event.



The event at the Mag 7 trails was a very pedaling heavy event. The course favored the rider who had great fitness as well as superior bike handling skills. Jeff was introduced to the course and format quickly with the opening stage. While the stages were only 2-3 miles long and took 5-7 minutes to complete, the effort level is that of XC racing. “I was pinned at max effort right from the start!”, said Jeff after the event. Racers would mimic this effort over similar timed stages 4 times during the day.



Jeff following the event, “The racing was super hard….harder than I thought. I crashed early in Stage 2 with a front tire wash out on a sandy corner, which cost me some time. Enduro racing is racing on the verge of in control and out of control. Every second counts! While the competition is intense, the vibe is super chill and all the athletes competing are on the same page about having a great bike experience. After trying this Moab event, it has sparked interest to try more enduro racing.”



Jeff would finish consistently in the top 20 on all stages. “I had no idea of my results after each stage until the event was done. It was full-gas on each stage until the finish. I am happy with 19th place for my first time trying this format and a racing against a very talented Pro Mens field.”

Results
Stage 2 - Upper Bull Run: 27th
Stage 4 - Lower Bull Run: 17th
Stage 6 - Arth's Corner: 20th
Stage 8 - Great Escape: 17th
OVERALL: 19th, Pro Men

First up was the MTB Fat Tire Crit!  As always, it's a hard fast fun few laps for me.  Only a hand full of guys survive this thing.  Impressive the speed and depth of talent in the mens Pro field.  I had the Epic Cam on the back of my saddle for the duration of the crit.  Here is a sample of one of the laps.

Spring is not far away! I admit, I have Spring fever.  Ready to get out in the warmth of the Colorado sun here at the higher elevations.  Reality is, that won't hit until April/May.  Last week KJ had a week off from work so we packed up the van and headed west to St. George where we were greeted with temps in the low 70fs and dry dusty trails!



Day 1 was spent pedaling out East of St. George on some flowy trail. Day 2 we headed over to Green Valley side of St. George to get in a mix of techy and flowy trails....and to pre-ride the Intermountain Cup XC course. With the race in town on Saturday, I threw my hat into the XC ring to test the fitness. As expected it hurt, but was a blast. High end speed isn't there, but really didn't expect it to be. I rode a solid race for me finishing 7th overall. Great course combined with great competition!  XC racing is alive and well in Utah!



After the race, KJ and I went our for another 2 hours to keep banking the miles.



Strava Day 1
Strava Day 2
Strava Day 3
Strava XC Race
Strava Day 4

St. George has a great mix of terrain. Pick your poison. After logging miles for 4 days, plus the XC, the body is in that tired state that I miss so much. In 2 weeks there is a 50 and/or 100 mile mtb race in St. George on these same trails, called the True Grit 100. Weather pending, might head back out for one of those 2 events. Right now, the body is more suited for 50 miles, but the 100 miler would be ideal for building the engine for the season. Time will tell!

In the meantime back in Eagle, I am working on getting all the Topeak-Ergon USA 2013 team bikes to the USA. Over the last week I have been working with SRAM to finalize the team XX1 order. The new 1x11 set up has me intrigued and I feel very fortunate to be back with SRAM for 2013 to help promote and test this new groupo.  XX treated us well, so curious to see how going from 2x10 to 1x11 will change how we ride.

Eye is to the sky! Moab is finally dry.  Weather holding, might make the quick drive to Moab this weekend to ride.  Looking snowy here in the Vail Valley!

Winter is beastly this year, at least that is what the locals are saying.  More snow.  Colder temps. While we finally seem to be on the upswing here at 6600 ft in Eagle, CO, a retreat to warmer and drier conditions was needed for a big 3-day riding block.

St. George, UT came calling! While the original plan was to go 2 weeks ago, we got rained out.  This week was perfect!  Dry trails, sunny skies, and temps sitting at about 60F!  Not familiar with St. George? Lots of trails from smooth and flowy to burly and chunky.

The only goal for the weekend was to log 5 hour days for 3 days.  Kyle from Fairplay, CO joined me for the 7 hr drive to southwest Utah where we met up with a bunch of riders from Salt Lake City, Idaho, and points further.  Below are the highlights from the mecca of St. George, UT!















