DANNY CHEW’S 2005 SOLO RAAM PREVIEW & PICKS
Slovenian Juré Robic and Mike
Trevino are racing to break Pete Penseyres’ 19-year old average speed record of
15.40 mph. In only his second RAAM,
Robic won last year averaging 14.66 mph.
Although this is the eighth fastest solo transcontinental crossing,
Robic will need very favorable weather (tailwinds) conditions. He has the racing speed; he is the UMCA
24-hour non-drafting record holder, covering 522 miles last September. Read about it at:
http://www.ultracycling.com/records/24hour_record2004.html
Last years Rookie-of-the-Year and
2nd place finisher Trevino also has SPEED; last month he set a new
Across Iowa record riding 273 miles at a sizzling 25.7 mph. Read about it at:
http://www.ultracycling.com/records/iowa_record2005.html
Despite false cheating allegations against him last year, he
still set the 3rd fastest RAAM rookie speed of 13.88mph. An ultra runner turned cyclist, Trevino
entered RAAM at the last minute this year.
Although Trevino is hungrier for his first win, I still give the edge to
Robic because of his brutal 48 hour sleep deprivation training. Also, Robic beat Trevino by 11 hours last
year so I wonder how much faster Robic could have ridden the final few days if
somebody was breathing down his back.
However, Kish says that rookies can expect to ride about 12 hours faster
in their 2nd RAAM so it could be a very close race. Such a close finish hasn’t happened since I
beat Fasching by just over an hour in 1999.
When Penseyres set the record, he slept only 11.5 hours in his 8 day 9 hour crossing. Last year Robic slept a reported 8 hours. Can he cut his time off the bike and increase his riding speed to average 15.4 mph? The time to beat on the 2005 course is 8:06:11 - with a $10,000 prize if he or Trevino breaks the record!
Robic likes to establish an early
lead, while others like myself prefer to take the lead near the end which can
make for a much more exciting race.
Robic will be chased by fellow countryman Marko Baloh. Baloh dropped out in 2003 2,449 miles in the
race due to blood clots in his lungs.
Last October he won the Furnace Creek 508 mile RAAM qualifier at an
astounding speed of 17.26 mph - the headwinds were the worst in the history of
the 508!
Also chasing Robic
and Trevino will be RAAM legend Rob Kish, riding in his 20th RAAM! Kish has won the race three times and he’s
finished on the podium 12 times! Kish
rides a strong, steady race and, even though he just turned 50, his competitors
will be keeping an eye on him. Also,
Kish has more than double the finishes the rest of the combined solo field has!
Dr. Bob Breedlove,
53, is the best RAAM rider to never win the solo race, although he has won the
tandem division twice. Breedlove holds
the 50+ transcon record (correlating to a 10:08:56 finishing time on the 2005
course) and also the record for a double transcontinental. Like Wolfgang Fasching and myself, Rob and
Bob have never dropped out. A veteran
of 7 RAAMs (4 top 7 finishes and 3 DNF’s), David Kees rounds out this very
competitive 50+ division. Kees just set
the new 50+ record of 426 miles at the Davis 24 Hour Challenge.
Fabio Biasiolo
will be starting his ninth RAAM, but he hasn’t finished since 2000 when he
placed third, two hours behind me. He
has two back-to-back 5th places before that, but is haunted by five
DNF’s (similar to 1989 winner Paul Solon’s 6).
Back for unfinished business, if he can
overcome the inevitable problems this year, he should place well. I look forward to getting some terrific
interviews with gregarious Fabio who is liked by all riders.
Switzerland’s Pius Achermann could
be a dark horse winner. In 1999, he set
the drafting world record of 610 miles in a 24-hour race. He was among the early leaders last year
until saddle sores ended his race at 1,120 miles. Austrian Karl Traunmueller is back to improve on his 12th
place finish in 1994.
Italy’s Alessandro Colo hopes that setting all kinds of indoor stationary cycling
distance/time records similar to RAAM (talk about boring and painful on the rear)
will give him the mental toughness to make it farther than the 1,191 miles he rode
last year. Spinning instructor Colo rode his RAAM bikes with PowerCranks the
equivalent of “5,841 miles” in 11 days during which time he faced some of the
same physical and technical problems RAAM creates. He broke a saddle, two
tires, and a frame. He also endured knee, feet, and saddle sore problems.
Although indoor cycling is more boring than road riding, he did not face extreme
weather conditions, mountainous terrain, route navigation problems, or crew
problems which RAAM throws at you, and can chew you up and spit you out.
Because you go nowhere when indoor cycling, I don’t count any of these imaginary
miles (much easier to maintain a higher average speed)
towards my million mile goal.
Overall I predict Robic to win
again (by a slim margin over Trevino), but miss Penseyres’ record, unless
favorable tailwinds prevail. It should
be a fierce battle between veterans Kish and Breedlove, but I give the edge to
Kish because he has ridden over three times as many RAAM miles as Breedlove, and
Kish is three years younger. {Please
see related article on Kish vs. Breedlove}
Fourteen rookies are starting the
solo race. RAAM is an emotional roller
coaster and it is impossible to simulate the many highs and lows in
training. It’s equally impossible to
guess the amount of sleep a rider needs (a big variable for each racer). Rookies are so overwhelmed that they have
little chance of winning. Only one
rookie man (Jonathan Boyer) has won in the history of the race, but he was the
first American to ever finish the Tour de France.
Rookie-of-the-Year
honors will be fought between Denmark’s Chris MacDonald and England’s Chris
Hopkinson. MacDonald recently set a
course record of 500 miles at the Sebring, FL 24-hour race. Hopkinson won the Sebring and Texas 24-hour
races last year. Both will be going
after 1985 RAAM winner Jonathan Boyer’s 20 year old rookie record of 14.31 mph
which would yield a finishing time of 8:21:17 on the 2005 course - good enough
for a top three finish. I give the edge to MacDonald because Hopkinson “only”
rode 249.5 miles – winning the Sebring 12-hour race on the same day MacDonald
rode 500 miles. {Please see related
article on 500 mile riders}
I think the first
half of the race will be a 4 man battle between Robic, Trevino, Baloh, and
MacDonald. Rookie MacDonald and Baloh
will fade by the Mississippi River leaving Trevino and Robic in a very close
fight to the finish in Atlantic City.
Sweden’s Anna (Cat) Berge qualified for RAAM at the 2001
Furnace Creek 508,
placing second overall and beating Seana Hogan’s 1991 rookie
time by over four
hours. Berge is
attempting to become the first woman finisher since Cassie Lowe
in 2001. She will be
going for Muffy Ritz’s 12-year old rookie record of 12.49 mph,
which would yield a finishing time of 10:04:21 on the 2005
course. Berge once took
a survey of why people drop out of RAAM. I hope she doesn’t become a statistic in
her own survey.
