MY QUEST FOR RAAM 2011

MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON RAAM

2011-10-17T12:36:00.000-04:00

I know this is long overdue. I've been having difficulty coming up with words that have not been already written. I've been looking for words to inspire others wishing to do RAAM in that this race is not about being fast and furious, but steady and calm. It is certainly a race that anyone could achieve, if you have the right desire and passion. But isn't that true about everything in life? I am certainly your average Joe that just likes a challenge every now and then. I don't think I'm obsessive about what I do. I only obsess when I need to. I think life is about balancing out everything on your plate and being able to digest it all without upsetting your stomach. I like to use the food analogy because I like to eat. Anyway, I hope that made sense.

So nothing motivational here. Just a few facts about my race.

Here are some numbers that may be of interest and may or may not have been covered in previous posts. A big number is the expense. Our RAAM related expenses (which started about 8 months out) amounted to $65,000. We had raised $20,000 from cash and in-kind sponsors, $25,000 from donations and fund raisers and the balance came from personal funds. Expenses for just the race were about $35,000, but our team was well outfitted. I can imagine doing RAAM for about $15,000, but it would be tough on the crew and eventually the racer as well.

My sleep breaks ranged from 10 minute power naps to 2 hour luxury snoozes. Some breaks were longer, but the actual sleep time was rarely over 1.5 hours. I think I could go off less with better training. As some of you know my training suffered during the time I was supposed to be peaking. This was 6 weeks of sleep deprivation focus, based on Pete Penseyres plan of riding 400 miles after work on Fridays. I only rode one 300 miler after work on Friday, so I really fell short on this focus, which showed during the race.

I never had any hallucinations, partly because I never pushed my mental state that hard and in looking back I'm not sure I have the ability to do such a thing without the high risk of falling asleep on the bike and crashing. I had plenty of rude awakenings, which are unpleasant. A lot of bad thoughts go through your mind when you catch yourself sleeping on the bike.

My crew played music over the PA system, but there are many times that I preferred the quiet. There's something cool about just listening to the sound of your drive chain and the tires on the road. Maybe that's why I was always so sleepy...

I didn't use a great deal of chamois creams. I stayed with powder the majority of the way and would treat sores with Brave Soldier Antiseptic ointment and Lanacane.

I didn't have a great deal of aches and pains either. The normal neck issues, swollen feet and hands, saddle sores and sore knee joints. My crew took excellent care of me. I was so fortunate to have compiled such a great, diverse crew. And I can see why many folks say that the crew can make it or break it for the racer. My crew definitely made it for me. What a spectacular group of folks.

My favorite aspect of doing RAAM was meeting so many incredible people from around the world that are so passionate about their sport. My least favorite aspect of doing RAAM is that it does, eventually end.

And it does so quickly. You're out on the open roads having the time of your life with many of your closest friends and then you cross the finish line and it's over. Everyone packs up and leaves. RAAM racers get pampered like nobody's business. It's a tough life when it comes to an end. You REALLY do miss the attention. But it's all over now.

RAAM was an incredible experience, but for some strange reason it fell short for me. And it was my fault. I thought I would be satisfied with an official finish, but I wasn't. I am not. I needed to suffer more than I had and I needed to push harder to get there. I'm sure you've heard in many sports about an athlete leaving it all out there and having absolutely nothing left in the tank. Well that wasn't me. Maybe too much time has passed and I'm not thinking clearly. Perhaps this was my intention all along. I really don't know. All I do know is that there will be another attempt some day. And like RAAM 2011, the timing will have to be right in my life and the rest of you will know.

Thank you for all of your support and for being there for me! If you have any desire at all to do RAAM, you can make it happen.

Much love, happiness and success to all of you. Hope to see you on the road or trails.

Articles and Photos

2011-07-07T22:29:00.003-04:00

While folks are waiting for me to post my story, there were a number of great photographers out there that were taking pictures and a few magazines that wanted to publish a story on me. These are all listed below. I hope you enjoy the articles and the photos.

Articles:

The Washingtonian: http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/health/wellbeing/20070.html

The Fairfax Times: http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20110701/NEWS/707019836/-1/fairfax-man-cycles-across-us-in-11-days&template=fairfaxTimes

Photos:

Elena Pence: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EbNXDVs4btbW

Maile Neel: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcn7/sets/72157626931356107/

Charlie Thomas:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21868127@N02/sets/72157626930792539/with/5875249042/ 

Mike Wali: http://www.flickr.com//photos/randomikew/sets/72157626930280279/

Chuck Wood: http://www.flickr.com/photos/c-ctours/sets/72157627053992460/

Mary Gersema: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gersema/sets/72157627056420790/

Ed Felker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8193389@N06/sets/72157627056437912/

The Week After RAAM

2011-07-04T20:38:00.002-04:00

My recovery week was filled with gaining 10 lbs via 8 pints of ice cream, 40-50 bags of assorted chips, 2 lbs of Twizzlers, 1 lb of peanut butter filled pretzels, 1/2 lb of Cheese Balls and my regular breakfast, lunch and dinners. So I like to eat! That may have been what got me through RAAM.

At any rate, I'm working on my story, but it will have to wait for some crew feedback. As you may or may not know the rider is totally oblivious to what transpires during the race. My only mission was to stay on the bike and pedal. Compared to what the crew had to deal with, I think I had the easier of the tasks at hand.

I've had time to read through the blog and digest all of the comments. I am overwhelmed with the number of you that took the time to send your comments and positive energy. It truly helped me get through my toughest moments for which I can not thank you all enough.

Life is back to normal starting tomorrow, but life does not end. I will continue to dream and continue to live life to its fullest. Keep in touch and I hope to share my stories with you soon.

A BIG THANKS to everyone for all of your support and positive thoughts in helping me get across the country.

Here is one of our finishing photos from Earl Janssen:

Recovering...and wanted to give a quick shout out to Ms Rhea Gingrow

2011-07-02T10:37:00.001-04:00

While passing through Littlestown, PA I had the honor of meeting a Ms Rhea Gingrow. It just so happened that I needed a fuel stop right in front of her house. I asked her permission to use her steps as my dining chair to which she obliged. After a few spoons of my chicken noodle soup, I turned to ask Ms Gingrow if she would mind having her picture taken with me, to which she also obliged.

During our photo session we learned that Ms Gingrow recently lost her husband, Bill, of 63 years and simply enjoyed observing life from her porch. At the moment she was waiting for her nephew to pick her up for a lunch date. But she told us that we were welcome to stay as long as we wished.

I would later learn from her nephew, Terry Gingrow, that we were the talk of the afternoon. Ms Rhea Gingrow was very interested in my quest to race across America and be an official finisher. 11 days, 1 hour and 13 minutes is what it took and I still had time to enjoy a pleasant conversation with a very special woman from Littlestown, PA.

We love you Ms Rhea! Stay sweet and kind and take care of your back. And keep cheering on the cyclists passing through Littlestown. Hope to see you again!

Me and Ms Rhea Gingrow. Photo by Mary Delaney.

Memories of WV

2011-06-28T20:05:00.005-04:00

Randy and Crew are trying to catch up on much missing sleep, in part because of nights like these.

West Virignia provided Randy with a few more small climbs to conquer...

and Meetings with old friends.

11 days, 1 hour, and 13 minutes

2011-06-26T20:52:00.003-04:00

That is Randy's official time as announced at the finish line. But that is not the true measure of the experience. It will takes days or weeks for the meaning of what Randy and the Crew accomplished to become clear to them, Right now they are experiencing a very tired euphoria.

I can say that of all the riders and teams that crossed the finish line while I was in Annapolis, Randy had the largest cheering section by far. I submit that that is a measure of the affection those cheering feel for Randy.

Good night Randy.

Good night Crew.

Good night Readers.

Looking for Randy

2011-06-26T13:13:00.003-04:00

I took it into my head to go to TS 52, to see Randy into and out of the TS. This TS is the one where teams and riders have to wait out any penalties they might have accrued.

Since both my daughter and Elaine wanted to see Randy, we all got up early. With trusty GPS suctioned to the windshield we set off for the drive to Mt Airy. After a false start, we were moving right along on roads that were happily free of traffic (compared to normal anyway). We arrived at the Mt Airy TS with about 15 minutes to spare according to the estimated arrival time on the RAAM web site a/o last night.

We saw the team from Bulgaria, tried to chat and discovered they did not speak much English. One of them took a lot of pictures of Jure Robic's bike that was on display along with one of his jerseys.

We toured the Bicycle Museum with members of a crew supporting a solo rider from Monaco (?)

Then my daughter got sick and we had to take her home. As it turns out, Randy slept in a bit this AM, so I'll be headed out a bit later to try again. If that doesn't work, I'll head for Annapolis. Hope to see some of you out there.

Into PA

2011-06-25T23:11:00.001-04:00

Text from crew: Randy's riding into PA

Maryland

2011-06-25T17:50:00.001-04:00

I got a text from Earl saying that Randy is now in Maryland. He has passed passed TS 48 in Cumberland MD.

TS 45 ,Ellensboro, WV

2011-06-25T08:53:00.005-04:00

From Earl:

"After a later start (5 am) and a morning nap yesterday, early in the ride, Randy found his rhythm and cycled steadily through the day. He pushed on to Ellensboro, WV, arriving at about 10:30 pm. The tailwinds continued. He got a few light sprinkles. He continued to befuddle the teams who seemed to only be able to shake him with real effort or if he let them go by.

A new technique is being attempted to keep him awake in the morning part of the ride. Peppermint oil has been applied to his glove and he has been instructed to sniff deeply if he seems to be nodding off. We will also attempt to flatten out his calorie intake. He gets hungry, wolfs down 1000 calories and a half hour later wants to sleep. If sleep is denied or delayed, he starts nodding off on the bike.

We continue to be near the Irish rider, Donncha. He was the rider who offered his crew's assistance when Randy was first struggling with Shermer's symptoms. He is the rider we see the most and we are nearly always parked near his crew.

Randy pushed off between 3:30 & 4:00 am this morning, later than he wanted to because of the need to clarify conflicting route changes.

Today's plan is to ride from time station to time station, getting as far as is reasonable. The Appalachians are a challenge, but this is familiar ground for this strong climber. It was simply amazing watching Randy move steadily uphill yesterday afternoon.

A surprise is planned for Cumberland today. I hope he makes it there reasonably early, because he could get quite a boost.

The Crew is getting anxious to get to Annapolis. The goal is now Sunday. We keep hearing stories about intense crew conflict, but we remain focused on Randy and doing all we can to support his ride.

Next time station is Grafton, WV where I've parked the RV waiting for his arrival."

West by God Vriginia

2011-06-24T21:06:00.004-04:00

Randy is now in West Virginia.

On the way out of Indiana and into WVA, the team riders started catching up to Randy. And got got a surprising (to them) view of what Randy can do. From Earl yesterday:

"He (Randy) challenged some team riders, keeping up with them or passing them. Many riders can't believe this unknown guy with a big chin support can keep up with them, let alone out climb them on the hills. Many riders can't believe this unknown guy with a big chin support can keep up with them, let alone out climb them on the hills."

Once he gets to TS 45 in Ellenboro, WV, Randy will have *less* than 400 miles to go!

Laundry Day

2011-06-24T19:05:00.005-04:00

Mary (still in safety vest) and Connie do the laundry. Just one of the many "invisible" jobs that need to be done to get Randy across the country.

And you meet interesting people crossing the country this way. Meet the Browns, Biddle and Betsy Brown. They are mountain bike riders who travel to trails in their RV. Biddle is 86 and Betsy is 84. Hope I'm still riding when I'm their age.

Fender Bender Friday

2011-06-24T18:52:00.005-04:00

This post is stitched together from email and texts I got from the crew today.

If it can happen it has happened. No injuries, in fact no one in the "safely" parked car. Now the Follow Vand has scars to go with the miles...

Duct tape bandage and good to go!

Earl:

"Yesterday, Thursday, was a hard day for Randy. He got into Oxford Ohio after 1 am. If we get off before 5 I will be surprised. There is a mist in the air.

The goal for the day is Grafton, WV.

He sounds better than yesterday morning, with more energy. We are hoping Randy digs deep Right now, a Sunday arrival is looking most likely."

"We got off at 5 am exactly!"

"Randy rolled into Time Station 42 at about 8:20 and lingered a lot longer than we wanted him to. He and the other solo riders we encounter are very tired. We are once again trying to find the right combination of rest, nutrition, & hydration to keep him going.

Even though he is tired, he is in good spirits."

Susie:

"He's looking good w/smooth cadence, but he's tired. Doing his best to stay awake and alert. Stopped at TS 42 for some hot cocoa and a Starbuck's double shot super duper caffeine beverage. The TS volunteers are amazing! Captain Amy and John McFaddin of Blanchester, OH are covering two TSs. Their family is there and are providing wonderful support to the riders and crew! Can't thank them and all the volunteers enough. They are doing a terrific job. Tim and I are on support and are helping out with some tricky turns this morning. We left TS 42 at 0900. We're geting.there!