Day 1 gps file on Strava
Day 2 gps file on Strava
Day 3 gps file on Strava

The new residence in Eagle, CO sits at a moderate height of 6600 ft. Not too high....but also not very low.  It's at the west end of the Vail Valley, so that means we are surrounded by mountains and only a stones throw from places like Vail and Leadville.  Even though sitting at only 6600 ft, winter is here.  Cold air pools in the valley at night keeping temps below zero mostly every night.  During the day, temps creep to freezing or just above.



Bike time is minimal and I am OK with that.  95% of any bike time over the last 2 months has been between 1-2 hours on the trainer.  Short and too the point and very specific.  There is plenty of time to come on the bike.  With that said, I finally decided to get on skis.  3 weeks ago I got my first ski lesson at the Vail Nordic Center.  It was a humbling experience.  Something that seemed so simple had me not moving very fast or covering mush ground.  But, it only took a 4 hour day on nordic skis for my to put my addictive personality towards skiing.  2 weeks later I had a set of nordic backcountry skis sitting at my from door; Fischer E109 skis, Fischer BC poles, and Salomon boots and bindings.

Adventure mode: ON



I look at it as mountain biking on skis. With my ski set up I can virtually hit all the mtb trails and forest service roads in and around Eagle. The up is a blast....my down needs some work for sure as I tend to be on the ground more than upright, especially on steep singletrack.  It's all new to me, so think about it all the time now.



It is amazing to ski the same terrain that is biked in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. In winter is looks different and with the slower speeds of BC nordic skiing you see things you normally miss while zooming by on 2 bicycle wheels. Doesn't take long either to rack up a 3-6 hour day on the skis. By the time that is said and done my legs feel the same as they did after a 4-5 hr road ride.  Worked over. Jelly. Curled up on couch in a ball with warm tea.



Image above, a duo tour with Summit County mountain biker, Kyle Stamp.  The trail is located at Yeoman Park, which is southeast of Eagle.



So, for the time being it is a mix of bike and ski. In some cases I get both in one day. Time to enjoy the new surrounding while doing something else than specifically pedaling a bike and staring at numbers on the SRM powermeter.

Sunrise from a night of camping in Rabbit Valley


Overlook on the Western Rim. This was about the 1/2 point of what would be a 5 hour day in the saddle riding some slow going chunky trail out of Rabbit Valley on Saturday. Needless to say not being on the bike on a regular basis since the end of September had me searching for flow and comfortable riding. I was worked over at the end of the day! My riding crew; Jonathan Davis, Karen Jarchow, John Todd Mallow, Shane DeMars, and Sinjin Eberle added to the fun and keep the spirits high.  Looking forward to starting the 2013 training program on November 19th!

The camp mascot, Dukers.

Sunday was a 2 hour day in Grand Junction on a trail called Butter Knife. Good old fashion fun aboard the 6 inch travel Canyon Strive. Love that bike!



Structured bike miles start next weekend! Weekend rides can be seen on Strava.

I decided to call my season after the trip to CA for Levi's Gran Fondo and the Tamarancho XC. It has been a looooooong year with some amazing times on the bike at a competitive level. I started my 2012 season in November of 2011, getting ready for the Yak-Attack which happened in early March. My body has had enough for 2012, at least with structured training and extensive travel. La Ruta was planned, but with the associated costs and the my move to Eagle, CO in a few days, I decided to pull the plug on the racing season. I am still pedaling around a bit, but mostly for 1-2 hours on the 6" travel Canyon Strive. For example....



Yeah, the bike is a blast! Along with the light spins on the Strive, getting out for some foot power. This past weekend was an amazing hike up to 14,440 ft on Mt. Elbert. For late October, the weather was too good to be true. Virtually no wind at the summit and temps from 40-60F.

















Next weekend "Operation: Relocation to Eagle, CO" starts!

First things first! Hands down, one of my favorite events I do every year. The Vapor Trail 125 encompasses everything I like about mountain biking: great terrain, high alpine trails, hike-a-bike, the people, night riding, sunrise riding, technical trails, ripping descents, and much much more!

This year was my 4th racing the Vapor Trail 125. The previous years set me up to do well this year and in the future. Knowledge of the course is a huge advantage in this event. With so many places to ruin a good day on the bike, it pays to know where to conserve and where to go hard....as well as where to turn. When you look at this route as a whole, it is you vs. the course. Yes, you are racing other athletes, but in reality, they don't dictate the outcome here. You are on your own out there. You have to ride your race, and play super close attention to this. I learned my lesson the first 2 years, getting caught up in the 'racing'. The last 2 times it paid off to ride my own pace.

