Adventures For the Cure | Blog/News

Here you can see how hot everyone is!

This was a great race that EX2 put on. Everything went really well except for my first lap. The race started off with a run so having running in my background it was easy to get to the front:) Entered the woods in 2nd place and immediately during the first steep climb I snapped my chain in half! So pulled off and asked bikers as they went by for a chain tool. Luckily one of my buddies Chirs Harshman had the tool for it. Now I just needed a master link from someone and some help putting it on. Ryan, mechanic from Princeton Sports, stopped and helped me out.

Ryan and I riding together at end of first lap

He Saved me, Thank you Ryan!!!Someone gave me a master link so we were set and back on the bike! Only 3 miles later the crank falls off on the left side. We found the bolt and were able to tighten so it did not fall off anymore:) After this no more mechanically problems and started to really move.

I ended in 3rd place in my division(singlespeed solo) with 7 laps completed. I was very happy after I left since at bakers dozen I ended up in the hospital!
Results

Adam on the podium accepting 3rd place!

So big improvement:) It was about 11 miles per lap. Each lap consisted of about 2,000 feet of climbing. Only other issue I had was around lap 6 and 7 my hamstrings started to cramp up a little. These hills were VERY steep and forced most riders to walk a lot. This was NOT no bakers dozen course:)

Thanks Princeton Sports for the nice tents! I enjoyed hanging out with everyone! A big thanks to Ryan's parents(took the pictures) and made some amazing sandwichs:)

Laura helping me fix my seat post that kept falling down.

Picture of whole crew!

Thanks EX2 for a great race!

Adam

1) What was the most fun part of the trip for you?
The actual race. It was so much fun racing other teams! Having keith, alex, and pat hand off to me early in the race and passing all the teams going up the first climb! This is where RAAM really began

2) What was the hardest part of RAAM?
Waking up after only sleeping for 2 hours and having to get back on bike. Sleeping in an RV is not easy and not comfortable.

3) What was the easiest part for you?
Oceanside. Our support team was so amazing they did everything as we were preparing to start racing.



4) What was your most memorable experience of the trip?
Racing United Eight on the 5th day!

5) What was your favorite/least favorite food?
egg burrito was my favorite, GREAT job mom!

6) Would you ever ride or crew again?
I would definitely ride again. Either 2 man team or Solo Fixie! I would want to win the 2 man division on a fixie though!

7) Any suggestions or ideas to help make the trip run more smoothly next time around?
Our support team was amazing! I don’t think we could have done much better!

8) What inspired you to keep going?
The comments on our blog. I just wanted to get it done as fast as possible. Those comments really helped us continue to hold that fast pace. We thank all our supporters of the trip! I also wanted to show other diabetics that anything is possible with the drive and determination.

Fabio's comments:

1) What was the most fun part of the trip for you?
Being able to help the riders and seeing them perform very well in the race.

2) What was the hardest part of RAAM?
Going without much sleep.

3) What was the easiest part for you?
Getting into a routine and doing what needed to be done. The riders were so appreciative, and that made it easy for me to do my job.



4) What was your most memorable experience of the trip?
Wow, there were so many. One thing that stands out is how we had a chance to bond with other teams (good example: United 8). This was a competition, but we cheered each other on, helped out, and wished for the best for the other teams.

5) What was your favorite/least favorite food?
The chicken dish was awesome. In hind sight, the Mexican was probably not the best idea…

6) Would you ever ride or crew again?
I’d absolutely crew again. (If I had leg/heart/lung replacements and “unaged” about 20 years I’d ride too ).


Fabio is in the far left of this picture

7) Any suggestions or ideas to help make the trip run more smoothly next time around?
Come up with a way to avoid total sleep deprivation for the crew. A solid 6+ hours of sleep would make it more bearable and safe (no driving while sleepy). We could probably also make incremental improvements on the gear we use and RV processes we follow (dishes, laundry, etc.).

8) Any other comments/suggestions?
Different personalities, coupled with virtually no sleep, made for some conflicts. However, I believe the different personalities played a large part in the success (people had different skills, reacted differently, and brought in unique viewpoints). I think a future endeavor should include a mix of personalities again.

During Race Across America, Adam and I met up with Morgan Bearden. Morgan is a good friend whom we met during our 2006 cross country trip. We stayed with him when we visited Rolla, Missouri. Check it out in our blog's archives!

He traveled to Jefferson City, Missouri to say 'hi' as we sped past him. Unlike our '06 trip we did not have much time to talk because we were in a RACE, but it was great to see a friendly face to give us an extra boost!

He had just come from volunteering at a diabetes camp for kids. All the kids even made us a card, that they all signed, to help motivate us in our race!

Check it out here:
http://www.surlybikes.com/surlyblog.html

yay!

-Pattt
LoveLife!

I just received this email from the RAAM race director:

RAAM 2008 - Another Great Success!

The 27th Race Across America (RAAM) 2008 finished in Annapolis, Maryland June 20, 2008. This year's race was another winning installment in this one-of-a-kind, epic ultra-endurance bicycle race.

250 racers from 17 countries supported by close to 1,000 support crew and staff competed in the three different races and divisions of RAAM 2008. In addition to the 24-hour challenge and the coast-to-coast RAAM race, the inaugural 1,000 mile "Race Across the West" race ending in Taos, New Mexico was a great success and RAAM anticipates a much larger field for this race in RAAM 2009.

A number of records and firsts were shattered this year, including:

· RAAM solo racer John Schlitter become the first person to finish the solo race on a recumbent cycle

· Jure Robic won his 4^thsolo RAAM race, a new men's record

· New time record for a team, the 8-person Byggkjøp/BMC Cycling Team, finishing the RAAM race in 5 days, 9 hours, 56 minutes

While pedaling the 3,014 miles, other competitors had different aspirations, some to finish the race, others to beat personal goals. The women's solo division had no official finishers. Of the solo men competitors,17 of the 25 racers finished the race, and 38 of the 40 teams finished. Many racers also raised funds and awareness for 35 different charities.

Dates and registration information for RAAM 2009 will be announced soon. For complete race details and more information, please visit www.raceacrossamerica.org.

-Pattt
LoveLife!

Our greatest competitors during Race Across America were United Eight. United Eight is a team from Great Britain. They competed in the 8 person division in RAAM. There were many times when we raced them neck n neck.


One time I pulled up to one of their cyclists and I was soooo happy to be racing against some one, we had not seen any other teams since the start of the race. I said to him "Hi!!! We are going to have ourselves a race!!" With a huge smile on my face... I was already pushing the pace to try to break him.

He looked at me and he went into his back pocket. He pulled out a Ricola cough drop and handed it to me. All that he said was "Ricola?".

I said "Thanks :)" and the race began!

Adam and I battled their team for at least an hour. After an extremely steep hill we lost them for about two hours. We figured that we would not see them again. Then out of nowhere they passed us just as Adam was handing off to me. I could not believe it! The had somehow snuck up on Adam during his shift.

I knew I was in for trouble because not only did they catch up to Adam but we were also entering a downhill section and everyone knows that fixie + downhill do not mix. I watched as he got further and further away from me.

After about 10minutes I saw the guy who passed me on the side of the road with the rest of his team. They were doing an exchange but it was not a fast exchange like we were used to. They were just taking their time. I think they were just a more laid back kind of team. I passed them waving and cheering. They cheered me on as I went.

Here is their rendition of our encounter:
http://www.united8.org/index.php?option=com_mamblog&Itemid=57&task=show&action=view&id=80&Itemid=57

I hope to meet these guys again someday because they were awesome!

-Pattt
LoveLife!

The Bicycle Film Festival is a touring film festival that that is going to multiple cities throughout the world. The AFC Documentary Movie was featured at the New York showing and we are now going to the Minneapolis, MD showing.

Details:
July 12th at 3:00pm
THEATRE DE LA JEUNE LUNE
105 North First Street
Buy tickets online or at the door.

Adam and I plan to be at the showing.

The best part is that Minneapolis is the home of Surly Bikes!!! Surly is sponsoring the film festival. It will be great to meet up with the Surly guys while we are in town :)

-Pat
LoveLife!

Here is a map of RAAM 2008. Each mark is a Time Station. Time Stations were generally 50mi apart on the course.


View Larger Map

This map comes to me courtesy of Mike West (Madi's husband)

-Pat
LoveLife!

Well Done!!

Hey everyone,

We are going to be arriving at the Annapolis Mall at 5:00am on Wednesday morning. From there which could take about an hour we get a police escort to the harbor. If anyone would like to ride last few miles with us we would love to have you join us:)

Its going to be a party in Annapolis even if it is 6am when we get to the harbor. I would say to be safe get to Annapolis latest 6am.

There is a chance we could be earlier or later for most up to date stats go here for the time stations: http://stats.raceacrossamerica.org/2008/reports/overview.html

Thanks and hope to see everyone in Annapolis!

Team PAD just finished another 118 miles. In the route book it said that this is the 'hardest leg of the race' we averaged 20.0mph for the first 50 or so and 18.28mph for the second 50 (tons of redlights and stop signs in the second 1/2). Team Cry was 16.70mph and 17.81mph for those same Time Stations. We gained about 1hr on them but they are still 2hr and 45minutes ahead of us.

Keith and Alex are out there now, battling their way up more hills. They will surely gain more ground!! Those guys are fit :)


According to the RAAM website, if we keep our current average speed for the last 300miles we will arrive in Annapolis at 4:50am tomorrow morining.

See predicted finishing times here.

-Pat
LoveLife!

Here's a slideshow of the race so far:


1:00 AM Tuesday Morning - KR taking first shift. Temp a very nice 62F. KR is wearing the white baselayer under the AFC jersey. All white is his favorite. No knee warmers, but he does have the full finger gloves. The storm potential seems to be completely gone and it is a great night for cycling. We are driving along with the windows open. -Merrill

1:42 AM - Tonight we are planning to knock out 42 and 43 and cover 18 miles to coolville, OH nearthe WV border. Most likely that puts PAD on 45 and 46 and KAL on 47 and the downhill 48.

2:25 AM - 2581 miles in the bag at the start tonight. The Surly bikes look cool at night. Weezal out on all the required reflective tape for RAAM. He taped up a few of the spokes and they give the wheel a dish look at night. The riders also have the tape on their heels that accentuate the higher cadences. The tape is yellow reflective which is unfortunate since it gives the bikes a redskin-esque look. (haha - MZ) 10 mi in 25 mins for Alex first turn.
2:41 AM - Just cleared 42 at 0225 EDT jun 17 Hard to believe only 12 left. 505 left to go.
2:59 AM - There is a beautiful nearly full moon out as Alex is on 23 mph cruise control. I am in the car with Papa D and it is a tough night to stay awake.
3:03 AM - Before we left the has station where we had the motorhome KR was doing warm up laps around the pumps. The locals didn't get it.