TS 39 and 40

2011-06-23T21:48:00.002-04:00

Randy continues to click off the miles as Time Stations 39, Bloomington, IN and 40, Greensburg, IN fall into his wake.

The Alton Boys, Randy's newest fans

2011-06-23T14:52:00.006-04:00

From Susie:

"While we were getting Randy ready for his last time stations of the day, a small group of boys gathered outside the RV to meet the man riding his bike across the country! They were all polite and patient, and had many questions? Does he ride in the rain? How many miles a day does he ride? Where's Annapolis, Md.? All the boys are from Alton and some got autographs. Randy said it made his day! We hope at least one of them completes RAAM someday! Who will it be?"

According to Susie their names are: "Trevor, Adam, Algernon, Bobby Smith, Alex, Stephane, G-rod, TT All Day"

Rich adds "The autograph hounds were in Greenville, IL. All were amazed at what Randy is attempting to do. They wanted to follow him down the street, but we told them it would be too dangerous."

Thursday AM Cup o' Randy

2011-06-23T08:41:00.002-04:00

Title cribbed from, and report from, Earl (Thanks Earl!)

The TS referred to below are 37, Effingham, IL, and 38, Sullivan, IN. States keep clicking by.

That was a nice night's sleep.

Randy rode 2 time stations after a rest following the crossing of the Mississippi River. He rode well, strong, and quick. His social personality is continually coming out. Some are treating this as a race, he is treating it more like a brevet. Reportedly he had a good time with a 4 person team last night. When they changed riders, he would stop to talk to the rider that just finished his leg. Then he would catch up to the team rider, and continue the process.

Medical Report: Randy and Shermer's Neck

2011-06-22T21:40:00.001-04:00

Long report focused on Randy's Shermer's Neck symptoms and treatment.

The occurrence of Shermer’s Neck is one of the ultra-endurance cyclist’s most feared problems. The onset can be very quick. The only commonly reported prodromal symptoms (warning symptoms) are tightness and discomfort in the upper trapezius, and erector muscles of the cervical spine. This leads, after a variable period of time, to rapidly progressive loss of the ability to extend the neck, and to neck and upper back pain.

There were a number of periods with higher winds, and also some very long descents where Randy spent many hours in the aero position prior to this. Our experience indicates that riding in the aero position may hasten the onset of Schermer’s Neck. Randy began to have prodromal symptoms by about 600-650 miles into RAAM. He complained only once or twice of upper back and neck pain before abruptly realizing that he could not extend his neck to see, nor could he properly position his head when he attempted to climb in the standing position shortly before coming into Durango, CO. We deployed an adjustable Laerdal Cervical Collar as immediate first aid. For the reader who experiences Schermer’s and attempts to use a cervical collar, you should know that this solution is very confining and uncomfortable. Also, the collar completely prevents neck rotation as they are designed to protect a broken cervical spine. Thus, with the collar on, Randy could no longer rotate his head at all to see to the side or behind him. He was, however, able to ride on while we addressed the issue.

When Rehab to Racing signed on to provide sports medical and physical therapy support for Team Mouri, Mary and I began to study the range of reported medical and physical problems. First, there is almost no scientific literature on this group of athletes. There are a few antidotal reports; mostly case reports and letters to the editor. The ultra-cycling blogosphere is replete with what from a scientific point of view are wildly variant statements of the origin, treatment, and prevention of Schermer’s Neck. These are often stated with certainty and conviction. We could find no single instance of a statistically valid survey or scientific study of the causation or treatment of Schermer’s Neck.

There are a number of theories of the causation of Schermer’s. These range from “Spinal mis-alignment”, to sternocleidomastoid muscle spasm, to weakness of neck muscles in general, to sequelae of prior neck injuries. Treatment recommendations are even vaguer. There are only two reports in the literature of physical examinations by medical experts of Shermer’s victims immediately after onset. One common thread seems to be the once Schermer’s occurs on an ultra ride, then the rider is stuck with the problem until they can rest (off the bike) for at least 24-48 hours. Randy has a past history of Schermer’s, which occurred after about 600 miles during the Paris Brest Paris Brevet ride.

We examined Randy with acute onset Schermer’s. First, there was no evident active sternocleidomastoid muscle spasm at all. Both were tender to deep palpation. Maximal discomfort on examination occurred in the upper trapezius, and the cervical erector spinae muscles. There were several trigger points in this area. Motor exam revealed that Randy had near complete inability to extend his neck against gravity. Attempting to do so caused posterior muscle pain in the previously mentioned muscle groups. Thus the current R2R theory of Schermers causation is that these muscle groups have simply been exercised to failure. Failure onset is accelerated by fatigue induced muscle spasm. This theory is strongly supported at present by Randy’s response to subsequent treatment.

At present we are 1800 miles into RAAM 2011. Randy is not using a collar at all. Randy can extend, and rotate his neck with only minimal discomfort. He has had no analgesics at all except 2 ibuprofen 200 mg tabs when the problem first started what seems like days ago. He rides about 20-30% of the time in the modified aero position with our McGivered chin support. We changed out his stem, raising the handle bars approx. 5 cm.

Additional therapy based on preventing/treating muscle spasm, while using the chin rest to give intermittent rest to the neck extensor muscles, has resulted in progressive resolution of Randy’s Schermer’s symptoms while at the same time he has had three back to back 300+ mile days through all of Colorado, and Kansas.

Chemically, we have markedly increased Randy’s [Mg] and [K] intake. Also, we immediately started the muscle relaxant methocarbamol 750 mg TID. Potassium intake has also been increased by feeding potassium rich foods. Immediately at onset, our expert Massage Therapist, Connie Griffith massaged his beck extensor muscles and upper trapezius. She has helped all follow vehicle staff learn to massage the neck extensors at every single stop. Randy’s neck continued to improve at this point.

Medical Report

2011-06-22T21:29:00.005-04:00

Long report has been divided into two parts. This part is a followup to the prior medical report.

Follow-up on prior medical issues: Our crew member with acute lyme disease has responded to antibiotic therapy for a week. We have one crew member on topical Voltaren Gel for acute ankle tendonitis.

Randy’s Arse: with a saddle change, rigorous attention to changing shorts frequently, frequent cleaning, and use of high Vitamin E cream in addition to regular chamois cream has actually allowed his worst areas to heal a bit, and he has had some decrease in symptoms. Raising the saddle nose has distributed more weight forward to the anterior perineum, he now has a larger area that is slightly irritated, but the severely affected areas are much smaller at present.

Randy has had some median nerve compression symptoms in both hands. These symptoms have decreased since he has had his chin rest installed, as he now is able to resume using the aero position. He has symptoms of numbness with a normal motor and sensory neurological exam of both hands.

Randy has had no cramps at all in his legs after day 1. Significantly increasing sodium, magnesium, and potassium intake has kept that problem from recurring over 1800 miles. At least once a day we have used an ice bath to the waist during a rest stop, and leg massage of major muscle groups at least twice a day for 15-30 minutes.

Alton, IL

2011-06-22T21:26:00.002-04:00

From Crew:

"Randy took another rest break in Alton, and gradually a dozen local kids gathered, asked a ton of questions, and waited around (up to an hour) to get Randy's autograph. He signed cards and skateboards. Randy described this as the highlight of his day.

We promised photos posted on the blog.

The plan is at least another 50 miles, and probably 100. It started to sprinkle as he pushed off."

I am waiting for the photos...

UPDATED Across the MISSISSIPPI

2011-06-22T14:28:00.005-04:00

Randy has crossed the Mississippi River at TS 35. More to follow.

Crew's view

UPDATE from Crew: ""Randy is now resting. A pattern has emerged the past 3 days. Randy rides 150 miles, gets so tired he is falling asleep on the bike so he goes down for a nap. After the nap he is on the bike for up to 200 more miles. We have 20 more miles to the shuttle across the Mississippi (route detours have required this change), then 10 miles to the Time Station. The average speed will jump because of the 20 minute car ride."

UPDATE 2 from Crew: "What a mess! Heavy urban traffic. Incomplete and complicated detours. Road construction. No miscues but lots of delays and the Itallian spies were funny Randy did ride his bike over the Mississippi River after all. He made the time cut off. Regrouping to see what is next. Now ridden 2030 miles!"

Ice Cream

2011-06-21T21:08:00.003-04:00

Randy took a break for Ice Cream. According to Steph "Randy's a happy boy!"

More RAAM pictures

2011-06-21T20:08:00.003-04:00

These pictures give a hint of the two sides of crewing on RAAM...

Sleeping were you can with safety vest (Not wearing vest is a penalty).

Handing off

Local News Coverage

2011-06-21T19:44:00.006-04:00

The Ulysses News sent a reporter/photographer out to cover the RAAM. They were kind enough to send these pictures of the Crew cheering Randy on and Randy's reaction. Click on the photos to get a better look at the chin rest on Randy's bike. And his smile.

Randy, Shermer's neck, and resting on the fly

2011-06-21T19:37:00.005-04:00

A comment we received from someone who crewed on a previous RAAM (I can't find the comment or I'd use your name), recommended that we be proactive in relieving Randy's neck of the tension it has been under for the last 1500 miles or so. What the crew came up with is shown in the picture to the left. (Click to enlarge).

While I have no reports of Randy having Shermer's, we hope that giving him a way to rest his neck while he rides will put Shermer's off as long as possible.

Out of Sequence

2011-06-21T19:34:00.010-04:00

Communications between the road-going Team and the stationary part are sometimes a bit erratic. As a result, I now have a bunch of late arriving photos. Although they fall out of order with what is happening on the road, I thought you'd like to see them anyway.

So this is what the start looked like...

Can you find Team Mouri?

And this is what Randy and the Follow Van look like moving down the road. I'm not sure where this shot was taken, so I'm guessing Colorado.

Bye bye Kansas....

2011-06-21T19:13:00.005-04:00

From Earl: "We are not in Kansas any more. Day's goal = 319 miles. 100 to go!"

Randy passed TS 31 Weaubleau, MO at 1927 today. 1772 miles from start and 1217 miles to finish.

TS 26 Halfway Mark Coming Up

2011-06-20T21:21:00.002-04:00

Randy just passed TS 26. Only 21.3 mile to the halfway mark!!

The photo is of Sunday's sunset along the race route.

TS 25 - UPDATED

2011-06-20T20:24:00.005-04:00

Crew: "Randy just blew through TS 25."

Time Station 25 is in Greeensburg, KS. 1440 miles done, 1550 miles to go!

Current route is along US 54. There will be some deviation as the course loops around the north of Witchita.

Kansas and Comments

2011-06-20T16:12:00.004-04:00

Since the last post:

Randy has been riding strongly and has passed:

TS 21, in Kim, CO

TS 22 in Walsh, CO

TS 23 in Ulysses, KS

TS24 in Montezuma, KS

As of TS 24, Randy has ridden 1374 miles and is closing in on the half-way point.

And yes, your comments and encouragement are important. The Crew reads them to Randy to help motivate him to keep spinning. So please keep them coming.

TS 20

2011-06-19T22:19:00.004-04:00

Randy reached Time Station 20 in Trinidad, CO at 2115. Randy has now covered 1130miles. Only 1860 to go.

The penalty from the earlier post is a 15minute penalty

The picture is of the RV is which Randy is probably resting as I type.

Penalty

2011-06-19T13:52:00.004-04:00

Randy after descending from Wolf Creek

From Crew (not sure where the punctuation should go):

got a penalty for not calling in within 6 hours trying to do 9 on and 3 off and average 13.8 when on the bike shift crew rotation being adjusted to match

High point - literally

2011-06-19T09:02:00.005-04:00

Randy got to the top of Wolf Creek Pass just after midnight. Randy stopped and took a nap at near the crest of the cold (36 degrees) pass before doing the chilly (40s) and very fast descent.

Addendum: Found a site which has a lot of info on US 160 that Randy is riding.

Saddle and neck

2011-06-18T21:20:00.003-04:00

From the Crew:

"Well we made the cutoff with time to spare. Randy has been a little tired of late. Coming into DURANGO his neck started to bother him. So we now have Connie staying in follow and Al in support so we can treat often as necessary. Behave him in a neck brace. Randy wasn't happy with his climbing bike saddle so we got another one to try. crew is being well fed and we are holding together and remaining flexible."