Having some good knowledge of the course, it was pretty easy to choose my bike for this years race. Previous years were on 26" full-suspension bikes. This year I opted for the 29" hardtail. After racing this bike all year, this was what I feel I needed to have a good race. The break down of the race bike is as follows....
- Canyon 29er Hardtail, aluminum, size L
- Continental Race King 2.2 ProTection, tubeless with Stan's
- Ergon GS1-S grips
- Ergon SM3 Pro-L saddle
- Garmin Edge 500
- Topeak Fuel Tank - Medium

On my body for the start....
- Craft Base Layer
- Topeak-Ergon bibs
- Topeak-Ergon short sleeve jersey
- Topeak-Ergon long sleeve jersey
- Topeak-Ergon wind vest
- Topeak-Ergon leg warmers
- Ergon HX2 gloves
- Topeak-Ergon Cratoni helmet
- Adidas Evil Eye Halfrim glasses
- SockGuy wool socks
- Northwave shoes

One thing I learned the first 2 years is carry only what you need to get from aid station to aid station, which is about 3 hours max at the longest point.  You can travel light for the Vapor Trail.  By wearing 2 jerseys at night that gave me 6 pockets to fill with extra items like: warm gloves, skull cap, repair tools, light batteries, SPOT tracker, food, etc.  I had plenty of room.

The VT125 started at 10 PM from downtown Salida, CO.  This year it was evident of the town support for the event as everyone poured out into the streets to cheer us off into the night.  This year, as in the past, the field was a strong ones.  A lot of familiar names and a lot of new names.  The first 10 miles were a neutral roll-out of town.  So, we all chatted and took this time to warm up the legs and lighten the mood.  Once we turned off the pavement onto a dirt road, the "race" was on.  Immediately, Josh Tostado hit the front.  Behind him was Aaron Gulley, myself, Sonya Looney, and a few others.  It wasn't long, and the race field was spread out.  I settled into my pace as Josh pulled away.  This is the last anyone would see of him, other than his lights off in the distance later in the event.  Chasing Josh was 3 of us.  Myself, Aaron, and Miguel Arias.  We traded time at the front pulling down the dirt road.  We even took turns running our lights.  The light of one rider was enough to let 3-4 people pedal down the road.

With about 1 mile left until the chunky singletrack of the Colorado Trail , I went to the front.  I hit the singletrack first with the other behind me.  It wasn't long and I was riding alone.  No lights in front of me or behind me.  I was comfortable and not taking any risks on this technical and loose trail.  The only thing I had to do was settle into my rhythm for the event.  I made it to the Cascade Aid Station in good time, faster that I thought I would.  I filled by 3 bottles and asked how far Josh was ahead.  The aid station workers said "Only a few minutes".

The next section of trail leading up to the Snowblind Campground Aid Station is pretty burly.  It climbs over and descends the Continental Divide twice.  The railroad grade road to the Alpine Tunnel is a good road to get a good pace going.  It was here I would see Josh's read tail light briefly, but I would not catch.  After that the course is littered with big rocks, big climbs, and techy trails.  I would have a good ride through this section.  The hour long hike up to the Canyon Creek descent was my most comfortable ever.  Climbing up to nearly 13k, I expected to face wind and cold temps. Instead, I was greeted with a frosty ground, clear skies, and above-freezing temps.  This was a first in my 4 attempts.  I made a quick descent into the Snowbling Campground Aid Station where Dave Wiens was manning the station.  He said Josh came through about 45 minutes ago.  I had a doughnut, a 1/2 can of Coke, refilled my 3 bottles, then pushed onward to climb up to Monarch Pass.

The climb up to Monarch Pass on Old Monarch Pass Rd is not too bad. It's a dirt road that's in good shape.  It just a matter of turning off the brain and spinning it out.  I definitely wasn't breaking any speed records up this climb.  Legs were getting tired. I was climbing this road in the dark this year.  Something I have never done in my previous attempts.  It was a reminder I was putting in a good time on the race course.  I got up to Monarch Pass at sunrise.  The Aid Station workers were still setting up.  They were startled as how fast Josh got to them, an were now working to get things in line for me.  At Monarch Pass I dropped my lights, and all my warm clothing.  I grabbed 3 fresh FRS bottles and asked how long ago Josh came through.  They responded with "45 minute."  It didn't take long and I was on my way.