Alaska’s Ben Couturier is trying
to break Chris Kostman’s youngest (age 20) finisher record set back in
1987. Winner of the Firewood 400-mile
RAAM qualifier in 2004, 18 year old Couturier would like Alaska to have both
the oldest (Peter Lekisch at age 60) and youngest RAAM finishers.
A RAAM rookie, Jim Trout was the
2001 winner of the UMCA’s John Marino Competition, which determines the best
racers of the year through a series of one to three day events. Riding a lot of double centuries, 12/24-hour
races, and even multi-day events like Paris-Brest-Paris is a far cry from RAAM
(“the big one”), but I believe that riding big/long miles can determine one’s
RAAM performance. Randonneur Mark
Metcalfe will also be relying on his long-distance base to finish RAAM.
David Haase returns after
hydration problems forced him into a hospital and out of the race after 2,508
miles last year. NBC did a terrific job
showing the difficulties of RAAM through David’s many struggles.
Completing team RAAM is one of the
best ways to qualify for solo RAAM and to gain some experience with the
race. John D’Elia (Team New England in
2004) is making the bold transition from 2-person relay to solo, and
Switzerland’s Urs Koenig is going from 4-person to solo. Brazil’s Ricardo Arap has unfinished
business. After setting the 2-person
record in 1998, he had a 2-person DNF in 2001 and a solo DNF in 2002.
The leaders will ride over 40
hours before sleeping, racing from San Diego across California and Arizona
before stopping. With an on-the-bike
speed of 16-17 mph, they will ride some 350 miles a day, taking only 1 to 2.5
hours of sleep per night. At about 900
miles they’ll climb Wolf Creek Pass (10,550 feet high) in the Colorado
Rockies. I’ve raced over Wolf Creek
five times. Crossing the Continental Divide was always a big deal mentally
because it was the high point of the race, and subconsciously your mind likes
to think "it's all downhill from here" even though you know that is
far from the truth. A rider can usually
make up about 10% of the remaining distance on a competitor. So an early lead (unless it is huge) doesn’t
make that big of a difference.
There is a truism that the race
doesn’t really start until crossing the Mississippi River – 1,034 miles left in
the 2005 route. This is because the
last third of the race is the toughest, and position changes become more
important. All the riding you have done
up until now is just a warm-up for the final few days (will seem more like a
few weeks) push towards the Atlantic City finish line. This is the section of the race, which
exposes a rider’s inner core. If a
rider or even a crew member has a darker side or Mr. Hyde personality, it is
sure to surface here.
Once the race gets spread out riders can go for days without
seeing another racer.
Motivation can flag, especially in the Midwest when the finish
line is still days away.
The crew tries to even out a rider’s pace by not letting the
racer go too slowly during
the emotional lows nor too fast during the highs. The top riders will have an 8-12
person crew do everything but turn the pedals, and use 2-3
vehicles including an
RV and minivan that stays with (mostly behind) them nearly
all the time equipped
with spare bike(s), tons of food (mostly liquid), clothing,
music, a PA system, and
walkie talkies. They
may also have a spy vehicle.
The smallest margin of victory ever was 48 minutes when Rob
Kish Beat Bob
Fourney in 1992.
Because riders have different sleeping patterns, it is extremely
difficult for one rider to stay within sight of another
rider for more than 18 hours,
except for the first day.
A sprint finish in highly unlikely (although one did occur for
victory in the first women’s race in 1984) in RAAM because
if there is a pass on the
final day/night, usually one rider ends up feeling better
and smokes past the other
rider so much faster (like what Juré Robic did to Rob Kish
in the 2003 RAAM to
claim 2nd place and rookie-of-the-year) that the
rider being caught is devastated and
broken mentally so bad that they give up any hope of beating
their rival, and come
crawling into the finish.
In 23
years only 169 individuals have finished the solo RAAM, but over 1,300 people
have summitted Mt. Everest (since Hillary & Tenzing in 1953) of which 179
have died. Only one person has done
both – three time RAAM winner Wolfgang Fasching who said RAAM was tougher, but
less dangerous. Andrew Lapkass has
reached the summit 3 times out of 7 attempts, but he only made it 1,074 miles
on his rookie attempt last year before back spasms and toeless (lost from
frostbite mountain climbing) feet ended his RAAM. On average 40% drop out of RAAM.
Which of these brave 26 solo riders will complete the 3,052 mile trek to
the Boardwalk in Atlantic City?
Jure Robic pre RAAM Interview with Danny Chew
DC: CONGRATS ON RIDING 522 MILES IN 24 HOURS JUST 3 MONTHS AFTER WINNING RAAM. DID YOU FEEL FULLY RECOVERED FROM RAAM? HOW MUCH DID YOU RIDE IN BETWEEN?JR: Yes, I felt totally recovered, except for my finger injuries. I trained a lot, especially speed training with a motorbike. I also did a few 10-12 hour long distance trainings, while the last two weeks were mostly speed trainings.DC: HOW IS YOUR TRAINING GOING FOR THE 2005 RAAM? ARE YOU PRACTICING SLEEP DEPRIVATION TRAINING AGAIN?JR: The preparations are going well. Trainings are very much the same as previous years. The distances are the same, while the intensity of it is much higher. Sleep deprivation trainings started in the beginning of March with 48 hours non-stop ridding.DC: WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN GOALS FOR THIS YEAR? WHO DO YOU THINK YOUR MAIN COMPETITION WILL BE IN RAAM THIS YEAR? DO YOU THINK YOU CAN WIN AGAIN? WHAT ABOUT BREAKING PETE PENSEYRES' 15.40 MPH SPEED RECORD? YOU WILL HAVE TO FINISH IN 8 DAYS 5 HOURS 51 MINUTES ON THE 2005 COURSE.JR: My first goal is to win RAAM 2005, and the second is winning LeTourDirect. The third goal would be breaking the world record at the 24 hour road race in Theiss, Austria (1007 Km) one month before the RAAM start. Since the course this year is longer and has more accent meters, the record will be difficult to brake, but I'm positive to brake it, if everything goes as planed. I'm not burdening myself with competition. I will have to beat all of them to WIN AGAIN!DC: WILL YOU TRY TO SLEEP LESS THAN THE 8 TOTAL HOURS YOU SLEPT LAST YEAR IN