FYI:
Cutoff is the 81 hr time limit to reach Durango
Connie is Team Mouri's massage therapist
Al is the Team MD

Crew person's view of Day 2

2011-06-18T16:33:00.002-04:00

Day 2 1250 RAAM Time (Day 3 will start at 1537 today) Mile 535.8 Time Station 8

Shift #1 (Rich, Al and Mary) are leaving Flagstaff with Randy, headed for Tuba City, AZ

53 miles away. Beautiful puffy clouds, sunny and 77 degrees, with a tail wind. This is a perfect change from yesterday at this time when the thermometer reading 112 degrees and not a cloud in sight! We were crossing the desert from Parker, AZ to Prescott, AZ and that was not the max temp. That was to be 114 degrees!

Oh, but wait…the locals say, “It isn’t that hot, because it is a dry heat.” Righto, just like an oven or a kiln! I can tell you it was as hot as hell! The challenge was to keep Randy cool enough that he could ride safely and make some progress toward Annapolis. We found ouT later that many of the riders had been pulled by their crew and were resting during the heat. We pressed on, exchanging fluid bottles every 5-10 minutes, as Randy drank and drank. We made “ice socks” with a plastic bag full of ice stuffed into a tube sock and draped them around his neck, tucked into his jersey. Those had to be exchanged about every 20 minutes, as they melted.

About mid-day our 3 vehicles met up under a “tree” and Randy went to the RV for a rest and a massage. First he was weighed. It is essential to monitor his weight to be confident he is hydrating well. We expect some weight loss but he was 7# down. No more suggestions about hydration and start being forceful.

This very tired biker stripped off his wet clothes and laid down. Connie, our massage therapist, started working his leg muscles and he fell fast asleep. We allowed him to sleep for about 90 minutes, woke him and chef Troy fed him a grilled turkey sandwich with hummus and an Ensure Plus.

Randy wore a light jersey, a light skull cap, white arm covers and white gloves and lots of SPF 70 sun blocker, applied several times. He struggled to take in calories, as it is hard when it is so hot. So, we started giving him dilute iced chicken broth with Lava Salts poured into each bottle for the sodium and a few calories and the ice. He loved it and quickly downed about 4 bottles. He ate some red Twizzlers licorice, some Pringles, Ensure Plus, a dilute cola and Mountain Dew.

You note that his nutrition sounds unorthodox. But, after 24 hours, the gels, manufactured energy foods are nearly inedible. The palate tires and the stomach revolts. We have fed him cheeseburgers, pancakes with syrup and butter, shrimp salad, V8 juice and every other thing that sounds good to him.

Randy ended up riding about 20 hours this day. He is on track for a solid finish in Annapolis. And although we are leaving the desert, we still have the mountains of Colorado, the heat and endless prairie land of the Midwest, and finally, the Appalachians.

Medical Update

2011-06-18T16:08:00.005-04:00

LONG POST - Update on Randy condition from a medical perspective from the Team MD.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

We survived the desert of day 2 with temps up to 114⁰. Randy required continuous cooling w/ice to make it across. We used “insulated” Water bottles, 1 with iced water to wet himself with. The second bottle was for Randy’s drink. The relevant temperature management strategy was to change bottles every 15 mins with one ice cold, just half full. Another component was a plastic bag lined ice sock around his neck, tucked under his jersey, and changed every 30.

Going into that day from a medical perspective, Randy still did not have sufficient internal sodium and magnesium stores to allow good endurance in that oven going to Congress, CA. We even dissolved 1 Lava Salt tab in each of multiple doses of ice cold chicken broth which he drank like it was cold beer during the ride the day before, and with all of the different methods of administration, he received 9000 mg of various sodium salts, and 6.5 gms of magnesium sulfate in less than 24 hours. The use of white sun shield arm covers, kept continuously wet along with his head sweat and upper jersey in the <15% relative humidity allowed sufficient evaporative heat loss due to rapid evaporation to allow him to ride throughout the day. Whew, I don’t know whether he or the vehicle air conditioners were working harder. A few doses of SPF 70 sun screen got the whole Team through with no serious sunburn.

As we rode thru the night of day 1, and thru day two, Randy’s fluid status improved, and the impressive net weight losses (up to ½ lb per hour riding) we observed during the first 24 hrs begin to abate. His ability to tolerate street food improved. All readers should note that when a rider is going hard in 110⁰F+ temps, they do not tolerate ANYTHING solid, chocolate, or really sweet tasting, and are generally limited to about 200-250 kcal per hour intake. Without this nutrition and enough high salt fluids, they will eventually just fall off their bike. This finding is consistent with experience in much shorter events such as a hot IM race or International Long Distance Triathlon Championship event.

My opinion about the physiology is that under such extreme stress such as the Desert, the stomach requires VERY simple things to allow continued function. Isosmolar fluid intake only, simple sugars, nil fat, no protein, just amino acids.

The issue of the next several days: THE ARSE. Almost all distance riders experience at least some perineal discomfort on longer, and especially multiday rides. RAAM lore is replete with tales of unimaginable misery due to perineal breakdown, and resultant almost unbearable discomfort. Randy had previously experienced prolonged perineal folliculitis in the anterior perineal region on more than one occasion. This responded very nicely to the appropriate antibiotic ointment in March. Prior to this he had tried several therapies, had recurrence with each return to increased saddle time, and was at least very frustrated. His posterior region pre-race was pristine, but by about 14 hrs or so in the saddle, the areas over his sit (ischial) bones on both sides were red and getting sore. We increased lube and began increasing the frequency of changes to fresh cycling shorts, and applying hi Vit E cream to the area in addition to his chamois cream. By 40 hrs in the saddle, we clearly were not winning the battle, but skin breakdown was not imminent. As his weight with each stop was stabilizing, indicating at least temporary continued resolution of our previous fluid and electrolyte battle, a worsening situation in the basement could soon become Randy’s major limiting medical problem. Not that the usual severe sleep deprivation for all concerned is not really a problem, just the normal environment in the game of ultra-endurance multiday cycling.

After my 16 hr shift, I tried to get my sleep break started while remaining completely confused as to why the location and nature of Randy’s perineal misery was so completely different than his previous problem……At about 0200 RAAM Race Time, I bolted straight up awake with an “Ah Hah” Moment, only to crack my head on the overhead of our RV. The reason was that Randy lowered the saddle nose weeks ago due to the painful pressure on his anterior perineum due to the chronic infection there…AND it was still down!!!! Damn, I must be getting old! The increased pressure posteriorly simply must be the underlying cause of why the location of the trouble had moved so far in less than 6 weeks. One part of the solution must be to level the saddle…Done at TS 13, saddle back to level, and that should reduce pressure on the sore areas. The saddle sore saga continues, more to follow.

TS 12, 13, and 14

2011-06-18T15:50:00.005-04:00

Randy has now covered 875 miles passing through the Time Stations at Motezuma Creek, UT, Cortez, CO, and Durango, CO. Randy changed bikes (to climbing bike?) after Cortez on his way to Durango. According to the Crew, Durango was "accomplished with a lot of pain and effort."

Randy had to get to Durango within 81 hours. Riders who do not make the time limit are disqualified from the remainder of the race. According to RAAM stats, the highest attrition occurs in the first 1000 miles.

TS 11

2011-06-17T22:34:00.002-04:00

Randy passed TS 11 @ 2209. Team Mouri has NO penalties, and Randy is climbing in the standings. Next TS is about 45 miles away in Mexican Hat, UT

Where is he going?

2011-06-17T16:31:00.004-04:00

If you have been using the RAAM site's Map of Progress feature, you may notice that Randy is headed for the "Four Corners ". This is where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. and is the home of the Navajo Nation and the Ute tribe. Randy is heading into the Four Corners area as he heads for for the next TS in Kayenta, AZ.

You get bonus points for finding Kayenta without using Google/Yahoo/etc. to search :-)

Your Comments

2011-06-17T16:00:00.003-04:00

Just so you know, the Crew does read the blog (correcting my errors) and your comments. Randy gets your comments read to him over the PA system (remember those speakers on the roof of the van?). Your messages of support and encouragement really help him stay motivated. So please keep them coming. Thanks.

Friday Progress

2011-06-17T15:43:00.002-04:00

My apologies for such limited postings today, I was traveling home.

So where is Randy? So far, he has passed four Time Stations today (see below). I heard from the Crew that the plan was to press on after Tuba City until the heat got bad. Then sleep (probably in the RV) through the worst of the heat before setting off again..

TS # TS NAME Miles In TS Day/Time

10 Tuba City, AZ 607.5 06/17/2011 15:32

9 Flagstaff, AZ 535.8 06/17/2011 11:11

8 Cottonwood, AZ 482.5 06/17/2011 06:13

7 Prescott, AZ 441.3 06/17/2011 00:56

Thursday pics

2011-06-16T23:15:00.004-04:00

Thursday sunrise in the desert and Randy during a stop in the desert.

Crew calls in

2011-06-16T22:33:00.006-04:00

From Crew

Today was a better day although "the desert was brutal". Randy is now climbing out of the desert into cooler temps. He has had a couple of good rest periods and has been able to stay hydrated. The ice vest has not been comfortable, so the ice sock is being used instead.

The sun has been intense so what little skin is exposed is saturated with sunscreen.

Randy's progress today

2011-06-16T22:22:00.005-04:00

TS 6 at 06/16/2011 21:25, 395.3 miles in

TS 5 at 06/16/2011 16:16, 342.6 miles in

I don't have anything from the Crew for this update

TS 4 @ 1025, 286 miles in

2011-06-16T10:55:00.005-04:00

Randy is feeling strong and "continuing on for now". He's going to need to sleep at some point, so I'm hoping he decides to sleep some through the heat of the day.

UPDATE: Randy will be sleeping soon, forecast is for 114

UPDATE 2: Randy completed the first 300 miles at 1228

TS 3 at 0642

2011-06-16T07:18:00.005-04:00

Randy passed TS 3 at 0642 this AM, 235 miles into race, which puts him in Arizona. It's going to be a hot day with expected temps in the 100s.

I have another source of status data for you: the official RAAM site has the official (duh) status of each racer. Have a look. Use the drop down box under Race Coverage Navigation to select Randy by (number 422). Once his results page loads, scroll down a bit to see which time stations he has passed, along with mile completed and miles to go.

Or click here :-)

Where's Randy now?

2011-06-16T07:03:00.007-04:00

UPDATE: Corrected distance

The GPS tracking system I described in an earlier post must be getting quite the workout. While the site shows Randy at mile 47, I received two texts from the Crew that Randy passed Time Station (TS) 2, 145 miles into the course at 0010 this morning. Hopefully, the GPS system will get straightened out so that you can follow Randy in near-real time.

P.S. To use the GPS tracking system, click the above link, then select Randy from the list on the right side of the screen. The racers are listed in alphabetical order.

First day

2011-06-15T19:12:00.003-04:00

Randy started right at 1530 RAAM time and set off along the parade section to the begining of the unescorted race section. The roads in that section are so narrow that support is not permitted until the roads widen out. The Follow Van and Support Van left after Randy got started and made thier way to the rendezvous.

The RV (Crew #2, Earl, Tim, Susie, & Connie) waited out the early part of the ride here at elevation above Borrego Springs. Borrego Springs daytime temperature was 109 and this location was breezy and 81. Much more comfortable for napping.

LIVE Coverage of RAAM Start

2011-06-15T15:27:00.001-04:00

http://ustream.tv/channel/raam-2011

Leaving for the start

2011-06-15T14:04:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: Start in 5 hours or so

2011-06-15T09:17:00.004-04:00

Corrections made

Yesterday Earl and Randy pre-rode the 24 mile parade section of the race. That's the section that gets the racers out of town before the race proper starts. "An easy spin on a pretty day. Earl was practically giddy. Randy was confident."

Randy will enter the desert early in the ride. At Borrego Springs the high was 105 yesterday, and expected to go higher today.

Pre-race Inspection Pics

2011-06-15T09:14:00.001-04:00

Here are a few pics of the pre-race inspection:

Meeting before a Big Race

2011-06-14T15:37:00.008-04:00

Today RAAM held the mandatory meeting/briefing for Crew Chiefs and their Racers. This meeting goes over last minute changes to route, safety issues, and other matters critical to a safe event. To give you some idea of the scale of this event that is totally unknown to the sporting public, take a look at this picture of the meeting.

You might also take a look (if you have not already) at the RAAM site. According to my count on the RAAM site, there are nine two-person teams, 31 four-person teams, 13 eight-person teams, and 42 solo riders for the 30th anniversary running of the Race Across America

Work Pays Off

2011-06-14T12:49:00.004-04:00

All the work to get the vehicles and bikes set-up has paid off. I just got a text from Earl saying the support vehicles (Follow Van, Support Van and RV) and Randy's bikes have "passed inspection with flying colors" This is a significant milestone, since failure to pass inspection means the vehicles cannot participate. Bikes that do not pass inspection cannot be ridden. That Team Mouri passed inspection with ease is a testament to everyone's hard work in Virginia and California to be prepared.