The next section of trail is the best of the entire race!  The Monarch Crest Trail traverses at over 11k feet for many miles.  I was a little quick in dropping my clothes at the previous aid station, but I needed to.  The Crest Trail was COLD!  By far the cold I had seen since we left town.  The entire ground was white with frost.  I was riding white singletrack while following brown tire marks left by Josh Tostado.  My legs were super sluggish. While this trail screams speed, I had everything but it.  My hands were sore from being cold.  My legs and arms were pink.  I just needed the sun to hit me, but it was still very low in the early AM sky.

At the end of the Crest Trail is another aid station, Marshall Pass Aid Station.  It was here the workers were cheering for me saying "Go! Go! Go! You're in first place!"  Obviously Josh had gone through before they got there.  I told them that, and they were in disbelief! From here the race rides down the Starvation Creek singletrack, which is super fun!  After that, riders climb back out on a steep life sucking jeep road climb to the Marshall Pass Aid Station before continuing on to the rest of the race course.  Josh got back out of Starvation Creek about 45 minutes ahead of me.  This time the aid station workers were ready for him.  I stopped quick to fill 2 bottles, eat some Fig Newtons, and a 1/2 can of Coke.

From this point on, the course is pretty easy, compared to what we have faced.  It was a lot of singletrack descending back below 10k feet.  We would finish off on the fast/buff singletrack of the Rainbow Trail before a 10 mile paved road ride back to Salida and Absolute Bikes.  I would pull into the finish line at 11:35 AM on Sunday for 2nd place overall.  Josh would wait about 45 minutes for me.

Overall, my race time was 13 hours and 37 minutes.  This was 45 minutes faster than my record setting time back in 2010! I was super stoked on the finish, and to have felt good all race except for a 30 minute moment on the Crest Trail.  The race file can be seen on Strava.  I can't wait for the next years Vapor Trail 125!

This year was my 3rd attempt at the Colorado Trail Race. The previous attempts plagued with body issues. Year 1, my feet from the wet weather. Year 2, illness likely caused from being over trained/prepared for CTR. For my 3rd attempt I changed it up a bit. I went in more fresh with less miles in the legs. Also, I changed my outlook on the race. While it is a "race" I simply just wanted to finish....and in 6 days or less. In reality, a good overall result would be nice, but not the driving force of why I attempt CTR. For me it is about completing a competitive goal and having a shared experience with other talented riders on this amazing route winding through Colorado.

Here is how my 2012 CTR experience played out.....

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Monday
The race went off at 6 AM from Denver. It was a mellow roll out from the Junction Creek Trailhead up the dirt road to the opening singletrack of the Colorado Trail. We had a lead group of about 8 riders....just spinning and chatting. The mood was fun and light with all the usual CTR freaks: Jesse, Eathan, Jefe, Kevin Thomas, Carr, etc, etc. We spun along just feeling the flow of the opening miles. For me the pace was just right, ride all week kind or pace. It wasn't until about 3 hours in the group got smaller. It was just 4 of us: Ethan, Jesse, Kevin, and myself. Ethan was surging and then returning to the group. Jesse was stuck to my wheel...Kevin to his.  It wasn't until a bit later that Ethan and Kevin surged away riding a pace I was not going to ride.  I was riding solo with Jesse not far behind.  We arrive in Bailey and refueled at the gas station for the push to Leadville.  Jesse and I left Bailey and rode up Hwy 285 to Kenosha Pass.  Jesse surged and got away.  This would be the last I would see of him.  I rode Hwy 285 solo, then put on the rain gear for the first of many times.  Storms were all around...thunder....lightening...heavy rain.  I pushed on keeping an eye and ear to the sky, as I was climbing up to nearly 12,000 ft with no cover.  I came across Kevin Thomas sitting on the side of the trail.  He said he was in no hurry, lightening scared him the most.  While he sat, I pushed on.  Riding a 1x9 Kona HT, Kevin soon caught up.  We pushed on together...chatting....passing the miles while discussing the weather, gear, CTR 2011, etc.  Kevin and I crested the summit of Georgia Pass together.  Soon after we started the descent we came across some "Trail Magic".  It was a white cooler stocked with tons of candy bars and sodas.  I took 2 soda and a candy bar and pushed on to Breckenridge.  Kevin sat and ate/drank....said his stomach was bothering him a bit.  This was the last I saw of Kevin.  He ended up breaking his frame on the way to Breckenridge.  The ride from Georgia Pass to Breck was good for me....felt good!  At the Gold Hill Trailhead it was 6 PM, where I put on some clothing for the ride/push up and over the Ten Mile Range.  It was an amazing view above treeline with massive lightening shows going on in the distances all around. The push started well, then got worse.  After 2 hours of pushing my stomach shut down, likely from too much sugar earlier in the day.  I tried eating and drinking, but would throw it up.

