2003 RAAM DANNY CHEW'S VIEW WRITINGS
May, 2003
The 22nd annual transcontinental bicycle race - the Race Across AMerica or
RAAM will start in San Diego, CA on June 15, 2003 for the solo riders. San
Diego is a brand new starting location. The race will finish some [very
long] 8-11 days later in Atlantic City, NJ where the 1983-1986 RAAM's also
finished. The RAAM has not finished in the Northeast since 1989 when
Paul Solon won in New York City.
There are 54 time stations along the route. The section with the most
climbing [5,640 feet] is fairly early in the race between Jerome and Payson,
AZ, however late in the race there are two sections [one in WV and one in
MD] with over 4,300 feet of climbing up steeper hills which could give the
climbing specialists a clear advantage over the flat-landers. After
crossing the Ohio River in Parkersburg, WV, there are 5 sections with over
2,700 feet of climbing in WV and MD which will make the race seem to drag
on forever.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RAAM 2003 -- Vital statistics
San Diego to Atlantic City
Solo Start: June 15, 2003 7:00 am PST
Team Start; June 26, 2003 1:00 pm PST
Bring your bike and join the parade start for the first 15 miles
2922 Miles 14 States
Start Line celebration: at the Holiday Inn Banquet facility, 1355 N.
Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA, Riders introductions and dinner - Sat. June 14,
2003, 5:00 pm.
Finish Line Celebration : at the finish line - awards, great band from
San Diego: Liquid Blue, includes dinner, Wed. June 25, 2003, 6:00 pm
You are invited to both the Start & Finish celebrations - tickets at
the
RAAM Store - http://www.raceacrossamerica.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking at the current starting roster, I think Slovenian Marko Baloh will
win rookie-of-the-year, and maybe finish in the top 3. Unless Wolfgang
Fasching makes a last minute entry [he would be the clear favorite going
for an unprecedented 4th win], there will only be one winner racing - Rob
Kish. This is the fewest winners in RAAM [men's race] since 1990 when
there were no winners on the starting roster. Only 3 other RAAM's had
no winners racing: 1982, 1987, and 1988. The RAAM with the most
winners racing was 1998 with 5: Solon, Kish, Tatrai, Chew, and Fasching.
Winning experience counts for a lot in RAAM as 4 of these riders were the
top 4 finishers that year. Until you get a RAAM win under your belt,
there is a tendency to keep self-doubting your ability to do it.
If it is HOT, Rob Kish will probably win. If not, I see a fiercely
competitive race between Kish [3 time winner starting his 18th RAAM], Allen
Larsen [3rd place and rookie-of-the-year last year], Martin Lorenz [4th place
and rookie-of-the-year in 2000], Fabio Biasiolo [3rd place in 2000], and
Mark Patten [5th place overall in 2001]. Both Patten and Biasiolo will
be hell bent on finishing after being plagued by a bunch of DNF's between
them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 men have won the solo GABR/RAAM thus far:
1st Lon Haldeman - 1982, 1983
2nd Pete Penseyres - 1984, 1986
3rd Jonathan [Jock] Boyer - 1985
4th Michael Secrest - 1987
5th Franz Spilauer - 1988
6th Paul Solon - 1989
7th Bob Fourney - 1990, 1991
8th Rob Kish - 1992, 1994, 1995
9th Gerry Tatrai - 1993, 1998
10th Danny Chew - 1996, 1999
11th Wolfgang Fasching - 1997, 2000, 2002
12th Andrea Clavadestscher - 2001
13th ???????????????????? - 200?
The big question is whether
or not there will become a 13th man to win this
year?????? Only one person Kish can stand in the
would be winner's way!!!!!!!!
There have been 8 solo GABR/RAAM race directors thus far. They are:
1982 - Jerry Kushnick
1983-1985 - Robert Hustwit
1986-1992 - John Marino
1993-1995 - Michael Shermer
1996-1999 - NIck Gerlich
2000-2002 - Lon Haldeman and Susan Notorangelo
2003-? - Jim Pitre
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Concerning the New record setting time awards:
Using 2,922 miles as the official distance of the 2003 RAAM, the first SOLO
MAN to beat Pete Penseyres' 15.40 mph average speed record [set in 1986 on
a course 185 miles longer] will win $10,000. This means they would
have to finish in under 7 Days, 21 Hours, 44 Minutes or 7:21:44. This
would become the new single RAAM/Absolute Time/Average Speed record!
Although they would not win any money for it, a rider would have to finish
in under 7:23:16 [average speed: 15.28 mph] to beat Michael Secrest's absolute
time record set in 1990 on a course 10 miles shorter outside of RAAM, and
a rider would have to finish in under 8:03:11 [average speed: 14.97 mph]
to beat Rob Kish's RAAM record set in 1992 on a course 11 miles shorter.
The first SOLO WOMAN to beat Seana Hogan's 13.23 average speed record [set
in 1995 on a course 10 miles shorter] will win $10,000. This means
they would have to finish in 9:04:52.
The first 4 PERSON TEAM to beat Kern Wheelmen's 23.04 mph average speed record
[set in 1996 on a course 17 miles shorter] will win $10,000. This means
they would have to finish in under 5:06:49.
The first 2 PERSON TEAM to beat Discover Ceara/Powerbar's 17.64 mph average
speed record [set in 2001 on a course 61 miles longer] will win $1,500.
This means they would have to finish in under 6:21:39. If any 2 person
team can establish a new 19.5 mph average speed record [finishing time: 6:05:51]
they would win an additional $8,500 making their total $10,000.
Please note that a RAAM rider's average speed is determined by using the
official RAAM distance which can be many miles shorter than what they actually
ride depending on how many extra miles they ride from getting lost.
Crews, please navigate your rider[s] very carefully!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I will be going along on the 2003 RAAM as a writer who may often wish he
was a rider. I will be traveling with the Outdoor Life Network camera
crew and jumping from crew to crew to give you the inside scoop of rider's
glories and agonies.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Solo RAAM Rookie Records
In 1993, Muffy Ritz [finishing 2nd to Seana Hogan] set the women's rookie
record of 9 Days, 16 Hours, 29 Minutes on a 2,910 mile course giving her
an average speed of 12.49 mph. This is the undisputed record!
The men's rookie record involves looking at average speed versus absolute
time. Jonathan [Jock] Boyer is the only "rookie" to ever win RAAM in
1985. His time of 9:02:06 on a LONG 3,120 mile course gives him the
average speed record of 14.31 mph. This was so VERY IMPRESSIVE because
he was not using aero handlebars or aero/disk wheels - considered standard
equipment for modern day RAAM riders, and together they knock off nearly
a full day from finishing times.
In 1994, I established a rookie time record of 9:00:29, but my average speed
was only 13.40 mph given the SHORT 2,901 mile course. More than a mph
slower than Boyer and using better/faster equipment then him, I hardly felt
worthy of the title fastest rookie rider. Heck, in 1986, Matt Beerer's
time of 9:08:57 on a LONG course of 3,107 miles gave him a better average
speed then me of 13.81 mph.
In 1996, Wolfgang Fasching set the current rookie time record of 8:14:26
on a SHORT 2,905 mile course giving him an average speed of 14.07 mph or
0.24 mph slower than Boyer, and using better equipment. Fasching's
ride was clearly better than mine, but not as impressive as Boyer's.
Because RAAM routes can vary by more than 200 miles, it makes more sense
to look at average speeds than finishing times. RAAM records set on
LONG courses are much more impressive considering that the average speed
had to me maintained for 200 or so more miles over the toughest part [the
end] of RAAM when the rider can be the most fatigued/delirious!
I commend new RAAM race director Jim Pitre for acknowledging Pete Penseyres'
average speed record of 15.40 mph as the mark to beat for the $10,000 bonus
prize. In similar fashion, Muffy Ritz's rookie average speed record
of 12.49 mph would correlate to a finishing time of 9:17:57 on the 2003 RAAM
course of 2,922 miles. Boyer's rookie average speed record of 14.31
mph would correlate to a finishing time of 8:12:12. These are both
AMAZING records which should have rewards/incentives/prizes to motivate rookies
to try to beat them.
To all you rookies out there racing RAAM this year, good luck and please
remember being a RAAM rookie is a ONE SHOT DEAL! However, under RAAM
rules, even if you drop out of RAAM, you still have used up your rookie status.
