Kerkove Finishes First at 2020 Stagecoach 400
Jeff Kerkove of Team Topeak-Ergon took 1st place at the 2020 Stagecoach 400, a multi-day Southern California bikepacking adventure race that was organized by Brendan Collier and Meg Knobel. Starting from Idyllwild CA, Kerkove took an early lead on Friday, March 14 and stayed out front for the entire course only stopping for food and gear adjustments. According to the Race Flow report via trackleaders.com, he finished the 375 mile course in 50 hours with an average moving speed of 8.6 mph. Gregg Dunham finished second in 56h 56min, and Rylee Sweeney finished third in 63h 7min.
2020 Stagecoach 400 Race Flow
After the finish, Kerkove said about the race, “Done! Great tough and variable route! Evening before start all the San Diego area singletrack was removed due to heavy rains as of recent. Lots of mud and flash flooding aftermath to deal with. Felt good for all but the last 10 hours when I couldn't keep food/water down. 1 mechanical, a broken rear spoke at mile 180 in Ocotillo Wells. I didn’t stop to sleep, only to eat food and change in and out of various clothing.”
Kerkove on Day 1 of the Stagecoach 400 at mile 110 in Escondido California.
We caught up with Kerkove after 110 miles in Escondido, you can see that Day 1 update here with some discussion on his rig and course updates. Kerkove races for Team Topeak-Ergon, and rode this Canyon Hardtail Exceed CF SLX. His sponsors include Canyon, Topeak, Ergon, DT Swiss, Maxxis, Limar, Fox, Shimano and GU Energy.
Jeff Kerkove’s Canyon Exceed rig for the 2020 Stagecoach 400
Jeff Kerkove’s Strava Upload Course Overview
Congratulations to Jeff for an impressive performance at the 2020 Stagecoach 400!