All work and no play....

2011-06-13T18:48:00.008-04:00

Now that everyone is in Oceanside, the tempo is picking up. The Follow Van has to be emptied, set-up, repacked, and properly marked. The Support vehicle and RV both need to be set-up and packed.

Through all this, the Crew Chief (Edgar) also has to make sure that Randy stays focused on his role and leaves the Crew to theirs. So Randy was pursuaded to play a bit....

A Team travels on its stomach

2011-06-13T18:31:00.006-04:00

As you know, keeping Randy properly fed and hydrated is key to his performance. Food is also key to the Crew's ability to support Randy. Fortunately, we are lucky to have Troy, a professional chef on the Crew to keep everyone properly fed. I hope to have some words from Troy on his plans/approach, but for now these shots of Crew food will have to do.

Breaking news !

2011-06-13T16:40:00.001-04:00

Randy is being interviewed by Washingtonian magazine. More when get more info

UPDATE - In California

2011-06-13T09:18:00.003-04:00

Randy and crew are in California. Most flew in Sunday.

Randy, Tim and Steph enroute:

Oceanside base and bike shop:

Still on the road west

2011-06-11T22:14:00.006-04:00

Susie, Rich, and the follow van stopped in Gallup NM for lunch. Susie sent me one of her breezy notes along with pictures of their lunch spot (one of which is posted here).

Hola! We stopped for lunch in Gallup and thought we'd send a photo! Another great day for traveling. No traffic, perfect blue sky. We don't seem to have the same luck with finding food, tho. It tok us forever to find this place, lots of u turns, but it was worth it! Great, real mexican food. Yum!

But that's not all...

2011-06-11T22:03:00.003-04:00

Earlier we told you about the challenges the desert will present in terms of heat and hydration. But that's not all... The desert also presents other, obvious and not-so-obvious, challenges. Here's more from Al on the desert:

"The other desert issues are sunburn (obvious), and problems with dried sweat/salt (not-so-obvious). Dried sweat/salt in riding garments can cause significant skin damage. Any readers that have raced Ironman distances, or even shorter distances have seen the skin damage that can occur due to the abrasive effect of this salt in just 6-12 hrs. This skin damage typically occurs along arm and neck seams, waistband edges, and the like.. Changing Randy’s clothes regularly, rinsing off accumulated salt, and use of lubricants will help to minimize problems from this source."

Keep cooly cool man!

2011-06-10T21:52:00.003-04:00

In case you don't recognize where the title of this post comes from, it's from the musical West Side Story. I use it because Randy is going to face significant challenges in the desert heat in the coming days (Parker AZ forecast to hit 105 on Thursday). To combat this, Al has devised a strategy. Rather than paraphrase it, I'm going to post a lightly edited version of Al's description.

I have spent hours researching the issue of helping Randy maintain his performance in the Eastern California and Arizona desert environments, where we are looking at day time temperature often in the 110+ F. range, with relative humidity less than 20%, and sometimes as low as 5-10%. In that environment, sweat evaporates rapidly, which improves evaporative cooling. However, instant sweat evaporation often leads athletes in this environment to underestimate sweat losses until it is too late. Our experience clearly shows that fluid and salt losses in the sun in this situation can exceed sometimes 2000 ml per hour. The science also shows that losses of as little as 1.5-2% of body mass through sweat losses can seriously degrade athletic performance.

Additionally, body temperature control becomes a real issue at any decent energy output level. The literature from attempts to improve the performance of soldiers and firefighters in various forms of environmental protective suits in hot environments provided the clues that together with data on precooling athletes prior to high level competition led us to the following solution, which we have only tested briefly.

First, we will try to supply Randy with cold fluids to drink, which should contain appropriate amounts of sodium to prevent the development of dilutional hyponatremia. To begin we need to prevent him from getting significantly dehydrated at any point before the Rockies as he could then develop exercise induced IADH (Inappropriate Anti-Diuretic Hormone) Syndrome, which would then cause him to inappropriately retain fluid, possibly until the end of the race. Randy is a least a moderately high salt sweat producer, so we must be careful that he get enough salt. We have one piece of prior data , in that Randy clearly seemed to improve his performance in the last 200 miles of the HOS race as we increased his salt intake through us of high salt instant soups.

Secondly, we located relatively lightweight cooling vests containing a hydrogel designed for athletic use. These vest have sufficient thermal mass to cool the rider for up to an hour. By rotating vests when Randy is riding on the flat or downhill (to avoid the 1.8-2# weight penalty when climbing), we can reduce his skin temps by 10 degrees or more. The vest is simply dampened to allow the hydrogel to absorb water, placed in a plastic bag, and placed atop a mix of salted ice and a block of dry ice in a small cooler. The vest is then removed, and sprayed w/water before Randy puts it on. We can cool a vest to below freezing in less than 30 min with this technology, giving Randy up to an hour of relief from the heat

ALL of the above are parts of the medical team strategy to reduce the environmental strain of reaching Wolf Creek Pass. Past RAAM history provides many lessons which suggest that helping Randy have every advantage to overcome the environmental threat of the desert is well worth the effort since attrition in this race section has been very high in the past

The Gathering of the Crew

2011-06-10T21:33:00.004-04:00

If you read the last post, you know that Susie and Rich are driving cross country with the Follow van. At last check in they had left Jackson, Tennessee and reached Amarillo, Texas.

(video at the link shows what Texas looks like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DyADhITvIc) .

Meantime our medical team had taken to the air and is now in Encenitas, California. They say they have "Been going to all the running/bike stores and everyone wants to know about our solo RAAM rider!"

It also turns out that in the pressure of acquiring and packing everything so that Susie and Rich can take it to the start, a item of medical grear was forgotten. But Al remembered, ordered it shipped express and it will likely arrive at the start before the rest of the kit does. Don't ask me what was forgotten as they've not told me.

The Adventure Begins!

2011-06-08T20:24:00.006-04:00

One thing we learned from HOS and the Great Eastern Swamp Ride is that the organization of the follow vehicle is very important. Rather than be in a rush to set up a follow vehicle in California and risk problems in set-up, the decision was made to set it up here and drive it there. So tomorrow, 9 June, at 0430, Susie and Rich are headed for California with the follow van.

The video below shows you how every cubic inch of space inside the van has a purpose. You'll also get a glimpse of Randy exercising his engineering skills doing ...something... to the inside of the van. As you will learn from Susie's voice-over, it's been hot here lately.

Nutrition - details, details...

2011-06-05T10:53:00.009-04:00

WARNING this post contains references to common bodily functions that may offend the sensibilities of those who like to pretend they don't have those functions.....

Stop and think about the effort and energy Randy needs to produce to ride 3000 miles in 10 days. That energy, thousands of calories per day, has to come from somewhere and eating that much is a real challenge (see The Science of Sport and Westerterp et al (1989) Study on food intake and energy expenditure during extreme sustained excercise: the Tour de France).

If Randy does not drink enough, he will dehydrate which is a Bad Thing (TM) affecting his ability to ride and think . (See the hyperbolic Sports Science episode on Dehydration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mve0mVu5y5A.) This is a particular concern during the desert crossing in the first third of the race.

So how does the Crew make sure Randy eats and drinks enough? The answer is the Nutrition Log. The Log is basically a spreadsheet (though we are using pencil and paper for reliability's sake) with columns for:

Race Time - RAAM time = EDT and is kept in 24 hr notation (1330 = 1:30 PM)

Race Mile - Miles into the race

Time Off - time spent off the bike in minutes

Comments - Temp, weather, Randy's state of mind, whatever

Electrolytes - How much consumed in 0z

Liquid food - in oz

Water - in oz

Solid food - by type, standard sizes

Calories - estimated from qty and food type, totaled at end of shift

Potty - what goes in must come out; if it doesn't, there's a problem brewing

Weight - helps track hydration and gross caloric intake

Every time Randy asks for food or drink, the Nutritionist on duty in the Follow Van fills out a line in the Log to record what when/where he asked for nutrition, what he asked for, how much. By recording these elements, the Crew can watch for trends and work to keep Randy properly feed and hydrated.

Thus you can see that keeping Randy operating at peak efficiency requires attention to detail and will require reminding/telling him that he needs to eat or drink. Hopefully he'll figure out his other needs.

Where is Randy?

2011-06-05T10:27:00.005-04:00

We just found out that the RAAM has a new sponsor, MyAthlete. MyAthelete provides athlete tracking along event courses.. At the moment we're not sure how this is going to work out, but the theory is that you will be able to follow Randy's location in near-real time online.

The way athlete tracking works is that each athlete wears a tracking device. The device uses GPS to get location data and sends it to the website via cell phone. Because cell phone coverage is lacking along some parts of the route, it may look like Randy has stopped for a long time. Once he gets back into cell coverage, it will look like he traveled a Looooong way instantly. Once they get RAAM on the events page you will be able to track Randy's location here http://www.myathletelive.com/events.

But to know what is happening wherever Randy is, read this blog :-)

Vignettes

2011-06-05T10:11:00.002-04:00

In addition to common items like packing, each individual crew member has his or her own preparations to make for the RAAM.

For example, the Crew Chief, Edgar, bought a new cell phone so he can text and take pictures that should end up here. He is also getting spare batteries for his headlamp and compulsively reading and rereading the rule and route books. Going off course or violating rules can cost Randy a lot of time and energy.

Connie is finishing up assembling the massage supplies. She's going to pass them to the follow van as it passes her place on it's way to CA. Connie will catchup with the Team on Sunday when she flies in.

Al and Mary have been assembling the medical supplies which range from an AED (automated external defibrillator), to IV bags and kits, to Epipens (TM). The Epipens are a necessary precaution as Randy has had reactions to bug bites and stings.

Get ready....

2011-05-29T20:31:00.004-04:00

This afternoon Team Mouri held the last team meeting before the Team heads to California for the start of the 2011 RAAM in 13 days. Almost the entire Crew was there, along with some spouses. After Edgar walked the Crew through the Crew Guide, each of the three crew shifts met separately to discuss whatever was important to that shift.

A 32 page Crew Guide may seem like a lot, but it's really not when you consider the logistics of racing 3000 miles. The guide covers everything from crew luggage (1 ea, small), cell phone numbers, crew positions and protocols, crew shifts, starting and finish line details. During the run up to the start, I will be posting about selected bits of the Crew Guide to give you a better feeling for the complexity and magnitude of a RAAM attempt.

While shifts were meeting, I went out to watch Randy burn meat on the grill. Once the meetings broke up I was able to meet and chat with team members I knew only by name. Grilled chicken, grilled sausage/brats, four different salads, beautiful weather and congenial company. I could stand more meetings like this one.

What the crew thought

2011-05-25T20:57:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since the Great Eastern Shore Training Event and the participating crew have had some time to recover and think about the event. So here's what two of them them had to say.

Steph:

"It takes a special bunch of people to be able to coexist in small, tight quarters. One thing you can be sure about is maintaining a good sense of humor is the key. Know your position on the team, work together and always remember that Randy's safety first and foremost.

No matter how tired you get there is always humor in everything. Remember the funny parts of the trips and training you have completed and repeat them during your time together. Believe me they will get funnier as time goes on."

Rich:

"At the start, while the first crew (two rookies and our fearless leader) was out battling the fish in the road, the A team figured out that there was plenty of room for each member's "small" suitcase, dry goods, etc. ... In addition, our first shift was to be checking out the sleeping accommodations in the RV. Supposed to be. Kind of difficult when some drunk drives up next to us, cuts the engine, gets out, takes a running start, and grunts as he slams in hands onto the trunk of the car and starts pushing it. "Oh, he must have stalled out and is trying to jump start it." But then, he takes a running start, and grunts as he slams in hands onto the hood of the car and pushes it back. And then again the other way. And then back. "Is this some sort of 1:00 am initiation? Maybe a new exercise program to get ready for football? Time to call the cops!" He must have heard us whispering as he jumped back in the car and drove away. "Did that really just happen or are all three of us dreaming the same dream?" You can't make this S^!t up! "

The Road to Recovery

2011-05-15T22:41:00.002-04:00

As you have read from a previous post, Leo and his wife, Elaine, will be our home base crew and assist us from afar as we work our way across the country. Many thanks Leo and Elaine. I love you both and appreciate your commitment to helping our team keep the readers informed.

May 7th, I did the DC Randonneur 300k out of Frederick, Md. I pretty much rode the entire distance with Clint, Bryan and Dan (all SPP members as well). Mike, the fourth SPP rider, started out with us, but being his first 300k held back on his effort level to make sure he had energy for the finish..and that he did. Congrats Mike! This particular ride was a little hillier than OC12 and a good test for my lungs. I was still experiencing congestion in my chest (coughing a lot and heavy breathing), but felt okay on the climbs. Overall feeling a little better, but still not there. Perhaps 85-90%. Again, the muscles were fatigued afterward, but not as badly as what I had experienced coming off of the OC12 ride. A good sign that I am getting better. But RAAM is closing in and I don't have much time remaining before the start.