Theoretically, a rider could drop out of 5 RAAM's [considered a veteran on
their 2nd RAAM] and have ridden less miles than a rookie having just ridden
their first 2,800 miles of RAAM. What I am getting at here is that
rookies should finish RAAM to get as much experience/mileage as possible.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Pre-RAAM Solo Rider Interviews
I began my work with the OLN film crew (Rod Elisha & Don Garcia) and
Scott Johnson by interviewing the solo RAAM riders on Friday and Saturday.
The rider who came across with the most confidence in his ability to win
was Allen Larsen. Being such a competitive person, he was disappointed
that Fasching wasn't back this year. Mark Patten emphasized he was
Racing (to win) not just riding Across AMerica. Ever since he finished
his first RAAM back in 1998, his goal has been to win and not just finish.
He believes he has the ability to beat anybody in the race at any given time.
He likes to hide from other riders near him while he sleeps which I discovered
in my 2001 battle against him for 3rd place. Mark is starting at 175
pounds - 15 pounds heavier than last year, but 15 pounds lighter than his
first 3 RAAM's.
Fredi Virag has the smallest crew (4 people in one vehicle) which he also
had last year to finish 5th. Youngest rider (31) Martin Lorenz has
the biggest crew of 11 bodies. Lorenz said he would be happy to equal
his 4th place finish in 2000. Rob Kish told me that it wan't until
his 5th RAAM in 1990 that he had the confidence he could win. He said
that heat would give him a big advantage, and that the biggest change he
has seen in technology over the years has been aerodynamic handlebars.
He considers his biggest competition to be Fabio Biasiolo, Allen Larsen,
and Marko Baloh. Kish said that Lorenz should be able to take some
12 hours off of his rookie crossing in 2000.
If Fasching and I could not win RAAM as rookies, is it possible that a rookie
could win this year? Slovenian Marko Baloh has the most natural road
racing talent of the field, having beaten Fasching in the Race Across the
Alps, and a 24 hour race, but can he handle the sleep deprivation aspects
of RAAM that start to set in after 3 days? 4 time Slovian National
Road Champion Jure Robic also holds the Slovian 24 hour record of 803 Km.
6'5" tall Rookie Rick Ashabranner's crewing experience for Ish Makk last
year should help him a lot. When this year's route comes within 5 miles
of his parents house in St. Peters, MO (near St. Louis), he plans to have
a rest/sleep stop there. Larry Schwartz's (He was hit by a school bus
mirror at the beginning of May and died 3 days later) fiance Judith Jolly
is on Rick's crew. Judith and Larry were going to get married a week
ago on June 8th. I rode with Larry on two Texas Hell Week's in 1999
& 2000. Such an incident makes all of us realize just how vulnerable
we all are out there riding on public roads.
The oldest (54) male rookie Paul Bonds knows all too well about the dangers
of motorized vehicles. In December, 2001, his 14 year old daughter
Jennifer (who was faster/stronger on the bike than her father) was struck
and killed by a motorist as she stood next to her father waiting to cross
a road. Paul is riding RAAM in memory of his daughter - for the Jennifer
Bonds memorial scholarship fund. He is a community activist for road
safety. Terry Lansdell runs the "Bikes of Charlotte" advocacy group.
Before doing his first RAAM in 1999, Terry had already crewed for John Stoneman
in 1994, Muffy Ritz in 1995, and Rob Kish in 1996 & 1997. Even
though he was an official RAAM finisher in 2000, Terry did not feel worthy
of a RAAM ring because he did not finish within 48 hours of winner Fasching.
In 2000, a new RAAM time limit of 12 days & 2 hours was established for
official finisher status. So his goal this year is to finish within
48 hours of the winner. In 1999, he only missed it by 1:32.
2nd place 1982 Great American Bike Race (the first transcontinental bike
race) finisher John Howard showed up at the rider/crew meeting. Jim
Pitre said that if a rider beats Howard to the 2nd time station 121 miles
in El Centro, CA, they have to finish all of RAAM in order to collect the
Compu-Trainer prime offered.
Solo riders and teams were introduced at the banquet where RAAM average speed
(15.40 mph) record holder Pete Penseyres talked and showed slides of his
7 transcontinental crossings. The reason why you are not considered
old in RAAM until you hit 50 is because Pete set this amazing record at age
43. Pete is indeed very generous and sharing with his knowledge.
During my early RAAM years, Pete sent me information on his 15.4 mph ride
in 1986 on stuff like hour many hours he slept each night and what all he
ate.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 1 - June 15th
After finishing 8 consecutive RAAM?s from 1994-2001, I began my first RAAM
today without my bicycle under me, but instead with a microphone and laptop
computer to give my Insight into this amazing event. While much of
the day I wished I were riding, I realized that the RAAM mode I was in was
a far cry from the RAAM mode (I set my mind to deal with tremendous hardships,
always being aware of the clock ticking away) I endured as a rider.
About 200 cyclists rode the 21-mile parade start with 17 men and 1 woman
(the solo field). About 40 miles in, I saw Mark Patten stop and place
his palms into little mini refrigerator boxes atop his areobar armrests.
His crew told me they were using new prototype technology - Rapid Thermal
Exchange which can lower his body temperature by as much as 4 degrees in
just 3 minutes. But are 3 minutes worth giving up each hour in order
to stay cool? 1990 & 1991 RAAM winner Bob Fourney once told me
that he would jump into a bathtub full of ice water to lower his body temperature
on RAAM.
At the first time station at Pine Valley 50 miles in, Jure Robic was ahead
of Baloh, Larsen, and Knaus by 3 minutes. 74 miles in at Bankhead Springs,
John Howard?s back went out shortly after which Robic pulled away from him.
Heat and lack of distance training (longest ride of year was 85 miles) caused
Howard to stop riding 10 miles short of the 2nd time station in El Centro,
which his Compu-Trainer prime was to for the first person to beat him there.
Arriving there 15 minutes before Larsen, Robic won the prime and can collect
it only if he finishes. Baloh rolled in I minute later and took a 7-minute
bathroom break.
The temperature maxed out at 115 degrees F at 19:10 (4:10pm local time).
At Imperial Sand Dunes (luckily it was not very windy thru there), Baloh
stopped for another 7 minutes for massage. He led thru TS#3 in Glamis
10 minutes ahead of Robic. Leader Baloh rode 203 miles to Palo Verde
in the first 12 hours of RAAM. Perhaps the most excitement of the day
happened at TS#4 in Blythe where Baloh arrived first and had to stop for
10 minutes to wait while his crew gassed up his follow vehicle as night descended
on a cloudless scorching first day. During this time, Kish rode by
taking the lead, and Baloh pulled out 2 minutes after Kish. Robic arrived
2 minutes after Kish and went into his RV for a sit down pasta dinner and
massage. When I left Blythe 10 minutes later, he was still inside.
At the CA/AZ state line, Baloh passed Kish to retake the lead, and Larsen
made AZ some 15 minutes later in 3rd place - having passed Robic before there.
I was very surprised at Virag?s DNF at El Centro just 121 miles into the
race. I hope his crew can talk him into re-entering the race like mine
did to me one morning in Durango, CO in 1994 after I got a good, long nights
rest in the only motel room I have ever slept in during RAAM. The night before
I dropped out which took pressure off my crew and I. Believe it or
not, 5 people have dropped out of RAAM with fewer miles ridden than 121.
Dr. Bob Beeson in 1984 after riding 100 miles
Dennis Bock in 1987 after riding 54 miles
Michael Trail in 1988 after 70 miles
Tom Seabourne in 1991 after 85 miles
Tom Celta in 1998 after 84 miles.
I was impressed with how well Slovians Baloh and Robic held up in such brutal
HEAT. Seemed every rider I interviewed had some choice words to say
bout the heat including the F word by Patten. Baloh showed he was the
superior athlete today by still leading despite taking at least 3 stops totaling
24 minutes. Kish always jokes about how he rides to ?slow? to afford
the luxury of taking such stops.
The 3 words I think which best describe RAAM are Tiredness Beyond Belief.
Everybody gets tired on RAAM, but it is how a man or woman deals with their
tiredness and hardships thrown their way that distinguishes them at the RAAM
finish line.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 2 - June 16th
The OLN film crew and I stayed in beautiful Prescott, AZ for over 16 hours
going back and forth through town, and out up into the mountains in a successful
attempt to shoot every solo rider. We invited Terry Lansdell, Trena,
and some of their crew to use our motel room for showers after which we watched
Terry roll by our room in 10th place.