RAAM? HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU WASTE OFF THE BIKE NOT SLEEPING LAST YEAR? CAN YOU IMPROVE ON THAT?JR: Of course! Less sleep will be necessary. I wasted far too much time (6 hours) off the bike and not sleeping at that time. This problem will definitely have to be solved this year.DC: WILL YOU TAKE OFF SUPER FAST LIKE YOU DID LAST YEAR TO ESTABLISH A BIG EARLY LEAD? DO YOU PREFER WINNING BY MANY HOURS LIKE YOU DID LAST YEAR? JR: The tactics are not yet decided. It depends on how the race evolves. The goal is to win and to give all the best that I have at that time. DC: DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE RIDDEN FASTER LAST YEAR IF ANOTHER RIDER WAS STILL CLOSE TO YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE FINISH LINE? JR: For sure I would have gone faster if someone were close behind.DC: LAST YEAR YOU HAD PROBLEMS WITH YOUR HANDS AND FEET. WILL YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT THIS YEAR FOR THAT?JR: We are still searching different options for my hand position on the handlebars, and I have to change the socks for the feet problems.DC: DO YOU ALWAYS WANT YOUR CREW TO TELL YOU WHERE THE OTHER RIDERS ARE? JR: Yes, I want to be informed, especially for the first one behind me.DC: HAS BECOMING A NEW FATHER MEANT THAT YOU HAVE LESS TIME TO RIDE THIS YEAR? WOULD YOUR WIFE EVER CONSIDER BEING ON YOUR CREW? JR: Becoming a father is no obstacle, quite contrary; it motivates me even more, to train harder and longer. My wife was important member of my RAAM 2003 crew. She couldn't come last year because of the pregnancy. She was thinking of coming this year, but the baby is still to young for that kind of trip.DC: DO YOU HAVE A FULL CREW FOR THIS YEAR YET? HOW MANY RETURNING MEMBERS FROM LAST YEAR? JR: The team is already selected, and will be the same as last year, except for one member, the journalist.DC: WOULD YOU LIKE TO BECOME THE FIRST MAN TO WIN 4 RAAMs? JR: Yes I would like to and I think I am able to, but financially this project is very large. At this time I cannot say if I can participate so many times.DC: DID YOU HAVE A COLD WINTER THERE IN SLOVENIA WITH LOTS OF SNOW? IF SO, WHAT DID YOU DO FOR EXERCISE? DO YOU RIDE STATIONARY INDOOR BIKES MUCH? LIFT WEIGHTS? CROSS COUNTRY SKI? DO YOU WEAR A HEART RATE MONITOR WHEN YOU TRAIN?JR: The winter was long and cold, but that didn't bother me. I did a lot of cross country skiing and ergometer riding. I also spent around one month ridding in Istria (Croatian sea side), where the conditions are bearable for ridding outdoors. I haven't done any lift weights training. I use heart rate monitor very rarely, only at high intensity trainings.DC: DO YOU KEEP A TRAINING JOURNAL OR DIARY?JR: Yes.DC: HOW MANY TOTAL KILOMETERS DID YOU RIDE IN 2004 (LAST YEAR) FROM JANUARY 1ST – DECEMBER 31ST? INCLUDE BOTH TRAINING AND RACING MILES RIDDEN. INDOOR TRAINING MILES DO NOT COUNT. JR: Without indoor training and cross-country skiing, I rode about 41,000 Kilometers (25,473 miles). Danny, I am pleased and proud that a legend of RAAM like you is interested in interviewing me about the most difficult sporting event in the world. I hope my answers will fulfill your expectations. See you in San Diego!
2005 SOLO RAAM 50+ DIVISION: Kish vs. Breedlove
This years RAAM 50+ division promises to be one of the best battles ever fought between legend Rob Kish (synonymous with RAAM) and Dr. Bob Breedlove. Kish finally 50, has a record 19 finishes including three wins, six seconds, and three thirds. He has the most (4) transcontinental crossings over 14 mph, and the most (7) sub 9 day crossings. His average RAAM finishing time is 9 days 10 hours 50 minutes. Only four times did he go over 10 days. Breedlove 53, has three solo finishes and two tandem wins. In 2002 outside of RAAM, he set the 50+ transcontinental record of 12.26mph, which would yield a finishing time of 10:08:56 on the 2005 course. (Both Rob & Bob will be shooting for this).
In 1989, Breedlove rode from the Mississippi River in Alton, IL West into headwinds all the way to Los Angeles where he waited about 40 hours to start RAAM. After finishing RAAM in 3rd place in New York City, he turned around and rode back to Alton to set the current double Transcon. record of 22:13:36. He also has finished four Paris-Brest-Paris races all on tandems. I consider Breedlove to be the greatest male rider never to win solo RAAM. Muffy Ritz is the greatest female rider never to win solo RAAM (thanks to Seana Hogan).
I consider myself to be an equal rider to Rob Kish. In the eight RAAMs we have ridden together, we have both beaten each other four times and won twice. I only raced against Breedlove once in 1994 my rookie year, and I finished 4th behind him (2nd). Breedlove is also on our level, but has failed to win the solo race because his busy life (He is an orthopedic Surgeon and married with 4 children) has allowed him just three solo RAAM finishes. Look at how amazingly similar his and Kish’s RAAM results are:
1988 solo RAAM - Kish 5th in solo race and Breedlove 7th in solo race - 11:13 behind
1989 solo RAAM - Breedlove 3rd in solo race and Kish 7th in solo race - 9:49 behind
1990 RAAM - Breedlove 1st in tandem division and Kish 2nd in solo race - 1:57 behind
1992 RAAM - Kish 1st in solo race and Breedlove 1st in tandem division - 4:57 behind
1994 RAAM - Kish 1st in solo race and Breedlove 2nd in solo race - 1:33 behind
2005 RAAM - Breedlove ? in solo race and Kish ? in solo race - ?:?? behind
If you just look at their solo results (not really fair to compare solo versus tandem results), Kish beat Breedlove in 1988, Breedlove beat Kish in 1989, and Kish beat Breedlove in 1994. Based upon this pattern, Breedlove is due to beat Kish this year.
However, I predict that Kish will prevail because he has so much more RAAM experience - Kish has ridden over three times as many RAAM miles as Breedlove, and Kish is three years younger. Also, Kish seems to have the best crew from his loyal crew chief & wife Brenda being able to get a lot of return experienced Krew members.
Breedlove
and Kish have very different personalities, and this shows up in their RAAM
demeanors. Like Gerry Tatrai and
myself, Breedlove is very gregarious and talkative. In contrast, like Seana Hogan, Kish is very focused and stoic,
rarely smiling. They’re not rude - they’re just there to race, not to talk.
