Monday, June 22, 2009
Richard's Father's Day
While we were waiting for Charlie to ride in for an early morning exchange, Richard told me how much he missed his daughter, Lily. While we chatted, Richard also spoke of his dad and we decided on the spot to allow Richard to use that few minutes wisely ... to speak directly to some very special people.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Climbing hard
Greetings from Flagstaff, AZ! The guys are riding very well today. Lots of climbing - Yarnell Grade climbs 1,800 feet in seven miles, followed pretty quickly by another 1,100 feet in six miles and then there's the 7,000-foot elevation between Prescott and Cottonwood- Mingus Mountain. Yikes. That's all before they go to 7,000 again just before Flagstaff, which based on averaging more than 128 feet of climbing per miile, is one of the toughest sections of RAAM west of the Mississippi.
You'd think these guys would like a nice rest after all that, huh? But someone's wheels will keep turning all night long, which, of course, is what makes RAAM RAAM. As the back of our T-shirts say, "This ain't no tour." Fortunately, now that we're out of the first night special rules, our racers will likely switch to a longer ride/sleep cycle tonight. Charlie is planning to sleep approximately three or four hours while Richard rides and then they will reverse positions. They hope to keep this 3-or-4-hour nighttime cycle for the remainder of the race.
Tonight, crew member Jonathan Jahant will be front and center doing his thing. He's a massage therapist from San Antonio, brought along not only for his wonderful hands but for all his cycling knowledge and cross-country experience - this is his eighth time across the country on some sort of cycling event. Jon will be part of the RV crew tonight, giving massages when the guys come off the bike. I'm sure the guys are looking forward to the relief of that and a real sleep break - each guy should get a good three hours of sleep, we hope.
Meanwhile, the crew wants to give a shout out to Mark from Team Save Buzzards Bay from Massachusetts for giving the RV a jump when it died - ok, when we let it die after we forgot to turn off the lights when sitting around for a while at Time Station 6. That's not as bone-headed as it sounds ... when the rules dictate that you must cross the country with your headlights on, it's sometimes easy to forget to turn them off.
So thanks, Mark, and best to your team.
You'd think these guys would like a nice rest after all that, huh? But someone's wheels will keep turning all night long, which, of course, is what makes RAAM RAAM. As the back of our T-shirts say, "This ain't no tour." Fortunately, now that we're out of the first night special rules, our racers will likely switch to a longer ride/sleep cycle tonight. Charlie is planning to sleep approximately three or four hours while Richard rides and then they will reverse positions. They hope to keep this 3-or-4-hour nighttime cycle for the remainder of the race.
Tonight, crew member Jonathan Jahant will be front and center doing his thing. He's a massage therapist from San Antonio, brought along not only for his wonderful hands but for all his cycling knowledge and cross-country experience - this is his eighth time across the country on some sort of cycling event. Jon will be part of the RV crew tonight, giving massages when the guys come off the bike. I'm sure the guys are looking forward to the relief of that and a real sleep break - each guy should get a good three hours of sleep, we hope.
Meanwhile, the crew wants to give a shout out to Mark from Team Save Buzzards Bay from Massachusetts for giving the RV a jump when it died - ok, when we let it die after we forgot to turn off the lights when sitting around for a while at Time Station 6. That's not as bone-headed as it sounds ... when the rules dictate that you must cross the country with your headlights on, it's sometimes easy to forget to turn them off.
So thanks, Mark, and best to your team.
RAAM is all about helping others achieve their goals too.
Plans B, C, D and E
Remember all those variables I've been reminding you about, those million of things that could happen on a 3,000 mile, two-racer, three-vehicle, nine-crew, 14-state odyssey? Oh my how they're happening.
Our first 24 hours saw logistical problems, mechanical problems, very little cell phone reception, computer connectivity problems and some seriously wicked motion sickness. And that's just the crew. Woo hoo, we're having some fun now!