We held a fundraiser on Tuesday, May 10 at the Dogfish Head Alehouse, Fairfax. This kick-starts our fund raising and awareness efforts for Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia. Susie worked hard to solicit items for our silent auction, that was held inside the restaurant. We'd like to thank the following businesses for their kind donation/s: Portrait Innovations/ Transitions Therapeutic Massage and Bodyworks/ Massage Envy/ Willowcroft Vineyard/ Plow & Hearth/Palm Beach Tan/ Barrel Oak Vineyard/ Sport Rock/All Sport/ Donna and Kerry Gray Catering/Inner Drive Golf Services

Please extend your patronage to these fine folks when you have the opportunity. And just for fun, tell them that the RAAM guy riding for Habitat for Humanity sent you.

I placed an indoor trainer in the back of a pickup truck and planned to spin from opening to closing of the restaurant.

I started at 11:15 a.m. and went to 9:30 p.m. (1 1/2 hours early). I didn't stop because I was tired or bored. I stopped because one of the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity, Adam, wanted to buy me a beer. So we shut down the mobile fitness center (donated by our neighbors, John and Karen) and moved inside. As I walked into the main area of the restaurant I was greeted by a huge round of applause and cheering from the entire restaurant. I'd have to say it was pretty cool (I briefly felt like a rock star...very briefly). Beer always tastes better after a long ride and with good company. Thanks again Adam.

Many friends showed up enduring the traffic and long work hours. It was nice to see so many of you and even better that I was able to stop a little early and enjoy your company. Thank you all!

While I was riding, I met some wonderful folks that passed by and was curious what I was doing. Many people thought I was riding across country in the pickup truck and was simulating the mileage on the trainer. Wouldn't that be sweet (though a little dangerous). I had the opportunity to meet several staff members from the pickup truck. Frank, the President walked up and introduced himself as well as Steve, Rachel and Bobby. They were all very appreciative of our efforts and were ready for a hearty lunch. Meredith has been working closely with Susie and dropped off materials earlier in the day, came by the restaurant later and stayed late into the evening. All the energy she displayed, I think she should sign up for RAAM next year. Great folks working for Habit for Humanity. I'm looking forward to more involvement when I return from RAAM.

This latest crew practice on the Eastern Shore was more for the crew than for me. I was still concentrating on getting healthy and arriving at the RAAM start feeling 100%. I'm not there yet, but getting close. As you read from Leo/Elaine's posts the weekend was successful...and exciting! I can honestly say that I have never ridden through a road full of so many fish in my entire life. We only regret not getting video coverage of it all. The water went on and on and on. I kept thinking that the crew was going to start messing with me and play the Jaws theme over the PA.

I would only end up riding 231 miles, but the crew practice was invaluable. So what started out as a rookie crew at the N.C. RAAM crew seminar, they have developed into a fine group of working veterans. I could not ask for a better team.

Next up is the DC Randonneur 400k out of Frederick, again. I'm feeling better and will likely ride a little harder to further test my progress. Stay tuned!

Eastern Shore Summary

2011-05-14T21:23:00.002-04:00

Susie sums up the weekend effort rather well. As you can see, many different talents and abilities are working together to make Randy's RAAM attempt possible.

"Randy is on his last loop, not sure of the length. The last piece of the practice puzzle was to have Steph drive during the daylight hours and at night. Edgar drove the RV to get used to it and we wanted to get Ben & Jerry's for the crew. Troy outdid himself with all the food! We really appreciated his amazing effort. Earl did a great job and will be a super addition to the team. We're tired but at the same time energized about Randy having a great race. Like HOS, we learned a lot and are anxious to implement lessons learned. All in all -- a fab weekend!"

Crew training

2011-05-14T18:03:00.007-04:00

The whole point of the Eastern Shore weekend was for the Crew to gain familiarity with the processes and procedures necessary to support Randy as he races in the RAAM. This is especially true when it comes to the Follow Van and the RV.

The Follow Van is the vehicle that follows closely behind Randy as he rides. It contains his riding gear, lots of food choices (not all of them what you might imagine - I'll try to get a list) and hydration supplies. The van also carries a rather comprehensive medical kit assembled by Al (aka DOC). We hope we never need items like the Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

The RV serves as Crew bunkhouse, Team mess, and (if needed) Medical station. The Team rented an RV identical (we hope) to the one we will be picking up in California for the weekend so everyone could become familiar with it.

Until this weekend, none of the Crew had seen the selected RV much less packed, driven, or maintained it. It is very hard for a Crew member to visualize just how much room they have been allotted for clothing and personal items. Being able to actually see the room available makes everything concrete.

As you can see from the picture, the Crew practiced important tasks such as draining the holding tank. One wonders if they practiced filling it as well. But we won't know for sure; they won't tell me.

How the heck... Ah ha!

2011-05-14T12:47:00.011-04:00

The Crew has been sending me some terrific pictures from the road. Unfortunately, I've not yet figured out how to include them. As soon as I do, I'll add them to the posts as appropriate or maybe just set up a Gallery section or something. Please be patient with us as we work out the kinks. Thanks.

UPDATE: Ah Ha! It's amazing what a simple web search will turn up. Posts will now contain pictures if available/safe for work (SFW) :-).

As you can see in this picture of Randy having a daybreak breakfast, it has been very wet, although I am told that the rain let up around dawn (0630 or so)

Overnight Recap

2011-05-14T06:18:00.005-04:00

When last we heard from Team Mouri, the Great Eastern Shore Training Event was rain/traffic delayed. Randy and Crew did not get going until 0015 RT (RAAM time). Randy has been riding for the last six hours and, by the time this post is published, will have taken a nap.

Although the area the Team is working in is fairly flat, it has it's own challenges; deer, fox, and fish in flooded roads. To quote Susie "rode thru 1-2 feet of water on the roads. Saw jumping fishes, could feel the fish in the water. Red fox, deer. Amazing!"

It turns out that the planned Crew assignments got all mixed up. Earl needed practice time driving behind Randy in the dark. This is Troy's home stomping grounds, so he set and is now revising the course. Randy's brother Rich is developing a cue sheet for the other shifts on the fly. Adapting and improvising.

A note about time used from here on out. During the RAAM all time is kept in "RAAM time" which is equal to Eastern Daylight Time. The standard notation for RAAM time is to use a 24hr clock as it reduces the possibility of AM/PM confusion. So 0015 means 15 minutes after midnight RAAM time (EDT).

And they're off...sort of

2011-05-13T20:33:00.004-04:00

This weekend is a training weekend for all the elements of Team Mouri. Randy, of course, is riding. The Crew has a number of tasks on their plate. Since the HOS 500, the Crew has reorganized a bit, moving people to different shifts, and adding a new member (Hi Earl!).

Significantly, this is the Crew's first chance to work with an RV. Using an RV identical to the one that we'll use during RAAM, the Crew is figuring out how to make best use of it. For example, what's the best way to pack it RV; how to transition from follow or support vehicle to the RV (here's where tri experience might help); how it drives; and how much lighter do they need to travel....

Thanks to traffic and wet weather, things have gotten off to a slow start. It is now well after dark, raining intermittently, and (at last report) they had not gotten to the nominal start point yet. Time to Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome (to borrow a motto).

Postcards from the Road

2011-05-03T21:31:00.009-04:00

One of many things we learned during the HOS ride is that the Crew is much too busy to successfully blog from the road. Randy, of course, is riding which brings us to the part of the crew that stays in one place. That's me, Leo, and Elaine. Our jobs are to keep you informed of what is going on as Randy and his Road Crew make their way across the country.

Basically, here's how it's supposed to work: 1) Crew comes off shift and texts/calls/emails us with notes about cool/bizarre/normal things that happened that shift. 2) We post to the blog (cleaning up spelling and cussing). 3) You read the blog and perhaps even post comments we can send back to be read to Randy as he rides along.

During this coming weekend's training ride on the Eastern Shore we're going to be practicing. The Road Crew will be practicing hand-offs, driving behind Randy in the dark, and calling/texting in at the end of each shift. Here at the commo shack, we'll be posting any news that's fit to blog (and we have not yet determined what our standards will be - they may be terribly low). Wish us luck!

What in the Heck has been going on????

2011-05-02T21:59:00.000-04:00

Well after the HOS 500 and the Middletown 300k, I came down with the flu (or something) the following Thursday. I did not get on my bike for 16 days with the exception of one Monday spin class. What horrible timing. I lost over 1,000 training miles and a great deal of fitness.

I had a scheduled club ride this past weekend with the Severna Park Peloton. I'm a distant member, but they treat me as if I were a local (one of their very own). Great folks and riders with many ride options within their club for all levels. This ride was meant to be a two day event. Day 1 Stevensville to Ocean City (116 miles); day 2 Ocean City to Stevensville (114 miles). Chip Adams, the ride developer, had Sunday commitments and wanted to return early. I agreed to ride back with him that evening. For me it was a good test to see how I was recovering from my illness. I'm feeling like I'm operating at about 80% right now.

The event ended up being a 24 hour event for me. I woke up at 4am on Saturday and laid back down in bed at 4am on Sunday. Everything else in between was driving, riding and eating. A few of the riders saw that Dogfish Head Alehouse was one of my sponsors and Bryan Nelson (far right in the photo) tried to set up a little ride and beer sampling with one of the owners, but he discovered that it was our local Alehouse (Fairfax) and not the main brewery. The owner was out of town anyway, but we still had fun wearing our Dogfish jerseys. This photo compliments of Ben McKeown:

I am still feeling good about my chances of being an official finisher for RAAM. I still have 43 days until the start, which gives me roughly 30 days to regain my fitness level, clear my lungs, etc. and be able to breathe normally. It's coming down to the wire here and I'm just hoping to be healthy for the start. I can suffer for 10-12 days to reach my goal.

Next up is the DC Randonneur 300k out of Frederick, Md. Only 190 miles, so I may try to squeeze in a little extra, but will see how my body is recovering and will adjust accordingly.

Sorry for the lag in posts. There's still a great deal going on behind the scenes. I'm just trying to get healthy right now. Hope to have more updates soon.

Cheers!

The HOS 500 Story

2011-04-08T07:57:00.001-04:00

The initial game plan: Alter my sleep pattern to adjust for the 8pm start time, ride the entire race without sleep and see how we do. For the crew: Don't run me over. All other errors were acceptable. As you can see, we are a simple team. Nothing too fancy, just keep to the basics.

Susie remembered how quickly I tired during Paris-Brest-Paris 2007, which was also an evening start (I struggled with the sleep monster just 4 hours out of the gate.) So she gets all of the credit for this, though I was not able to stay awake both Wednesday and Thursday evenings to completely change my sleep pattern.

3pm Friday was the mandatory racer/crew meeting. Tom Robertshaw, race director, did a nice job of a course review. The entire 517 miles of the race was marked with a big "H" and arrows for the turns. And as it would turn out there were only a couple of turns that were not marked throughout the entire course. Several riders asked, "Why the 8pm start time?" Tom's reply was, "To make it just a little more difficult." The course would prove to be plenty challenging.

The start was in time trial fashion. Each rider being sent off in 2 minute intervals. The order was based on estimated finishing time. Three of us said 42 hours, but my wonderful crew chief, Edgar, entered a time of 42 hours, 12 minutes. So I would take off last. Again, our strategy was to do our own thing. Just take it easy, stay steady and see how we do. Within 15 minutes or so of the race, we were pulled over by the police. He said that he had received several calls that there was a cyclist out on the road holding up traffic and wanted to make sure that it wasn't someone intoxicated. A few more questions and answers and we were release. Our first encounter with law enforcement, the crew did a great job and documented the amount of time we were delayed (just in case this would decide whether or not I would be an official finisher). It turned out to be only a 2 minute delay, which seemed like 15 minutes.

We started out with some nice gentle rollers with a few small hills here and there. We overtook a rider approximately 40 miles into the race. The terrain continued to be gentle for the next 60 miles, though you felt like you continued to gain elevation along the way. But once we hit Lookout Mountain, it was time to put on your climbing legs. The hills would be abundant. Riding through the deepest canyon west of the Mississippi River (Little River Canyon). There was a beautiful climb between two natural stone structures that reminded me of Monument Valley. I keyed the mic and called out, "Photo Op!" But I think the entire crew was in equal awe and never heard me. I ride on.