Ten Mile Range hike-a-bike, the early sections.

The push over the mountain range took me 5 painful hours with lots of stopping.  3-4 riders would walk by me, asking if I was OK, including Jefe. I was in a dark place....the first of many we CTR racers experience while "racing" this route.  When I dropped off the backside to Copper Mountain it was 11:30 PM.  At the bottom waiting and watching the riders come through was Karen.  What a needed and awesome surprise!  She offered words of encouragements to me then went on her way.  I crossed the road to Copper Mountain and set up camp for the night.

Tuesday
I was back on the bike at 4:30 AM.  I told myself I was going to sleep this year.  While I got some needed sleep, legs were still sluggish from the push over the Ten Mile Range and not eating for nearly 5-6 hrs.  It took 3 hours to get to Searle Pass.  After that it was onto Kokomo Pass. 


Searle Pass between Copper Mountain and Leadville

It was a good ride.  Sluggish, but good.  The terrain was littered with the marmots and pikas sunning themselves in the AM light.  Next it was the push onto Leadville.  Coming off Kokomo Pass I crashed twice not being able to focus.  The fun fast ripping descent was anything but that. The later miles of trail were slow going, but this was CTR.  The riding is anything but super fast.  I pedaled into Leadville, just blown.  I needed real food!  I stocked up on food for the Buena Vista push.  I also just sat and rested at the gas station while eating 1/2 a pizza and Gatorade.  It was much needed and I was now recharged!  I left Leadville with plan to get to BV by 6 PM.  When I got back to the CO Trail I was met by Karen again who said she wanted to pedal along with me from the Mt Elbert trailhead to Twin Lakes. 

Between Leadville and Twin Lakes, with company from Karen

It was nice to have company, especially after riding solo since 4:30 AM.  We parted ways at Twin Lakes after an amazing section of single track.  I crossed over the Twin Lake dam and the clouds began to build again.  It wasn't long and it began to pour rain and hail.  Rain gear went back on.  The trail was a river of water and hail.  The ground around the trail was white from the hail.  It was pretty amazing to see!  I soon began to see tire tracks in from of me.  I knew I was close to someone, but who?  I would follow these tracks until I hit Hwy 24 for the spin into BV.  Just outside BV I came upon Dan from Ft Collins.  He was killing it on a singlespeed!  We stopped for burgers at K's as well as stocked up on food at the City Market for the 2 day push to Silverton with no resupplies. 

Matt(L) and Dan(R) at K's getting burgers before rolling out for 200 miles of nothing but trail. We discussed calories to carry; 10,000? 15,000?  More?

We also ran into Matt, also of Fort Collins. I knew what I needed for food and calories.  I got into town and got out.  I rolled out of BV up Cottonwood pass just at dusk.  By the time on the trail it was dark and I was pushing to get to the Chalk Creek trailhead for sleep.  The next hours were slow terrain...lots of pushing up super rocky trail.  I was solo, no sign of Dan raging on his SS.  I got to the trailhead and set up camp.