Looking at Breedlove’s Transcon. record of 12.26mph which he did at age 50, I may be able to predict Kish’s mph this year based upon speed decay. In 2003, Kish rode 12.57 mph, and in 2004, he rode 12.41mph for a decay of 0.16mph. Assuming that same rate of decay applies from 2004 to 2005, he should ride at 12.25mph this year almost tying Breedlove’s record. The big question is what is Breedlove’s speed decay rate if any from age 50 to 53? This is going to be one very exciting race to watch and for me to write about. Both Bob and Rob are expected to finish, as they have never dropped out of RAAM much like Wolfgang Fasching and myself.
Spurred on by competition from each other, they might both ride over 13 mph and go sub 10 days smashing Breedlove’s 50+ record. Breedlove’s 2002 record ride was dedicated to remember and honor heroes that have fallen in the Line of Duty, so he had to stop and visit fire stations all across the country which had to slow him down considerably. In the 2004 RAAM, Kish finished over 13 hours behind 4th place and over 12 hours ahead of 6th place, so he had a very “relaxing” final day with no riders near him to speed up his pace. Imagine how fast Kish and Breedlove’s final day could be if they are within one hour of each other.
Time trial (non-drafting) events usually start and finish at the same place to insure even or neutral wind conditions and no altitude advantages. Martha Stewart could “beat” Lance Armstrong in a 10 mile time trial if she had a 30 mph tailwind the whole way and he had a 30 mph headwind the entire way. Robin Williams could “beat” Lance on Alp d’Huez if Robin rode down the mountain and Lance rode up it. Technically, RAAM can’t be considered a time trial because it starts and finishes in different locations, allowing for predominant tailwinds, yet it is the worlds longest time trial. Because it is such a unique event and consistently runs West to East every year, average speeds can be compared from year to year, but shouldn’t be compared to other events. In 1989, Bob Breedlove is the only person ever to turn RAAM into a bonified time trial by going across the country in both directions. In 1981, Lon Haldeman went both directions in just over 24 days, but that was before any sort of transcontinental bicycle race existed. In 1974, Victor Vincente also did it in over 36 days.
OVER 500 MILES IN 24 HOURS RELATING TO RAAM
Riding over 500 miles in 24 hour time trial (non-drafting) events and winning the solo Race Across America (RAAM) seem to go hand-in-hand. In 1994, Australian Rod Evans rode 530 miles on an indoor velodrome. He has never ridden RAAM. In 1996, 1987 RAAM winner Michael Secrest rode 503 miles on the road to set the course record at Dave Holmes’ 24 Hour World Championship in Iowa. Later that same year, Secrest rode 533 miles on an outdoor velodrome to establish a new world record. In 1997, England’s Andy Wilkinson rode 525 miles on the road. He has never ridden RAAM. In 2000, three months after finishing 2nd in RAAM, I rode 508 miles on the road to establish a new course record in Iowa. I won the 1996 and 1999 RAAMs. In 2004, 2001 RAAM winner Andreas Clavadetscher of Liechtenstein rode 505 miles on the road. Just 3 months after winning the 2004 RAAM, Slovenian Juré Robic rode 522 miles on the road. In 2005, Denmark’s Chris MacDonald rode 500 miles on the road to set the course record at the Sebring, FL 24 hour race. He will enter his first RAAM this year.
Of the seven men to ride over 500 miles, four have won RAAM. The same attributes (must have speed, power, and be mentally tough) that allow a man to ride over 500 miles are also necessary to win RAAM, and vice-versa. MacDonald has the horsepower needed to win RAAM, but most likely won’t win this year since he is a rookie. The same goes for Evans and Wilkinson, but they may never do RAAM.
There are exceptions to every rule, and the two men who have won RAAM the most (three times each) Rob Kish and Wolfgang Fasching have both tried and failed to ride over 500 miles in 24 hours, although Fashing rode 475 miles the first day of the 2000 RAAM he won. Because RAAM is such a long multi-day event, riders lacking speed can make up for this by sleeping less and staying on the bike longer. Perhaps being able to ride over 500 miles is a better indicator of being able to win RAAM than winning RAAM implying that riding over 500 miles is possible.
I happen to think that winning RAAM is much tougher than riding over 500 miles in 24 hours. There are probably many amateur and professional road racers who could ride over 500 miles, but a much smaller number could win RAAM. Sleep deprivation in a 24 hour race is minuscule compared to RAAM. After becoming the first America to finish the Tour De France, Jonathan Boyer did make good on his word to win RAAM in 1985, but I believe he is the exception rather than the rule.
I do hope that with RAAM being back on network (NBC) TV, it can grow and offer enough prize money to attract more pro racers to the solo race. Pete Penseyres and Boyer racing against each other would have been such a close and exciting race.
2005
RAAM Solo Rider Video Interviews
On Friday, June 17th, the solo rider video interviews began with Stephen Auerbach and I asking the questions, and camera guy Don Hauk filming. The star of last years NBC TV program, David Haase is back after dropping out 2,508 miles into the race from hyponatremia (over hydration). He is here to win which he admits might get in the way of finishing. Last year the pain of the race caused him to grind away all the fillings in his mouth, which had to be refilled over the winter. His girlfriend Shannon (a family marriage therapist) will be on his crew the entire time this year. He says that owning his own business (a ski, bike, and snowboard shop called Attitude Sports) is a 24/7 lifestyle rather than a job. That coupled with RAAM training has led to sleep deprivation practice. He will start riding at 3:30am, work a full day, then ride till 3am and sleep a couple of hours.
Originally from Switzerland, Urs Koenig has lived in Seattle for the past 3 years. In 2002, he placed 2nd in the 4 man Team RAAM on Team Swiss Academic Ski Club. He will never forget how much pain the solo riders were in as he caught, talked with, and passed them that year. He is curious to see what sort of respect the teams will give him as a solo rider this year – role reversal. With a goal of “only” finishing, he doesn’t care what place he finishes in. He and his wife Catherine are expecting their first baby in 3 months. He ran his first marathon at age 14 in 3.5 hours. He saw Alan Larsen about his neck apparatus, and has such a device ready if he should need it. Thanks to Larsen’s Medieval Torture Device, Dropping out of RAAM with Shermerneck is no longer a valid excuse.