4:26 AM - 0426 EDT Tuesday 52 F pretty much everyone is tired

5:01 AM - We're still here. Riding all night. Alex trying to wake himself up by sprinting uphill.

6:02 AM - KR plugging away near Athens, OH. Sun coming up, KR not really full of energy at this hour. This is a serious night of fatigue for everyone. Alex just swapped in for the final 11 mile push to the RV. He still has a but in the tank (? a but in the tank?), he is accelerating up a small grade now and I am his biggest fan. A bed is at the end of this ride! Hopefully a toilet, too.

6:49 - Wrap up. That was the worst shift we have done the entire trip. A big shout out to the Goat and Madi for getting the riders home. Keith and Adam put in another gritty effort. They didn't match some of their best speed days, but they moved the chip another 114 miles in about 6 hrs. The way it has worked out, the crew are on roughly opposite shifts. So I want to say that Stacey, Weezal, Peter and Fabio are doing all the same stuff with PAD. When Patt came in last night after battling the Brits all evening he was obviously tired. It is nice to see everyone digging deep, riders and crew alike. I have hard time believing that a fixie team can ride this fast across the country. -Merrill

7:00 AM (approx)Telephone call between KR and YDT "Merrill, hands the phone out the window to our hero KR, who is pedalling furiously somewhere east of Athens, Ohio, headed through rolling hills to West Virginia. In the interest of his fans, I can tell you KR was a cheery
as anyone I can imagine riding his bicycle for the 6th straight day across this great country of ours. He was happy to hear from me and commented that the Ohio U campus in Athens was very beautiful. I had heard as much I said, as we have a neighbor going to school there. As typical of this kind of on bike call, the wind was ripping the conversation to shreads and we fairly quickly said our good byes and I wished KR good luck and safe travels over the remainder of RAAM. I cannot get over how wide awake and happy he sounded. His only complaint was related to some kind of numbness, which region of his body I do not know as our conversation was cutoff, but I would assume at this point it could be anywhere or everywhere. Keep it up AFC, you guys are awesome warriors!"

11:17 AM - Tues We stopped the RV somewhere that has Mcdonalds and KFC in the same place. KR is going for the filet o fish as an appetizer to get him over to KFC for a quart of mashed potatoes.

1:48 PM - 65F KAL tackling a painful WV section of hwy 50 out of Grafton. Mostlycloudy blue sky, low humidity and shade all over the road. Great dayfor riding one gear.
1:59 PM - KAL is over the first 15 mile climb of the day. I left late and caught them on the back of the 1600 foot climb. There were many 8 and 9 % incline signs on the way up and down. It is a very beautiful climb, and the valley on the way to the next mountain crosses the Cheat river that is famous for whitewater. It looks like they did the first 25miles out of TS 46 in 1:30.
2:15 PM - This second climb is 1300 feet in 3.3 miles. KR began to crack as it steepened, but these WV mtns don't have many turnputs, so he had to really wait for relief. Alex climbed most of the first ascent and is back out now. At least for the first hour and a half it looks like the 23 year old legs have more left in them than the 40 year olds. KR will do his share today, but it looks like Alex is carrying the heavier burden so far. Alex is hunched over the bars turning very slowly the 48 x 16 at 8 mph. What an effort.
2:21PM - Still a mile to the summit Alex has accelerated briefly. Now he weaves back and forth in the roadway, careful not to get taken out by a large truck. A dog is barking as he passes mile 29. At least this one is tethered.
2:24 PM - Gotta love WV. Speed limitis 55 on this road! KR on now close to the summit. He must have had some of that 5 hour energy stuff, he is climbing the last 100 feet quickly. Still one more 500 ft bump, but the real pain of this section is behind them KR rolling along the 2600 ft top of this at a good clip.
2:30 - It is a cool 61 at the too as KR enters cathedral state park. Actually that was Alex
KR is just taking over going into the park. The days of riding have taken a couple points out of Alex body fat. Back at the RV, everyone was excited about all the time that PAD took out of Team Cry. Also excited that Annapolis is under 300 away!
2:40 PM - If you have the profile, they are in the little calm before the last 500 ft storm and are in Maryland! Unfortunately not yet in MD for good. Here is the profile:
2:45 PM - I am getting really tired of these peanut butter crackers and I have restarted my diet Coke habit. That will be easy enough to remedy at home tomorrow.
What's this? Just passed solo 138 with a Brit flag in the window. He looked OK, was even able to acknowledge my shout of encouragement with a little nod of the head.
2:47 PM - The top of this last climb is 3100 feet and is on the eastern divide. Backbone mtn is the name.
2:52 PM - I passed our united 8 friends way back on the first climb when I was driving spiritedly to catch KAL. Adam told me that he and Patt were diving with them up to TS46, but finally broke them. Now they are at least 45 min back and losing time to KAL. We loaned them a spare front wheel. I guess they didn't need/want one of our back wheels!
2:54 PM - By the way Adam has really been a leader on this trip in his riding, his comportment and enthusiasm. I only see him briefly between shifts, but he has really impressed me.
3:15 PM - Alex is through 47 and part way up the first climb of the next segment. Here's the profile:

3:19 PM - Just passed the AFC tifosi car on climb out of 48! KR is out of the saddle climbing one of the large risers out ofthe time station. This one is ilchester steep.
3:26 PM - KR is wearing some black baselater today. I think that must be why I misidentified him. Could also be the 2 hours sleep.
3:33 - One of these summits is 2851 ft Allegheny mtn. Seems higher to me.
3:44 PM - With so many miles behind them the turns are getting shorter in the climbs. Goat and Madi are director sportifing today and I am slacking with the camera. The story is the same each time in the mountains. The riders go until we have to hold them up after they pass the baton. Then 10 min later they go again. It is a seriously determined effort. None of the riders want to let is down even though we are all already in awe of the effort BTW there is no actual baton. Raam rules state that wheels must overlap inorder for an exchange to count. We have followed this and many other rules for almost 3000 miles. I cannot say the same about our ******* friends ha ha ha! The windmills at the too of this mountain are all facing the right way.
3:53 PM - Its really windy in a good direction up on too of hartmansville. Some of the crowds are starting to look threatening. (Crowds? -MZ)
3:57 EDT. I just passed a quad towing a ford focus wagon by a chain going up a hill
4:48 PM - KAL are rolling the long gentle descent into 48 at la vale, MD.
4:57 PM - I think Cleo is riding along in the follow car. Next year we will charge for that! (Next Year?)
5:07 PM - Unofficial predictions
Mt airy, MD at 0200 weds
Serve 15 min penalty
Odenton, MD TS 53 at 0410 weds
Annap mall TS 54 0450 weds
City dock depends on timing of escort. Could be we wait for it up to 45 mins. I think you could ride from mall to city dock with us, but may have to stay behind support car, not sure. Opening parade had some non entrants riding along.
5:10 PM - I'm going to go take a nap now so I don't crash the RV next shift. Last big climbing stage is 48 to 49 and that one will be team PAD. KAL are doing about 119 this afternoon to set them up Here's that profile ouch:
6:05 PM - Mike W says "I could only find 5 teams (total) faster than AFC between TS47-48. In the 4-man category (and a good chunk of the 8-man), AFC has put its stamp of authority on the climbs. We should get the a polka dot jersey or something. Oh...wait."

6:55 PM - Team PAD are out on the way to TS 49 right now. Possibly the worst climbing stage of the race. Once you get their time to 49, you can adjust the projected finish time. I expect we will average 20 after that like a horse returning to the barn. The goat and I are about to take the RV to one of the RAAMmeister fans favorite places. "4 score and 2920 miles ago our 4 riders, in order to perform a perfect union of the coasts, set out to ride fixies across the USA... " See you in annapolis! -Merrill

9:13 Mt Airy prediction: 0215 to 0230
9:25 PM - KAL to take handoff near Gettysburg at 2330 Tuesday. 56 miles to Mt Airy. Should be serving 15 min penalty there at Mt airy bike shop. No warranty expressed or implied about this info. PAD finished 49 and reported real fatigue for the first time. Hey, everyone is human. See you soon. Adrenaline should keep is awake. KR is like a horse heading for the barn, or the glue factory as he says.

11:30 PM - KAL are gearing up for the last shift! Mt airy is 56 miles, 15 min penalty box and a visit with TMR, then off to annap. Mt Airy to odenton is 40 and then 11 to the annap mall.
I'll update the times when we are on the road. Merrill
11:35 PM - It is a full moon and cool temps. The riders are psyched, the crew is ecstatic except for those still asleep

Racing through Indiana with Fabio/Stacey cheering, Weezal/Peter driving Follow Vehicle, and Adam taking the video.



-Pat
LoveLife!

Hey,

So I just wanted to let everyone know that not only is AFC raising awareness for PSC(partners seek a cure) and ADA(American Diabetes Association) we are raising funds.

You can go to our website and donate here

Also we are selling new AFC T-Shirts that have our new slogan 100,000 feet, 3008 miles, 12 hearts, 1 gear, 1 mission. We are sold out of our jerseys.

Thanks so much for everyones support! We are getting there:)

Adam

We are all out trying to catch Team Cry (3rd place). Adam and I did 2 Time Stations today (37 and 38) for a total of about 136miles. Team Cry was 18.5mph for TS 37 and 19.9mph for TS 38, while Adam and I were 19.9mph and 21.5mph!!!

We are feeling great! I can't wait to get back out there.

It is time to rest now.

Ever wonder what we do in order to not get stale while waiting our turn to bike? I mean we bike in 8mile stints between the two of us and while one is biking the other has to do something to warm up / avoid staleness :)

Here is Adam's warm up routine! (after his warm up he held 25mph for his 8miles.. no lie)



-Pat
LoveLife!

Welcome to Race coverage Day six.
12:27 AM- Another day at the RAAM. A little mixup getting out and KR took a wrong turn less than a mile from the TS. Maybe a 2min delay, no biggie. We have had good navigation the whole way and have not lost significant time from getting lost.

12:44 AM - 1244 EDT coming up on the 2000 mark. Alex will be claiming the prize. KAL are in good shape overall. Alex has some soreness of throat left from the mountains. KR is hungry for some pizza or fast food.

12:53 AM - 2000 mile time. 0053 Monday jun 16 That is 12:53 am EDT

1:28 AM There is another detour tonight and we will be shuttling the riders down the St Louis beltway. We are going to use the time for one of the vans to make a MC D's run.
1:49 AM - Temp 71. Nice evening. Clouds have somewhat cleared and you can see the moon. We are riding on a road along the side of I 70 north of St Louis. Navigation is tricky.