Wednesday
I woke around 6:30 to a light sky.  I set no alarm, I let my body make the decision of when it was ready.  This section of trail from Chalk Creek to Hwy 50 I knew well from all the Vapor Trail 125 efforts.  Once again, lots of pushing at the start.  Once up to around 10,000 ft the trail rolls along some rocky chunky singletrack to Hwy 50.  I felt good this AM, better than Tuesday AM.  My body was getting into the mode of what CTR is.  The next big effort was gaining the Crest Trail by pushing up Fooses Creek.  This trail sucks to go up!  It is a 1.5 hour hike with the final 300 yards being some of the steepest terrain seen since we left Denver.  In my attempt to gain the ridge, Dan caught me.  We rode and pushed together.  It was nice to have company....chatting...sharing the misery, ha!  Dan beat me to the Crest Trail and soon pedaling along at 12,000 ft with storms rolling in.  Once I got up to the Crest Trail I put on the rain jacket as it was cool and light rain falling.  With lightening and thunder close, I pushed as hard as I could across the exposed Crest Trail to beat any incoming weather.  Dan and I got lucky!  Little rain and not struck by lightening.  The next few miles were a mix of rocky, rooty, and muddy trails.  Dan and I switched places off and on.  He wasn't feeling super, mentioned fever-like symptoms.  We would ride together for the remainder of the day.  Little would I know the coming miles would be the demise of my CTR yet again.  While descending a super rocky trail I burped my tire loosing some air, or so I thought.  Tire was soft by not too bad.  As we rode on it got softer and softer.  I stopped and filled it....then continued.  With conditions wet and muddy, my tire, which had a small hole in the sidewall would not seal.  I didn't want to put a tube in just yet.  So, I rode....then filled.  Rode....then filled.  This went on for hours.  Sometime it would hold.  Other times it wouldn't.  With skies clearing, we began the push up to Sargents Mesa.  It was here I got fed up with the Stan's not stopping the sidewall cut, and i decided to put a tube in.  When I stopped to change the tire Dan pushed on and said he'd see me in a bit, which I thought I would for sure.  With the tube installed I continued to ride the rocky trail.  After 20 minutes or so of riding, pssssssssss.  F!  The rear tire now had a pinch flat.  Seriously!?!?!?!  I brought 2 spare tubes in my kit.  With one tube left, this is all I had to get to Silverton.  In an attempt to change the flat, the worse thing happened.  It wouldn't hold air.  The new tube had a hole in it.  F me!  With no patch kit, an oversight on my part, I was screwed!  I was in the boonies of CO.....likely 40 miles from any town.....80 miles from any bike shop.  I filled the tire with grass and tried riding, but the tire rolled off the rim.  It was right at the entrance to Sargents Mesa I decided to bag the CTR.....again....with no more option to fix the flat.  I looked at my GPS and devised a route to Saguache, CO.  It was a 40 mile downhill ride that took me over 5 hrs to complete while pedaling on the rim.  It was around midnight that I contact Sonya and Karen to get me the next AM.  That night I slept in the city park, my last night out on CTR.

Thursday
Woke up around 7 AM and had a good warm breakfast of eggs, coffee, bacon, french toast, etc.  At 10:30 AM I was picked up and on my way home.  The goal of riding/racing/competing in CTR has eluded me once again.  This is how my 2012 experience played out.  Lots of highs and lows.  Hoping it would finish on a high with the task of just finishing.  But not this year.

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Congrats to all who attempted and finished! Tip of the helmet to Ethan, Jesse, and Jefe for the blazing fast times and new course record.  You guys are freaks among freaks!  Once again, as in the years past, I learned even more.  The more I work to complete this route, the more simplified and refined I become.  As with everything in life and racing/riding, I keep learning and learn from these mistakes and errors. At some point down the road it will all come together.  The drive is still there.

OK, so the Colorado Trail Race (CTR) starts on Monday. This year will be attempt number 3. I am hoping the third time is a charm. Only time will tell. Nothing is guaranteed in this event....or any multi-day event. My goals are the same as the last 2 years, but the plan of attack has changed. Not only has that changed, so has my equipment. Previous years I was on a 4" travel 26er. This year, a hardtail 29er with 2.4 tires. The Canyon 29er I am riding with the 2.4 tires feels comfy like my 4" travel 26er, but with more efficiency. Below is my bike set up for the duration of the event. Only thing not pictured is the Ergon BX3 pack I will be wearing.

The bike in fully-loaded mode.

Front end of the bike with the Topeak Fuel Tank - Large for food.  A Revelate Designs fuel tank is attached to the seatpost, which carries misc. items.

A Black Diamond headlamp to be used for night vision. I removed the head strap and zip-tied it to the handlebar.  The battery back is velcro strapped to the downtube.

Continental X-King 2.4 29er tires set up tubeless with Stan's on the front and rear.  The X-King is my go-to tire for Colorado riding.

I normally run the Ergon GS1 grips for riding and racing.  For CTR I am adding barends with the Ergon GS2 for the additional leverage and hand positions.

For navigational assistance, the choice was easy due to easy user interface and ability to put in fresh batteries while on trail: Garmin eTrex 30

I normally run the SM3-S saddle for riding and racing.  For CTR I am bumping up a size to the SM3-L for a bit more support over the long haul.

