DAY 6 - SV BACK TO TUCSON

What a beautiful day today. We had record lows upon arrival and experienced record highs prior to departure. Over a 50 degree swing in temperatures, which adds to the excitement of it all. Susie tells a better story, so I'll just post a few pictures and let you read on.

My recovery tray.

Pat Seely, Jon Batek, me, Rob Welsh, Andrew Puddy and Susie. 

Here's Susie pulling us through the home stretch.

Susie's Day 6: Yeehaw! 81 miles, baby! I rode with three knights in shining armor today: Randy, Jon and Rob. All three completed the Elite PAC Tour in 2010 -- 3,000 miles across the country in 19 days. You all know Randy is a total stud on the bike, but so are Jon and Rob. They pulled my sorry ass the whole way today and I couldn't have been more grateful. They were very kind and patient with me, and I couldn't have made it to Tucson without them. Well, I could have, but I'd still be out there! We averaged 18.5 mph with some nasty, long climbs. Every time we'd climb, they would say, "That's the last big climb, Jake. It's all downhill from here." Then I'd look ahead and see another hill. Poopyheads! "Oh sorry. Forgot about that climb. Seriously, this is the last one." Other than my cycling partners lying to me, it was a great ride with mostly favorable winds. No tummy issues today and my legs felt pretty good, with the help of my magic pills again. The funny thing is, when we pulled in to the parking lot, all I wanted to do was yell with joy, make a big deal, dance around a bit. But there was so much activity -- the support crew taking care of cyclists' need, cyclists tearing their bikes down and finding their luggage. No one really seemed to notice when anyone arrived. And when I mentioned to a few people that it's the farthest I've ridden in seven years and I've never ridden four days in a row in my life, they just sorta looked at me -- "Yeah, so what?" We pulled in, found our bike boxes and our luggage, and tore the bikes down to get shipped home. We met up with Rob, Jon, Bill and Steve for dinner at Chilis. Don't judge me -- it was the best we could do on short notice. The whole week was quite an adventure! To begin the week with record low temps and end with record high temps is just plain wonky. And what a great group of people. Lon and Susan really do a great job and it was very cool being in their presence. They are legends in the sport and I learned a lot this week. Not sure if I'll attend another PAC Tour in the future, but perhaps after the pain in my everything heals up, I may consider it.

DAY 5 - BISBEE, MCNEAL, TOMBSTONE

Susie's story pretty sums up the day, so I won't elaborate. One of my highlights was briefly riding with Bob Stapleton, former HTC Columbia owner.  Bob spoke last evening and showed a movie on the behind the scenes of the Tour de France from 2009. He came out to ride with a few former coworkers. They appeared to be having a great time!

Susie, me and Bob Stapleton

Lon, me, Susan, and Susie on top of Mule Pass.

Susie's Blizzard post-ride treat!

Susie's Day 5: 70 miles today. Hooray! That's the farthest I've ridden since 2005. It hurt, I bitched a fair amount, my body aches but I finished and I got my Blizzard treat, so it's all good. A lot of climbing today, but we took frequent breaks. After a three-mile climb and a nice decent, we stopped at the Bisbee Cafe for a smoothie. A few other riders from the group joined us, which was nice. By the time we got to Tombstone, I was really feeling the fast pace we were keeping. Randy is classic for telling me and everyone around us,"Oh we're going to ride real easy, you know, take our time, enjoy the scenery and get there when we get there." We head out and within five minutes, my speedometer reads 23 mph. Scenery my ass. All I can see is the white line on the road and Randy's back tire about six inches away from my front tire. Just trying to hang on to catch the draft. If I lose my concentration, I lose him and then I'm screwed. Beautiful day, warm and sunny. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at IHop and peanut butter cookies for desert. Eating and cycling, that's about it!

DAY 4 - SV TO PATAGONIA

Today's ride took us out through Ft Huachuca with a lot of rolling hills. It reminded me a lot of Back Rd, which runs parallel to route 11 (back in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley).  Though the accumulative climbing wasn't that impressive, it was hard work.

Susie working one of the short climbs out of the fort.

The peloton.

We would work our way back to Sonoita for lunch and return back along the same route as day one.  Susie has been riding stronger as the week rolls on.