3:50 AM - Goat and I tried to make a quick run for food during the detour. It was a comedy of errors. The detour was all stoplights and lousy streets along industrial parks along the interstate. Then one MacD's was closed, another place was doing inventory from 1-5 am so they were closed and had a hand written note on the speaker. When it finally ended at 34, we entered East St Louis and some scary parts of Illinois. Long night so far.

4:30 AM - Monday - Goat and I got over our sleepiness and now KAL is falling asleep mid sentence in the car. Alex crossed a very overflowing Mississippi river. Would have been cool to see in the light. The roads are really bad here from all the traffic, it is true urban cycling. Goat and I decided to try running the turns a little longer since the riders are so tired. They take a long time to wake up and then fall asleep in between shifts. So maybe they can do better riding 10 min longer and then napping. I'll let you know how it turns out. KR is doing about 11.5 mi now. They have had some very long days recently. I hope their usual resurgence tomorrow.
4:40 AM - KR came in saying he got a second wind. Maybe the strategy is working. Goat is doing pushups to get the blood flowing. Here's what the road looks like:


6:27 AM - KR took the last turn, time trialing the last 13 miles. Sorry I don't know the time. We've got some fatigue issues coming up, but the crew is trying to set it up so that the guys can get some recovery from the punishment. Keith is showing heart, but his speech is slow and he is in a daze when off the bike. Alex is so strong a rider it is nuts, but he doesn't get enough sleep and can't finish a sentence without falling asleep (at 3am). I think KAL got a tough draw with all their shifts either completely in the dark or completely in the heat of the day. Of course, I am biased from supporting all their rides. PAD are working just as hard. We are trying to adjust PAD shift times closer to the full 6 hrs to make the logistics easier and the recovery more effective. You can only salute the effort so far. Fixies across the country is a tremendous disadvantage. Its sleep time for me! Send up some good vines for Keith and Alex to get some rest.

11:33 - Hola hoosier fans. We are getting close to IU in the motorhome as we zip up in front of PAD to set up shop and launch KAL.While I was sleeping someone washed my shorts, which is awesome since that gives me 2 days of slack in the shorts plan. I may get to MD with a clean pair still in my bag! Hahaha. Alex is crashed (stop using the C word Merrill - MikeZ) in the bunk over the cab. KR is angling to get more mileage. He said "this is how the pros must feel" about the pampering he is getting. He looks a little better today, I'm sure he will out in another strong effort. Mostly flat and rural today. No real mountains until WV. Its 1133, RV should stop soon and then we start around 1230.
Mike Z sent some notes from the PSC list and I showed them to the riders and crew. Its nice to get the cheering, makes you feel good. -Merrill
Here's the upcoming profile from Sullivan, IN to Bloomington, IN:

12:57 PM - JK Says "Give major kudos to Team PAD for their efforts getting to TS37. They rocked the split! Way to tee it up for KAL who finished it off!"

1:04PM - KR started at 1240 and laid down 9 miles in 23 min. Is that possible or is my math off?
83F and feels worse. Just passed a downed tree burning in some guys front yard unsupervised. The smoke is going the same way we are. Nice little tailwind.
1:11 PM - Crossing all kinds of flooded fields. Floods were the reason for the detour last night.
1:19 PM - Feels like morning to me andthe goat, but apparently it is afternoon. There are the normal Midwest cumulus starting to fill the blue sky.
1:25 PM - Alex is climbing a little 300 foot riser out of the saddle keeping up a brisk 18 on the climb. Keith is in the car on a high from a 5 hour energy drink from a gas station. 2259 mi from the start. This morning KR ate one of those burritos from 7 11. He was disappointed it only had 500 calories.
1:55 PM - KR thinks the wind keeps changing directions. Goat thinks it is the road winding around. We are going thru green rolling farms and woods, bright orange poppies (or some kind of flower) are in little clumps.
2:31 PM -We will soon reach the highest point of the stage. 872 feet. KR will claim this prize. Still 82f. 38 mi in first 1 hr 50 min.
2:41 PM - This is a very winding road so far today andthe mini van has 4 coolers in it. So when KR asked to remove the aero handles, we had to get enough distance on Alex. Panda moniim in the van.
2:49 PM - We are weaving thru the burns around IU. Lots of turns and stops. KR is checking his watch, maybe he has an appointment. Feels a little cooler and the clouds are gone so the weather is looking good.
2:49 PM - Its just like "breaking away" KR is drafting a truck on a 4 lane hwy !
4:28 PM - Thru IU campus. And back out in the country. Still rolling hills and 83F. The RV came and handed up some lunch for us. We pulled over for the execution. KAL are recovered from last nights bonk. I heard they did the last TS faster than team cry. Goat and I are going to paint a message for 611 at our next exchange.
4:35 PM - Alex just rode 10 miles in 26 min. He told me he was going to go for it.
4:58 PM - KR has lost weight, his arms are looking like a real cycling pro. His legs are ripped! If that's a good thing, I only heard it from someone. That 5 hour energy stuff is working, he is attacking these risers. Keith said he had so much energy that he was standing going downhill! (uhh -how do you stand going downhill with a fixie? - MZ)
6:13 PM - Great effort today. We got lost briefly, had lots of traffic stops and still averaged around 20. These guys are strong and full of heart. We should be to 39 around 1845 EDT 659.2 from the finish 2356 from the start. Here's the profile they are finishing:

11:45 PM - Just spoke to adam and when we handed the baton to him at TS 39 it was close to the 730 pm local time mandatory follow time. Patt took off immediately from 39, but The AFC follow car left a little later after restocking and refueling. PAD had the leapfrog car but not the light equipped follow car. Anyway, they took advantage of the RAAM rule that allows you to ride 15 mins with another racer by mooching the 611 british teams lights. Then they proceeded to five with that 8 man team for the next 20 miles. They have left them behind and KAL is going to yet to hold them off. AFC are very strong climbers, but these geared guys bio is on the downhills. KAL is gearing up for a 0030 launch. Gotta go get ready. Its a nice cool night here in Ohio.

6/16/09 0215 Race Time.

My kkkkkidneys are rrrrattling arrrrround as I tttttap awwwwway this mmmmmorning. Pete is doing a stellar job of negotiating the RV around the back roads of Missouri in search of I70. I’m riding shotgun and Mama D is navigating with the Garmin. Somehow I think one of the other 4-man teams programmed our GPS to take us in circles on gravel roads for a few hours.

The last 6-hour shift was awesome. From Osage Beach, MO to Marthasville, MO – 119.5 miles in under 6 hours. Adam and Patt clearly ate their Wheaties beforehand. It all started when I woke to Pete making a three point turn in the middle of highway 54 in search of a pull-off for the shift change (hmm, so Pete’s good with the big rigs too…). With no suitable parking lot, a side road sufficed. Not to be denied, the machine lurched into action – riders wolfing down breakfast and crew scrambling to execute the switch (some even brushed their teeth).

Overall the segment was a gradual decline to Marthasville with some early hills and then two sets of steep pitches just to keep team 402 honest. As expected, AFC turned cranks to maintain the target pace. Pete and Stacey were leapfrogging and Weezal and Fab had Follow duty. Inter-car communications were accomplished successfully with a combination of FRS (channel 8/0) and various cell carriers, as conditions dictated. Riders were wired for FRS channel 4/0 communications most of this interval (but this isn’t always reliable). We continued with solid exchanges as the riders gobbled up as much asphalt as MO could dish out.

We have had contact off and on with the Brits (team United Eight), our leapfrogs passing each other intermittently. It’s always exciting to see other riders and cheer them on. RAAM is a race, but it’s also about having fun, meeting people along the way, and lending a hand if you can. That’s part of the “vibe” that I didn’t get in my pre-race studies. We stopped at a Time Station to borrow their computer to check the standings. We chatted with local cyclists who wanted to hear our story. We stared into the weary eyes of other teams that revealed the hopes, struggles, and satisfaction that swirled in their hearts, heads, and stomachs. We saw other racers riding and always cheered them on. We may be here for different reasons, but we’re all here.

And who better to realize that we need to enjoy the journey than Adam? After one exchange he yelled something to Weez and me in the Follow car about pizza. 3 pizzas. We joked that Adam’s having 3 pizzas delivered to us. It was no joking matter. He had called Papa Johns, who promptly delivered 3 pizzas to us (a 75 mile drive to intercept – kind of makes the Main Street TMR intercept look tame, eh JK?). The next exchange saw a “leap to follow” pizza handoff and simultaneous “follow to leap” Leatherman tool handoff (to tighten a cleat). It doesn’t get any better than that. Thanks, Sug! By the way, could you arrange for subs in WV?

We had a lot of “wouldn’t it be cool?” thoughts. Wouldn’t it be cool to move up in the standings? Wouldn’t it be cool to catch up w/a solo rider? Wouldn’t it be cool to see United Eight riders on the road? Wouldn’t it be cool to see ANY other rider on the road? Not far from the Walmart at the start of our day we encountered a solo rider sporting a PVC contraption that held his head up when his neck muscles fatigued. Later in the day Pattttt got to ride with a solo rider for a stretch. He said the other racer looked good, considering he had ridden almost 2000 miles. His saddle and aero bars were heavily padded for comfort (a relative term indeed).

Our rendezvous with the RV went smoothly, and not long after our arrival the Brits’ crew pulled in. They were about 30 minutes behind, and their crew chief indicated that they were doing well. One of their biggest challenges was dealing with the heat, which was not like home. I told them to wait until they hit the hot and humid east. We’d like to meet these folks in Annapolis for a drink in a few days…

After a hard night’s work the warriors of the night brought team AFC to 1912 miles at about 0000 Race Time. As I close this entry out (0334) Keith and Alex have turned the dial past the 2/3 mark!

6/15/08 1616 race time. Happy Father’s Day!!! Wow, 2 days since my last post. I need the “thought to blog post” converter (with appropriate filter!) to expedite this process.

AFC is more than half way through the race, to the amazement and encouragement of all we encounter. The support from total strangers is tremendous. Tonight we will have the “half way dance party” that Adam has so been looking forward to (see his warm-up dance video w/his bike). PAD actually got us there last night, but didn’t have time to celebrate.

Looks like storms are approaching (lightning strikes, winds). We’ve never done a shift change in the rain, so this will stretch us. (As we speak, Suga is having trouble with his jersey zipper. Sometimes it’s the little things. The weather has been great thus far. So good that on an exchange last cycle Peter decided to forego the shirt and wear just his reflective orange jersey. I didn’t see if he had anything else on other than the jersey... That guy is a great team member. He’s even more quiet than I, with a dryer, sharper with than mine.

( Weather update: NOAA predicts golf-sized hail. Please keep our guys in your prayers since they’re about to go out.)

