Gates Carbon Drive

Jake Kirkpatrick was flying down a section of the Colorado Trail, railing the bermed corners and pedaling furiously, when he looked down at his handlebar computer to see that he had hit 32.5 miles per hour. ” I took some serious risks,” says Jake, laughing as he describes Stage 2 of the six-day Breck Epic mountain bike race in Colorado. “I’d get through one section and be like, whoa, I almost died there.” After finishing second in Sunday’s opening stage, Jake grabbed fourth place in the singlespeed division on Monday, putting him in a solid third place overall heading into Tuesday’s grueling, 40-mile stage with a ghastly 9,000 feet of climbing and two above-treeline passes that top out above 11,000 feet. But Jake has a secret weapon: his Gates Carbon Drive. “I see all the other guys lubing up at the aid stations. I just ride right on by. At the end of the day I just hose off my bike.” Of course, Jake also has a serious disadvantage on rocky descents: he is the only racer riding a fully rigid bike. We will update Jake’s progress periodically through the race’s end on Saturday; for more frequent updates, check the Black Sheep Bikes Facebook page. Go Jake!