Allen Larsen passed Marko Baloh somewhere in the middle of the night to take
the race lead which he held all day and increased to nearly 3 hours ahead
of Baloh. A very impressive performance from a Northwest man in extreme
heat he is unaccustomed to. According to Keith Krombel?s on bike thermometer,
today (high temp 118) was even hotter than yesterday(114). Larsen?s
first 24 hour split was 393 miles. Driving on the long narrow switchback
descent through Jerome, AZ made me yearn to be riding. I deem Jerome
to be perhaps the most classic town on the entire route!
It took us 8 hours of driving to go from the back of the field to the front,
which is now over 12 hours spread out. Martin Lorenz told me that he
vomited today. Patten told me that he plans to ride the entire night
catching as many people who stop to sleep as possible. I came upon
Robic at a bathroom break in his RV where Fredi Virag told me about his DNF
yesterday. After a 5-hour IV hospital visit, a doctor told Virag that
he should quit the race. He plans to follow the race the entire way
to Atlantic City.
2nd place Baloh stopped 5 times today totaling about an hour. He told
me that he has beaten Fasching twice in the Race Across the Alps, and that
Jure Robic has beaten Fasching once in the same race. Concerned about
winning the first rookie prime to the Continental Divide in Pie, Town, NM,
Baloh wanted to know exactly where Robic was to base the amount of sleep
he was going to take tonight.
The OLN film crew and I finally caught up to the front of the race with leader
Allen Larsen at time station #12 in Springerville, AZ. Just before
there, he stopped for about an hour to sleep, but was unable to get to sleep,
so he mounted his Trek bike and rode out of town into the night under a full
moon. One of the biggest worries a RAAM rider has is wasted
off the bike time spent when lying down trying to sleep. I would ask
a crew member of mine to make note of how much of my lying down time was
spent snoring. Pete Penseyres actually had a crew member watch for
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) while he was sleeping, so that as soon as it stopped,
his first sleep cycle was over at which time a crew member would wake him.
Among the riders I interviewed yesterday, Baloh, Patten, When might the lead
team rider catch the last solo rider bridging the gap between the two races?
Valsesia, Lansdell, were the most talkative, while Biasiolo and Larsen were
the least. After another scorcher day, riders had long sleeves on in
mid 70 F weather. Sunburned skin is extremely sensitive to lower temperatures,
and as riders loose bodyfat across the country, temperatures can start to
feel some 15 degrees colder than they actually are.
Tuesday Morning Update: Riding thru Springerville, AZ in 6th place,
Robic was on his spare bike asking me to find him a mechanic to fix the bad
bottom bracket on his primary bike. It looked like either Patten had
to succumb (a weakness in his mind) to sleep, or had a horrible night just
crawling along since he did not move up in places overnight. Such nights
are inevitable in RAAM! A huge thanks goes out to RAAM webmaster Tom
Kingsbury and his partner for creating a program which now gives time station
data for past time stations which used to be over ridden when the new times
were called in. Mid and rear packers will welcome overcast skies and
cooler temperatures today after the first two cloudless, extremely HOT days,
which fried them, but it comes at a price: a strong headwind. Larsen
has now been in the lead for 36 hours ever since he took it from Baloh back
on the first night before Hope, AZ. Moreover, he has been increasing
his lead to over 4 hours over the Continental Divide just after Pie Town,
NM where 2nd place Baloh won a prime as first rookie.
TEAM RAAM
The teams left San Diego today at 16:00 race (Eastern Standard) time.
In 4x, Team VAIL has led each time station, averaging 20.9 mph to Prescott,
AZ. In 2x, Team Rieper/Goodwin has led each time station, averaging
18.3 mph to Hope, AZ. In the 8x Corporate Team, Teams Insight and Ride
to Remember have been exchanging leads. Reaching Congress, AZ
first, Team Insight has averaged 18.8 mph.
Solo leader Larsen has averaged 14.9 mph to the Continental Divide 700 miles
into the race in Pie Town, NM. The lead 4x team will gain 6 miles on
Larsen every hour they are both riding, and nearly 21 miles every hour Larsen
is stopped. When might the lead team rider catch the last solo rider
bridging the gap between the two races? Last placed solo rider Kaldi
Attila is averaging 10.4 mph to time station #9 in Strawberry, AZ.
Moving twice as fast across the country, Team VAIL caught the last place
solo rider Beny Furrer at 21:20 on June 17th 13 miles past Show Low, AZ.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 3 - June 17th
I saw 25 mph headwinds and rain batter Rick Ashabranner?s 6?5? tall body
into Springerville, AZ. The OLN film crew and I worked our way to the
back of the solo field to get that important point on the route where the
lead team passes the last solo rider bridging the gap between the two races.
We saw Kaldi and Bonds at time station # 11 in Show Low, AZ manned by ultra
marathon cyclist James ?Myhee? Mergler who lives near by. He once rode
206+ miles on all 31 days of March, 1994 on a recumbent. On the 11th
day when he developed Achilles tendon problems, he started riding on a 0.14
mile loop at a shopping mall parking lot. With this kind of mental
toughness, how well might he do in RAAM?
Before we saw lead Team Vail catch last solo rider Furrer between Show Low
and Springerville, we met Team Vail?s Brett Malin and his crew including
his brother and father who talked strategy. After ironing out the problems
on the first day, the GO FAST team was becoming a well-oiled unit.
The West is so desolate that thru much of AZ and NM I had no internet access.
In just 3 days, the race has stretched out so far that we had to drive the
entire width of New Mexico (over 400 miles) on Interstate 40 (to obtain internet
access) to Tucumcari where we still ended up just short of leader Larsen
before succumbing to sleep there at the first motel. Larsen increased
his lead to over 10 hours on Fabio by Tucumcari. I had originally thought/hoped
that this year RAAM would be close (an exciting Chew style win), but Larsen
had different plans to annihilate the field Fasching style - making a Fasching
Statement. If Larsen can?t race directly against Fasching, he will
have to chase after Fasching?s RAAM average speeds (Like Penseyres did with
Boyer in 1986). I have wondered for a long time who the next American
RAAM legend would be after Kish and I (The last American to win RAAM other
than Kish and I was Bob Fourney in 1991) and perhaps I am seeing the answer
to my question unfold before my very own eyes.
Before going to sleep on Wednesday night, I got the devastating news of Team
Vail?s Brett Malin?s tragic accident. I have always known about the
dangers of night riding on the open highways of America. I can remember
Chew Crew?s yelling at me to stop drifting out towards the yellow line with
trucks barreling past me within feet. While the logical thing to do
is get off the bike and sleep, wanting to win RAAM forces you to push far
beyond the envelope. In the 1986 RAAM, 1987 winner Mike Secrest said
that sooner or later somebody is going to get killed on RAAM. Despite
very hard work by race officials to keep the race as safe as possible, risks
are part of any endeavor as extreme as RAAM. My deepest sympathy goes
out to Brett?s teammates, family, and crew.
Rebecca Smith is riding well staying ahead of 3 solo men.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 4 - June 18th
The OLN film crew and I awoke on Wednesday morning waiting to hear the decision
race officials would make concerning the death of Team Vail?s Brett Malin
the night before. I agreed with their call to keep the race going through
the darkest incident in the events 22 year history. I just hope it
doesn?t create news headlines which dwarf the final results in Atlantic City.
Today we started at the front of the race with leader Larsen, worked back
and forth across TX and OK back to see the leading (inherited by Team Vail?s
tragedy and DNF) Team Harreither/VAV pass a stopped (taking a 15 minute power
nap) Valsesia at time station # 18 in Tucumcari, and finally went back to
the front of the race near Wichita, KS.
We had to drive 165 miles and 3 time stations from Tucumcari to catch up
to leader Allen Larsen just before time station # 21 in Guymon, OK (the most
often RAAM-visited city: 6 of my 8 RAAM?s went thru there) where he stopped
for 5 minutes for a sit down massage and to add more lubricant to his rear
end. After only 3 minutes, he asked for time. This is no longer
Allen Larsen the rookie who squandered away so much time stopping last year,
but a veteran who now knows how important it is to stay on the bike.
He has already had 10 flat tires, and told me he felt he wasn?t really here
doing this amazing ride during an on the bike interview. After 3 days,
his crew told me he was ready for some solid food - ordering him up a pizza.
I saw no signs of the neck troubles he had last year, but the race is less
than half over. Averaging 15.3 mph, Larsen has ridden 1,101 miles in
the first 72 hours:
First Day - 393 miles
Second Day - 324 miles
Third Day - 384 miles
Some of the crews I spoke with had still not informed their riders of the
Malin tragedy, not wanting to distract their rider?s focus. Biasiolo,
Kish, and Baloh are grouped together some 8-10 hours behind Larsen.
