As many of you may will be aware gearsandtears entered a four person team into this years Race Across America (RAAM). The team came third in its division. A superb result for a rookie team of riders and crew. The following is a very brief insight into project RAAM (2006!).

RAAM is a 3000m non- stop cycle race that crosses America from Oceanside, California on the West Coast to Atlantic City on the East Coast. The route takes in some stunning scenery including: the mountains of Colorado and the rolling roads of West Virginia. The route also takes in chunks of Interstate and Kansas. Mmmm Kansas, more of that later!

RAAM is as much a logistical challenge as physical one. The route and rules, are set by the race organisers but how the team organise themselves and how the route is ridden is left to the individual riders and teams. We had attempted to approach the event with an open mind. We had canvassed advice and opinions from as wide an audience as possible and examined relevant research papers concerning recovery and nutrition. The planned riding strategy was designed to facilitate recovery between efforts and provide some degree of predictable and regular sleep. The riders training and the organisation of the crew had been designed around this strategy.

Due to some unfortunate unforeseen circumstances the composition of the team changed just 2 weeks from the event and we ended up fielding a four person male team. The riders comprised myself, Mike Wry, Rob Hall and our last minute saviour Stephen Kenny. Sally one of our original team of riders stepped into a crewing role and was pivotal to the overall success of the challenge.

It had been my intention to follow my training advice to the letter and arrive in Oceanside in my best shape ever. This unfortunately didn’t happen due to too many competing demands and I arrived in Oceanside very conscious of the failings of my own training and the tightness of my cycling kit. Despite my cycle computer indicating I pulled my weight I felt guilty and bad about this pre, during and post event. Fortunately, Mike and Rob were able to follow the suggested sessions and provide evidence of the validity of the training schedule set.

The crew were effectively split into two teams, one half looking after the riding partnership of Mike & Rob & the other half Stephen & I. Each team contained, drivers, navigators, a masseur and mechanic. The crew members were: Chris, Sally, Darren, Steph, Dan, Tim, Elaine, Jeff, John, & Tom. The amount of pressure and strain placed upon the crew by the event was unbelievable. They worked much harder and got significantly less sleep than the riders who were protected from many of the pressures and frustrations kicked up by the event. It is because of how the crew reacted to these pressures that got the team such a positive result.

All of the team were in Oceanside by the 12th ahead of the race start of June 13th at 2pm. Despite considerable planning we were still packing the vehicles and sorting out ‘last minute’ issues just hours from the race start. Mike was to be our first rider on the road. Mike & Rob were responsible for riding the first 8hours. They would then hand over to Stephen & I who would work the next 8 hours between us. In theory each partnership would be responsible for 8 hour blocks of riding. The theory being that in the 8 hours of down time the riders would be able to refuel, sleep and move up the road.

It would have been nice for all of the riders to set off together on the initial parade ‘lap’ but we had provisions to source from Wal Mart and it was considered more important to get some rest in than to look good in the Californian sun.

Stephen & I had the first night shift (10pm- 6am). Stephen is a particularly good climber so he was to kick off our riding, with me taking over at the crest to prevent Stephen getting cold on the descent. A good plan. With Rob just a few miles away and Stephen keen and ready the valve extender blew off of Stephens Zipps. A few moments of frenzied activity & I was ready to ride. Meantime Tim & Mike had recovered the Zipp situation & Stephen was back in the frame for the climb. He was now truly focussed. This was the first of many situations that required flexibility, adaptability and teamwork. Many of these were so effectively & seemlessly dealt with by the team that they almost went unnoticed. Others were more unusual and the resolve and resourcefulness of the team was very apparent.

My first stint was beautiful. It was a warm clear night and I felt great. As the night progressed we spent an unfortunate amount of time on the shoulder of an Interstate but the miles flew by & things were good. The race was on.

At present the exact nature of where and when I rode is a bit muddled.

As we worked our way across the States mobile phone coverage became problematic / non- existent & liaising between crews became exceptionally difficult. This created a host of issues, as did Kansas! Mike had been looking forward to Kansas as its flat profile looked certain to let him fly across the state on his Cervelo. Kansas had other ideas. When Stephen & I took over the rain was heavy but intermittent. As our shift passed the winds gained and the skies blackened. Shortly before Pratt (yep Pratt). I found myself trying to out run a storm which was to produce winds of 60mph, an incredible lightning display and rain of biblical proportions. I have never been so scared on a bike in my life. I made it to the time station at the MacDonalds in Pratt just before the storm unleashed itself. I have never, and will never be so grateful to be inside a MacDonalds. On a serious point the reception we received was exceptional. We were treated as stars, given free food, lots of fruit and given shelter.

We left MacDonalds as soon as was sensible. Stephen being the first out. I then took over. By this time it was dark, windy, & lashing down. Lighting periodically lit the sky. Apparently one bolt struck a gantry heralding the presence of railway tracks just as I neared the tracks. I was blissfully unaware of this, and the tracks until my front wheel took an unexpected direction & I hit the tarmac. Not happy I got up & set off somehwat p*****. During the course of that shift I rode in rain like I’ve never ridden in before, saw more frogs on the road than I thought possible & believed I was going backwards due to the way the wind was driving sheets of water in the opposite direction to that in which I was trying to go.

Another memorable point was when my left crank decided to detach itself from my bike. This was shortly after a puncture and was very unwelcome. Stephen started pedalling & with the help of some cell coverage, smoke signals & carrier pigeons the team rallied. This resulted in the acquisition of a new bike from one of 12 bike shops in the whole of W Virginia & a heavily improvised repair by Dan which saw a shim made from a coke tin being mated to my bike with the aid of a big hammer. Painful to watch but it worked. This incident saw the whole team, riders and crew pull together and achieve. This was a personal low point in the event which turned into a very memorable high point.

Like all the riders I had some good shifts and some not so good shifts. The last night shift that Stephen & I shared passed by. I can’t remember how many times I got on or off my bike. But I know my form was awful for the most part & was at times so bad as to make Stephen consider the need to rouse Mike & Rob early. I think I got it back together a bit.. Either way we finished our shift..

All four of us rode the last 9 miles in together in a sort of Team Time Trial fashion, Mike & Stephen had more legs than Rob & I. Job done.

Including 2 time penalties we completed the race in 6 days 23 hours 40mins

This was a TEAM effort. The riders NEEDED the crew and as I mentioned earlier the crew worked harder than any rider. THANK YOU to everyone involved. I will pen a fuller report when my head is clearer but for now, That’s All.

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