Susie's Day 4: What a great day! The weather was gorgeous and with the help of magic pills called Sport Legs, I had energy to go 70 miles today. I had some minor tummy issues after lunch and I think it's because I don't normally eat a big ol' meal during a ride. Yesterday was a honkin' plate of spaghetti and turkey meatballs. It was delicious, but it sat like a lead balloon. And today was yummy grilled cheese, but within minutes of leaving the lunch spot, I was getting cramps. The road back to Sierra Vista was gently rolling and with me drafting off Randy, we were making good time. It felt great, but I wish my tummy felt better. I've decided to go with my usual bike food fare of Clif Shot Blocks and Nuun tablets that I put in the carbohydrate  drink. We stopped at Sun 'n Spokes, a cool bike shop near our hotel on the way home and I got what I needed to get me through the last two days. Bike shop, DQ for a blizzard and then a yummy dinner with friends at Vinny's pizza across the street. I've met the nicest people here -- everyone is so supportive and friendly. Looking forward to tomorrow -- I may actually be able to start the ride without toe warmers, jacket and skull cap!! Yeah! Sunscreen tomorrow, baby!

Day 3 - SIERRA VISTA (SV), BISBEE, TOMBSTONE, SV

I realize this is a vacation and enjoying some of the small towns that we are riding through makes it more enjoyable.  So our option for the day was to ride out to Bisbee and enjoy the town. We'd bypass riding out to Tombstone, since Sharon Stone wasn't shooting Tombstone 2 today.

Heading out of SV.  Front to back (Jon B., Susie and Rob W)

Departing company with Jon.  Bisbee is just over the mountains in the background.

It was a nice ride out to Bisbee.  We had breakfast at the Bisbee Breakfast Club and when I asked why they weren't tuned into the BBC on the radio I was given a strange look.  Oh well...

Rob and Susie outside of the Bisbee Breakfast Club.

We also hit the Bisbee Coffee House and the Bisbee Bike Shop and Brothel.  Need I explain more? A great day of riding and entertainment.

Ken Wallace's bike shop and brothel. One could spend an entire day in here.

Susie's Day 3: What a beautiful day! The start was a bit on the chilly side -- 35 degrees -- but it was sunny and not too much wind. We headed out with Rob leading the way and for me? We were cruising! Bisbee was a quaint little town with a lot of character. I got a cool hat and funky necklace at the bike shop. Then we climbed and climbed and climbed and I gasped and gasped and gasped. But I made it to the top -- 6,000 feet elevation. We finished up with a very fast pace into Sierra Vista. Faster than what I would have ridden, but you know -- riding with the boys and testosterone. Always super fun. I was very pleased to have finished the 60 miles and even more pleased to have been treated to a Reese's and Snickers DQ Blizzard upon our return to the hotel! Yum!

Weather grows increasingly warmer and staying dry.  It's going to feel like we're in Arizona soon.

Day 2 -- Sierra Vista to Tombstone

The morning forecast called for a 10% chance of ugly weather and would progressively get worst (an 80% chance of more of the same).  Rob Welsh, my roommate during the Elite PAC Tour in 2010, and I teamed up and headed out for Tombstone.  The weather was cooperative until we left Tombstone. A snow blizzard was passing through. We had just picked up another rider, Vaune. She had trouble seeing as we rode out of town and decided to turn back and get sagged in. Rob and I pushed on and eventually the blizzard let up to just a spit and mist. We just rode steady back to the hotel and arrived just in time for lunch.  Rob and I had a nice trek and shared old stories of our Endless Mountains and Elite Tour rides together. A little damp, but a nice day.

Mandatory bike washing, so we don't track dirt through the hotel.

Susie's Day 2: I decided to chill -- Ha! Excuse the pun -- for the day. After Randy returned from his excursion to Tombstone, we took a cab to do some shopping for warmer clothes. The weather dudes are calling for record lows tonight. Twenty-nine degrees so it'll be chilly willy at the start. We went to Sierra Cycles -- retail for motorcycles -- but they had what I needed: a balaclava, beenie, silk gloves and another pair of glove liners. I'll need it for at least the first three hours until it warms up a bit. We did some laundry, ordered a pizza and then met everyone else downstairs for a presentation from the owner of BikeTires.com.

