Giant Inside Sales Rep Sets a New Masters World Hour Track Record

10/12/09 - The day after setting a new Masters World Hour Record at the Home Depot Center velodrome in Carson, CA, Giant Bicycle Inside Sales Representative Keith Ketterer said he was, “a little sore, but totally psyched…and so glad it’s done!”

Ketterer set a new World Hour Record in the 50-54 age group, riding 45.386 kilometers – that’s 28.2015 miles – in one hour.  The old record was 44.890 kilometers, or 27.8933 miles.

Keith Ketterer (Amgen/Giant Masters) prepares to try to set a new Masters World Hour Record.
photo © Jake Orness - Giant Bicycles

The new record involved rocketing more than 180 laps around the velodrome at a pace that most professional bike riders – including those much younger than the 53-year-old Ketterer – would find impossible.  “All my training leading up to the attempt was set for 20 seconds a lap for 180 laps,” Ketterer said.  “On a 250-meter track that would be 45k which would break the record by just 100 meters.  My strategy was to ride the first 120 laps at 20 seconds per lap - which is called a "schedule" – and then slowly pick up the pace in the last 60 laps to put distance into the record.”

Ketterer, however, found himself feeling so strong he decided to push harder at the start. “I thought maybe I should try to put a lap in the bank early, during the first 60 laps, then settle into my schedule and recover the next 60,” he said.  “Then in the last 60, if I felt okay I could push the pace once more and see if I could gain another lap.  It was risky to do this because I hadn't trained for it!  But it worked out.”

Riding a bike around an oval for an hour might seem to some a little like a hamster spinning on a wheel; losing focus due to repetition or boredom can slow the rider or even cause a crash.  Ketterer says the effort is almost as taxing mentally as it is physically.  “You can lose so much ground in a split second,” he said.  “You have to concentrate on every pedal stroke, your position on the bike, where you are on the track.”  He could hear the shouts of encouragement from the co-workers, friends, and family who came to cheer him on.  But he dared not look at them.  “Turning my head even a millimeter would have changed my aerodynamic position.  You have to fight for every meter.”

Ketterer has worked at Giant for almost nine years, and has been named “Inside Sales Rep of the Year” multiple times due to his success at selling the Giant brand.  Still he finds the time to train and compete; he credits Giant and his co-workers with his latest success.  “This is Giant’s record as well as mine,” he said.  “I burned through all my vacation time training for this, my colleagues on the sales staff filled in for me countless times.  This is for Giant as much as for me.”

Keith Ketterer (Amgen/Giant Masters) on his way to setting a Masters World Hour Record.
photo © Jake Orness - Giant Bicycles

Ketterer set the new record on a 2010 Giant Omnium track bicycle frame constructed from Giant’s ALUXX-SL Grade aluminum and featuring Giant’s Advanced-Grade Composite fork with a full-composite steerer tube.  All the components on the bike are from various manufacturers who spec parts on Giant bicycles.  “I wanted to involve as many current team sponsors and Giant spec partners as possible, and we succeeded in that,” he said.  “In short, my hour bike is an amazing rig.  Go to my blog and you’ll find a shot of the bike with all the spec details.”

Although he seems ageless, Ketterer says the years have taken a toll on his strength. But as long as he keeps racing, his experience, he says, is the key to winning.  “I was much stronger when I was younger; however, older athletes tend to keep more of what they had if they stay with it and never quit,” he said.  “The problem comes when you retire from a sport and years later try to come back.  I’ve never stopped racing.  If I do, it’s ‘Game Over!’”