Weezal and Peter have been in the same support car w/Stacey and I in the other so far. We may go back to the original rotation and mix it up. If we do, then one of us will do 3 mind-numbing Follow Vehicle stints (insert request for prayers for us too…). The tornado watch siren is sounding. Gotta go to Walmart. Will be back soon…

…Well the Walmart Supercenter in Osage Beach MO is awesome. We just sheltered in place for about 30 minutes there while waiting to see if one of two tornados spotted in the area will hit us. Forecast is currently winds of 70mph, rain, and thunder/lightning. Good weather for a TMR, but evidently too much for RAAM. Racers in the area were told to seek shelter until told to continue. Good thing Stacey brought the NOAA radio so we were prepared for this.

How does AFC spend the time while riding out a tornado warning in a Walmart? By heading for the game section of course! Adam: “maybe they have Halo 3!!!” Not. He did find a motorcycle game though. “I can’t go faster. How do I shift?... There.” Pete’s response: “Adam, you should try it in one gear!” (I can’t make this stuff up.) After some donuts and Klondike bars the warning was lifted. After prying apart Fabio’s death grip on a 18” concrete column we headed back to the RV for some awesome pasta.

The terrain has been pretty flat lately and team PAD has been rolling right along. We addressed a few minor issues: a problem cleat (that has already been across the country in summer ‘06), some minor health issues (details omitted in case for the faint at heart), and a crash. Adam was navigating around some train tracks and went down in front of the Follow Vehicle. Fabio did an ABS check which thankfully passed. Let’s do the math: 20mph=29 feet per second. Max following distance per RAAM rules=50 feet. Average ¾ second reaction time (we’ll use ½ for Fabio, who has exceptional reflexes)=15 feet. Assume a 10 foot stopping distance. My sleep deprived mind says that’s a 5 foot margin of error, but maybe I have this wrong. (Hey, I gotta drop in some drama here and there.)

Stacey and Fab stopped at TS 28 to refuel and chat with some TS volunteers. We ran into Team 611, United Eight, the British 8-person mixed team (7 men/1 woman) and wished each other well. Stacey got their contact information to coordinate a possible Annapolis celebration. We send a shout out to you all – good luck!

Pete and Weezal have been jammin’ to music, chillin’, and “the usual leapfrog vehicle stuff.” They had some excitement the other day when their Follow Vehicle got a flat tire. They limped along on the donut and eventually found a used tire – not quite the right size, but acceptable. While Stacey and Fab were doing Follow support in the converted leapfrog vehicle, Adam got a flat. Pat was back in during the blindingly fast wheel swap. Not far down the road Pat had flatted, and we put Adam back on the road again. Sometimes lightning does strike twice.

As I report, I must succumb to the aroma of pasta that has floated into the driver’s compartment. The blueberry pancakes and PB+J 12 hours ago were good, but have since relinquished their hold on my ribs, so I must refill.

BTW, team KAL is back on road, and we will do a shift change soon. There’s a lot to think about on this trip. New experiences, learning more about people, general introspection. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I wouldn’t have missed for the world.

it is 1:00am Monday morning and Adam and I have just finished another leg. We rolled through Missouri!

The only bad thing is that we got caught in Osage, MO right before we were about to start because there was a tornado warning. It was pretty crazy. All these sirens were going off in the town and everyone went to the Walmart to hide from the tornado. We lost about 45min - 1hr of time. Team Cry did not get caught by the tornado so they gained a lot of ground on us.

We are still holding solid with our 4th place!!

According to the RAAM website we are predicted to finish sometime Wednesday night!

-Pat
LoveLife!

Check it out!

As Pat and I were finishing our last shift in Pratt, Kansas I took a nasty fall on the railroad track one mile from the shift change with Team KAL.

I was ok with just a little road rash, it could of been a lot worse. This morning waking up I was a little sore but ok and was back on my bike holding 21+ average:)

Things moving forward nicely and we really thank everyone for visiting the blog! We are getting close and it is cause this SUPPORT TEAM!!

Adam

qlAdam and I have just finished another 6hr shift and we are not into Missouri. Keith and Alex are going to have a hard time in the heat for the next 6hrs.

Last night we went through Pratt, Kansas. There was a time station (RAAM check point) at a McDonald's. The owner came out to greet us. He was awesome! He gave us a case of water bottles and all the cheeseburgers, chicken, etc that we could eat! We thanked him a million times before leaving. Apparently he is doing the same for every team, support crew, and RAAM official in the race.



This morning's shift was the perfect weather. Here is a pic of Kansas sunrise!


Adam was keeping blistering fast speeds today. We rotated every 8miles with Weezal/Peter driving Leap Frog and Stacey/Fabio driving Follow Vehicle. Adam was consistently ~21mph avg per 8mi and I was ~20mph avg.



-Pat
Love Life!

tyWelcome to race coverage Day 5. Mike Z here - What I am doing is creating one blog entry per day with a collection of all the news out on the road from the race (mostly Merrill's updates). Coverage is 12AM - Midnight and will be updated even if there are other blog posts. Here are links to the previous day coverage:
Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4

12:07 AM Sunday morning - I'm in the leapfrog with Mama D. Goat and Papa D are manning the follow car. Temp is 77, humidity up slightly from the mtns, but not unbearable. Quite a few bugs in KS, you can't sit with the interior light on and the door open. That makes me nervous because of the infernal auto locking doors in this dodge caravan. Total mileage on the van is 1687. It had 7 when I got it at the airport in san Diego.

12:33 AM - We are looking to go to rosalia tonight, approx 120 miles. It is just not that exciting for the crew when the road is totally straight and there is not much to look at. We are doing full 30 min exchanges since KAL can maintain a good pace for the full 30. Lots of stars are still visible and the head wind we started with is gone. I spoke to adam briefly at the changeover and he has some problem with his speedplay not wanting to release.

1:15 AM - Well, we just shuttled Alex from the corner of NE 50th street and NE 60th Ave to the corner of NE 50th street and NE 150th Ave. I did not have to turn the steering wheel to make the trip. We did stop at one stop sign. think the county planners here are being a bit optimistic in their naming conventions. 76F at 0058 hrs on Sunday. Happy Fathers day! We have three on the team, Papa D obviously, KR, and me. - Merrill

1:37 AM - I think that Alex is bored by this stage. He is riding with the ipod, hopefully with only one earbud in conformance with raam rules. We passed Cheney state park a minute ago and a long Cheney dam. No relation as far as I can tell. KR is still running the aero position. We made some minor adjustments and he seems to be happy with it. 75F now at 0132 EDT. We are on 21st st N now and 295th west. High traffic as we have been passed by 3 cars since we stopped.

2:07 AM - We are 3 mi from TS 26 at Colwich, KS. Not much going on, really. The biggest issue I have so far is a little blister on the back of my heel. Fortunately I brought a back up pair of shoes so I am no longer in a severe state of suffering. I chose to not tell KAL about my malady. It looks like the worst saddle sores so far belong to Patt. I have no details on that other than I overheard part of an energetic discussion of chamois butter. 74F. 0207 EDT

2:33 AM - Colwich, KS. 1576 miles in the bank. 75F increasing humidity makes you just plain uncomfortable. KR says this is not the most exciting stage of his raam career. He just drank a dark choc frap and is ready to get back at it. 0232 EDT Sunday. Looks like a 100 Ft elevation change over the next 30 miles!!!


4:08 AM - Almost to El Forado, KS. 72F moist and lots of bugs in and out of the car. After the 4 hour century earlier, KAL are just looking forward to getting this one on the books. One more shift each and we will have covered 120 mi tonight.

4:14 AM - KR a little wobbly coming in, balance and senses a little off, but in good spirits. I had to show him which side of the road the car was parked on and he is mumbling about something.

4:43 AM - KR getting ready to go back out. Minor RV problem finding a site. KAL may have to extend. Full you in later I are Alex light coming. RAAM film crew was following him a minute ago.

5:04 AM - Wichita lights in the sky behind us. Chaos in front with the RV. No one was awake 10 min ago. KR on course past TS 27. He is Digging deep for a potentially long night Here's the profile for the next stage - There's a 200Ft climb over 20 miles - think they will notice?


5:08 - RV found a spot 10 miles beyond plan, so that is good news. Hopefully everyone wakes up and is ready when KAL pulls in. Better to ride forward at any speed than to stand around waiting. So its all good, KR is extending his last turn and Alex is putting in one extra. These guys will have ridden around 260 mi in less than 13 hrs. Fantastic effort. When Alex rolled in the last time I had to catch him before he could unclip so he wouldn't tip over. The dude's jersey is soaked with sweat, and his arm glistening. He completely ruined my shower from today! On a bright note, a film crew rode along next to Alex and got some good stuff. Look for him in the Princeton sports jersey.
Mama D is worried that Patt won't get enough food with the RV mixup and her out on the road. She says Patt is very sensitive to not having food on time.

6:02 AM - Roundup of the wee hours of fathers day. Tonight KAL battled headwinds and humidity after a long afternoon against 95+ temps. Keith and Alex are back to life, thinking clearly and satisfied with their effort. The crew pulled together and saved a potentially time losing situation. Patt got his pancakes and is out on the course. Several of is even got to speak with Mike z at 0245. He passed some notes of encouragement to me that I read to KAL between turns. Other notes:
We passed "sugar road" tonight. Pretty much everyone is dissing KS. I apologize if you are from KS. We did not see Dorothy or Toto and we have not encountered any tornadoes. Good night or morning or whatever it is for you. I have a sleep shift now for 6 hrs. Yipee! -Merrill

10:45 - Former GU reports: 10:45 and the RAAMsters have crossed the border into Missouri and perhaps some more interesting scenery. Hang in there everyone!

11:09 AM - Happy Fathers day again. PAD is expected to arrive here at Nevada, Missouri in 20 min. Approx 1757 from start. KAL coverage to resume then. Merrill

11:55 - KR is the first one out this am. He is sporting the AFC polka dots, and red gloves to match the handlebar tape on his surly. He has the aero helmet orechef above his game face. hahaha a little over the top description just to let you picture it. Temp is 83F,blue skieswith a couple wisps in the sky. We are riding through rolling farms that are nice and green. Looks like corn, but it is young. Either that or it is baby corn.

12:04PM - RV 142 just passed us. Some soloist? We have had good weather so far apart from the heat. No sign of building storms yet today, so we are hoping this weather holds. We are headed for lake of the ozarks for the end of this rotation.

12:30 PM - Its really hot for 85f. Alex says these rolling hills are tough in the heat. Course reminds me of the Eat a Peach ride with endless climbs and descents of 100 to 250 feet. 1777 mi. Passing through El Dorado Springs, month
12:33 PM Just passed RV bus 603. Alex is busting out the fierce pink Gatorade strawberry flavor
12:43 PM- Mama D had a strawberry rhubarb pie today. Madi got choked up by it since that is her dads fav. He died 4 years ago. My dad also loved that stuff. He passed away in 1998. I miss him. He was a papa D type guy (?) who would have done a trip like this for me.
12:45 PM- We just passed about 20 cows standing in a little water hole up to their armpits.