Last year’s rookie-of-the-year and 2nd place finisher Mike Trevino seemed very zoned in and focused on his goal to win this year. An ultramarathon runner, he had to cut back on running this year (his longest run over the winter was just 40 miles) to concentrate more on cycling. He has done fewer miles this year, but more intense rides. He hadn’t planned on riding RAAM this year, but once he found himself in the best shape of his life in May, he couldn’t resist. On RAAM, he thinks of himself as a machine that needs simple inputs and outputs to work most efficiently. He feels that mental preparation must be extensive. He hasn’t obsessed over the race this year like he did last year when he took off work for 6 months to train full time for it. He feels he does better taking short naps (15-20 minutes) on RAAM rather than sleeping a full 90 minutes. He has only ever watched about 15 minutes of Tour de France coverage, and therefore doesn’t worship the ground Lance walks on like the rest of us do.
18 year old Ben Couturier heard of RAAM at age 14, and tried to enter on team, but that fell though. He has worked for 3 years at REI as a bike mechanic for his boss and coach John Glidden. He father was in the military, but now is a policeman, which Ben might like to be someday. His mother is self-employed with her own tourist shop called “The Downtown Co-Op.” Ben told me that because RAAM is so much more mental than physical, he thinks that taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs wouldn’t help a rider that much. His favorite food is tortellini with alfredo sauce. Hopefully he can become the youngest person to ever finish solo RAAM.
After finishing 12 place in the 1994 (my rookie year) RAAM, police detective Karl Traunmueller is back to improve on that at age 48. 7 of the 10 people on his crew are also police detectives. On his head, he shaved RAAM on one side, and his race number on the other side, after his son (a soldier) suggested it. He rode the 1999 Furnace Creek 508 with a blind tandem partner. He has an artificial right hip.
Perry Stone joined us in the video interview room on Saturday. After finishing the 2-person team RAAM last year on Team New England, lawyer John D’Elia’ is back to try the solo race. He thinks that Team RAAM is the best possible preparation for the solo race. His father owned a bike shop in Connecticut. Working there and at 4 other bike shops as a teenager got him addicted to cycling. He enjoys night riding. On last years RAAM, he discovered that the first few days of RAAM your body is on a pain curve, but after day 4 even though you feel lousy, you don’t get any worse on the rest of the days. He feels there are 8-10 super athletes here, and his goal is to finish.
Although he grew up in France, Patrick Autissier had lived near Boston for the past 4.5 years. Wired with 7 electrodes to his chest, scientist Pat will use RAAM as laboratory to learn what stress does to his body. His crew will send data onto his website during the race. The will use a urine test with 7 parameters. His only goal is to finish, and doesn’t care about the competition. If he can finish within the 12 day, 2 hour time limit, he would be the happiest man in the world. Since RAAM is such a huge endeavor, he has a goal of fundraising $2 million (one person every 7 seconds) from January to July to help HIV patients.
Jure Robic said he feels the pressure of being the defending champ this year. He acknowledges there are more good riders in the field this year, and the course is also tougher (30,000 more feet of climbing) than last year. He has known Marko Baloh for 15 years, and lives 100 kilometers away from him. He said that mornings just after sunrise are the most difficult times for him. He wants his fans to know that he is not some robot as he may appear on camera. He suffers just as badly as every rider does. He feels as though he could ride the Tour de France because the Tour seems so much easier to him than RAAM. His favorite music is rock ’n’ roll.
England’s Chris Hopkinson is quite a character. 3 days ago, he got a red Mohawk haircut for RAAM. He has raced 3-4 times per week for the past 18 months. Like myself, he is known for riding long distances to and from races to get better training. When I asked him if he was worried about the desert heat since he is from Great Britain, he told me that he hates the cold weather there, and can’t wait to experience the desert since he loves the heat. He claims to have the best bike lights – Exposure lights which are 30 watts and last for 12 hours. His crew chief is Steve Masters who was Team Royal Air Force’s crew chief for 3 years (including 2 victories), and Ann Wooldridge (may race solo RAAM next year) is also on his crew. He is also good friends with Terry Lansdell. He has kept the screws that once held his hip together after a bad accident. He wants to become the first British rider to finish RAAM since Brits are so time trial crazy.
I had a great interview with the greatest rider to never win the men’s race Dr. Bob Breedlove. His RAAM resume being too long for me to list here, Bob has been with his wife Gretchen since they were 6 years old. His fraternal twin brother Bill has been on all of his transcontinental crossings, and is his crew chief this year. Being in a group practice with 19 doctors makes it easier for him to slip away for long rides. He used to ride 15-20,000 miles per year, but now only rides 8-10,000 miles, which are more quality. He has ridden 4 Paris Brest Paris’ on tandems, and considers his 1999 Elite PAC Tour with his 14 year old son on a tandem to be his most cherished athletic feat. Although some people may have accused Bob of child abuse for this, Bob was very proud of Bill riding every mile averaging some 170 miles per day. Sometimes he is up all night on call, but he usually averages 5-6 hours of sleep per night. He plans on sleeping the first night this year. He will sleep 90 minutes each night starting at 1:30am, and take 15 minute naps in the afternoon.
It is remarkable that the first two places in the 1994 RAAM (my rookie year I placed 4th) are back racing again 11 years later. Except for maybe golf, this sort of thing just doesn’t happen in sports. It would be like if Greg LeMond and Miguel Indurain were racing the Tour de France this year against Lance Armstrong, and both were expected to finish in the top half. The 26 starters this year is the largest field in the solo race since 1994 when there were 31.
I am sorry I didn’t get to interview more riders, but I was running around trying to get Jim Pitre’s old laptop computer (which I am using) to go online with no luck, and had to go get our minivan rental. I will be traveling this year with Perry Stone again and camera guy Billy DelRiego.
The pre-race banquet was terrific. 6 Time Women’s champ Seana Hogan gave a speech and slide show of her 7 year RAAM career. I ate dinner with her & hubby Pat Enright, Seana’s son 14 year old Alexander who is now 6’2” tall with size 15 feet, their other child 4 year old Austin, and Steve Born. Cycling legend Mike Aisner spoke. He was the promoter of the Red Zinger/Coors Classic stage race in Colorado which 1985 RAAM winner Jonathon (Jock) Boyer won. He is a terrific race announcer, and is just what RAAM needs to boost it up to the next level! As the solo riders were called upon stage, I noticed Jim Trout’s red Mohawk haircut with blue sideburns. After the first raffle drawing which nobody claimed, Trout’s ticket was drawn and he won a pair of Velocity wheels. He and Chris Hopkinson looked like Team Mohawk. By the time the 24 hour racers were introduced, much of the solo riders and their crews had left except for David Haase.
You really get the feeling of a RAAM reunion
when you see so many former riders on crews. 2003 winner Allen Larsen is Marko
Baloh’s crew chief. Allen’s wife Tresa is also on the crew, and won’t have to worry
herself silly about her husband riding too far for too long. Guus Moonen is
Alessandro Colo’s crew chief. Tracy McKay is on Chris MacDonald’s crew. Reed
Finfrock in on the Kish Krew again. Lee Mitchell is Cat Berge’s crew chief.