Day 3 is supposed to be record cold temperatures.  Lon announced that the agenda would be pushed back 1 hour to allow temperatures to warm up a bit.  Starting temps should be mid to upper 30's, but DRY!!!!! Bring it on!

DAY 1 - TUCSON TO SIERRA VISTA

The day starts out packing up for the ride to Sierra Vista (81 miles).

Susie in from of the PAC Tour van.

Typically one would fly out to Arizona to escape the east coast winters for some nice, warm weather to ride.  Day 1 would prove to be the exact opposite. Virginia weather was nice and toasty in the 70s.  Tucson - 25 mph winds, 43 with a high of 51 and rain, sleet, hail and snow.  We had it all. Of the 50 riders that started only eight completed the ride.

After my second flat, Susie was getting cold, as I could not find the culprit that caused the puncture. She would end up sacrificing her ride by giving me her front wheel, so I could complete the ride.

I was the last one in. I would have another flat about 5 miles from the finish. The flat culprits were due to the deteriorating steel belts of blown tires on the side of the road.  Virtually impossible to see on the road and equally impossible to see in the tire, making flat repair a lengthy process. I noticed many others with flats along the way. I'm sure it was another record flat day and much of the reason why many riders had dropped.  Once you took your gloves off to change the tube, it became too difficult to rewarm the hands. Breaking and shifting would be extremely difficult, making riding dangerous.

The top photo below is near the summit (4,500' EL) heading to Sonoita.  You can't see it in the photo, but it is mixed rain and sleet.  The descent was a chilly one.

This is Mike at the second control. Notice the playtex gloves. Mine are green.

Gina at the Shell Country Store. 

48 miles into the ride is a Shell gas station in Sonoita.  It would be the warming grounds for wet, very cold riders. Gina brought us towels and directed us to everything that we needed. For making a mess of her store, she was really just too nice.

Susie's Day 1: After I gave my front wheel to Randy, I stayed in the sag vehicle and shivered to the first rest stop, about five miles away. We'd planned to fix his wheel so we both could continue, but it was chaos. Many people had decided to bail and wanted rides to Sierra Vista. It was cold, rainy and the winds were howling. Fixing the tire didn't seem like an option b/c the support crew (who is totally awesome) was just too busy tending to cold riders. It didn't take long for us to decide that I'd get driven to Sierra Vista and Randy would continue on.

At first this seemed like a yummy option, given the conditions, but it took several hours to get to the hotel, and I was wet and shivering. Once we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express, it was still several hours until our room would be readyl. I went to the little girls room, peeled off my wet clothes, put my rain jacket back on -- the only dry piece of clothing I had -- and wrapped a towel around my waist. It was a very fetching outfit, I must say, but at least I was dry and warm. I traipsed around for the next three hours in this get-up until our room was ready. Congrats to me for making it a whopping 16 miles in crazy ugly conditions!

Day 2 is calling for much of the same weather and there is talk of an extremely early happy hour in room 215. We'll see how things unfold.

ARRIVED IN TUCSON

Susie and I arrived in Tucson before noon.  Assembled the bikes.  And then met up with Connie, my RAAM massage therapist, and her husband, Rich.  They drove 2 hours from Gilbert, AZ to meet up with us.  Once a crew member always a crew member!  LOL!  Thanks Rich and Connie.  You really made our day.  We sat and had a wonderful chat and then had dinner at Pita Jungle.  Food was delicious (Mediterranean).  Rich and Connie were good sports about eating a little early (AARP time), so we could return for a PAC Tour meeting.  45 degrees and rain!  Perfect weather to start the tour.

PAC Tour THIS MONTH

I almost forgot how to post to my own blog.  I'm transitioning from ultra cycling to ultra running and have been having a rough time making the break, which will be necessary to be successful.  One of my last events will be Century Week of PAC Tour with Lon and Susan.  Their tag line is to make good cyclists better and that is exactly what they do.  Not only do you reap the benefits of their knowledge, but you also have the opportunity to learn from all of the other cyclists participating in the tour.

Though we've had an extremely mild winter in Virginia, I'm looking forward to some warm weather riding.

Wishing all the RAAM 2012 riders the very best.  Train, train, train and believe in yourself and your crew.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON RAAM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Text from crew: Randy's riding into PA

Maryland

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

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

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

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.