Luckily, our racers, Richard and Charlie (the reason we're all out here in the first place) have been able to rise above all that, stay relatively calm and keep getting on and off the bike, over and over. Miraculously, thanks to Crew Chief Jim Karlovec and the experienced crew members among us, we have managed to have a vehicle and a bike there every time the guys needed an exchange. And the rookies among us are gaining valuable experience every minute, so as the guys get more exhausted, hopefully, we'll know more how to take care of them.
Jim Karlovec
The racers were delighted with a favorable tailwind on their first day of riding, and another miracle, the desert heat was about 30-degrees cooler than it was when the solo men came through a couple of days ago. (So instead of riding, say, straight through hell, it was more like getting blown out of the barrel of a giant blow dryer.)
The guys are averaging 18.94 mph through five time stations, which is faster than anticipated and, even though it's still very early, ahead of record pace. They are riding steady and strong, despite all the crew worked through during the first full day.
Our adventures started when we discovered almost right away that our RV had limited electricity. The outlets, for which we have innumerable needs, (just a few of those needs - really, this is just a few - are shown here ...)
did not work. No amount of fiddling with the fuses or GFI helped. In turn, our RV water is on that same system, so that did not work either. No showers for the guys last night. (Seriously, you have no idea how important water and electricity are in an RV, even if you think you do.) The computer wasn't able to connect. Cell phones were rendered useless by the incredibly spotty coverage - can you hear me NOW? - and coordinating nighttime racer exchanges were difficult at best. Before the nighttime exchanges even got rolling good, Jim had to make a major crew change decision when a variety of factors conspired to strike me down with a truly wicked case of motion sickness. (Being a fair and objective scribe, I feel I must reveal all.)
This particular event last night, precipitated by riding sideways in a moving vehicle while reading, was bad for a number of reasons:
1. We could not stop, as our earlier mechanical issues had already put us behind schedule to meeet the racers and we had to make it there before nighttime hours took effect.
2. These back roads in the middle of Nowhere, CA are surely the long and winding kind, and gaining elevation while in a hurry in a motor home on that sort of road just doesn't make for good soup.
3. It's difficult to throw up repeatedly in a garbage can when holding said garbage can while sliding around on the floor of a motor home while ... well, see #2.
Anyway, the point is, as crew chief, Jim had to figure out what to do, pronto. The problem is that I was nowhere near his first priority, because he had to make it to the exchange in time for the guys to keep riding, we had to get there safely but quickly, and the racer's night needs had to be met by someone other than me, because I was clearly unable to even wipe my own face. (I have to say, though, that I'm proud to have taken one for the team by not only trying to hit a moving target while throwing up, but also while gamely managing to clean up vomit from a motor home with no running water (I will forevermore have a horrible association with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes) all while still sliding around the floor dry heaving, holding my trash can and grabbing anything available with my free hand while Jim roared around those curves.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I think I remembered that I was, um, on vacation.
To make an already too long story somewhat shorter, I'll move on. Jim orchestrated a crew change so that I could clean up a tad in a motel room while he and Lary Stokes (my RV crewmates) worked with Ken Runyan, who moved from the Follow vehicle to take my place. The guys originally in the Chase vehicle (and who thought they might be getting some sleep) got in the Follow instead while the Follow crew and I took the motel beds for a couple of hours before the former Chase crew (now the Follow) came back for some shut-eye. If it all sounds complicated and horribly hard to follow, that's because I've simplified it for you here. It's not simple at all, even when all goes right, as I guess it almost never does at RAAM. That's why people do it - you really never have an idea what might happen on your way across.
Speaking of taking one for the team, Lary hasn't slept in 32 hours and counting at this point. The rest of us have either had a few hours' motel time or at least a short nap in the RV. But Lary, what a dude. He's getting a motel tonight.
That is ... if all goes as planned.
Lary Stokes ... what a guy
Our first 24 hours saw logistical problems, mechanical problems, very little cell phone reception, computer connectivity problems and some seriously wicked motion sickness. And that's just the crew. Woo hoo, we're having some fun now!