Throughout the evening we would exchange positions with 3 other riders. We were all fairly close, so if one stopped for a potty break or a change of clothes, others would pass. As we crossed the boarder into Georgia there was a little more separation between the rides as the climbs started to increase. By mile 204, we were informed that I was in the lead. This wouldn't last very long as we entered Fort Mountain State Park at about 250 miles in. We would start a 7.3 mile climb and Mike Wilson of San Diego, Calif (eventual winner) would ride up along side of me. We chatted for a bit and used up the majority of our 15 minute ride-along (which is allowed once every 24 hour period). Something that may need to be documented in RAAM to avoid penalties. Mike proved to be a stronger, younger rider as I had difficulty keeping him in site throughout the climb. He had a great cheering squad that hung back at each section and cheered me on as well. It was helpful and inspiring.

My first break would come at 13:45, approximately 18 hours into the race. To this point, my off bike time was 27 minutes which is good for me. I would need a nap and since I had never had an IV, we decided to test it out. I wasn't dehydrated, just tired. So the effects of the IV were minimal for me, though I'm sure this will be much different during RAAM and the potential 120 degree temperatures. Al would secure the catheter and explain how everything worked, which is the sort of stuff I love.

Back on the road and feeling better after a 90 minute nap, which is our RAAM plan. The route would be much of the same for the next 125 miles or so, back to the Alabama boarder. At this point, we would soon encounter miles of chip seal with numerous 15 percent climbs working our way up to Cheaha and the highest point in the state of Alabama (2,090 ft). It was fun, but I was fearful that every bolt on my bike would come loose and everything would collapse beneath me. Certainly a seat post rack would've taken a beating and would've likely failed (a randonneur concern).

With less than 20 miles to go, I felt like I had to change my shorts. At the last time station, I had removed a bandage from my crotch that was rubbing a raw spot in my skin and my shorts just irritating me. So a quick short change and a coating of Lanacane and Sport Slick....wait that wasn't Sport Slick...AARRRGGHH! It was Sport Heat! I was on fire in a very tender area. The crew started firing off suggestions to wash or wipe it off. But I knew that any liquid would reactivate it, so I just endured the discomfort for another minute and it eventually cooled down. The crew noted to not let me grab things from the van on my own. Looking back, it was pretty funny and a very quick way to learn.

Mike Wilson would finish in a time of 35 hours, 50 minutes. An outstanding time. He would not sleep for the entire race, which was my goal (I just couldn't perform at this time). I would roll in at 40 hours, 16 minutes and was happy with the time, based on my current fitness. It was a great race, I met some talented riders and the crew was just spectacular.

If you have a fear of dogs, this is a race to overcome that fear. I think I was chased down about 10 times (maybe more). But all of the dogs were friendly. They just wanted to play. Only one threatened my front wheel, which I had to spray with water. The pitbulls were ultra sweet, but I'm fond of the breed, as you all know.

Here's a brief clip of the finish and a word from the race director, Tom Robertshaw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX5um7kc3kU

Thanks to Mary Delaney for the video coverage!

Good luck to Valerio Zamboni of Monaco. He will be competing in RAAM in June as well. We exchanged positions throughout the race, which made it fun and interesting. And also best of luck to Ed Garrison of Cordova, Tenn. He will be competing in Race Across the West (RAW) in June, which covers the first 1,000 miles of RAAM.

And the race gave me a weekly total of 605 miles. There's only 2 more months of training left!

Heart of the South 500 (update)

2011-04-04T22:13:00.001-04:00

Just a quick update on the results. A more detailed report will follow by weeks end.

Here is a link to our race start (8:10pm):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v36Gq51UKdU

Team Mouri took second place overall with a time of 40 hours, 16 minutes. The crew worked very well together and learned a lot about what it takes to get me through a tough race. The crew did such a great job, that it's difficult to critique their performance. But this is what practice is all about and after evaluating the logs, etc., we will focus in on areas we can improve upon.

There was too much focus on what needed to be accomplished, so there were no tweets and blog updates. This will be worked out as well.

Heart of the South 500

2011-04-01T09:44:00.000-04:00

I logged 410 miles for last week. A slight taper for this weeks Heart of the South 500 (HOS 500). Training has been steady, but now I need to start increasing my long rides. I do a number of broken centuries through commuting, but need to start working on the 200-400 mile range. This will be a progression over the next couple of months with the exception of HOS 500. I'm not in peak shape for a good race this weekend, but that's not what this event is about.

This weekend will be a good opportunity for the crew to practice. We can evaluate the general setup of the van, crew responsibilities, navigational skills, the light bar, nutrition log, etc. Nearly everything will simulate RAAM support conditions. The time station check point are set up identical to that of RAAM, so this is all good. We'll experience areas where there is no cell coverage, etc. and will be able to see how our strategy for these areas work.

As for me, this is a good opportunity to continue to add to my fitness level, which is far from optimal right now. My goal is to ride straight through without sleep, however the evening start time is not in my favor. I also want to see how long it takes to hit the 300 mile mark. This will give a general time estimate for my RAAM goal. "Where I am now and where I want to be in June" sort of thing. It's all good and very exciting. I've never been so pumped up for an event before.

There is SO much work going into this. My crew has been wonderful! They are such a huge component of the outcome of the race. We have 6 crew members at the HOS 500. The only missing support vehicle is the RV, which isn't necessary for this race. We have an RV practice session scheduled in late April, which will give us an opportunity to review the space available and organize accordingly. Things are going well.

The crew is going to practice media updates, so if you see some odd posts, etc. Don't worry! It's all work in progress and we'll have it figured out by June. Cheers!

The Scoop on Saddle Sores

2011-03-23T09:02:00.000-04:00

Quick update on RAAM. We are down to 84 days from the start. My weeks mileage was 445 and the saddle sores appear to be under control at the moment. Training is going ok. Though I'm putting in the miles, I just haven't felt the spring in my pedal stroke yet. I know it will come soon. I just have to be patient. I was going to work on introducing sponsors this week, however a reader had asked about saddle sores and I think this is an important topic for those planning on RAAM and are new to this topic (though it has been part of my cycling for some time now). For starters I think this is one of the better articles on saddles sores and covers it well: http://www.liquicell.com/assets/pdf/Saddle%20Sores%20(P.%20Kortebein).pdf

After reading the article, come back to this message and read my additional thoughts below:

The article was well written and covered pretty much everything you need to know about saddle sores. But once you experience them, you will want to become a specialist. And since everyone is different (from sweat rate to pedal stroke) the treatment and results will vary with each individual. So keep track of what is happening with you and what you are doing to treat it and eventually, through trail and error, you will figure something out that will get you through the Race Across America...or whatever type of cycling you are involved in.

If you've been following my blog, you know that I developed saddle sores on day 2 of the Elite PAC Tour last year and fought them off for the next 17 days with the expert advise of Lon and Susan Haldeman, along with feedback from a number of the veteran cyclists on tour. Though I never was able to get them to heal while riding, I was able to continue to ride. Here is what I was doing:

I started out with chamois butter while riding with an occasional treat to chamois butter on ice (i.e. storing the tube in the beverage cooler). What a treat the cold cream is!

After the ride, I would shower and ice the area to help reduce swelling and just make the area feel better. I then applied a thin layer of Corizone 10 to further help reduce swelling and followed that up with Boudreaux's Butt Paste, which has zinc oxide and helps to dry up the sores. This routine worked well to keep everything under control, but took time to go through the process.

12 days into the tour I was switching back and forth between powder and cream. For the powder I used Gold Bond Medicated Triple Action. The powder gave some relief and was a nice change from the cream. Though too much powder tended to cake up and form marble like pies in the shorts. Not a good thing.

I think by day 16 of the tour, the affected area felt like it was on fire. I was carrying a tube a Lanacane for emergency purposes and this numbed the area and saved the day and got me through to the end.

I am working closely with Al and Mary Delaney of Rehab to Racing and being a little more aggressive with my treatment. I've been using Cleocin T (a suggested prescription from a riding buddy, Tim P.) on my saddle sores and it appears to be doing a good job at drying them up (only 3 days into treatment). So I'll continue to ride and treat as directed and see if I can get these sores to heal completely. Make sure you have a doctor identify your condition, so you know this prescription is right for you. Al is a brilliant doctor and an expert in his field. I certainly would not take any prescription medication without weighing out the risks and gains. Cleocin T is available in gel, liquid and solution. I am using the gel, twice daily.

For the RAAM readers, I hope this information points you in the right direction and doesn't allow saddle sores to keep you from getting to Annapolis.

Cheers!...and happy training!

Double digits to RAAM

2011-03-14T21:34:00.001-04:00

How exciting! We are now in the double digit countdown to the start of the Race Across America (RAAM). 92 days to go! My body just heated up a degree, just thinking about it.

Training has picked up and is "starting" to feel more comfortable. It takes time to settle into a groove. Last week was 495 miles. I was shooting for 520, but life moves on. Sunday was a wonderful excursion over Skyline Drive to visit my parents in New Market, VA. Susie met me there and we all went out for dinner. My mom had a tiny scare with arterial fibrillation. She had her heart shocked back into rhythm and has been doing well. They're talking about another road trip out to California. I'm not sure how they do it. Sometimes I think they're the one's that should be doing RAAM.

Skyline was clear and nearly traffic free. Spring doesn't attract as many visitors as the Fall foliage, but the view is still beautiful. A quick stop after climbing Dickey Ridge. Mile post 6. This was taken with my phone, so forgive the transition breaks between photos. But I think you get the picture.

Skyline Drive. Mile post 6.

Along with the increase in mileage, is a slight development of saddle sores. This is going to be a difficult combination of treatment and miles. Hopefully, I figure out the right combination. I'm not sure I can afford to take too much time off of the saddle from this point on. We'll have to just take one day at a time and see what happens.

Starting next week, I'll be highlighting some sponsor products.

Take that training outside and enjoy the views!

And the Training Continues

2011-03-06T09:09:00.001-05:00

I had a pleasant streak of training after a short, unscheduled break following Sebring. Since the majority of my training is solo riding, it is always nice to join in on a Chuck and Christa Training Ride. There is always a wonderful lunch stop at the halfway point, which is always my favorite part of the ride.

For this past week I logged 430 miles. March was the beginning of my work commute, so the miles will come a little easier. The Heart of the South 500 is in the books for the end of the month and still a little early in the season for a top ride. But valuable in the building phase leading up to RAAM. I have a couple of goals in mind, but the key is to see how we function as a team (i.e. crew and rider). This route is as hilly as the Adirondack 540 with over 38,000 feet of elevation gain, so I will have to find some hills to start climbing. Something that is difficult to do when you're on an indoor trainer most of the winter.

The crew continues to do their thing. Edgar, crew chief, sent out an announcement with updates from the RAAM Newsletter. Basically, reminding everyone to read, understand and know the rules of RAAM, as the majority of time penalties during the race are crew violations. Susie has been adding to our sponsor list as you may have noticed from the side panel. Susie also solidified our partnership with Habitat for Humanity (see top bar). She will always be my number 1.

There will be some tough days of training ahead as the rain always makes the commute a little miserable, but if Lance can do it, so can I...ride in the rain that is.

Cheers and happy training!

The Silver Lining

2011-02-27T22:05:00.001-05:00

With most rides that don't go as expected, there is usually a silver lining. That silver lining would be that I would continue to ride throughout the night, despite the numerous stops. And if this were one of my worst days during RAAM, I would still have met my goal of 300+ miles per day. Though bad days are not the goal. Endurance cyclist know that you have to keep moving as best you can to maintain forward progress.

Now let's back up a bit. Upon returning from Sebring, Susie and I reviewed the race log to try to figure out what had gone wrong and why my ride did not go as expected. We would share this information with our chief medical director, Al Delany and his wife Mary, also owners of Rehab to Racing. We had a one on one consultation to review the race log and there were several helpful things that came from this.

First, something I failed to mention, was that I was stung by an insect about 10 miles from the end of the 100 mile leg. I'm allergic to some insect stings and I'm never sure which ones give me the worse reactions, so I always take a Benadryl as soon as I can. Unfortunately, I did not carry any on this particular day, so asked Susie to grab one from the tool box upon my arrival. This may have contributed to my drowsiness later in the evening. Resolution is to switch to Cetirizine as an antihistamine, as it is a stimulant and not a depressant as Benadryl.

Secondly, Al and Mary have found that higher doses of magnesium have aided in eliminating cramping. The recommended dose is 600 mg/day (RDA for adult males over 31 years of age is 420 mg/day). Heavy training leading up to an event can deplete a substantial amount of your magnesium. So I will be testing this out as well. Also noting that excessive amounts of magnesium can lead to diarrhea. So be aware as some bodies will have a different level of tolerance than others.

On a final note, we could not pin point what caused the nauseous feeling. The Ensure was new to the mix as it's application in the race, but I had never had problems consuming Ensure in the past. So we will be experimenting with Ensure a little more before my next event.