Asking about Fabio?s race number showing up on Fredi Virag?s support vehicle,
I learned that DNFed Virag and his crew have joined along on Fabio?s crew
for the rest of the race. Fredi is returning the favor to Fabio who
after DNFing last year joined Virag?s crew helping him to a 5th place finish.
Fairly easy to do when you start out with a small crew of 4 like Fredi did
this year. This is not the only example of comradery in the race.
Terry Lansdell told me that he was happy to give the bottom bracket out of
his spare bike to Jure Robic to install on his primary bike which he has
been unable to use.
An evening sleep break dropped Baloh off of the Kish/Fabio pace. He
is battling saddle sores, and a crew member of his asked me about a certain
salve medication they wanted to use on Baloh - wanted to make sure it was
legal. Over 1,000 miles into the race, Mark Patten has yet to take
a full sleep break. He would like to make it all the way to Atlantic
City without one if possible, but I doubt he can do it since it has never
been done before. Last night he rode thru a hailstorm that left 3?
of white, wet, cold marble sized pellets on the grass and road. Just after
the historic old Route 66 commemorative marker in Tucumcari, the lead 4x
Team Harreither/VAV passed stopped Valsesia (taking a 15 minute power nap)
the 9th place solo rider.
At time station # 21 in Guymon, OK, long time RAAM fan Jack Mathis proudly
showed me his RAAM photo album or riders going thru his hometown over the
years. Included was Susan Notorangelo in her 1989 Kish beating RAAM
victory. The solo race is now stretched out over 24 hours making it
extremely difficult for the OLN film crew and I to see all the riders in
the same day.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 5 - June 19th
After riding 1,250 miles, it appears that Mark Patten finally slept for the
first time for about 2 hours somewhere between Meade and Bucklin, KS.
Nobody has ever done the entire race on no sleep. Sleep is very much
needed on RAAM to make you ride faster on the bike. A fine balance
is needed concerning the ideal amount of sleep for each individual rider.
Every moment spend off of the bike makes you faster/stronger on it.
Averaging 14.7 mph, leader Allen Larsen has ridden 1,765 miles in the first
5 days.
First Day - 393 miles
Second Day - 324 miles
Third Day - 384 miles
Fourth Day -- 370 miles
Fifth Day -- 294 miles
On Thursday and Friday during the day Larsen took sleep breaks, but he is
still increasing his lead to over 15 hours on 2nd place Rob Kish. By
about the halfway point, Larsen has begun to use an Easy Seat - although
extremely uncomfortable, this double-cheeked seat makes contact with different
areas than a regular seat does. He had also begun using a similar device
he used last year to hold his neck up. On late Thursday night/early
Friday morning, I rode along with Larsen and crew from time station 30 (Camdenton)
to 31 (Jefferson City). He told me he has had 12 flat tires so far.
He tried to change his seat height himself while riding, but had to stop
to do it. Crew mechanic Jim (a math teacher) had Allen crunching numbers
about when the lead team would catch him in order to make sure that Allen
was still coherent. Like myself, Allen is a very talkative RAAM rider.
He uses a Motorola walkie talkie system to communicate with his crew.
If he goes for a long period without talking, you know he is in trouble.
In order to conserve my energy on RAAM, I tried to make sure that my Chew
Crew did 95% of the talking (a very difficult thing for a blabber mouth like
myself to do). I had them ask me questions I could answer yes or no
to.
Having told his crew that he wanted to improve on the time he spent off the
bike last year, Larsen?s crew placed their RV out ahead of him forcing him
to ride through the night past Lake of the Ozarks and through Jefferson City
before rush hour traffic started. Once, his speed slowed to a crawl,
and he rode off the shoulder catching himself on the guardrail. After
this his crew tried to get him to take a brief sleep stop in the follow van,
but this made him angry and he rode on increasing his speed. This type
of battle back and forth between rider and crew is all too familiar on RAAM.
Allen finally made it through Downtown Jefferson City and across the Missouri
River onto Route 94 East just as rush hour traffic was starting to pick up.
His reward, a much deserved sleep break at 7:30 in a gravel parking lot with
loud trucks being moved. Larsen was wise to ride through the heavily
trafficked Lake of the Ozarks area in the wee hours of the morning and thru
sunrise. We drove that section of the route in the afternoon when traffic
was horrendous. I saw firsthand just how stressful crewing can be during
a riders lowest periods. Despite feeling so lousy, Larsen still managed
to average 14.4 mph for the 57 mile stretch. What we are seeing here
is a very determined man willing to dig extremely deep to satisfy his hunger
for a RAAM victory. I think a big part of winning RAAM is being hungrier
than your competition.
During Larsen?s sleep break 3.6 miles beyond time station #31 in Jefferson
City, the lead 4x man Team Harreither/VAV passed. It took the lead
teams some 1,167 miles and 2.5 days to go completely through the solo field
from Eastern AZ to central MO.
Except for the last time station (the finish line), time station #33 in Orchard
Farm, MO is perhaps the best-manned station on the entire RAAM route.
I met 4 people there who are going to camp out in their RV over the next
2-3 days to greet RAAM riders and crews. Though I did not stop at time
station #8 in classic Jerome, AZ where the person running it baked chocolate
chip muffins to give out. About 30 kilometers before time station #33,
the route goes through St. Peters, MO where Rick Ashabranner grew up and
his parents still live. He plans to eat a home cooked meal and take
a sleep break there. 6?5? tall Rick would feel very short next to the
world?s tallest ever man 8?11? tall Robert Wadlow (1918 - 1940) who lived
in Alton, IL where the riders cross the Mississippi River and where I am
staying in a motel room tonight. Everything is relative. Similarly,
RAAM totally dwarfs shorter events like 500 mile or so RAAM qualifiers.
What would an average American citizen find harder to believe? That
a man could be nearly 9 feet tall or that a person could pedal their bicycle
all the way across the country in less than 9 days?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 6 - June 20th
Averaging 14.4mph, leader Allen Larsen has ridden 2,077 miles in the first
6 days.
First Day - 393 miles
Second Day - 324 miles
Third Day - 384 miles
Fourth Day -- 370 miles
Fifth Day -- 294 miles
Sixth Day -- 312 miles
As of Troy, OH, Larsen?s average speed has dropped to 14.155 mph. This
pace would give him a finishing time of 8 Days, 14 Hours, 26 Minutes on the
2,922 mile course. This would put him at the finish line in Atlantic
City around Midnight Monday night. Riders must finish within 12 Days,
2 Hours to be considered official finishers. This gives an average
speed of 10.076 mph. Paul Bonds has fallen below this at 9.90 mph.
Rebecca Smith is right on the edge with her 10.10 mph. Attila Kaldi
is above this at 10.30 mph. Riders no longer have to curse out the
winner?s time (used to have to finish within 48 hours) as they monitor their
progress East.
Last place rider Paul Bonds passed thru time station #29 in Fort Scott, KS
some 54 hours and 42 minutes after leader Larsen. Fabio Biasiolo has
dropped out of his 3rd consecutive RAAM. Riding in 3rd place, kidney
problems caused him to bloat up and quit just after time station #31 in Jefferson
City, MO. This moved first rookie rider Robic into 3rd place.
Rick Ashabranner has been passing people and is currently in 6th place.
He had inner tubes wrapped around his knees. Passing thru St. Peters,
MO, the course was just a few miles North of where he grew up. I was
there to see his parents (Cecil & Barbara), sister Rebecca, and nephew
Brendan greet him on the side of the road. After a brief 2-3 minute
stop, Rick realized how the clock never stops on RAAM (until the finish line)
and rode away.
I saw a rider cluster go thru time station #33 in Orchard Farm, MO.
Riding in 6th - 8th positions, Rick Ashabranner, Dino Nico Valsesia, Terry
Lansdell, and Isk Makk were with 76 minutes of each other. It is very
rare to see such large number of riders so close together so late in the
race. When Terry Lansdell asked me ?How do I get faster on the 6th
day of RAAM?? before the race started, I told him to make sure he was close
to other riders he could compete against. Looks like Terry listened
to me. During a stop at that time station, Ish Makk told me that this
cluster of riders faced strong headwinds in Kansas where they also rode thru
fires on Thursday that blackened their faces with sot.
The OLN film crew and I shot the 2 person teams as they rode thru Alton,
IL just after crossing the Mississippi River (where the race begins).