12:47 - c/o Rabid AFC RAAMster fan: RV 142 belongs to Solo Male Racer Daniel Rudge who is in last place in that division. (AFC) should be passing more solo racers today including the 2 solo women. The run on good weather may be coming to an end. There is a line of strong Tstms to their NW heading in the direction of their route. The is a 70% chance they'll get nailed with the possibility that the Tstms will be severe. I don't think they'll outrun the storms.
12:50 EDT - Alex bike had a flat on the rack, so KR rode an extra mile while we swapped baby suga's wheel and zoomed up to catch KR and make the swap.
1:01 PM - That's flat 1 for KAL. I think PAD have 5. Roadside highlight. Dead armadillo spotted at mile 1788.3 on raam course.

1:07 PM - Rollers are getting closer together now which means pain on the fixies. Sky is overcast. Potential for some rain this afternoon may be developing.

Sorry for the break - I had some projects to do around the house. - Mike Z

1:12 PM - We are handing up a cold water bottle once during the riders turn so they can dump it over their heads. Its cool since I'm in the passenger seat. Its like I'm at the your driving along next to the rider hanging out the window! (Mike Z can't decipher that one)
1:25 PM - Alex says the pink Gatorade is no good after 5 mins when it gets warm. Keith is out of the saddle on each little rise, then back on the aero bars on the back sides. This is a real test on the fixie since he cannot coast down the back sides.
1:30 PM - Team 618 van just passed and slowed to cheer for KR! KR is dodging pieces of downed trees in the shoulder. The van smells like icy hot again as Alex is putting it on his tired muscles.
1:42 PM - Those crazy bruta (?) painted the road for us and stood by the road cheering! I could only read "surly" something in the message. It was 4 lines of yellow spraypaint. First 2 hrs for KAL covered approx 43 miles.
2:05 PM - Correction. Our English friends are team 611 according to Madi who is driving this van. I'm just here to post to TMR. Must be how YDT feels at work!
2:15 PM - HOT. Van still claiming 85F but definitely feels hotter. Thin ceiling of clouds up high are not providing relief from the sun. Pace is slowing slightly as KAL must dig deep in these increasingly oppressive conditions. The terrain profile is not lying. There has not been even a half mile of flat the whole day so far - Here is the profile:

2:25PM - Gas price in Wheatland, MO is $3.75. Alex is pining for Kansas. "this is torture" he says. Looks like an accurate measure so far is 66 mi in 3:20.
2:47 PM - KR climing a little short steep. Out of the saddle, yanking the bars and straining to hold a 42 cadence. We slowed to let 8 cars pass, and they are all afraid to pass KR. Alex is "itching to get back on the bike". Seems to be having mood swings.
2:59 PM -THE GOAT is taking it easy today. He passed us twice, it looks like he shaved so at least the car will smell better tonight. He stopped once to break open PhillyK's big loaner camera and record some riding. There is an ominous looking cloud following us. Keith may remove the HED wheel if it starts storming. We also wants to eliminate the aero bars. I'm only happy to do that for him.
3:04 PM - Today is roadkill day. We just passed armadillo number 6. We've also seen like 20 turtles, some of whom are not yet roadkill, but are showing potential.
3:19 PM - Threatening skies behind. Headwind picking up for no good reason I can think of. Alex just opened the box of oreo double stuffs we have been transporting. I am displeased by this. Now that they are opened we may have to stop for a bottle of milk.
3:37 PM - 80 F now. Skies darkening, but no rain yet. I'm thinking PAD get poured on this afternoon. We are under 20 mi to TS 31 and we are going 14 past that to end at Osage Beach, Missouri.
3:44 PM - Word is they expect haul (hail?) at TS 31. 14 mi ahead. I'm driving now so reports will be shorter. Probably a relief to most of you. Here's a preview of the profile:

3:52 PM - Missouri people seem to have the least clue about passing cyclists of any state so far.
KR is in the car and feeling feisty, ordering me around and acting tough. Not raining yet.
3:59 PM KR is rolling his legs with a wooden rolling pin, really! We may be out riding the storm.

4:37 PM **Tornado warning** We are hunkered down with solo number 142 in some gas station. 125 is here too.
5:00 PM - Tornado abetting, KR is helping the 1 arm solo rider who is sheltering here as well.
KAL Wrap up from Sunday afternoon: We went through the time station at Camdenton, MO just as the tornado warning went off. We collected KR and sped back to the TS for shelter. I didn't realize how windy it was when I was moving "quickly" to get Keith. The door blew open violently, and as I reached for it my RAAM hat blew off. What to do? I watched it land in a vacant lot and hesitated. Oh well.
At the TS we met the one-armed Swiss RAAM racer who was in bad shape. His arm was sore. One of his team asked me if we had a doctor on our crew. I said no, but we have a PT. So Keith tried to help the guy out, but English was not a common language and the guy is suffering from something Keith called "overuse." We left him with his elbow in a bucket of ice. We also met solo #142 who looked like a zombie. We're in the RV now with a real keypad and just passed 142 at mile 1,889 on Hwy 54 toward Jefferson City, MO. Glad to see him still moving.
Anyway, after the tornado, it of course started pouring. Alex volunteered to ride the 13 miles to the RV to complete the shift. We drove to our last point on the course and my hat was still there, so now I have a bonus souvenir, a hat covered with dirt and mud. KAL were going to split the last 13, but once Alex was totally soaked, he just went for the whole thing. There was some cloud-to-cloud lightning, but it didn't really seem "unsafe" so we soldiered on, eager to handoff to PAD. Team PAD actually left the RV without Patt's bike, but since they had two vans, they were able to come back and get it without slowing the progress. The crew totally pulled together in this weather situation to keep the effort moving. Couple random notes from the day:
Before there was any rain, we got a little lightning strike about a mile away from Alex on the bike. I thought, "one more like that and we are stopping." Fortunately, at least from a mythbusters perspective, there was high ground on both sides of the road, so it seemed like we probably would not get hit by lightning. :-) Hey, it's a race, after all.
A few minutes after the lightning strike we came to a 400 foot climb of some difficulty. KR sprinted up that like a man possessed. Turns out he is acutely afraid of lightning. I know the feeling, at least the fear part, if not the ability to sprint uphill like that.
There were reports of funnel clouds touching down within a couple miles of the RV. None of us saw them.Was a day of ups and downs. Hot and tired to full of adrenaline. Next stop for RV is Marthasville, MO and TS33 Cheers! Merrill

eAFC is now in 4th place in the 4-Man Relay Division!

RAAM Stats Page

Team Pat/Adam (PAD) is doing great! We are not tired yet and we are not slowing down. We just went over the 2 biggest mountain passes of the trip.

Here is another entry from Fabio. We are currently in Boise City, OK getting some wash done, food, and other unnecessary things. Enjoy!

PS - Happy Father's Day a day early to all Dad's :)

- weez


Friday, 6-13-08, 1338 Race Time.
We are pulling out of the Visitor's Center in Durango, Colorado with Papa D at the helm (currently negotiating out of the RV area in reverse [my heart thumping...]), Fabio tap-tapping on the blog riding shotgun, Pat sleeping (eat, sleep, ride, repeat), Peter asnooze, Stacey gathering thoughts for a future blog, Weezal directing the RV, and Adam wide awake, too wired to sleep ("I feel like I should be riding now," he says).

Let's try to recap some of the events of the past few (only 2?!) days of racing. Pardon the stream of consciousness, but with the schedule we're keeping it's amazing some of us are conscious at all.

I must start by closing on the previous blog prediction. Adam did, in fact, blow past racer after racer on the big opening ascent. I’ll tell you what I would have been thinking – he’ll burn out before the top or maybe won’t even be able to finish out the day. Well after almost 2 days of racing all of our guys are going strong. I knew there would be ample opportunity to see these guys climb, but we got a good dose going from TS5 to TS6 (Congress, AZ to Prescott, AZ). Adam took the first nibble: an 1800 foot climb over 7 miles. Watching him wend through the switchbacks is hypnotic - back bobbing slightly, head moving back/forth, quads driving relentlessly. Maybe I’m just a cycling neophyte, but I don’t know how the human machine holds together under such stress. The tremendous torque and overall effort expended to reach such a summit is incomprehensible to me (especially considering the tall gear he’s pushing). At one of the dry runs back east Madio commented on the rhythm the riders have, and that doesn’t fade on the climbs. Unfortunately, Adam didn’t encounter other racers on that particular mountain because I know he would have gone even faster and succeeded in his quest to overcome. He is driven. He rides because he loves it. He is a competitor.
Our second climb on the way to Prescott is placed on the broad shoulders of our hero, Patt. 1100 feet in 6 miles – not for the faint of heart. What’s interesting about Patt is that no matter what you ask him to do, he accepts the challenge. “Patt, wanna climb that mountain?” “How about this descent?” “Would you mind taking an extra turn at the end to get us to the next Time Station?” He is always willing. On this particular day he was both willing and able. Patt has a different style than Sugar – less movement while seated and more nimble and quicker in/out of the seat. At the heart of his engine are two strong cylinders that motivate his machine anywhere he steers. I must say that it’s hard to get to know a rider from a few 25 mile TMRs here and there. But after just a few short days on RAAM with Patt, he’s the guy that goes long. The engine that could. The Energizer Bunny. He’s Perpetual Patt – always pushing to the end. I should have figured this out from hearing about the marathons and Iron Man competitions he has completed. There was also chat at the hotel in Oceanside, CA about how Baby Suga could beat Patt in a foot race. Well, a sprint, 10K, and maybe 10mi. But Patt would have the edge on the half-marathon and longer races. But I digress... Back to the mountain where this man is powering up the hill relentlessly. After a long push he crests the top and spins down with a blistering cadence, ready to devour anything else RAAM throws at him. Hey, RAAM isn’t a sprint, a 10K, or even a 10 mile foot race. It’s a true endurance bike race that will break unprepared solo and team racers alike. When I think about Patt’s ability to go long I get even more excited about AFC’s chances.

Hello and Welcome to RAAM Race coverage day four. Here is an elevation profile of the stage they are currently racing from Taos, NM to Cimarron, NM - Mike Z (going to bed) I will continue to update this one post throughout the day even if there are newer entries added above it.
1:00 AM - Alex will be in red river soon. I changed vans so I could switch alexto the 48 17. Its a surly flip-flop hub so the change only takes a minute. We will gain 1200 feet in the next 10 miles. Both riders serfping (?) well and trying to pace themselves. KR started at 118am EDT This climb would be beautiful in the daytime. You can see the canyon walls in themoonlight rising straight up on both sides. We just passed goat hill campground.