Luckily, our racers, Richard and Charlie (the reason we're all out here in the first place) have been able to rise above all that, stay relatively calm and keep getting on and off the bike, over and over. Miraculously, thanks to Crew Chief Jim Karlovec and the experienced crew members among us, we have managed to have a vehicle and a bike there every time the guys needed an exchange. And the rookies among us are gaining valuable experience every minute, so as the guys get more exhausted, hopefully, we'll know more how to take care of them.
Jim Karlovec
The racers were delighted with a favorable tailwind on their first day of riding, and another miracle, the desert heat was about 30-degrees cooler than it was when the solo men came through a couple of days ago. (So instead of riding, say, straight through hell, it was more like getting blown out of the barrel of a giant blow dryer.)
The guys are averaging 18.94 mph through five time stations, which is faster than anticipated and, even though it's still very early, ahead of record pace. They are riding steady and strong, despite all the crew worked through during the first full day.
Our adventures started when we discovered almost right away that our RV had limited electricity. The outlets, for which we have innumerable needs, (just a few of those needs - really, this is just a few - are shown here ...)
did not work. No amount of fiddling with the fuses or GFI helped. In turn, our RV water is on that same system, so that did not work either. No showers for the guys last night. (Seriously, you have no idea how important water and electricity are in an RV, even if you think you do.) The computer wasn't able to connect. Cell phones were rendered useless by the incredibly spotty coverage - can you hear me NOW? - and coordinating nighttime racer exchanges were difficult at best. Before the nighttime exchanges even got rolling good, Jim had to make a major crew change decision when a variety of factors conspired to strike me down with a truly wicked case of motion sickness. (Being a fair and objective scribe, I feel I must reveal all.)
This particular event last night, precipitated by riding sideways in a moving vehicle while reading, was bad for a number of reasons:
1. We could not stop, as our earlier mechanical issues had already put us behind schedule to meeet the racers and we had to make it there before nighttime hours took effect.
2. These back roads in the middle of Nowhere, CA are surely the long and winding kind, and gaining elevation while in a hurry in a motor home on that sort of road just doesn't make for good soup.
3. It's difficult to throw up repeatedly in a garbage can when holding said garbage can while sliding around on the floor of a motor home while ... well, see #2.
Anyway, the point is, as crew chief, Jim had to figure out what to do, pronto. The problem is that I was nowhere near his first priority, because he had to make it to the exchange in time for the guys to keep riding, we had to get there safely but quickly, and the racer's night needs had to be met by someone other than me, because I was clearly unable to even wipe my own face. (I have to say, though, that I'm proud to have taken one for the team by not only trying to hit a moving target while throwing up, but also while gamely managing to clean up vomit from a motor home with no running water (I will forevermore have a horrible association with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes) all while still sliding around the floor dry heaving, holding my trash can and grabbing anything available with my free hand while Jim roared around those curves.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I think I remembered that I was, um, on vacation.
To make an already too long story somewhat shorter, I'll move on. Jim orchestrated a crew change so that I could clean up a tad in a motel room while he and Lary Stokes (my RV crewmates) worked with Ken Runyan, who moved from the Follow vehicle to take my place. The guys originally in the Chase vehicle (and who thought they might be getting some sleep) got in the Follow instead while the Follow crew and I took the motel beds for a couple of hours before the former Chase crew (now the Follow) came back for some shut-eye. If it all sounds complicated and horribly hard to follow, that's because I've simplified it for you here. It's not simple at all, even when all goes right, as I guess it almost never does at RAAM. That's why people do it - you really never have an idea what might happen on your way across.
Speaking of taking one for the team, Lary hasn't slept in 32 hours and counting at this point. The rest of us have either had a few hours' motel time or at least a short nap in the RV. But Lary, what a dude. He's getting a motel tonight.
That is ... if all goes as planned.
Lary Stokes ... what a guy
Start at Oceanside
Yes, you might have noticed we've had some issues getting to the blog during our first 24 hours here on the course. Sorry. But our connectivity issues seem to be solved for now.
(Remember, marathon, not sprint.)