Despite having 4 hours of down time (stopped - having no rider moving along
the road) from logistical problems, Team Goodwin - Rieper is leading Team
Epic racing by about 2 hours. Team Epic?s Robert Zieber told me their
team had 2 hours of down time while he spent 5 hours in an emergency room
from dehydration in the CA desert heat. Oddly enough the doctor who
rejuvenated him there did Team RAAM in 1996.
Riders I have talked to tell me they have had many flat tires from poor shoulders
on the roads. What goes thru a rider?s head after crossing the Mississippi
River with just over 1,000 miles to go? Is this race ever going to
end? I am exhausted and still have such a very long way to ride.
I have already put in an investment of riding two thirds of the way across
the country, so I should certainly be able to do the final third of the race.
I was just thinking about how rare it was to have only one DNF in the race
thus far, when I heard of poor Fabio?s misfortune. He has now finished
just 3 (5th in 1998 & 1999 and 3rd in 2000) out of 8 RAAM?s.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 7 - June 21st
After spending two nights at the Mississippi River in Alton, IL, to shoot
the first 9 solo riders, the OLN film crew and I had to drive 550 miles today
(Sunday) on Interstate Highways to catch up with leader Allen Larsen at the
Ohio River in Parkersburg, WV. We will have driven some 5,000 miles
by the time we reach Atlantic City tomorrow night. Not seeing Mark
Patten?s update on the RAAM website for so long this morning had me worried
that he may have dropped out, but it turns out he took 13 hours to cover
the 52.4 miles between time stations 32 and 33 meaning that he slept for
close to 8 hours. Since he sees having to stop and sleep a weakness
in the race, sleeping so long must have crushed him. In fact, RAAM
riders should savor their sleep since it is that sleep which will make them
faster while on the bike. Patten?s plan to do the entire race on no
sleep was impossible, and now he was making up for his first 1,250 sleepless
miles. It is fairly common for riders to take a long sleep break close
to halfway through the race as Dino Nico Valsesia also did.
We finally caught up with Larsen on a sleep break at time station 44 in Parkersburg,
WV. His crew told me he is now up to 15 flat tires for the race, which
just may be a RAAM record? Last night around Effingham, IL, he rode
with 3 of the Team Arete Racing guys for about 20 miles when they caught
them - picking up his spirits. I let Larsen?s crew take showers and
sleep in my motel room as he was sleeping in his RV. I rode in Larsen?s
follow vehicle for about 25 miles as he began climbing the beautiful green
hills (soon to become mountains) of West Virginia. I was reminded of
the time I rode alongside Lon Haldeman for 120 miles on his way to winning
the very first RAAM (called the Great American Bike Race [GABR]) back in
1982. Kish is the only rider in this year?s race who has raced RAAM
through West Virginia back in the 1980?s. Larsen?s crew told me that
they are much more stressed out this year because of Allen?s more serious
attitude as compared with just wanting to finish last year as a rookie.
Even though he has a huge time gap (12-15 hours) on Rob Kish, Larsen is still
worried about Kish catching him regardless of how reassuring his crew is
to him.
Averaging 13.98mph, leader Allen Larsen has ridden 2,348 miles in the first
week of RAAM
First Day -- 393 miles
Second Day - 324 miles
Third Day - 384 miles
Fourth Day -- 370 miles
Fifth Day -- 294 miles
Sixth Day -- 312 miles
Seventh Day - 271 miles
For serious RAAM contenders (winners), any day less than 300 miles is bad.
You can still win with a few bad days, but forget about Pete Penseyres? 15.4
mph average speed record. He rode over 800 miles his first two days
that year. Allen?s goal now is to finish in less than 9 days.
With such a big lead over Kish, Larsen has the luxury to play around with
how getting more sleep affects his on the bike speed. It seems so many
RAAM riders just accept plodding along at mostly slow speeds because they
are afraid to take a full 3 hours of sleep per night. Now that Allen
is getting more sleep, he feels much better and faster on the bike.
I know all to well the difference in a relaxed RAAM finish (no riders are
anywhere near you) to a stressed out close finish because you are within
and hour or less of another rider. This reminds riders that they are
in the Race Across America and not just the ride across America. Such
close finishes this year will be contested by the tightly clustered field
from 3rd place Robic thru 9th place Valsesia which are within about 6-7 hours
of each other. Perhaps we will be treated to a sprint finish between
some of these riders. Crew will be stressed out the final night strategizing
how to advance their rider that extra place.
There are also some very tight races in the different categories of teams.
Even though they might be in different team categories, if they have been
close the whole way across the country, I am sure they would like to end
up ahead of their rivals. The first riders to finish this year?s race
are on Team Harreither/VAV which finished Sunday night at 22:13 in Atlantic
City. While Team Insight was ahead of Team HydroCharge early in the
race, Team HydroCharge has been leading Team Insight later in the race with
a very small time margin however, HydroCharge recently pulled away from Insight,
and now have a 1:22 lead over Insight at time station 52 with just 109 miles
to go. Team Grupo Guapo increased their lead from 6 minutes to 25 minutes
over Team Rieper/Goodwin from time station 44 to 45. At time station
48, just 51 minutes separate Team FOI from Team Power of Mind.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 8 - June 22nd
Averaging 13.54mph, leader Allen Larsen has ridden 2,600 miles in the first
8 days.
First Day -- 393 miles
Second Day - 324 miles
Third Day - 384 miles
Fourth Day -- 370 miles
Fifth Day -- 294 miles
Sixth Day -- 312 miles
Seventh Day - 271 miles
Eighth Day -- 252 miles
Since the leaders in the solo and 4x team races have such a big lead, the
real races are for those hard fought farther back places. The closest
a male solo race has ever been between 1st and 2nd place was back in 1992
when Rob Kish beat Bob Fourney by a mere 48 minutes, but the time gaps between
farther back finishers have been much closer. In the 1984 RAAM, The
women?s race finished in a tie between Pat Hines and Shelby Hayden-Clifton.
In the 1985 RAAM, unofficial finisher Rom Templin beat Jim Penseyres by 13
minutes. In the 1987 RAAM, 13th place Jim Penseyres beat David Walls
by just 4 minutes. In the 1989 RAAM, 3rd place Bob Breedlove beat Peter
Kosche by 9 minutes. In the 1992 RAAM, 7th place Pat Ward beat Ed Kross
by 11 minutes. In the 1995 RAAM, Beat Gfeller beat George Thomas by
15 minutes. In the 1996 RAAM, UMCA Magazine Editor John Hughes beat
German Rudiger Dittmann by 15 minutes.
The OLN film crew and I drove back thru Athens, OH to shoot mid packers for
the last time. In the battle for rookie of the year, 4th place Knaus
closed to within 11 minutes of 3rd place Robic at time station # 44 in Parkersburg,
WV. We got great footage of Rick Ashabranner riding with Marko Baloh
thru rolling hills before Athens. Looking strong, Rick had caught Baloh
who then stopped for sleep in Athens. Riding in 7th place, Terry Lansdell?s
spirits were lifted near Athens where Jeff (Bubba) Stevens [heaviest man
to finish RAAM in 2001] was sitting shotgun seat in Terry?s follow vehicle,
and Terry?s buddy from Charlotte, NC was leap frogging him on a motorcycle.
7th place was as far back we could go and still be sure of catching back
up with Larsen in time to see his finish.
We caught up with 2nd place Rob Kish on beautiful mountainous US Rt. 50 in
West Virginia where I was flooded with memories of riding alongside leader
Lon Haldeman in the very first RAAM - the Great America Bike Race won by
Haldeman in 1982. Kish is the only rider in RAAM this year who has
previous RAAM experience (87, 88, 89) riding this stretch of road.
US Rt. 50 passed thru Bridgeport, WV where I rode my half millionth lifetime
mile in 2001. My mileage has been stopped at 535,000 during RAAM.
After nightfall on Monday evening in Pennsylvania, we caught up with the
two 2 Man Teams putting on an awesome display for us. Closing a 2 hour
gap in 24 hours, Team Epic caught and passed their rival Team Rieper/Goodwin
near the MD/PA state line. We caught solo race leader Allen Larsen
in PA with about 150 miles to go. He said that while he liked the night
riding on the early days of RAAM, now he dreaded it. He had become
tired of riding (understandable) and just wanted the race to be over.
We zoomed on ahead to Atlantic City hoping to get a few hours of sleep before
Larsen?s finish on Tuesday morning.