Rich Kondzielaski is also on Cat’s crew. Byron Rieper is on Trevino’s crew
again, but not crew chief this year. The two person mixed Team Endorphins has
hired Kyle Young to videotape their crossing. Kyle produced the RAAM video for
the Outdoor Life Network a few years ago, on which Scott Johnson narrated.
The 24th Race Across America began on Sunday, June 19th at 7:03 am local time in San Diego. Official race time is Eastern Standard Time military (0-24 hours) so we began at 10:03. The solo field and the new 24 hour Corporate Challenge [to Flagsatff, AZ] up to 8 person teams left together on the 13 mile parade (neutral) route to the official race start. The solos got a 10 minute head start on the five teams. The first 52 mile leg to Pine Valley has the most (5,780 feet) climbing of all 57 time stations. The climbing quickly breaks up the pack, and Slovenians Marko Baloh & Jure Robic and Rookie Chris MacDonald led through the first time station. The only solo woman Catherina (Cat) Berge was mid-pack 33 minutes behind them. 7 minutes after Cat was 18 year old Ben Couturier. Three time winner Rob Kish riding his 20th RAAM, was in next to last place 1 hour 4 minutes behind the leaders. The Clif Bar Team (headed by former world duathalon champion Kenny Souza) cut the ten minute gap behind the solos in half by Pine Valley. 11 minutes after Clif, Team Swami’s Raceplan arrived in 2nd place.
81 miles into the race in Jacumba, Team Clif Bar caught the solo leaders Robic and MacDonald who was on a bicycle without aerobars. Robic finally pulled away from MacDonald when Chris stopped to change bikes. About 5 miles before time station #2 in El Centro, we came upon David Haase lying on the ground at a gas station with his crew nursing him. His crew tried to over-correct his over-hydration problem leading to his DNF last year by limiting him to just 28 ounces (one large water bottle) per hour. With the high temperature in the desert being about 105 degrees F, Haase was so severely dehydrated that he had to stop for 2 hours bumping him from 5th to 25th place in El Centro. Solo leader Robic went through there 3 minutes ahead of MacDonald. Team leader Clif Bar was 10 minutes ahead of Robic and 20 minutes ahead of Team Swami’s Raceplan. Team JMI Rookies passed Team Bicycling San Diego to move into 4th place.
Bob Breedlove’s vast transcontinental
crossing experience had him moving up places by staying well hydrated. He was
drinking over 100 ounces of fluids per hour and pissing on the bike once every
hour. At time station #3 in Glamis, Robic lead Baloh by 7 minutes, MacDonald by
11, and Mike Trevino by 27 minutes.
The team placings remained unchanged with Clif leading Swami by 27 minutes. At time station #4 in Blythe, Rookie Englishman Chris Hopkinson arrived in 9th place and stopped in his RV. A crewmember told me that it is illegal to ride in Britain in a sleep-deprived state. No wonder Chris was so excited to come to America and “legally” ride RAAM. He left the time station bare backed under a nearly full moon on a warm desert night. Cat Berge moved up to 10th place. Teams places held, but the gap widened.
Leader Robic’s 12 hour split was 242 miles – the same he rode last year. 2nd place Baloh’s split was 239 miles – 36 more miles than he rode his first 12 hours of the 2003 RAAM which he led before winner Allen Larsen passed him. Ironically Larsen is Baloh’s crew chief this year. In the middle of the night, I asked Baloh about Larsen, and Larsen will most likely be pushing Baloh as hard or harder than Larsen pushed himself in 2003. Baloh told me that Larson told him that being a crew chief is tougher than riding. Later, I asked Allen about this, and he confirmed it.
Including their 10 minute wait stop at the official race start, the lead Team Clif Bar rode 270 miles their first 12 hours. Just after sunset, Rookie Chris MacDonald lost 3rd place to Trevino. Despite a 2 hour sleep break, MacDonald still held onto 4th place. A 2 hour sleep dropped Breedlove from 5th to 11th place and behind Kish. Race leader Robic had a 24 hour split of 447 miles which is 11 miles more than he rode last year, and two miles less than Pete Penseyres rode his first day of his 15.4 mph record. In Williams, AZ on Monday morning, Baloh was 24 minutes behind Robic, and Trevino was 56 minutes behind Baloh.
The Clif Bar Team has turned the 24 hour team race into a 23.5 hour race arriving victoriously in Flagstaff, AZ. All teams rode the 485 miles to the Sky Dome at Northern Arizona University which is 8 miles short of the Flagstaff time station #9. Clif Bar got there about 2 hours 40 minutes ahead of Robic, 2 hours 3 minutes ahead of 2nd place Team Swami’s Raceplan, and 3 hours 12 minutes ahead of 3rd place Team Kaiser Permanente R2R. 4th place team JMI Rookies came within two penalties of being disqualified when they got their 4th one totaling 2 hours, 30 minutes. This allowed last (5th) placed Team Bicycling San Diego to officially finish just 6 minutes after JMI Rookies. The first three teams beat Robic to Flagstaff, but Robic had to save something for the next week+.
I am always amazed at how fast the solo race spreads out so below is a chart of the time gaps in hours: minutes - between the lead and last solo riders for the first 6 time stations:
|
Time Station # |
Time Gap |
|
1 |
1:05 |
|
2 |
2:42 |
|
3 |
6:04 |
|
4 |
6:49 |
|
5 |
11:36 |
|
6 |
15:11 |
The traditional teams start on Tuesday
afternoon 55 hours after the solo riders. It will take the lead team about this
same amount of time to catch the last solo rider meaning that the average speed
is twice.
Two Slovenians are dominating RAAM as the field continues to spread way out. Staying within two hours of each other, Jure Robic and Marko Baloh are pulling away having both had their first 90 minute sleep break on the 2nd night. However, Robic went down first allowing Baloh to win the time station in Aneth, UT by 25 minutes before Baloh went down himself. Although Baloh briefly lead the race, I call it an invalid lead since it merely happened from variable sleep times on the same night. It is possible though if Robic wanted to lead the entire way across the country after California, not being able to do so could hurt his psyche.
Mike Trevino is holding a solid 3rd place, and closed to within an hour of Baloh because Mike didn’t take a substantial sleep break the 2nd night. He may have had one or two 15 minute cat naps. I was surprised to see Mike Trevino using a double water bottle cage behind his seat, and he was regularly reaching back for drinks. The leading rookie Chris MacDonald has been getting the most sleep (3 hours the first night and 3 hours the second night), and is in 4th place 3 hours behind Trevino and 3 hours ahead of Fabio Biasiolo in 5th place. Fabio has climbed through the field amazingly well from 19th place the first day in Blythe. His wife and baby are on his crew.