While I am sitting in the parking lot of a Walmart in Prescott, AZ - this is Time Station 6 - I wanted to share the excitement of the guys' start in Oceanside, CA yesterday. The video shows the ceremonial "parade route" start, which, after 13 miles or so, gives way to the real, timed start. You can see the guys coming around from the staging area, although they were not riding exactly next to each other at this point. Got them both in here, though.
After the police escort, check out the four-man hand cycle team that is attempting to become the first hand-cycle group to successfully complete RAAM. Give them some serious love and respect - the athletes here did. This team got the longest, loudest standing ovation at the RAAM Teams Meeting. Says our Crew Chief Jim Karlovec of this team: "Those guys are definitely studs. And yes, you can quote me on that."
After the hand cyclists, Richard and Charlie come soon, Richard first, then Charlie a second or so behind. They were allowed to ride together on the parade route before one of them - in our case, Richard - started the race.
So they're officially off ... watch this and pretend you were there.
(Remember, marathon, not sprint.)
While I am sitting in the parking lot of a Walmart in Prescott, AZ - this is Time Station 6 - I wanted to share the excitement of the guys' start in Oceanside, CA yesterday. The video shows the ceremonial "parade route" start, which, after 13 miles or so, gives way to the real, timed start. You can see the guys coming around from the staging area, although they were not riding exactly next to each other at this point. Got them both in here, though.
After the police escort, check out the four-man hand cycle team that is attempting to become the first hand-cycle group to successfully complete RAAM. Give them some serious love and respect - the athletes here did. This team got the longest, loudest standing ovation at the RAAM Teams Meeting. Says our Crew Chief Jim Karlovec of this team: "Those guys are definitely studs. And yes, you can quote me on that."
After the hand cyclists, Richard and Charlie come soon, Richard first, then Charlie a second or so behind. They were allowed to ride together on the parade route before one of them - in our case, Richard - started the race.
So they're officially off ... watch this and pretend you were there.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Strategy
Our team strategy is sound and reasonable. Rather than start out quickly at a pace that the racers cannot sustain, necessitating a significant decrease in pace later, Charlie and Richard will look to ride at a consistent pace that they believe they can sustain over the course of seven or eight days. So don't be alarmed if you find us (even significantly) behind other two-man teams coming out of Arizona. Our racers are merely conserving energy for the significant climbing involved in Day 2.
Don't forget: RAAM is truly a marathon, not a sprint!
If all goes as planned, the guys will ride approximately 400 miles a day and if that happens, they will set a new age-group record. While setting a new record would be excellent gravy, getting across the country safely is the goal.
That's one of the reasons it's important that friends and family share thoughts and encouragement along the way. One of our guys will be on the bike 24 hours a day until we finish, so you can imagine the physical and mental toll that will begin to take. Crew members will be reading blog comments to the racers as we go. Keep in mind that your inspiring message could go a long way for a racer while climbing a mountain at 3 in the morning. Feel free to ask questions for the racers or the crew if you like; we will be communicating with the racers via two-way radio, so we can ask, they can answer and we'll get it up on the blog.
As another reminder, here's where you can keep up with us, all the way across the country.
RAAM Web site http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/
Team Reaching Heights Web site http://www.teamreachingheights.com/
Team Reaching Heights Blog http://teamreachingheights.blogspot.com/
Team Reaching Heights Twitter Site http://twitter.com/twomanraam
We're happy to have you along. Our team has come from all over the U.S.and Canada, so it's great to know our supporters are everywhere out there as well.
Don't forget: RAAM is truly a marathon, not a sprint!
If all goes as planned, the guys will ride approximately 400 miles a day and if that happens, they will set a new age-group record. While setting a new record would be excellent gravy, getting across the country safely is the goal.
That's one of the reasons it's important that friends and family share thoughts and encouragement along the way. One of our guys will be on the bike 24 hours a day until we finish, so you can imagine the physical and mental toll that will begin to take. Crew members will be reading blog comments to the racers as we go. Keep in mind that your inspiring message could go a long way for a racer while climbing a mountain at 3 in the morning. Feel free to ask questions for the racers or the crew if you like; we will be communicating with the racers via two-way radio, so we can ask, they can answer and we'll get it up on the blog.