One last thought has been that I simply went out a little harder than for what I was prepared for. A very good possibility as it's always hard to pin point these issues after the fact. You just need to apply it in training and monitor the results. We shall see what happens.

Thanks Al and Mary for the valuable feedback. I have a few things to work on in my training.

Sebring Update

2011-02-20T10:46:00.001-05:00

Randy back writing to you. Susie is still sleeping after an endless night trying to keep me going. The cramping would finally subside, during the second century and countless doses of Electrolyes and V-8. However, nausea and stomach issues set in, which is rare with me. The hour that I had banked going into the race track was withdrawn quickly with two 30 minute rest breaks. I wasn't eating and the race was taking a turn for the worse. At some point, Susie brought me turkey soup. It went down well and I started to feel better. There was still an opportunity to have a good race and exceed 400 miles. After a handful of laps, nausea would set in again. I dropped from 12 minute laps to 16 minute laps in a short period of time. I was spending more time off the bike than on it. I was getting frustrated and was just trying to keep moving. My results were horrible at just over 300 miles, especially when you're anticipating 420+. Susie and I will look at the logs to see if we can find a silver lining in all of this. It will be difficult!

The weather was perfect and conditions were optimal. I have no excuses for such a poor performance. I just need to work out the kinks over the next 3 months. I'll follow up after reviewing the logs.

We did have two friends (Bill and Len) that RQ'd. They both had their issues along the way, but were able to overcome them and finish strong. I was very impressed with their performances, as endurance cycling of that distance is not part of their typical routine. Len actually had the opportunity to ride in the 420+ range, but was happy to stop at 408. They said they had no desire to do RAAM, but you never know... Congratulations Bill and Len! Awesome job!

So far, so good

2011-02-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

It's Susie writing to you. I'm in the hotel room rinsing out some shorts and getting more fuel. Randy finished the 100-mile loop in about 5 hours. So gorgeous here -- he got lucky. Sunny, slight breeze, about 75 degrees. So now he's on his second 11-mile loop. He'll do these short loops until 5:30 pm when they shuttle all the riders onto the race track. Randy cramped up a bit on the last loop, so he drank a V-8 and took some enduralytes. There is the sweetest boxer mix pup next to me, I can hardly keep my hands off him! Oh sorry, back to the race... Lots of cyclists here, tons of recumbents. More later! Thanks for watching. Now back to your regularly scheduled Saturday.

Sebring 24 hour Challenge

2011-02-18T20:42:00.000-05:00

Susie and I are down here to test out a few things for RAAM at the Sebring 24 hour Challenge. Besides trying to hit the 400 mile mark, we will be testing out some of our nutrition strategies, minimizing off bike time and trying to maintain a steady effort level (not too hard, but not too easy either).

We have a great view of the race track from our room

Susie and I though it would be a blast to stay and sign up for a Skip Barber session, but reality set in and we realized that we have bigger things to focus on.

Susie will try to give updates on the race through Twitter.

Cheers!

Crew Meeting

2011-02-13T21:26:00.000-05:00

We had our crew meeting last evening and everyone was present except for our one island crew member, Tim, that lives in St Croix. Three members attended using Skype, which worked well, but does place a bit of an inconvenience spanning the country's time zones. Two were in Idaho, Al and Mary, and one in Arizona, Connie.

Al started us off with the medical presentation...stressing the importance of full disclosure on the medical waiver forms, as his role is the chief medical officer and reminding everyone of the physical and mental demands that are required to be on the crew.

We took a quick pause for chili, corn bread, Louisiana gumbo, crab dip and an assortment of other goodies. All compliments of our crew members. While folks were eating I followed up with a quick update on my training and plans moving forward. Training was at 82% after a 365 mile week.

Dave Meridith took over with a recap of his RAAM races from '90 and '93. He had a very successful race in '90, finishing in 10 days and 4 hours. Much of his success due to his crews ability to keep the drama in the vehicles and hidden from him. '93 proved to be a disappointment with many crew complications and a change in nourishment. He would DNF in Texas after extreme dehydration from intestinal problems.

Edgar covered the crews roles and shifts, Susie gave an update on the fund raising efforts and her pursuit to work with a charitable organization (Habitat for Humanity), and Troy finished up with a brief summary of how food preparation would work.

All in all a very successful meeting though our next meeting will be less formal and handled via email. We established a weekend in May to familiarize ourselves with the RV. So we will rent an RV for the weekend to test everything out in RAAM fashion.

I think we are getting everything dialed in for the team. Now all I need to do is ride my bike. Sounds easy!

Behind the Scenes of RAAM training

2011-02-05T15:41:00.000-05:00

What goes on behind the scenes of RAAM? I don't think I can list everything, but will do my best. Edgar and Susie are working on charitable funding and sponsorship. Something that just doesn't come as easily as we initially anticipated. Additionally, they are organizing crew meetings and laying out the plan for RAAM. This involves assigning each crew member with duties for both follow and support. They've created shifts and rotations, made appropriate reservations where needed, are determining the best means of transportation for equipment and crew members to Oceanside. They are also creating lists of items for the support vehicles, emergency essentials, nutrition, clothing, supplies and everything else I can't think of. Rich, Troy, Tim, Leo and Stephanie are also thinking of addressing the unknowns and helping out with sponsorship opportunities, learning the rules and familiarizing themselves with the route. Connie, my massage therapist, is researching Shermer's Neck and other possible issues that may be experienced on the bike. Al and Mary, of Rehab to Racing, are working on establishing medical guidelines and are assembling a medical kit for the race. This team is working on researching how best to handle sleep deprivation and have also outlined a strength training routine to help combat Shermer's Neck. I think that's all I have for now. After the crew meeting next weekend, revisions will be made, lists supplemented and plans altered. We have 3 months to figure it all out and will have several opportunities to test the work that has been put into planning thus far.

As far as the training...let's just call it an off week. I dropped from 405 miles to 190. A poor performance and I've dropped to 84% of my goal mileage (which was expected if the winter weather was less than accommodating). I rode through the night last evening on the trainer. Took a 2 hour nap, then road again to finish up my workout. This simulates riding sleep deprived as I prepare for Sebring as best I can.

I'll need to schedule another appointment with SportFit Lab to retest and check my fitness level. Think an April test would be appropriate.

Cheers everyone and happy training!

What does snow have to do with it?

2011-01-29T09:19:00.000-05:00

My riding week was 405 miles, though I fell short of my long ride goal (again) of 160 miles. It's up to 180 miles for today as I'm looking at the clock typing, knowing good and well that I have to get on the bike soon. 12 hours on a trainer, just doesn't sound very appealing to me. I've done it in the past and have survived, but that was 15 years ago. I'm much wiser now...NOT!

Why!? WHY!?...you may ask. Well your body won't adapt to riding 3,000 miles across the country by sitting on the couch eating bon-bons. Once your schedule is set, the challenge is sticking with it. Yes, there are stumbling blocks along the way. But you can't get discouraged, just mark it off as a bad day and continue forward.

I was stuck on the beltway Wednesday evening with many of you. After traveling 6 miles in 6 hours, I decided I had enough. So I turned around and drove back to work (2:30am) and slept on the couch. I finally made it home on Thursday (our office closed) and was welcomed by 3 fallen trees. I cleared up the essential one, but still have a couple to clean up. For some reason, I don't see that on my training schedule. Missed a long ride that day.

In the meantime, my crew chief, Edgar and my assistant crew chief, Susie (my wife) are hard at work organizing and planning out all of the details leading up to the Race Across America (RAAM) in June. One can't imagine what all goes on behind the scenes of an event like this. But details are of the utmost importance. And it's just not RAAM. Like I said earlier, this is all a progression...a learn process. We have the Sebring 24 hour Challenge next month, a crew training/meeting, the Heart of the South 500 the following month and then my longer, supported training rides leading into June. I'll cover this more in future posts and let you know what the other crew members are doing as well.

...right now, I've got to get on the bike.

Cheers everyone! And remember not to get discouraged by disrupted routines. Things happen! Let it go and keep moving forward toward your goal and we'll get there together.

...still no warm sunny photos

2011-01-21T20:13:00.000-05:00

Currently, I'm riding at my mileage goal for the week (365 miles). Though I am not following my daily schedule. I fall behind each weekend and work hard through the week to catch up, then repeat the following weekend. It's going to be the coldest temperature of the season this weekend. I will have to force myself to get out there and ride, even if I have to break it up into sections. The long, endurance miles are important. We'll see what happens.

My last Sunday ride was nice and steady, though the route was very flat (under 4,000' of climbing). The wind and overcast sky made the ride chilly. I managed only 100 of my target 140 miles, so had to make up the miles through the week.

Only 144 days remain until the start of the Race Across America. Training needs to tighten up.

If you're training out in the cold, make sure you bring a cell phone, cash and a credit card (and perhaps a small lighter). If anything should happen you don't want to be stuck out on a country road in the cold without a means of rescue.

Cheers everyone and thanks for your support.

Just another week...

2011-01-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well another week has gone by and I've managed to keep my target mileage up. But only through a series of morning and evening indoor spins. My goal was 345 miles for the week and I rode 370. It's tough on the weekend, because those are supposed to be the gravy miles. Long and easy. But the winter isn't cooperating and it has made the roads and trails a bit on the dangerous side.

One of the few bad sections of the W&OD trail on Sunday.

I need higher quality miles leading into the Sebring 24 hour Challenge, in February. Right now it appears to be a big enough challenge just to get some long rides in. Keep checking in. Sooner or later I'll have a nice sunny photo to post with warmer temps.

If you haven't noticed, the Homer Simpson countdown clock was up for a brief period of time. I had to remove him because he wouldn't stay in one place. Long story....just like all of the others still to come.

See you in a week.

159 days until RAAM

2011-01-07T21:48:00.002-05:00

159 days 'til RAAM. One week of new years training and I'm already falling a little behind (i.e. rode 310 miles, but needed 325). I had over 100 miles of spinning. Spinning miles are a little tougher to do, but a great way to focus on your form. Though I've done several centuries on an indoor trainer, it's not my preference. Saturday and Sunday were good rides, though on Sunday I under dressed and had to cut the ride short after a few rain showers. I also tend to under hydrate in wet weather, because of the dirty country roads (i.e. natural fertilizer, to be polite). Would you drink out of that water bottle? ha! It was actually empty already...and I do carry a cloth to wipe the crud off the mouth piece prior to drinking. I'm trying my best to emulate the tough riders out there. I keep telling myself the days are getting longer and it's warming up. It's all in the mind....

RAAM TRAINING FOR 2011

2010-12-30T19:51:00.000-05:00

The schedule has been set and it looks like I'll be compiling 11,000 miles between January 1st and June 1st. This, of course, is based on good weather and road conditions. So I'm hoping for a mild winter this year. The training will consist of mostly weekend rides with a progressive increase in mid week rides. Mileage will increase from 250 miles per week to 800 miles per week over a 6 month period with emphasis on the long rides.

Pete Penseyres, holder of the fastest RAAM average speed of 15.4mph, says that his success came from riding 400 mile rides beginning Friday after work. I will try to match his training routine at least twice in my peak period and hope for the best.

I will do my best to provide weekly updates to keep you abreast of my training. Thanks again for following along.

RAAM Crew Seminar

2010-12-14T19:27:00.000-05:00

The Raleigh RAAM Crew Seminar was fun and informative. There were approximately 35 potential crew members and racers in attendance. George Thomas, RAAM veteran and race director, was the presenter. He was funny and engaging. The seminar was based on RAAM crewing history. Some his and a lot of others.

George, far end of the table, preparing his material.

Friends and families don't always stay that way after crewing for RAAM, as he proceeded to tell story after story of crewing gone bad. This all led to the importance of a good crew chief and his or her ability to train, delegate and trust that the crew will do what was necessary within their roles for a successful and enjoyable race.

Our end of the conference table looked like a snack bar.

There were a couple of racers in the seminar that have yet to RAAM Qualify (RQ). I believe they are entered in the Sebring 24 hour Challange, so it will be nice to bump into them to catch up and see how things are going. My suggestion to them would be to join forces and race as a team, if they do not RQ at Sebring.

Lynn Lashley, a strong rider I rode with some during the Elite PAC Tour (ET), met us for dinner after the seminar. She said that she would've attended, but was getting ready for knee surgery next month and didn't think the she'd recover in time for RAAM. She RQ'd at the Texas Time Trials and by completing the ET within the time limits each day. It was fun to see her.

The ride home was quick, but it seemed like the minds were stirring with a lot of questions and ideas. So with Susie at the helm and Stephanie shot gun, Rich and Troy were free to surf and turf (not sure exactly what the means, but it sounds good...like food). Needless to say we are all anxious for June 2011.


Psyched for a little RAAM research on the way home.