1:24 AM - We have to keep the interior lights out so that we don't attract the moths. Temp is 47f going to be cold going down the back of this. We just watched jeanfhe (?) is looking very strong tonight. All business, he was getting his game face on earlier.

1:50 AM -The final 4 miles of the climb rise a leg busting 1200 feet to the summit of bobcat pass.
After that we say adios to the Rockies. Of the next 300 mi, 280 are downhill - Merrill

2:00 AM - Alex a bit lightheaded at 8600ft. KR going for the final push at 0200EDT. Approx 7 mi. There is snow on the sides of the road and it is 44f. Climb is relentless, but not unbearably steep. Passing thru red river now. RV from team 611 is now following goat and Madi in the follow van for team AFC. Keith is still carrying a nice cadence of around 60 on the 48x18.
2:21 AM - Now taking the turn out of red river the road goes straight up and his cadence is down to 30. Earlie today he hit 45 mph and the cadence was over 140. Took 2 of us to count it, one watching KR and the other calling out the time.
2:27 AM - 3 mi to the summit and KR is stepping it up a bit. Alex is going to polish this one off.
Final assault - Gotta be a 15+ % grade. For the last 2 miles and 2 to go. Alex is up to a 42 cadence with a slight drop in the grade. Baby Sug is yanking on the bars and putting his whole self into this monster.
2:37 AM - KR is back on. 41f freezing. Baby sug is getting dressed for the descent. Under a mile to the summit. KR is looking strong. Baby sug is back in the land of the living. Throats burning from lack of O2.
2:44 AM KR has reached the too of bobcat pass 1084 miles in the bag. We are now beginning our departure from the rocky mtns. Baby sug is flying. All Keith is talking about is food. Taco bell, and his new fav Angelos in So Cal. Summit temp was 35f. Says it isthe biggest climb he has ever done. He also says he could never have made it without all the training assistance of his tmr pals! OK I made that one up. He would like to thank his wife for letting him climb this mountain.
Alex is on course, but he is surely thankful to his awesome babe cleo. He also I'm sure is thankful to those surly fellows in Minn for building such a sturdy machine.
(note from Mike Z - not sure if the times are EDT they are coming in late or Merrill forgot to convert)
*Message from JK* Merrill - Your posting this evening has been terriffic. Just want to give you sum cred for a great job. Please pass it on to the whole crew - they do these guys a great honor to make their experience possible! -JK
*Message from Jellyfish* Kudos fellas! ROCK ON! -JF FELLAS: Madi, Stacey, Moms, Dads....EVERYONE!
The RAAM Website puts AFC in 4th place at Time Station 20 (Abbott, NM) with 1166 miles covered. They are currently between Abbott, NM and Clayton, NM. Here is the profile for that stage:
11:08 AM - PAD Result: 130 mi, 6 hrs Ending Felt, OK

1:08 PM Merrill gets clean - I just paid 9 bucks Boise City, OK for a shower. First since CALI. Now I'm racing to Elkhart Kansas to catch up. KAL are riding about 24 mph for the first 60 mi. A very hot 87f and once again no clouds. Elkhartis TS 22 We are very close to TX although there is some dispute over the border. - Clean Merrill

1:24 PM - Some Irish dude - I just spoke to a nice Irishman in a pink shirt riding a bicycle in the middle of nowhere. Nice chap, just riding along by himself. Was surprised that the country was so big. 1324 EDT Saturday - Merrill

1:29 PM - Equipment test - AFC magnets on van and saris rack are good to 150 kms. hypothetically speaking. Cruise is set to posted speed as per the rules. - Unsigned

1:30 PM - Although it hurt me to do so, I attached aero handles to KR s bike and out on the HED front wheel. I called surly and they issued a RAAM exemption to allow him to ride like that without losing all street cred. - Merrill

1:44 PM - Pizza - Trying todo something special for KAL. They are in solo support mode witk madi and goat shuttling whilei bask in luxury of shower and chillaxing. I'm at pizza hut getting something for KR. Alex requested macD's but the guy says the closest one is 30 miles! AD wants a dbl cheeseburger, may have to settle for personal pan. I'm tapping my foot impatiently since I have to catch up with the pizzas! - Merrill

Here is the profile of the current stage between TS 22 Elkhart, OK and TS 23 Plains, KS
1:59 PM - Irish are team 611. Guy has whole face covered with zinc sun lotion. KAL are 15 mi east of TS 22 at 1353 EDT. That's 1326 total, closing in on half way. That is 75 miles this shift so far in maybe 3:20, I forgot to start my watch. - Merrill

2:08 PM - These guys are all like soldiers, tired hungry dirty. They keep pounding away the miles not wanting to let down the team the crew the supporters and people who give money for ADA and PSC. When they finish a climb segment they are SPENT, often apologizing they couldn't go farther as I hold their bike while they unclip and gasp for air. Minutes later they go right back outto help the other guy who is by then starting to wither. Back and forth this goes on 24-7. I got to read a couple of these posts on a real computer and I have to mention that my typing and spelling are sponsored by blackberry and their excellent "
"Suretype" keypad! - Merrill

2:14 PM - Temperature rising - 92F now. Goat is handing up water bottles to dump over their heads. RAAM rules allow max of 4 handups per hour. They have rules foreverything.
2:27 PM From the chase car, Madi W says KR is on cruise control...at 26MPH -W
3:20PM - Hugoton KS - Stopped at mcd's, now I got to catch back up.

3:19 PM EDT executed the dbl cheese burger handup. Plain with only ketchup. No problem keeping it warm with temp at 94f and a large dashboard in the minivan. -Merrill

Nice Article about the race in The View from Ellicott City.

4:05 PM Merrill answers reader's questions:
-No, KR is not wearing tri shorts or wings to go with his aero bars
-KR had a plain pizza
-Baby sug ate 2 dbl cheeseburgers
-Patt does not seem to have gained any weight. He is in his usual high spirits
-Adam is also cherry and very polite to the crew
-Yes, we really wish that there had been a toilet available at the last RV stop
@ Mile 1380 - Baby sug just passed me at the corner of US 83 and SR 51. 96F He is hungry, but enjoyed the cheeseburgers. I'm thinking of trying out for chef for one of the pro teams. We are starting to see some puffy cumulus building on the horizon to the east. We are riding toward an area that had some flooding recently, or so I am told. I'm in a news blackout. My wife told me about russert, that is really sad. -Merrill

4:34 PM - We have 2 aero helmets for the team. Adam requested he get one to start the next shift. I'm taking KRs in while Alex finishes the segment to TS 23. I have to clean offall thebugs first, these guys are flying. Unofficial first 100 miles today in 4 hour 7 mins. Total looks to be 140 with about 8 mi togo. There is a chance they finish it under 6 hours. Was it the cheeseburgers and pizza? No way, it was just a serious pedaling effort with great solo vehicle support from Madi and the Goat! You can't say "chaprau" to that, more like a 10 gallon hat. Temp now 98F Gotta go change out the van and drive the RV to TS 24 25 and beyond! See you in Annapolis. Merrill

Here is the profile for the next stage ending in Bucklin, KS:







10:25 PM - Cunningham, KS. I just got a nice nap while goat drove the RV. Its 2225 sat night RV is here. Eta for PAD is 11:00PM. Mileage to here is 1518, woo hoo more than half way.I'll update you on the road, gotta go adjust KR s aero handles. - Merrill

Adam and I are feeling great!! We had one extra long shift last night and we were pretty whiped out afterwards but then we both got 5+hrs of sleep and we woke up ready to roll!!!

Our shift this morning was a piece of cake even with a few mountains at the end. We entered into Colorado within the first few miles of that shift. We had Weezal/Peter driving Leap Frog and Stacey/Fabio driving Follow Vehicle. After 6:30am when the Follow Vehicle was no longer needed Stacey/Fabio went back to the RV to do some laundry and cleanup stuff while Weezal/Peter provided us with full support from the Leap Frog vehicle.

We are resting right now. I just slept for about 2hrs and Adam is still sleeping. We have a very hard shift ahead of us. Apparently there will be a good amount of mountains to pass!!

-Pat
LoveLife!

Here is a video of Keith biking during the night while Merrill and MamaD drive in the follow vehicle. The follow vehicle must drive closely behind the rider from 7:30pm until 6:30am local time every night.



Here are Pat and Adam doing a rider exchange during the day. Notice they are wearing their Princeton Sports Jerseys today! Princeton Sports was there for us every step of the way in preparing for this event.



-Pat
LoveLife!

Here is a picture from the very start of the Race. Shown from left to right: Weezal, Alex, Pat, Adam, Keith.

-Pat
LoveLife!

Welcome to Race day three!

1:00 AM Friday - New shift just started for KAL I don't have much info on the last PAD shift, but cheery Patt was "tired" when I asked him how he felt.
Goat and I are in the follow car and papa/mama D are in the leapfrog. Goat is driving, so no need to worry about emailing while driving for this stage! Mama D was a but distressed when I videod KR descending the canyon earlier today when I was driving. I felt like bruyneel at one time I had two phones going and I was steering with my knee.
Later I felt like a real race mechanic. I was got tired and wearing filthy shorts getting a sunburn on the side of the road. I had to catch KR a couple of times at the end of his effort since it was steep and he was so tired he seemed he would tip over. Then he would go out again in 10 to 15 minutes. Ironmen!

2:35 - Alex just passed a very large jackrabbit. Goat estimates he has slept maybe 2 hr's since oceanside. I have maybe 4.5, but I was in the military and can sleep anywhere. Alex is humming along a gentle downhill at 28 mph. Kayenta, AZ: KR tipped over at an exchange. Kinda funny at 0140 in the morning. We just passed TSegi, AZ. The route book says there is an 8000 ft peak to our left, but its too dark to see. - Merrill

2:50 AM - We are 10 miles from Utah and monument valley. Alex is sporting the aero helmet again, but he has offset it with a flapping windbreaker. Temp is 52f outside. Goat has the AC set to 32f inside so he won't fall asleep. At night the rider cannot be on the course without a follow car with a special light setup. So if we need to pee Alex will have to stop. I think we could probably eliminate out the sliding door without stopping, but that probably violates a raam rule.