There is a known saying amongst RAAM riders that ?The race doesn?t start
until the Mississippi River.? Well poor Rebecca Smith never got to
see this point in the race as she dropped out (because of water retention
- same reason as Fabio) just before the MS River at time station #33 in Orchard
Farm, MO. She was in last place riding within an hour of last solo
male Paul Bonds. I hope that she did not let the 12 Day, 2 Hour time
limit for official finisher status (her average speed had fallen below the
10.1 mph minimum) make her decision as the RAAM Women?s 50+ record set by
Bonnie Allison in the 1992 RAAM is 14D, 7H, 27M.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 9 - June 23rd
Allen Larsen has won the 2003 RAAM in 8 Days, 23 Hours, 36 Minutes on a 2,922
mile course giving him an average speed of 13.55 mph. His 24 hour splits
are:
First Day -- 393 miles
Second Day - 324 miles
Third Day - 384 miles
Fourth Day -- 370 miles
Fifth Day -- 294 miles
Sixth Day -- 312 miles
Seventh Day - 271 miles
Eighth Day -- 252 miles
Ninth Day -- 322 miles
Larsen becomes the 13th man to win RAAM, and the 15th man to go under 9 days
on a solo transcontinental crossing by bicycle. Here is a list of all
of the men to go sub 9 day:
Pete Penseyres - 1986 (15.4 mph average speed record)
Paul Solon - 1989
Mike Secrest - 1989, 1990 (under 8 days outside of RAAM)
Bob Fourney - 1990, 1991, 1992
Rob Kish - 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998
Gerry Tatrai - 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999
Rick Kent - 1992
Dave Kees - 1992
Bob Breedlove - 1994
Pat Ward - 1994
Danny Chew - 1996, 1998, 1999
Wolfgang Fasching - 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000
Andreas Clavadetscher - 1999
Fabio Biasiolo - 1999
Allen Larsen - 2003
After taking the lead from Marko Baloh the first night in Southwestern Arizona,
Larsen held and increased it throughout the entire country. His original
goal was to win and break Pete Penseyres 15.4 mph average speed record, but
after he had to start wearing his neck brace at halfway, he knew the speed
record was out. Being such a competitive person, Larsen found it difficult
to stay motivated once he had such a huge time margin on 2nd place.
His new goal was to win and go under 9 days which he accomplished.
I was on stage at the finish line to pass the torch on to the newest American
RAAM champion since my 1999 win. Going from 3rd place rookie of the
year to victory equals Fasching in 1996 & 1997, and Spilauer in 1987
& 1988. Only once has a better first two year RAAM performance
occurred. Record speed holder Penseyres? 2nd place rookie of the year
to victory in 1983 & 1984. John Howard (2nd in 1982) and Jonathon
?Jock? Boyer (first in 1985) placed higher than Larsen their rookie years,
but never RAAMed again.
Team RAAM
After battling each other across the country (always within 90 minutes of
each other), 4x mixed Team Hydro Charge (with two women) finally pulled away
from 8x corporate Team Insight (with one woman) for good at time station
#38 in Indianapolis, IN - finishing 59 minutes ahead. In the
4x man Team race, Team F.O.I. and Team Power of Mind changed leads at least
8 (studying time station data) different times staying within an hour of
each other until the end when F.O.I. came out on top by 64 minutes.
Team Power of Mind?s Karl Power crashed at time station #40 in Troy OH causing
him to sit out of rotation for a day. Perhaps the most dramatic team
race was the 2x man team event between Goodwin-Rieper and Epic Racing.
Starting in CA, G/R built a maximum lead of 6:20 over Epic by time station
#10 in Heber, AZ. Chasing G/R most of the way across the country, Epic
finally caught G/R on the evening of the final night at the MD/PA state line.
After exchanging leads, G/R pulled away from Epic. Shortly after this,
Epic?s Robert Zieber crashed. The intensity/excitement was so high
that both teams were issued 15 minute penalties. Usually when a solo
racer passes another solo racer so close to the finish line, the passed rider
is so demoralized (broken mentally) that they give up, but I guess these
rules do not apply in Team RAAM. Beaten, Epic finally stopped for a
3 hour sleep break before riding into Atlantic City. R/G had been ahead
of and very close to 4x mixed Team Grupo Guapo (actually a 3 person team
with one woman) the entire way across the country - nearly catching them
again at the very end.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 10 - June 24th
Mark Patten dropped out again after time station #38 in Indianapolis while
in 13th place with no reason given. Seems like his plan to ride without
sleeping (he rode the first 1,250 miles without it) finally caught up with
him in spite of taking an 8 hour sleep break in MO. Being a competitor
wanting to win, merely finishing means little to Mark. He now has 3
DNF?s in 6 RAAM?s. Rookie Marko Baloh dropped out after time station
#44 in Parkersburg, WV while in 7th place with chest pains. He had
been experiencing severe saddle sores, and had just been caught and dropped
by Rick Ashabranner in Athens, OH. While climbing the mountains of
West Virginia at dusk, Terry Lansdell came upon a stopped Baloh in Ellenboro.
Terry stopped and had his back-up crew wait with Baloh while they called
911 for an ambulance that drove Baloh to a hospital in Parkersburg where
he dropped out. I am surprised that only 2 out of the 5 people to drop
out were rookies.
Over 15 hours passed before the next rider finished after Allen Larsen -
giving him plenty of time to get a shower, eat some real food, and get some
much needed sleep. Because of Larsen?s dominant win, the excitement
in this years RAAM are for places farther back. Rookie Jure Robic went
from riding around Knaus in Ohio to Kish in PA. With 100 miles to go,
Robic smoked by Rob Kish stealing 2nd place which Kish had held for some
1,700 miles since the NM/TX border. Despite having slept only 30 minutes
in the last 30 hours versus Kish sleeping 2.5 hours, Robic posted a very
impressive average speed of 20.1 mph (62 miles between time stations 52 &
53 in PA) compared to Kish's 16.17 mph. By the finish line, Robic was
101 minutes ahead of Kish. Robic was rookie of the year, 2nd place,
and won both primes (John Howard challenge to El Centro, CA, and first rookie
to Pie Town time station - Baloh reached it first, but did not finish to
collect it). A rookie has not finished 2nd since Pete Penseyres way
back in 1983. Jonathon 'Jock' Boyer was the only rookie to ever win
RAAM, but he had previously placed 12th in the Tour de France. Robic
had no mechanic on his crew. Marko Baloh's mechanic installed Terry Lansdell's
bottom bracket in Jure's primary bike. Robic told me he slept a total
of 10 hours the entire race (Fasching-like) which led to hallucinations.
48 year old Rob Kish finished his 18th RAAM in 3rd place. This is his
12th top 3 finish! Rob & Brenda told me that the section of route
on US Rt. 30 thru York, PA (150 miles left) has some of the worst traffic
they have ever seen on RAAM's. Heavy truck traffic forced Rob onto
a poor shoulder and had Brenda Kish at wit's end.
4th place Marcel Knaus finished only 16 minutes after Kish. Knaus was
gaining on Kish, but ran out of America to catch him. Kish must have
really felt the heat of Robic and Knaus breathing down his back. Kish
is not used to having so many riders so close to him at the end of RAAM.
Such close finishes can be extremely exciting and stressful on riders and
their crews. A brutal reminder that they are in the RACE Across AMerica
and not just a ride across the country.
Many rider position changes happen on RAAM which time station data doesn't
show. At time station #47 in Gormania, WV, Robic checked in 48 minutes
before Knaus did. Robic stopped for a short sleep break at the time
station during which time Knaus checked in just as Robic was mounting his
bike. Knaus attacked Robic who then counter attacked and dropped Knaus.
This position change never could be determined by looking at time station
info.
9 miles out (before the finish line in Atlantic City), rider's finishing
positions and official times are determined so that the final police escort
thru traffic to the finish line is done safely.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 11 - June 25th
6 hours and 5 minutes after Knaus finished, Rick Ashabranner reached the
Atlantic City boardwalk completing his first RAAM in 5th place. Rick
was the highest placed finisher who was not considered a pre-race favorite.
Starting at the back of the field (as far back as 15th place) in CA, Rick
steadily worked his way up towards the front gaining motivation and momentum
with every rider he caught and passed. Amazingly, Rick was able to
improve his cumulative average speed (Cassie Lowe-like) the 2nd half of the
race. Halfway at time station #26 in El Dorado, KS, Rick's average
speed was 11.93 mph. At the finish line, it was 12.24 mph. An
increase of 0.31 mph despite compounded fatigue and tiredness. Rick
seemed to have the most fun and best attitude of any rider I saw out there.