RAAM CREW SEMINAR

2010-12-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

Team Mouri is heading down to Raleigh-Durham for the RAAM Crew Seminar. I have nearly the entire crew in attendance. This may seem like over-kill, but my crew has little experience in crew for such an event. I've received a great deal of feedback that I should hire a crew chief, but I'm confident with the people I have and as long as I expose them RAAM like situations this group will shine.

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that I have the weekend off from riding to attend this meeting. I'll report back when we return.

Prost!

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

2010-11-26T13:59:00.001-05:00

Several months have past, since my last post and I thought this long weekend would serve me well to get things back on track (including my mileage).

First of all, both the blog site and my appearance are going through a transition phase. The blog site is being altered for ease of reading and to make room for sponsors. And I'm letting my hair down (literally), by letting it grow to a length of not less than 18 inches. Once it reaches that length, I will cut it all off and donate it to "Locks of Love." You can click on the link to learn more about the organization.

Short and long hair Randy.

Currently, I'm working on rebuilding my base mileage through weekend century rides organized and led by Chuck Wood and Christa Borras. They have wonderful and challenging routes and it's so easy to join in on a ride. Just check out their blog site http://dccenturyrides.blogspot.com/. If you follow their blog, you'll be sent ride descriptions each Thursday, at which time cue sheets and gps coordinates of the weekend rides will be available for download. A very fun group of folks.

I missed out on riding the Adirondack 540 and the Saratoga 24 hour events. Just not enough time in the saddle. My next scheduled event isn't until February. The Sebring 24 hour Challenge in Sebring, Florida. I hate riding in the winter cold and usually work on my eating skills, gaining anywhere from 10-20 pounds between the months of November through mid March. This year will have to be different..and I plan on loving every minute of it!!!

One step at a time and we'll see how it goes.

TOUR DE FRANCE VS ELITE PAC TOUR

2010-07-24T11:04:00.000-04:00

My roommate, Rob, during the Elite PAC Tour was watching the Tour de France with his wife Nancy. She turned and asked him if we rode as many miles in the Elite PAC Tour as the pros in the Tour de France. He knew it was close, but had to check his data from his Garmin. Below are his stats of the Tour de France (T) vs Elite PAC Tour (E):

Miles - 2,280(T) vs 3,040(E)                  33% more miles for ET
Days/Stages - 20(T) vs 19(E)                A wash
Rest Days - 2(T) vs 0(E)                       (OK maybe we had 1/2 of a rest day if you count the La Veta Pass day)
Miles/Day - 114(T) vs 160(E)                 No contest
Longest Day - 142(T) vs 220(E)            Not even close
Maximum speed - 50+(T) vs 50+(E)      Maybe the TdF guys were faster here, but they get paid to go fast downhill
Elevation - 80,000'?(T) vs 100,000'(E) The TdF riders need to do Wolf Creek Pass and West Virginia. Hors category+

Fun facts to share (thanks Rob)! I did notice that he omitted the oveall average mph. For sure the pros in the TdF dominate us with an average of 25+mph verses our 16-20mph (on bike avg).

Hope you all are enjoying the TT stage of the TdF. It's been an exciting tour and inspiration to get out and ride.

RAAM REGISTRATION OPENS AUG 1ST...

2010-07-16T19:51:00.000-04:00

The date has been set for June 15, 2011 for the start of the solo men. If you need to get psyched about this event, please check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l8lHC8KK24

VO2/BLOOD LACTATE TESTING

2010-07-08T13:42:00.001-04:00

Making an attempt at a 3,000 mile, single stage bicycle race is no small task. You must do everything within your means to learn as much about the race and yourself as possible to properly prepare for the challenges ahead (and let's not forget about work, family and friends). My goal is to simply be an official finisher. The cutoff is 12 days (288 hours) from the start of the gun. My plan is to figure out how hard I can go each day to determine how much sleep would be available for me to take (along with any additional personal breaks). My initial feeling is that I will try to base my race on 300 miles per day. So if I'm able to cover the 300 miles in 20 hours, then I'd have 4 hours for sleep and breaks each day. The math is easy, but the rest is not.

So this requires another visit to SportFit Lab in the Worldgate Sport and Health. Doug and Beth Baumgarten would be my team of experts conducting the test, collecting the data and crunching the numbers to report training information for me to follow. I have had experience with VO2 max testing, but was excited about the additional feature of blood lactate testing to determine my lactate balance point (LBP).

My visit was on Saturday, July 3rd and this is how the testing process went:

The lab station is set up with all of the measuring devices, rubber gloves, blood test strips, etc. It really looks like I'm going into surgery.

My bike gets hooked up to the Computrainer, so Doug and Beth can adjust incremental resistance throughout the testing process. I strap on a transmitter to send my heart rate (HR) signal to the computer and mount the bike to go through a couple of calibration routines to make sure the wattage output is accurate and my HR is picked up. I then put on a ventilation mask and start my warm up. As I'm warming up, the Fitmate Pro is calibrating as well.

The initial effort is easy. But every 3 minutes the resistance is increased by 20 watts and I'm asked to state my perceived effort based on a Borg Perceived Exertion scale. Approximately 15 minutes pass and I can feel my breathing rate starting to increase. A couple of more increases and Beth starts to take blood samples at the tail end of each 3 minute effort. The blood samples are taken from your finger tips, alternating between the ring, middle and index fingers. As I approached my max heart rate reading of 195 bpm, Beth advised that my finger tips will be sore the next day (based on the number of blood samples she's taken so far).

My HR is allowed to drop to an aerobic level during my active recovery. Then the second effort begins. This is the phase at which the balance point is determined. As my effort increases, my blood lactate is monitored. My blood lactate levels continue to drop as my body consumes the lactate and reuses it for energy. A couple of more samples and Doug finds the balance point (5.4 mmol/l) at which my body is resynthesizing the production of lactate at the same rate it is producing what would be an excess. Raise the HR by 1bpm and my body starts to accumulate an excess of lactate in the blood stream.

Here are my results based on my current age (51) and weight (64.5kg): VO2max = 51.9ml/kg-min; LBP HR = 169bpm; LBP Wattage = 200; and LBPwatts/Bodywt Ratio = 3.10

I will be scanning and posting my data sheets at a later date, as some of the numbers are still being evaluated for optimal training purposes. And again, if you have any questions about what I am doing, please feel free to ask. I'm hoping my experience may help guide some of you in your decision-making process, while trying to set up a strategy to accomplish your personal goals (whatever they may be).

For more elaborate details on the tests I described above, please visit SportFit Lab.

KIDS AREN'T THE ONLY ONES THAT TALK ABOUT POOPY

2010-06-20T19:59:00.001-04:00

Before you say anything, this is an import subject and you may not know of some of the material to come. So just give this post a chance and read it through.

Poopy and pee-pee are related to your intake...or lack thereof and if you monitor it closely enough (is that TMI?) you can certainly tell what's going on with your body and possible ways to correct some of the conditions. Instead of being too graphic on this blog, I thought I'd direct you to the poopy chart. It's self-explanatory. Some of you are really into the floaters verses the sinkers. I've heard that your poopy will float, if your diet has enough fiber. I tried this test for a short period of time and only manage a floater here and there. In my book, as long as you have an effortless, solid poopy, you're good to go.

Prolonged physical exertion can play havoc on the poopy. Depending on the duration of your event, poopies are usually non-existent and that's what many endurance athletes strive for to save time on the potty stops. Many endurance athletes successfully stick with a liquid fuel source and try to find the right balance of hydration to refrain from tinkling as well. I'm still in the mid-tuning stages with all of this, but my initial thought is that this is on the edge of being dangerous (though I'm not ruling it out completely).

I tend to produce type 1-3 poopy during heavy endurance days. And I do tend to dehydrate toward the end of endurance events. Though after the 3rd day of the Elite PAC Tour, I had no issues. So chalk one up for the poopy chart! The products I use have some protein in them. Protein requires more fluid to process and adds to my dehydration problem.

There is also the tinkle chart, which can provide useful guidelines in monitoring your pee. If you start seeing that dark brown pee mid way through your ride, you may be in trouble. You'll need to slow down and hydrate well. But be careful, although rare, it is possible to over hydrate and induce a condition called hyponatremia. It's all about balance and learning how your body responds to adverse conditions. It's trial and error (experience). And don't be afraid to ask questions, when you don't know the answer. Someone out there may know.

Mary and Al Delaney of Rehab to Racing (R2R) answered a question for me that had me puzzled for several years. In cooler temperatures (more specifically when rides start out warm in the daylight and then drop 20-30 degrees in the evenings) I would experience excessive and frequent urination. Almost as if I had just consumed 10 gallons of water (only I had not). This condition is known as Cold Immersion Diuresis. If I remember this correctly, as your extremities get cold the blood in your body moves to your core to protect the blood supply to the brain. Your body detects this increase in blood volume and tries to reduce it via urination, which may lead to dehydration. So keep drinking and put those layers on. A cold, continuous rain may also bring on Cold Immersion Diuresis, as I have experienced. Your body tries to compensate for many of the stresses that you subject to it. The more educated you can be on various subjects the better you're going to be at self-evaluating race day issues.

So in the future, if you're seated in a nice restaurant and you hear the table next to you talking about poopy and pee-pee -- give them a break. It may be someone you know...ME!

ADVANCED BIKE FIT AT SPORTFIT LAB

2010-06-20T19:42:00.002-04:00

Here we are between phases of testing. That's me on the bike with Doug Baumgarten in the back of Harry the skeletal model, who wanted to show off the cool SportFit Lab cap. The photo was taken by Beth Baumgarten.

SportFit Lab offers 3 levels of bike fit (basic, standard and advanced). Great options for all levels of cyclists/triathletes/duathletes. I was going through the advanced fit and this is how it went.

I first filled out a thorough athletic history report as Doug set up my bike on the Computrainer and took some measurements from by current bike setup.

Inseam and shoulder width measurements were taken to rule out any flagrant flaws in my current set up. Doug had noted that my bars were a little on the wide side and questioned my use of bar end shifters installed on the drops verses on the aerobars. Both were due to mechanical failures during earlier races that I completed in and I had not reconfigured the front end with new parts. Something to fine tune down the road.

Doug then checks for lower joint issues under load by having you sit on the edge of a chair and then has you slowly stand to an erect position, then slowly sit back onto the edge of the chair (repeat as needed). He visually evaluates your joint motion as you perform this test. He found an excessive amount of pronation in my feet (I do have flat feet) that can lead to knee issues and recommended firmer inserts. I will definitely pick up a couple of pair. I have to admit that I do experience knee pain with severe climbing and the inserts may be the solution.

I then hopped on the bike to warm up into a comfortable zone before Doug applied resistance. He turned on an overhead monitor (a huge 32" flat screen), that allowed me to follow the spin scan results. He reported that I have nearly perfect symmetrical pedaling through out my pedal stroke. I looked up at the monitor and asked him to explain. There were a series of bars indicating power output at 15 degree segments for both the left and right legs through 360 degrees (one pedal revolution). It showed the peaks and valleys of power delivery to the pedals. My numbers flowed between 49/51 and 50/50. I was happy to see that drill work does pay off. Typically, riders get more out of balance as resistance is increased. Oddly, mine improved as resistance increased.

While I was spinning, Beth was taking video of the session and assisting Doug as needed.

After a good sweat, Doug had me hop off the bike to take a few more measurements. He measures for strength and flexibility. I pass, but received good core strength tips in the process. He evaluated the motion video and pulled some measurements from the screen. I was slightly extended, but due to my level of comfort and no physical side effects, we opted not to change this position, but noted it for future reference.

Doug made a slight cleat adjustment to help smooth out a minor asymmetrical reading on a segment of my right leg. I jump back on the bike, warm back up and look back up at the monitor. The adjustment did the trick with no odd feeling to my pedal stroke. After further discussion of how I use my aerobars, Doug suggested a slight repositioning of the forearm pads. This took a little more pressure off my shoulders and made the position more comfortable.

I'll share the printed results once emailed to me. Overall, I did not have any huge flaws, which I was happy to hear (but expected that my position wasn't too far out). My form was better than I had anticipated and I was able to fine tune some adjustments for better power and efficiency through the cleat and pad adjustments, along with the use of inserts. I'm anxious to put these changes through some mileage tests. I'm planning on riding the Saratoga 24hr in July and hope to log at least 400 miles. We'll see how that goes.

I've been cycling off and on for over 30 years (both recreational and competitive), so your results will likely be different from mine. A good bike fit is a valuable tool if you plan on cycling for any amount of time on a regular basis. And a must for any serious triathlete or cyclist.

Doug and Beth performed one of the most thorough bike fits that I have ever experienced and I feel that I came away with a more powerful and efficient position. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my experience or check out Doug and Beth at SportFit Lab.

Good Luck in your race season and thanks for following my quest.

Here I have added the printed results (6/22/10):