A late afternoon building fire in Williams, AZ had some middle of the packers taking a very short detour through town. The only woman in the race Cat Berge is using her monster 55 tooth front chainring to stay in the front half of the filed.
We got a motel in Flagstaff, and hung out at the time station there watching riders go pass and stop. As Chris Hopkinson stopped for a short dusk break, I checked out his equipment. He is riding on Rotorcranks, and I saw the disk rear wheel (with “Kiss My Ass” written on both sides) he rode on for the first 350 miles. Ricardo Arap also stopped, and I noticed he only has 5 crew members using a minivan and a car. Italian Alessandro Colo went into his RV where he and his crew chief searched through piles of clothing unable to find a certain favorite warm long sleeve top.
The back of the packers are already concerned about having to average 10.52 mph to be official finishers. A new rule this year will check to see if they are at or above this speed a quarter, half, and three quarters of the way across. If not, they could be disqualified. This means making it 727 miles to time station #13 in Aneth, UT within 72.5 hours.
The race’s first casualty was 50 year old David Kees who dropped out for medical reasons at or past time station #6 in Congress, AZ on the second day while in the middle of the field. This was Kees’ 4th DNF out of 8 solo RAAM starts. The second person to drop out was lawyer John D’Elia from exhaustion at or past time station #8 in Williams, AZ while in last place. His average speed had dropped below 10.52 mph by time station #7 and fell even farther to 9.24 mph by Williams. Austrian police Detective Karl Traunmueller is also in trouble. At Congress, his average speed fell below 10.52 mph. For the next three stations it was 9.20, 9.46, and 9.72. He will have to work hard to get it back up to 10.52 mph in the next four stations.
Firefighter Scott Dakus is rookie Kevin
Walsh’s crew chief. Knee problems forced Dakus out of last years race after 716
miles. Mark Metcalfe who started the race at 220 pounds told me he lost 15
pounds on the first day through the desert. Any help or words of wisdom from
Jeff Bubba Stevens for Mark?
Taking another 90 minute sleep break on his 3rd night, Robic continues to defend his RAAM title convincingly with a four hour lead over 2nd place. In the early afternoon in Western Colorado, Trevino passed Baloh to move into 2nd place. It looks like Trevino took his longest (one hour) sleep break of the race thus far on the 3rd night while Baloh slept 2.5 hours. Holding onto 4th place, rookie leader Chris MacDonald got his 3rd consecutive night of 3 hours of sleep (Chew style). After falling back to 25th place the first day in the desert from severe dehydration, David Haase made a remarkable comeback moving up to 8th place in Colorado.
Around Noon local time on Tuesday, Dr. Bob Breedlove walked into the gas station at time station #12 in Mexican Hat, UT to cool off. With an ice pack on his head, he began reminiscing about his many past transcontinental crossings. He had ridden on this section of the course two times. He said that the Southern course he set the 50+ record on in 2002 (outside of RAAM) was much flatter the first half. UMCA magazine editor John Hughes was there shooting photos. Getting ready to leave, Bob put on a pair of thin orange long-fingered gloves overtop regular cycling gloves so people can see him waving at them across the country.
18 year old Alaskan Ben Couturier moved up into 12th place within an hour of Cat Berge in 11th. In danger of being disqualified from falling below 10.52 mph at time station #13 (a fourth of the way across), Austrian Karl Traunmueller got his average speed up to 10.68 mph just in time. Patrick Autissier’s speed was right on the edge at 10.51 mph at the time station. Not so fortunate was Brazil’s Ricardo Arap who was stuck at time station #11 in Kayenta, AZ 635 miles in for over 12 hours helplessly watching his speed drop below 10.52 mph. In spite of arriving at the time station in 17th place (ahead of 7 men and two DNFs), he became the 3rd casualty of the race when he dropped out on Wednesday morning.
Leader Robic rode 361 miles his 2nd day giving him a 48 hour split of 808 miles. This is 34 miles more than he did last year, but 12 miles less than than Pete Penseyres rode his first two days of his 15.4 mph record. Robic rode 317 miles his 3rd day giving him a 3 day split of 1,125 miles. 4 miles less than he did last year and 85 miles less than Pete Penseyres rode his first three days of his 15.4 mph record.
Team RAAM
25 teams representing 8 divisions or categories started Team RAAM on Tuesday afternoon 55 hours after the solo riders left on Sunday morning. Lead solo rider Jure Robic has a 920 mile head start – he was climbing up Wolf Creek Pass to the Continental Divide when the teams started after him. How long will it take them to catch him? The 4 person teams started at 17:11 followed by the 2 person teams 5 minutes later, and the 8 person corporate teams 5 minutes after the 2 person teams.
The fastest division will be the 4 person. The first person to win 4 person three times is big Joe Petersen who also has two 2nds and a 4th. Joe will be going for his 4th win this year on his Kern Wheelmen Team with 3 rookies. The only other person to win 4 person three times is Kerry Ryan last year on his Action Sports Team. Ryan broke Petersen’s 8 year old speed record last year by a mere 0.02 mph.
Joe, a 46 year old certified personal
trainer from Bakersfield, CA is 6’4” tall and 230 pounds. He believes the only limitations
we have are those we put on ourselves. He is married and a father of five
children. He rides 180 Rotor cranks with 46/63 chainrings and an 11-24 rear
cluster. He seldom shifts so the 63x11 gets most of the wear. He hasn’t used
smaller than a 60 chainring in over 12 years. He spoke with Chris Carmichael
about his gearing, and he’s the first coach who ever agreed with Joe’s
selection. For Joe’s unusual size, leg length, strength, and “riding style” it
optimizes his pedal stroke. Joe’s position on a bike is unmistakable. He has
shattered both of his shoulders and in an aero tuck position, they collapse and
almost disappear. Due to extreme flexibility, he is able to ride completely
flat which gives him a huge aerodynamic advantage. Finally,
the fact that he does not displace any more frontal area than smaller riders, but has longer and much stronger levers, makes him a threat on everything except the steepest climbs.