3:10 AM - Now we are in monument valley and goat is upset because he can't see anything. We can just make out the shapes in the light of the half moon. We will soon pass by brigham Young's tomb at monument pass. It is only a 600 ft climb in 6 miles for KR. After seeing a lot of other teams all day, we just saw our first other team tonight. Motorhome from team 601 was on the side of the road. Our own RV just passed is on its way to the next shift change. It is a veritable traffic jam. We are planning on 110 to 120 miles for this 6 hr shift. - Merrill

3:13 AM - Keith has been running his headlight blinky YDT style, but earlier a raam official pulled alongside and told him to out it on steady. We have covered 661 miles as of 313 am Friday.-Merrill

3:45 AM - Goat and I just had a great view of the monuments backlit by the moon and stars, silhouetted above us on the horizon as we stood there emptying our bladders in a huge sigh of relief. We had to stop for the break because I found the megaphone under the seat. Since Keith has no radio tonight I started shouting instruction and encouragement to him through the megaphone. I had a hard time keeping a straigt face with the Megaphone, and could not finish a sentence, goat was about to wet himself. Many things are funnier at 340am. - Merrill

4:06 AM - Alex coming into Mexican hat, UT. 679 miles in, 2335 to go.

5:36 am - Keith just climbed 1225 ft in 12 mi. Standing most of the way and maintaining 14 to 19 mph the whole way. He is the energizer he is the man. On another note, goat just saw a second shooting star. We also saw one car the entire time KR was ascending. They don't have serious traffic problems here. -Merrill

6:30 AM - 46f, it is feeling cold. Hi today was about 85f but all sun and very dry. Alex will ride the last 10 to time station 12, montezuma creek, UT. As Keith was riding up to the exchange at 0600 EDT, 0400 local, he was cresting a small incline. Just above him a shooting star left a blazing vertical tail, a fitting salute to a courageous effort for the oldest rider on the squad.
As Alex built up speed on the back of the rise, he was greeted by a second flash across the sky. He earned it today! Timestation will be 718.9 miles at approx 0630 EDT. I'm looking forward to my second sleep shift. Goat sends greetings to all his tmr buddies. Please send Starbucks gift cards care of The Goat. Cheers! - Merrill

9:45 AM They've made it to TS13, Cortez, CO, still solidly in 5th place, 54 minutes behind 4th and almost 2 hrs in front of 6th. They're in the heart of the Rockies now. I hope they can take advantage of the climbs and gain ground on the competition. This is an epic endeavor! - GU

1:20 PM Report care of Dave Tambeaux - Your intrepid East Coast RAAM reporter here will go to any length to snag a story, including calling AFC rolling HQ on the road. All kidding aside Merrill called while I was at lunch and I have been empowered to give the story here. M put me on with KR, who I am happy to say sounded very fresh and much more with it than yesterday. I would go so far to say he is recovering to the shock of climbing to start RAAM and is now feeling very good. He called himself Walter Mitty, when I told him it was the press on the phone. KR’s sleep story begins with riding himself into complete exhaustion near Medicine Hat, which he said was in Utah, so we will go with that. KR also said they passed no other teams or team cars for a long time. The race apparently is getting very spread out. After eating he went right to sleep, although he said he used the eye covers to aid getting to sleep without interruption. They are just east of Durango CO and headed to Pagosa Springs CO. Soon to be climbing for 30 miles although KR said it was nothing serious for team PAD as it was only 1,400 feet in elevation change. Merrrill was giving KR info as we talked and relayed that the are over one quarter of the way done, hitting the 828 ¾ mile mark as we spoke. I love Merrill getting it right to the last drop, maybe he can be Folgers from now on. KR said he was looking forward to the flats and getting to use the aerobars. They are either going to hit or just hit the high point (I think it is coming) at Lamanga Pass which tops out over 10,000 feet above sea level. I bet the views are magnifico. I then spoke with Goat who just got off sleep detail along with some others. He said Madi was driving while the bunch slept. Goat says he was knocked out cold. It took the RV 4 hours to go 100 miles through some narrow winding roads. Just now Merrill is shouting encouragement to Alex who is riding uphill and they are prepping KR to go back out very soon. Goat says the support team is eating mostly trail mix and assorted sandwiches and an occasional French Toast thrown in for good measure. Most wakeup calls are followed by downing Starbucks Double Shots. When KR woke up to ride he immediately did his Starbucks DS and just jumped on his bike straight away.
Goat relayed what a disappointment it was to miss the daytime beauty of Monument Valley in AZ. He said they saw 4 shooting stars. The moon however confused them frequently thinking it was an approaching car (from behind). I think the desert does weird stuff like this when you are sleep deprived. He said the entire night they did not see another car.

1:17 PM (I think) - 68f at 1317 EDT at some Indian reservation. KR on course, van smells like icy got in the van from Alex. Boys are sporting the Princeton sports jerseys today - Merrill

2:00 PM from Merrill in Alison, CO - Not an exciting place - 849 in the bank.

2:17 PM - 30mi and 1600 ft to pagosa springs. 74f at 217p EDT. Goat and I are measuring out the pain in smaller doses today. Averaging about 7 to 8 mi at a time. Zero clouds and noahdr (??) on the course. Fantastic blue sky as we head up the valley from 6000 to 7600 ft. - Merrill

3:30 - 3 miles to Pagosa 73f No oxygen -Traffic
3:38 - KR is out of the saddle attacking - GO Keith Go!!!!
3:41 PM - Team 607 bus just passed us
3:47 PM - 7069 feet entering town boys really out down the poweron the climb! (??Merrill??)
3:51 PM - PAD is taking over now and they will take the team to the highest point on RAAM at over 10,000 feet.

6:53 PM - Keith and Alex rode 97 miles in 5 hrs. It was an inspirational effort, especially by Alex who had some early problems getting going and complained of back soreness. Later he was matching a very strong KR who was feeling good after 4 hrs of sleep.
Goat and I provided solo support and it worked out pretty well. We would follow for a time and then when the rider began to fade we would zip ahead slightly and stage the next rider. As we buzzed the guy on course he would get a little energy burst he needed to get up to the rider exchange. If we had enough time, goat would film the exchange and the scenery that has him completely in awe!
Next up for PAD is the highest point on the course at La Manga pass 10275 ft. KAL are resting up for the assault on the terrain around the beautiful Taos, NM. Including the trip up bobcat pass between TS 18 and 19. Goat is driving the RV I'm writing you. Papa D is sleeping, Mama D and Madi are napping in the suite. KAL are sleeping. Everyone else is out on the course. Oh and I forgot, goat spotted a cloud a few minutes ago -Merrill.

6:55 PM - Keith says: We were penalized 15 minutes for a late call in of time station 14 :( I guess we'll have to make it up in the hills :) Ps - Maero's new name will now be Pedro the late evening entertainer. It's a party on the graveyard shift!!!

10:26 PM - Crossed the 1000 Mile mark with Patt Riding.

11:09 PM - A bat just buzzed Alex. I am in the followcar with Madi, KR has taken one turn. We left the 1k mark about 5 min after Patt showed. We had to get the vans and crew switched out and the rider cannot ride at night unsupported. Goat and papa D are in the leapfrog. Sun is nearly set on another beautiful day of cool and dry, but not enough oxygen. RAAM never sleeps. I let some Irish dudes use my mobile since they couldn't call in their time. Pay phones all broken (2) and 1 of 5 cell phones working. I think they got a penalty for being late. Could be they were team cry. I think they had a guy crash and get concussed. Once team Cry's time gets posted, they will probably be back ahead of us. Their rider is ahead of us presently. - Merrill

11:15 - Rio Grande gorge - Just crossed the bridge. Like to come back in the daylight.
11:25 PM - we are 10 mi from Taos, NM. Here is the profile for the stage being completed:

11:30 PM - After Taos we start climbing again for 40 miles. From 22 to 40 the gain is. 7271 to 9836! KR is going to ride a 48x18. Alex is sticking with the 16 on the back.

This is what it looks like when we have to 'race' down a hill on a fixie!



-Pat
LoveLife!

Good morning and welcome to RAAM coverage day two. I will try to collect and post all the reports from today in this entry as they come in. If You have any questions for the riders or the support staff, post them in the comments or Email me and I will get them answered when Merrill calls. - Mike Z

5:20 AM Thursday Eastern Time- Keith is mixing it up with 18 Wheelers on eastbound I-10 near quartzite, az. Next available 24 hour gas is 140 miles, so we had to stop for fuel.
It is a beautiful night with lots of stars that you rarely see in the DC sky. Very little light pollution out here. Temp is 75. Alex out on a vest when it was 64 earlier but may be regretting it now as he has taken over for Keith on the 10. Alex is stylin in his aero helmet.
Earlier this afternoon Keith was riding up a steep incline where a geared rider passed him. He was apologizing later and said he must have "first day jitters". Really, that is what he said! The grade was like 12%+ for a mile when he got passed. I told him not to worry, the race is 3014 miles. Recently adjusted up from 3008 miles.
We are now at mile 261 at 0520 eastern. That includes 18 miles going 65 in the van in a section of the course that was eliminated due to unsafe construction so they had is out the rider in the van for a short time. - Merrill

6:36 AM - Here in az it is down to 60 F as we approach Vicksburg junction. Keith just stomped out 11.2 miles in 28 min! Alex is on course now and pounding out his last segment this shift.
KAL are riding 30 min each, taking turns for 6 hours while PAD rest. The RV drives 110 to 120 miles ahead and the riders ride to it. Then everyone switches and the new riders head out on the course. We are about to enter hope, az where timestation 4 is located. Only 50 more to Annapolis. - Merrill

7:00 AM Its down to 60f now as we enter Salome, AZ. I'm very tired and looking forward to my first sleep shift. Be back around 2p eastern. - Merrill

10:00 AM - Clint Provenza from Severna Park checks in with the following message for the AFC team: "Hey Mike, please pass along that many SPP folks are watching the RAAM news and wishing everyone well. You all are off to a roaring start holding it above 20mph. And I saw the segment for 50 mi at 25mph! Totally awesome. Wish I was there, after all it was a Thurs am, my usual EC day...just not the same chasing Adam up Lawyers without everyone."

11:00 AM Lee from the my PSC Support group passes on the following message to AFC: "Thank you so much !! I'll be rooting for the team ! May their legs and bodies make the distance ! They are awesome. - Lee

1:28 PM They just rolled into Prescott with the 2nd fastest avg speed (18.23) into TS6 (behind the Irish boys). The guys are on fire and are just 1 minute behind the 4th place team (whom they passed on the road into Prescott) and 14 minutes out of 3rd. Outstanding performance by both AFC squads!!! - Thanks for the update from the cyclist formerly known as GU

2:10 PM - Alex been climbing 7 miles, 3 to go. Too is 7030 feet, just passed 6000 sign. 78 degrees and no shade. Scrub brush and rocks and some pine trees, beautiful for me pain for Alex. - Merrill

2:30 - YDT reports on a Phone call from Keith: I just spoke with KR, by phone. He had Merrill post to give him a call. KR was lucid, but you could tell the toll of sleep deprivation. He has not slept since Tuesday night. Says its hard to sleep in the RV rocking and rolling around. He was quite surprised by the quick shock of a 7-8 mile climb right out of the box yesterday. Said the climb was 7% or so. Ouch. He said the climbing is mostly out of the saddle on that kind of pitch with his gearing. Said it took a lot out of him. Mouth is extremely dry in the desert too. Said they are cheering other riders they pass in the van as the follow Alex now. He is going to have to jump out soon as he will be taking over in the middle of the mountain climb. Says he is climbing to 7K feet. KR commented that there is a very international feel to things as they have competitors from 17 countries. Oh he has to go now, he is taking over for Alex. - Thanks Dave!