Starting on day 2, his massage therapist/nurse Judith Jolly tied inner tubes
around his knees to provide tendon support since Rick pushes such huge gears
(an 11 cog on rear wheels).
53 minutes after Rick, Dino Nico Valsesia finished in 6th place. The
bicycle mechanic took two long 3 hour sleep breaks on the 4th and 7th days.
The rest of the time he relied on 15 minute power naps.
Southern gentleman Terry Lansdell finished 7th in his 4th RAAM in 10:03:18
- avenging a DNF in 2001 with his highest place and best time. This
year is extra special for Terry because in his mind it is his first official
finish: within 48 hours of the winner's time - with over 20 hours to spare.
Now he will proudly wear the RAAM ring he rightfully earned! His black
eye was caused when he shut his eyes for too long and crashed onto a gravel
shoulder at a construction site in Missouri.
Arriving to a huge crowd at the awards banquet on the boardwalk, 8th place
Martin Lorenz was the last rider to finish within the old 48 hour cut-off
rule. At the awards banquet, Terry Lansdell received the Ian Sandbach
Inspirational Award for continuing after his crash, and his generosity to
other riders: Giving the bottom bracket out of his spare bike to Jure Robic
and calling 911 to get Marko Baloh (with chest pains) to the hospital in
Parkersburg. Surviving members of Team Vail/Go Fast attended the banquet
to do a tribute to their lost team mate Brett Malin, and promised to return
next year to go even faster in memory of Brett.
Liquid Blue took to the stage pumping out songs which Team Ride to Remember's
Mary Boris and I danced to.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Day 12 - June 26th
Avenging a DNF last year, Ish Makk finished in 9th place in 11:02:32 arriving
on the boardwalk with a brace on his right thigh. After he pulled a
muscle in Athens, OH, he pedaled the last 515 miles "one legged". This
led to two 5 hour sleep breaks on the trek towards Atlantic City. Ish's
pupil Rick Ashabranner (was on Makk's 2002 RAAM crew) beat his teacher this
year. The two talked while riding together in CA and in Martinsville,
IL where the thundering sound of automobile racing on a track occurred.
After watching Ish drop out of the 2002 RAAM, it was an emotional moment
for Rick (he was there with his crew on the boardwalk) to see his teacher
finally finish such a difficult event.
The only finisher on June 26th, Makk was the most isolated rider to reach
Atlantic City - finishing 17:08 behind Martin Lorenz and 12:05 ahead of 10th
place Keith Krombel who avenged a 2001 DNF with just 333 miles to go.
Even though his time this year was slower than he rode in 1999 and 2000,
his placing was higher [15th place both years]. Riding so close to
home thru Maryland on known roads was extra special for Virginian Krombel.
Spurred on by competition, the last 3 riders increased their speeds to all
make it to Atlantic City [within 3 hours of each other] by the Friday, June
27th deadline for official finisher status. 54 year old Paul Bonds
blitzed the last 200 miles passing Attila Kaldi and Beny Furrer to finish
11th. Riding in memory of his daughter Jennifer [at age 14, struck
and killed by a motorist last year in front of Paul's eyes] and awareness
of the many preventable deaths caused by motor vehicles, Bonds never wanted
to quit. The pain he felt in RAAM wasn't even close to what he went
thru losing Jennifer. A former US Marine Corp Pilot, Bonds told me
"Pain is the weakness leaving your body." To promote his cause, Paul
stopped along the route for TV and press interviews. He also stopped
at every [about 150] roadside memorial cross [denoting another senseless
motorist caused death] to pay tribute, and picked up turtles off the road
to safety - some of which his crew kept in their RV. He spent about
48 hours off of his bicycles.
After Bonds' crew heard of Brett Malin's tragic death ahead of Paul, his
crew stopped and held him for an hour to shield him from the scene.
When Bonds resumed riding and came upon the accident scene, he had to stop
[for about 1.5 hours] despite his crew telling him not to.
Before I declare Jerome, AZ or Orchard Farm, MO the best time stations, perhaps
I should mention time station #51 in Spring Grove, PA. It was organized
by Max Heebner and Keith Krout of the Hanover Cyclers club. The OLN
film crew and I drove thru there at night tracking 2x Team Epic Racing, and
did not have time to stop if we were to make it to Atlantic City before leader
Allen Larsen. Bonds stopped there for about 2 hours for an interview
and so did Larsen for a shorter time. Bonds told me that his heart
rate never got above 140 beats per minutes until battling it out with Beny
Furrer at the end of the race when it reached 160. Bonds had a very
emotional finish in Atlantic City where emcee Scott Johnson help up a big
photo of Jennifer and asked for a moment of silence for her.
Shortly after Bonds, one armed Swiss rider Beny Furrer avenged his 1996 DNF
by finishing 12 place with his right knee wrapped in a brace. Finishing
too late [after the awards banquet] to be considered for the Ian Sandbach
Inspiration Award, heroic Furrer prefers climbing over flat terrain, and
has twice finished the very mountainous Race Across the Alps [RATA].
By the end of the race, Furrer had mastered the one handed clap I taught
him at the start in San Diego.
The last place finisher in the 2003 Race Across AMerica was Hungarian Attila
Kaldi in 13th place with just 43 minutes to spare for official finisher status.
Lon Haldeman and I were impressed with the retro bike he used. It had
no aerobars, many spoked wheels with non-aero rims[old box style], and down
tube shift levers. His lowest gear was a 42x23. Kaldi was very
impressed with 54 year old Rebecca Smith's strength and speed as she was
ahead of him early in the race before her DNF. The 1994 World Champion
4x Ironman [a triathlon 4 times the Ironman distance], Kaldi had one 4 hour
sleep break and slept 3 hours the rest of the nights. The first day
in California, he went off the route and lost about 3 hours.
At the beginning of the race, I said that Fredi Virag had the smallest crew
with 4 people in one minivan, but I stand corrected. Kaldi only had
a 3 person crew in one minivan - the absolute minimum crew allowed by RAAM
rules. One person drove while another navigated and the third slept.
Not relying on motels, Kaldi and his crew slept on the ground in sleeping
bags. Upon hearing about similar behavior of RAAM riders, well financed
1985 RAAM winner Jock Boyer said, "This is America, we are not cavemen."
captured by an ABC Wide World of Sports camera crew. Kaldi had about
12 flat tires. After about a week, his small crew had to begin patching
inner tubes. The beauty of RAAM is that it can be done on both big
budget crews [2003 RAAM official Harold Trease rode RAAM with a 13 person
crew] and small budget crews [Michael Trail placed 2nd in the 1987 RAAM using
only a 2 person crew in a pick-up truck].
Once when Paul Bonds' crew separated from him, Kaldi's crew looked after
and fed Paul. Perhaps a newspaper headline should read "Paul Bonds
with Kaldi" as Paul watched Attila's finish and bonded with him on the boardwalk
afterwords.
Unlike any other bicycle race, RAAM riders seem to have the most compassion
and respect for each other after having endured such a brutal, seemingly
never-ending endeavor. Seana Hogan once described RAAM an "Emotional
Roller coaster" and I refer to it as tiredness beyond belief. Over
the course of 2,922 miles, every RAAM cyclists' bicycles transform from objects
of pleasure to instruments of torture and vice-versa countless times giving
the persevering RAAM finisher tremendous character depth and Insight.
Rob Kish's RAAM Average Placings and Finishing Times:
Year Place Finishing Time in Days: Hrs: Min
1985 8
11:12:19
1987 5
10:09:45
1988 5
10:01:16
1989 8
9:11:53
1990 2
8:12:37
1991 2
8:20:32
1992 1
8:03:11
1993 2
9:13:08
1994 1
8:14:25
1995 1
8:19:59
1996 2
8:10:00
1997 3
9:13:13
1998 3
8:20:22
1999 8
9:10:56
2000 6
10:02:30
2001 2
9:21:18
2002 2
9:17:35
2003 3
9:16:29
Avg: 3.556 9:10:11
AVG RAAM PLACING: Fasching: 1.6667, Chew: 2.375, Kish: 3.556
AVG RAAM FINISHING TIME: Fasching - 8:17:55, Chew - 9:02:01, Kish - 9:10:11
Danny's comments: These are statistics for solo RAAM riders with 5 or more
finishes and no DNF's. I would have liked to have included Gerry Tatrai and
Seana Hogan but they both have one DNF. How would I have included their DNF's
with a proper justifiable penalty for not finishing? The placing is overall
among both solo men and women riders. Rob Kish finished behind 3 women in
his 1985 rookie RAAM and behind 1 woman in 1989. In 1997, Peter Pop finished
4th among the men, but 6th overall. Similarly in 2001, Mark Patten finished
4th among the men, but 5th overall.