All the usual suspects here: Crank Brothers Candy 11 pedals, Topeak carbon cages, and FRS bottles to hold anything liquid I might be craving; like soda.

More CTR bike pictures.

As I said above, the race begins on Monday at 6 AM.  Here are the links to tracking....

Colorado Trail Race Tracking

Jeff Kerkove individual tracking page

Mobile device tracking page via BlueDot

Race discussion and online chatter will be here

This will be the last update until after the race.  I will be updating Twitter and Facebook.

This is the PR release from the team about the 12 Hours of Snowmass

12 Hours of Snowmass

July 21, 2012
Aspen/Snowmass, CO

This past weekend was the 12 Hours of Snowmass, which benefited the Aspen Youth Center. Topeak-Ergon member, Jeff Kerkove, was recruited to race in the 3-Person Junior Pro category. This category takes local mountain bike pro riders and teams them up with High School and/or Junior level racers. This is great opportunity for the junior riders to race along side and hang out with these elite level riders for the day.

The formed team was named Ergon-Yeti and featured Nick Truitt from the Yeti Factory Team, Jeff Kerkove of Team Topeak-Ergon, and junior racer Josh Gallen from Crested Butte, CO.



The race would run from 7 AM to 7 PM. The course was 9 miles long and featured 1,900 ft of climbing. Jeff Kerkove started the race for the team setting a sub-hour lap time on the slightly greasy course. Second was Josh, who also went sub-1 hour. Nick was the final rider, and set a blistering pace to go sub-50 minutes. Through out the day the course would dry out and the team would alternate laps. Being very consistent, the riders would turn nearly identical laps times for 12 hours.

“Nick and I were impressed with Josh, he was flying! We thought we would get a fun easy weekend of racing, but instead it was fun and filled with hot laps for 12 hours. Josh was a key ingredient to our success in this event and he will be one to watch in the future,” Jeff stated following the 12-hour race.



Results
Jeff Kerkove, Nick Truitt, Josh Gallen, 3-Person Junior Pro Team, 1st Place

This past weekend was the Breckenridge 68 Marathon, which runs in conjunction with the Breckenridge 100. While the 100-mile race features 3 different loops, the 68-mile race only completes 2 of these loops. Looping in and out of Breckenridge, CO the 68-mile race covers terrain between 9,600-11,500 ft and nets the racers 9,200 ft of climbing for the day.



I am no stranger to this event having finished 1st and 5th in previous attempts. This time around, I would have to battle rain, hail, and some fast competition during the nearly 6 hours on the bike.

I know this course well, so I just rode my pace early and let guys attack early on. After the 1st loop on the Colorado Trail I was about 1 min back from the leaders, they were in sight for a majority of the day, but couldn't close the gap. I got lucky late in the race with the leaders taking a wrong turn...missing the Gold Dust Trail turn off.  I heard they may have missed the turn, but it could not be confirmed.  So, I chased what I thought was 3rd place all the way back to Breckenridge and the finish.  When I came in I was told I was 2nd as the 2 previous leaders DQ'd their ride and did not ride the entire course.

I piloted the Canyon Grand Canyon AL 29er to yet another person best time, beating my personal best time by just shy of 20 minutes.



Results
Jeff Kerkove, 2nd, Pro Men

GPS file on Strava

July 4th Holiday is big in Colorado, especially in the racing and riding scene. 2 fun mountain bike events over the span of a few days. First, the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge. Secondly, the Durango Dirty Century. For me, this is a good racing/riding/training block. I get to toe the start line with tons of cool people as well as go out and suffer. This year, the Firecracker 50 course was altered a bit. Less road climbing and descending, replaced with more singletrack.



This year was like my 8th time racing this event. The day went really well for me. I felt good all day and the new Canyon 29er was a blast to pedal. By the end of the day, I finished 18th in the Pro Men and turned my fastest race time ever at this event. While not monumental by any means, to PR my placing and time at this event had me looking forward to the 100 miles in Durango in a few days.