6:05 PM I have a limp in my throat. We've been climbing for 30 miles on 89A into Flagstaff, AZ. Giant Tour style climb with cloudless sky and up to 15% grades. Coming into flagstaff timestation now. - Merrill

6:20 PM - 25 hours elapsed. 81 F in Flagstaff, cloudless, breezy the wrong way. Very dry, everyone has chapped lips. Alex nose so dry he out a little Vaseline in it.
Keith may sleep tonight for the first time. He was in bad shape but rose from the dead in the van to resume the climb several times. I'm serious about having a lump in my throat. Alex thought he was letting us down when he pulled over to let Keith takeover at one really steep point. They were doing 2 mile shifts for a time due to the grade and the 48 x 17 gearing. Incredible!-Merrill

7:00 - Merrill said 490 miles covered. KAL off duty PAD racing!

Adventures For the Cure currently in Third place at Time Station 2:):) 20.34 mph is crazy FAST!

Go here


Adam

Fabio is one of our support crew members! I have been with him a lot of the race so far, he has been an amazing driver/navigator!!

Adam

June 11 – Race Day!

This glorious day began with some last minute shopping at Walmart – batteries, Gatorade, water (36 Gallons!), double shots, much chocolate, rolls, recovery drink (you get the idea…). After a hearty breakfast, Mama D brought in a birthday pie for Alex, who turned 23 today. Happy birthday, Alex! Papa D next briefed the team on final preparations. Merrill then reviewed logistics for the first 54 miles of the race, which includes the Parade route, a tightly controlled support section, and a leapfrog support section.

After the team meeting, with supplies in hand, the workers jumped into action, reconfiguring Leapfrog and Follow vehicles for the first few segments of the race. Each vehicle was stocked with gels and bars, 5G of Cera Sport, and repair supplies. Cooks made sandwiches and stocked coolers with other drinks.

With plenty of time to spare, it was off to the starting line, where our heroes socialized with other teams (many of which just shook their heads, wondering how these guys would fare on their Surleys). Adam chatted with the founder of TT1. We heard more stories of supporting charities, bike building, and cool gear. Hydration and nutrition intake continued, and rider introductions commenced around 13:15 hours local time. Patt led the team in a quick prayer, and then AFC (Team 402) rolled to the line amid tremendous cheers. After all riders were in place and the National Anthem was sung, the countdown began, 10, 9, 8…

After launch, the crew headed to the support vehicles and parted ways.

I’m sitting at the table, tapping on Weez’s laptop as the RV sways gently, making its way along Route 78, 3.9 miles away from our first landing point. In just a few short minutes the crew will spring into action, heating dinner, setting up dishwashing and laundry stations, and preparing for the first shift of riders to arrive. Spirits and energy are high, with both expectations and uncertainty in our minds. My guess is that right about now Adam is waiting for the other 3 riders to turn over the baton to him. He will then face 8 miles of solo uphill racing. I’d love to see the look on the other racers’ faces as he Steamrolls them and they struggle to downshift and keep their cadence. I’m glad I’m here…

Fabio

check out this article

Pat and I are eating pancakes:) and about to take a nap:)

This support team is AMAZING:)

Adam

Here's a collection of reports from Merrill on the road. Currently the post via email is not working So I am gathering them all together here.
Mile 21.7 Alex's tire is softening. Pat and Keith are in the front of the race due to and alphabetical start. Adam just arrived in the goat and Madi mobile to climb the first big hill.

Mile 28 @ 3:55 West Coast time - I just got an update from Merrill:
Adam just finished his rotation and was replaced on the road by Alex. Adam passed 4-5 other teams on an 8 mile climb. Patt and Adam are going to rest while Alex and Keith start their first shift. (Merrill said the start was a non standard rotation)
Always helpful, Merrill saw a guy with a triathlete bike at the start having trouble adjusting his gears and pitched in and made some adjustments. I wonder how confident the racer would be knowing it was the mechanic for the the fixed gear guys that helped him out with his gear issues.

4:31 - We are cutting keiths distance short a little as he has been riding uphill for 8 miles. Very steep the whole time. - Merrill

4:55 Pacific time - Just passed thru la jolla Indian reservation. Temp a nice 78 and sunny. High desert with lots of shade on the course. Keith will be first AFC rider to go thru a time station.
At TS1, AFC is tied for 1st having ridden in 3:09 averaging 17.37 MPH.

5:50 Pacific - 40 miles 18.8 AV including 13 mu parade route in 45 mins approx. Includes at least 12 miles climbing and probably 3k feet. Both Keith and Alex were flying. I'm going in the RV next 100 mu, so news blackout coming up. Cheers from santa ysabel, CA! - Merrill

7:17 PM Pacific - 5 hours. Patt decends 3000 feet in 10 miles. (ouch) Passing ocotillo wells. Elev 600? Temp like 90 something. Merrill and goat in the RV

Merrill seems to be reporting times now using Eastern time so I will also from this point. - MZ
11:45 - PAD passed the lowest point on the course around 1145p, but I am in the RV so I am not sure. Lowest point is -179 feet near the salton sea.
They also will pass within 19.5 miles of Mexico when they get to is at glamis, CA. Glamis is also the sand toy (motorized) capital of the world. I wish it was light! Patt and adam (pad) should be here around 2am.
All times eastern. It is 1217 am Thursday now.
Go AFC!
All the euro teams we have met think we are crazy to be using fixies. I told them it would not be a challenge to ride their whole continent since most of it could fit in CALI alone. The brits have a good sense of humor. - Merrill

12:50 AM Eastern - Mama D is getting pancakes ready for Pat and everyone else coming in. Word on the course is that Patt will gain weight on the trip. Merrill, Glamis, CA

1:47 AM Thursday - Ok, so PAD were too fast and got in early so no cakes for me. Team KAL is on the course out of glamis. Alex is riding a 10 mile climb up to 1000 feet starting from below sea level - Merrill

2:15 AM - Alex did the 10.7 miles in 30 mins! 185 miles in the bank in the first 9 hrs and 13 min. Temp 84f

2:25 AM - I'm in the follow car navigating while madi drives. Easy to navigate when we are on this road for like 80 miles. Just passed the US border patrol station on hwy 78. They waved us right through.




-Mike Z

RAAM 2008 has started!! Right now all the support vehicles are driving to where they need to get to so they can support our guys. More info and pics to follow :)

- weez

All vehicles are packed, the start is scripted, we're leaving the hotel at 345p eastern.



All 4 riders are riding the 13 mile parade route to the official start.



PR has a fresh mohawk. Pics to follow!



Merrill



''''

Here are some videos of our last training ride :)

Merrill is taking the videos.

We spent all of the day getting ready for the race. It starts tomorrow at 5:00pm EST. I can't wait!

Merrill, our amazing bike mechanic spent much of the day going over our bike setup and teaching others the basics of how to fix and maintain bikes while on the road.

Madi, MamaD, and Stacey cooked enough dinner for the next 3 days!! I had a taste of the chili and it was great.

Weezal spent hours upon hours highlighting the route book and inserting route changes. That guy just works.

Peter Ramdial was diligent in documenting all of the days activities on PHillyK's camera. PHillyK is planning on using the footage taken by Peter to make a 20-30minutes "Bonus Feature" to our Documentary Movie when he sells it on DVD.

Fabio, PapaD, and The Goat were all busy with making sure we are ready to roll come tomorrow. There is just so much to do.

We took a bunch of pictures of the riders and support crew....





-Pat
Love Life!

Today we spent getting ready for the race and resting as best we can before the big event!

The support crew who drove out to meet us arrived at 4:00am. We all woke up when they got here to go out and give them hugs. They were super tired but they made it!!


The Goat and Fabio worked hard to get all of the stickers on the support vehicles. There are sooo many stickers. It took them a long time.



I tested out our new aero helmets in the hotel parking lot. I ran around in circles faster than I ever have before!!


MamaD and Stacey are totally awesome!! They offered to do our laundry. I would be dead already if not for them :)


-Pat
LoveLife!

If you want even more information about how the race is going you can go to The official RAAM website.

http://RAAMRace.org

-Pattt
LoveLife!!

Last night was again another tough night of driving as the wind was blowing the RV everywhere! But we are almost there! We are about 350 miles out, about 50 miles from the border of California :)

Right now we are reviewing the rules - making sure we get everything perfect in the race!

Here are a few more pictures of our adventure to Oceanside :)

AFC had their last local ride as they participated in ADA's Tour de Cure yesterday. It sounded like it was a hot, but overall good day - it will be good preparation for when they go through Southern California and Arizona! Thanks to all who came out and supported AFC and ADA!! Here are a few pics from their ride! :)

Last night driving was a little crazy as we drove through some pretty bad storms - PR is an RV driving machine! We stopped to get a few hours rest as we quickly found out trying to sleep on a moving RV is pretty tough. When we woke up, part of 70 was flooded!

The RV crew is now about 80 miles past St. Louis, Missouri! We are all doing pretty well, some of us got showers at a Pilot Truck stop, pretty nice showers too - felt amazing! Next state will be Oklahoma - hopefully we will be in Oceanside early Monday :)

Here are some pics of the crew in action :)








- weez

PapaD, MamaD, Stacey, Peter Ramdial, and myself (weezal) are on our way out to Oceanside, CA for the start of RAAM! We are almost out of Maryland and will be driving through Ohio tonight.


- Mike Caputi (aka weezal)

Last Sunday we went to NYC because the AFC Documentary was part of the Bicycle Film Festival. We were told that we had to fill a theater with 200 seats. We sold 189 tickets :)!! Here are some sites/sounds of the festival.

A few weeks ago the entire RAAM team got together for a training ride. This was the 2nd time we did a ride that simulated RAAM racing.


Here is how we will be racing RAAM...
RAAM racing will have one cyclist 30minutes on the road while his partner 'leapfrogs' ahead in the leapfrog vehicle. When the cyclist on the road reaches his partner the partner takes over, to ride his 30minutes and the cyclist on the road stops and gets in the car so that he can be leapfrogged.

The other 2 cyclists are resting in the RV waiting for their turn. The rest/race period is 6hrs. Every 6hrs the cyclists in the RV will switch with the cyclists who are doing the 30mins on/30mins leapfrog.

http://velonews.com/article/77026/fixed-gear-team-to-take-on-raam

-Pattt
Love Life!