Rob Kish has the most solo RAAM finishes with 18, and I have the second most
with 8. My average finishing place is closer to Fasching's than Kish's, but
my average finishing time is closer to Kish's.
PS: The only America men to beat Rob Kish in RAAM since Bob Fourney
did in his 1990 & 1991 wins, are myself in 1996, 1997, 1999, & 2000,
Tom Buckley in 2000, and now Allen Larsen in 2003.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Post-RAAM 2003:
Solo 2003 RAAM Results Finishing Time Analysis
SOLO 2003 RAAM RESULTS The first column is finishing time. The second
column is the time difference (gap) between two consecutive times. The third
colum is the time behind winner Larsen.
1 Allen Larsen 8:23:36
@
15:12
2 Jure Robic 9:14:48
15:12
1:41
3 Rob Kish 9:16:29
16:53
0:16
4 Marcel Knaus 9:16:45
17:09
6:05
5 Rick Ashabranner 9:22:50
23:14
0:53
6 DinoNico Valsesia 9:23:43
1:00:07
3:35
7 Terry Lansdell 10:03:18
1:03:42
6:06
8 Martin Lorenz 10:09:24
1:09:48
17:08
Old 48 Hr Cutoff-----------------------------------
---------- -------------- ----
-------
9 Ish Makk 11:02:32
2:02:56
12:05
10 Keith Krombel 11:14:37
2:15:01
7:44
11 Paul Bonds 11:22:21
2:22:45
1:26
12 Beny Furrer 11:23:47
3:00:11
1:30
13 Attila Kaldi 12:01:17
3:01:41
Only the first 8 riders would have been official finishers using the old
48 hour cut-off rule. The closest finish [smallest time gap] was 16 minutes
between 3rd place Kish and 4th place Knaus. The biggest time gap was 17 hours
and 8 minutes between 8th place Martin Lorenz and 9th place Ish Makk. Last
place finisher Attila Kaldi arrived in Atlantic City more than 3 days after
winner Allen Larsen.
__________________________________________________________________________
Cumulative Average Speed Decay
RIDER
CumAvgSpdHalfwy CumAvgSpdEnd
Change
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Larsen
15.35mph
13.55mph
-1.80
Robic
12.95mph
12.66mph
-0.29
Kish
13.88mph
12.57mph
-1.31
Knaus
12.97mph
12.55mph
-0.42
Ashabranner 11.93mph
12.24mph
+0.31
Valsesia
12.25mph
12.19mph
-0.06
Lansdell
12.47mph
12.01mph
-0.46
Lorenz
12.60mph
11.71mph
-0.89
Makk
12.16mph
10.96mph
-1.20
Krombel
11.00mph
10.49mph
-0.51
Bonds
9.84mph
10.20mph
+0.36
Furrer
10.74mph
10.15mph
-0.59
Kaldi
10.20mph
10.10mph
-0.10
Posting a so-called negative split [faster 2nd half of race than first half]
is VERY RARE in RAAM because of the fatigue, tiredness, and sleep deprivation
factors. Cassie Lowe did it in both of her RAAM's. This year,
only 2 riders were able to do it: 5th place Rick Ashabranner and 11th
place Paul Bonds. The rider with the greatest cumulative average speed
decay was winner Allen Larsen riding the 2nd half of the race at an average
speed 1.8 mph slower than the first half of the race. If Larsen had
another rider near him pushing him to ride faster, his average speed decay
would most likely be smaller. Kish's average speed decay of 1.3 mph
was big for him.
MORE NOTES ON THE
2003 RAAM
4 out of the top 6 place finishers were rookies.
Of the 5 DNF's, only 2 were rookies.
4 riders had night time finishes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
RAAM Winners' Margin of Victories Table
Year Margin of Victory Who Beat Who
in Hours:Minutes
-------------------------------------------------
1982 14:57
Haldeman beat Howard
1983 5:33
Haldeman beat Penseyres
1984 5:59
Penseyres beat Haldeman
1985 4:02
Boyer beat Secrest
1986 22:15
Penseyres beat Haldeman
1987 2:18
Secrest beat Trail
1988 8:26
Spilauer beat Templin
1989 4:45
Solon beat Secrest
1990 1:11
Fourney beat Kish
1991 3:48
Fourney beat Kish
1992 0:48
Kish beat Fourney
1993 16:49
Tatrai beat Kish
1994 1:33
Kish beat Breedlove
1995 6:41
Kish beat Chew
1996 2:46
Chew beat Kish
1997 6:40
Fasching beat Chew
1998 6:04
Tatrai beat Fasching
1999 1:17
Chew beat Fasching
2000 21:58
Fasching beat Chew
2001 21:01
Clavadestscher beat Kish
2002 13:57
Fasching beat Kish
2003 15:12
Larsen beat Robic
The smallest margin of victory was Kish's 0:48 win over Fourney in 1992.
The largest margin of victory was Penseyres' 22:15 win over Haldeman in 1986.
A good indication of just how fast a certain year or route is how many riders
go under 9 days. The record for this was in 1992 and 1999 when 5 riders
finished in under 9 days both of these years.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
RAAM Rookie-of-the-Year's Average Speeds Ranked
Rank Year Rider Average
Speed
-------------------------------------------------
1. 1985 Boyer
14.31
2. 1996 Fasching
14.07
3. 1986 Beerer
13.81
4. 1994 Chew
13.40
5. 1991 Tatrai
13.34
6. 1987 Spilauer
13.09
7. 1989 Brain
13.03
8. 1988 Fedrigon
13.02
9. 1998 Clavedetscher 12.98
10. 2000 Lorenz
12.97
11. 2003 Robic
12.66
12 1993 MUFFY RITZ 12.49
13. 2002 Larsen
12.41
14. 1995 Weik
12.39
15. 1984 Elliott
12.29
16. 1992 Kross
12.28
17. 1990 Mumbauer 12.14
18 1999 Saldanha
12.11
19. 1983 Penseyres
12.09
20. 1982 Howard
11.83
21. 2001 Klaus
11.73
22. 1997 Wilson
11.56
23. 1993 Sturtz {male} 11.20
This years Rookie-of-the-Year Robic comes in ranked 11th just ahead of woman
Muffy Ritz in 12th.
Concerning my previous posting of RAAM Finishing Time Analysis: Bill
Peschka wrote HTML code to display the table, and on e-mail lists it comes
out as jibberish. Please check it thru the RAAM website Chew's Views
Post-Race once webmaster Tom Kingsbury has linked it up.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
All Transcontinental solo bike crossings over 14 mph Ranked {Top 21}.
Done on RAAM unless otherwise noted.
Rank/Year Rider
Average Speed in mph
----------------------------------------------------------------
1. 1986 Penseyres
15.40
2. 1990 Secrest [non-RAAM]
15.24
3. 1992 Kish
14.91
4. 1992 Fourney
14.85
5. 1999 Chew
14.72
6. 2000 Fasching
14.70
7. 1992 Tatrai
14.69
8. 1999 Fasching
14.63
9. 1996 Chew
14.58
10. 1989 Solon
14.50
11. 1990 Fourney
14.40
12. 1996 Kish
14.38
13. 1990 Kish
14.32
14. 1985 Boyer [Rookie]
14.31
15. 1998 Tatrai
14.29
16. 1989 Secrest
14.17
17. 1999 Tatrai
14.15
18. 1996 Fasching [Rookie]
14.07
19. 1994 Kish
14.05
20. 1985 Secrest
14.05
21. 1991 Fourney
14.04
Kish has the most 14+ mph average speed crossings with 4. Fasching
has the most recent in 2000. Every name on the list is a RAAM winner.
The RAAM winners who did not make the list are Haldeman, Spilauer, Clavedetscher,
and Larsen.
More Notes on the 2003 RAAM
The route was supposed to be fast, but that was only if riders got the prevailing
tailwinds they were supposed to have. Larsen told me he had pretty
much no wind most of the way across. Other solo riders and teams complained
of strong headwinds in Kansas. No average speed records were broken
because of this.
PS: Can somebody please send me Jim Amelung's current e-mail address.
Danny Chew at:
danchew@yahoo.com