While Colorado has been very dry for months, the weather man was calling for the monsoonal pattern to return to Colorado this weekend. Yes, it did. The Durango Dirty Century (DDC) is a 100 mile backcountry loop north of Durango. It has everything from steep climbs, hike-a-bike, super high altitude, and much much more. Last year I went out a bit too hot in my pacing, and paid for it dearly later in the race. This year, I rode conservative and it paid off. While I ended up finishing 7th overall, my time was over 1 hr faster than last year. This year we dealt with torrental rains at 12k. I was head to toe in gore-tex. Others were not and were forced out with near hypothermic conditions. For the most part I felt good, but a little sluggish. No doubt from the Firecracker 50 effort.

We had roughly 50 riders start at 6 AM for the 100 mile route.

Lead group heading up to the Hermosa Creek Trailhead, about 12 miles outside of Durango.

Hermosa Creek Trail, the opening miles of singletrack. Pure mtb awesomeness!

Climbing up Bolam Pass Rd. switchbacks with rain clouds moving in.

Climbing on the Colorado Trail with light rain falling.

Shortly after this pic was taken, the skis opened up. Pouring rain at over 11,000 ft on the Colorado Trail. It was freezing, and I was dress in gore-tex from head to toe.  The trails became running rivers.

The rain eventually stopped, and the sun came back out. Speeds were slow for the most part, so pics were easy as well as a distraction from the 100 mile effort.

The most worrisome spot for me, or what I thought would be, was the Indian Ridge area. This section is above 12,000 ft and totally exposed. I wanted to complete this section before the next storm moved in. Lightening was the biggest concern.

100% exposed with no quick way down.

The sun eventually broke the clouds. I got lucky. Riders behind be, not so much. As the clouds redeveloped and came with rain, thunder, and lightening.


This section of the Colorado Trail is AMAZING! The video does a good job of showing what these late miles in the race were like. Enjoy! Excuse the condensation on the lens from the wetness early in the race.

Strava file for the Firecracker 50.

Strava file for the Durango Dirty Century.

Just got the Canyon Grand Canyon AL 29er built up for riding and racing. Yes, there has been a huge delay in getting the 2012 team bikes from Germany.  Too complicated to get into here on the blog.  But with that now behind us, I did get a quick 2 hr ride on the local trails which I have been riding a 26er on since 2007. Got to say, the fun level was elevated! More to come after weekend!  Need to see if this might be the bike choice for the 2012 Colorado Trail Race.  29er, bout time, right?

This weekend marked the third running of the Bailey 100....and my 2nd time racing. Going into the event my goals were simple: execute a good race from start to finish, improve my finishing time from last year, and improve my finishing place.  The course is straight forward; 50 miles of singletrack followed by 50 miles of forest service roads.

My start was good....riding with the top 5 leaders. I fell off the pace just prior to the Colorado Trail, but I was OK with that as it would be a 7+ hr day in the saddle. I settled into my pace for the day. But there would be issues. For some reason my front wheel would not hold air. So, every 30 minutes or so I would have to stop and refill the wheel with the CO2. Eventually the CO2 ran out, but was able to get to the 50 mile aid station to grab my mini hand pump. At the half way point I utilized neutral support and pumped up the tires higher than normal for the remaining 50 miles of pavement and dirt roads. This year, this 50 mile section went much better for me. I settled into a good groove and rode solo down the road.  Managed to catch a few riders and better my placing.

With 10 miles to go until the finish, the skies blackened and the lightening, rain, and hail hit the ground with authority! I don't think I have ridden in that hard of rain or hail in Colorado to date. The roads were flooded and the hail....the size of marbles....was fierce! While descending at 30 plus miles per hour, the hail felt like I was being blasted with marbles. My arms had welt marks...face was stinging....riding with my eyes nearly closed from the pain. Lucky for us riders it was short lived, but the temps dropped with the storm.



After finishing I snapped a quick photo before stripping down and jumping in my sleeping bag in the Ergon sprinter to warm up. It has been a long time since I have been that cold! As for the race, I finished 11th in the Pro Mens field. My placing was 6 better than last year....my time, 15 minutes faster. Overall, a good day on the bike with a clean solid energy burn. Check the race file on Strava

On Saturday night I camped at the Bailey 100 venue again. The next AM before heading back to the smokey Front Range, I opted to get in a 14er. This one happened to be Mt Bierstadt. It was the easy option on the trip home and the views didn't disappoint. Because of its close proximity to Denver and easy access, this 14er sees a lot of people, mostly tourists looking for their first 14er. This day was no different. Here are the images from the journey....











The hike is also on Strava

GPS data posted on Strava: http://app.strava.com/rides/10034961

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