As another reminder, here's where you can keep up with us, all the way across the country.
RAAM Web site http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/
Team Reaching Heights Web site http://www.teamreachingheights.com/
Team Reaching Heights Blog http://teamreachingheights.blogspot.com/
Team Reaching Heights Twitter Site http://twitter.com/twomanraam
We're happy to have you along. Our team has come from all over the U.S.and Canada, so it's great to know our supporters are everywhere out there as well.
Patron St. of Travelers
A good luck visit from Charlie's neighbors, the Ebrights - Michelle, Brad, Brandon, Dillon (no word on Lauren's whereabouts) - brought a very nice traveler's wish.
"We brought St. Christopher medals for you guys," Dillon said. Added Brandon, "One for Charlie and one for Richard."
The medals say, "Protect us on our travels, wherever we may roam; keep us safe and guide us, always safely home."
The guys were very touched to be blessed by the Patron St. of Travelers. "I'm going to keep it in my jersey pocket all the way," Charlie said.
"We brought St. Christopher medals for you guys," Dillon said. Added Brandon, "One for Charlie and one for Richard."
The medals say, "Protect us on our travels, wherever we may roam; keep us safe and guide us, always safely home."
The guys were very touched to be blessed by the Patron St. of Travelers. "I'm going to keep it in my jersey pocket all the way," Charlie said.
Team meeting, Race eve
Our guys - Richard and CharlieOur first full-team meeting took place in Charlie’s living room in San Diego. On the eve of Race Day, Richard spoke first:
“Tomorrow, 20 years ago to the day, my father and I were standing on top of Mt. McKinley together,” he said. “I remember when we were at base camp and looking up at the summit, it was more massive than anything we’d ever done. We told each other, ‘Just getting this far is huge, a big deal, but now, we have business to take care of.’”
And they did, successfully and safely summitting Denali together.
Richard continued: “And now, I just want to say to all of you, thank you for coming from all over the country, for giving up your vacations to support Charlie and I in this dream of ours. The same thing is true here … just getting here, just qualifying to race RAAM, is huge. But now, it’s business. We didn’t come here just to start. We came here to finish.”
Richard spelled out some simple rules for the crew to keep top of mind.
* Safety first. Always. Our number one goal is to get 11 people across the country safely in under nine days. Period. No heroes. Don’t drive when you’re too tired. Find someone fresher.
* Know where everything is in the vehicles. If a racer asks for blue gloves, he doesn’t want yellow ones. Know where the blue ones are.
* There’s no such thing as a bad question. If you don’t know something, ask.
* Remember, there will be highs and lows. “One day you will be thinking, ‘Wow, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,’ and the next you’ll think, ‘Oh my god, what was I thinking?’” he said. “Remember that it will all pass, and it when it's all done, it will be the experience of a lifetime.”
Richard gave way to Charlie by saying, “Two years ago, RAAM was an impossible dream for me. And tomorrow, we’re going to do it. Thank you all.”
Before going over specific rules that we all need to remember, Charlie reminded us again that we are 11 adults living in tight quarters under difficult circumstances for about 8 days. “Apologies ahead of time,” he said. “We might all say and do things that we don’t mean. We will all be tired. But we're here to do something.”
Communication is key, Charlie emphasized - between crew members, between crew and racers, between the team and race headquarters. Always keep an eye on the racer, he added. A bike wheel will always be rolling, round the clock, no matter what.
Finally, he said, “Don’t give up on us, no matter how bad we look. I’ve felt really, really bad on a bike before, puked on the side of the road, and then in a few hours, felt better. We might look terrible, but we might be able to keep going. So don’t give up on us. We think we can do this, but the truth is, we don’t know what will happen. There are so many things that can happen.”
At the end of this meeting, after which we immediately piled into three vehicles to drive to an official RAAM meeting, no one was giving up on anything. We know that in a 3,000-mile race, the variables are innumerable. The possibilities are endless, and we are open to all of them.
It’s Race Day. T-minus five hours.
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