Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Belen Mountain bike racer has 'bizarre' encounter

News-Bulletin Reports

Jeff Kerby of Belen will have a lot of stories to tell when he finishes the 2,480-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Race.

There's the one about the couple he ran across at 1 a.m. outside of Butte, Mt. And there's the one about the two blonde women he met at Union Pass.

But the strangest story will likely be the one about the light on the side of the road.

The peculiar occurrence took place near Como, Colo., last Friday night. Kerby and another race participant, John Billman, were about to stop for the night and camp along the side of a remote mountain road. They saw a light, which Kerby said he suspected might be coming from a tent of another racer, but "it turned out to be something really bizarre," Kerby said while reporting his status to race officials Saturday morning. "Neither one of us quite knew what to make of it."

Kerby, 37, didn't elaborate on just what it was he saw, other than to say it was the strangest thing he's seen so far.

"I still don't know what to make of it," he said. "It was a weird alien light, side of the road, nowhere-ville."

Kerby was calling from Hartsel, Colo., Sunday morning. Averaging more than 100 miles per day for the first two weeks of the race, he was almost two-thirds of the way through. Barring any setbacks, Kerby was expected to be in New Mexico early this week. The route, roughly following the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico, travels through Abiquiu, Cuba, Grants, Pie Town, Silver City and finishes in Antelope Wells.

The Belen High School teacher set out to break the record of 22 days, 3 hours and 9 minutes for a single speed bike. Only one other single speed rider, Nathan Bay, was still in the race. Kerby led Bay by 16 hours in Silverthorne, Colo., on Friday, but reports suggest that Bay made up ground, and may have even moved ahead, over the weekend.

Kerby reported from Sargents, Colo., Sunday morning. He was hoping to make it to Del Norte by the end of the day, inspired by words of encouragement he received from a bike shop employee in Salida.

"I must have looked tired or something, and he said, 'You just keep it together; there's only a few people in the world doing what you're doing.' And I think that puts it in perspective, so I'll be moving on," he said.

Two racers on multi-gear bikes have already finished in record time. Jay Petervary arrived in Antelope Wells at 4:18 p.m. Saturday. Finishing in 15 days, 4 hours and 18 minutes, he broke the old record by more than 20 hours.

Matthew Lee also bettered the old record, when he arrived at 10:40 a.m. Sunday.

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