RAAM has become very dear to Joe’s heart over the years. His main goal for his Kern Wheelmen team this year is to do RAAM to the absolute best of their abilities. Joe writes:
“If I can lead and co-ordinate 3 men and 16 crew members into functioning as a cohesive unit, and have each of them coming away with the knowledge that they all did everything in their power to attain perfection; Then we all walk away Winners in the truest sense of the word. Podium finishes, and records are to be savored like the wildflowers in spring. Real victory lies in the battle well fought, the journey well traveled. Everyone who crosses the finish line in RAAM is a winner and a true Champion. Dreams do not ‘just happen’, fantasies are just fantasies, it takes a Champion to put it all into motion, and make it come true. When it is all said and done, I don't want to look back on my life and say I wish could have, or would have done something. Life experiences should be cherished, life is much too short to just stand idly by and not embrace it with your heart and soul. In RAAM, I have found a journey like no other; it’s not just a journey across our great country, but an inner journey of self-discovery.”
The biggest obstacle in the way of Joe’s 4th victory is Team Beaver Creek – Vail out of Colorado. Their captain Zach Bingham, a three time 4 person veteran including a victory in 2001, was knocked out of this years RAAM with hepatitis. Zack’s teammate on all 3 teams, Mortenson will lead the team along with pro mountain bike racer Mike Janelle on the 2004 Vail – Go Fast team that placed 2nd. Beaver Creek has an average age of 32.75 years old, and Kern Wheelmen 40.5
Team Beaver Creek - Vail won the first time station over Switzerland’s Team IWC Schaffhausen by 6 minutes. Kern Wheelman was 3rd two minutes behind IWC. At TS #2, KW moved into 2nd, but fell 11 minutes behind BC-V. KW came within one minute of BC-V in Hope, AZ, but fell 57 minutes behind by Flagstaff. IWC held onto 3rd place. BC-V rode 561 miles to Tuba City, AZ in the first 24 hours.
In the 4 person recumbent division, ALS
Bacchetta and JDRF VeloKraft started out slow, but moved up to 4th and 7th
place overall among the teams by Flagstaff, AZ separated by 27 minutes. In the
2 person race, Lower Austria – City of Krems was as high as 4th place overall
among all teams, and had a two hour lead on Crazy Gones in Williams, AZ. In the
mixed 2 person, Free Riders had a 10 minute lead over Grupo Gaupo, and was 55
minutes ahead of Endorphins in Prescott, AZ. In the 8 person corporate
challenge, Insight was as high as 4th overall among all the teams, and was
leading Eric Heiden’s Donate Life team by 43 minutes in Flagstaff.
Increasing his lead over Trevino to 7 hours in Western Kansas, Robic is sealing up another RAAM win. 2-3 hours behind Trevino, Baloh and rookie MacDonald were battling it out for third place trading positions at the Colorado/Kansas state line. 6 hours behind them is 5th place Fabio Biasiolo attempting to finish his first RAAM since 2000 when he placed 3rd behind Fashing and myself. He then had three consecutive DNFs, and sat out last year. How very sweet a finish in Atlantic City would be for the gregarious, lovable Italian. After dropping out in 2003, he showed up in Atlantic City to watch other riders finish. That had to be a very difficult scenario that he doesn’t want to go through again.
We spent all morning driving up and down beautiful Wolf Creek Pass looking for riders. RAAMs highest point at 10,857 feet on the Continental Divide, Wolf Creek averages 38 feet of snow per year, and shaded areas still had a thick snow pack. I jumped into Bob Breedlove’s support vehicle as he was climbing the mountain with John Hughes. Bob told me this year’s route has the most climbing of all transcontinental courses he has ridden. He feels bad when anybody drops out of RAAM knowing how much time and money he or she have invested in it.
As we were descending down the East side of Wolf Creek pass with 8th placed David Haase, we had to wait for 30 minutes as construction crews were blasting. A woman worker told us they work 24/7, and have been stopping all cyclists. Dave rode ahead thinking he might be able to get though, but was stopped. His crew (in a long line of waiting vehicles) rushed down with food, drinks, and a blanket for him to lie on. This kind of unplanned stop can really stress a rider out. While Haase had to wait the full time limit, other riders may luck out and not have to wait at all.
I discovered that MacDonald most likely has the biggest crew (in the history of the solo race) with 18 people in 5 vehicles. That beats Harold Trease’s old record. Cat Berge has moved up to 9th place with 18 year old Alaskan Ben Couturier behind her. Urs Koenig pulled into time station #14 in Cortez, CO 781 miles from San Diego in 14th place. A medical condition hospitalizing him made him the 4th casualty of the race. Several riders are in danger of being disqualified from dropping below 10.52 mph. At time station #16, last place rider Kevin Walsh’s average speed was 9.77 mph, and 19 time finisher, three time winner, RAAM legend Rob Kish’s average speed was 10.30 mph. I imagine that Kish would still finish unofficial this year just like he did way back in 1985 on his first RAAM when he missed finishing within 48 hours of winner Jonathan (Jock) Boyer. I can’t fathom his 20th RAAM ending with a DNF. At time station #17, Karl Traunmueller’s average speed was 10.31 mph. After sitting at 10.51 mph at time station #13, Patrick Autissier managed to raise it to 10.58 by time station #16. They all have until the halfway point of the race at time station #27 in Mt. Vernon to get above 10.52 which means they have to make it there before Saturday morning at 11:00am race time.
Leader Robic rode 340 miles his 4th day giving him a 4 day split of 1,465 miles. This is 73 miles less than he did last year, and 108 miles less than Pete Penseyres rode the first four days of his 15.4 mph record. So unless he gets huge tailwinds, it looks like he won’t break the record, but he can still go after his own record of 14.66 mph set last year.
Team RAAM
In the 4 person race, Beaver Creek – Vail continues to pull away from all other teams opening up a 3.5 hour gap on 2nd place by South Fork, CO. Holding onto 2nd place since the 2nd time station in CA, Joe Petersen’s Kern Wheelmen were finally passed by the Swiss Team IWC Schaffhausen before Cortez, CO 781 miles into the race. By Pagosa Springs, IWC opened up a 24 minute gap on Kern, but over Wolf Creek Pass Kern reeled IWC back in and the teams were tied for 2nd place in South Fork, CO. Then Kern opened up a half hour gap by Trinidad, CO. BC-V rode 544 miles to Trinidad in their second 24 hours, giving them a 1,113 mile two day total.
In the 4 person recumbent division, ALS
Bacchetta continued to open the gap to 4 hours on JDRF VeloKraft by LaVeta, CO.
In the 2 person race, Lower Austria – City of Krems continued to build their
lead on Crazy Gones to 3.5 hours by Alamosa, CO. In the mixed 2 person, Grupo
Gaupo had a 3 hour lead over Endorphins, and was 4.5 hours ahead of Free Riders
in Cortez, CO. In the 8 person corporate challenge, Insight was leading Eric
Heiden’s Donate Life team by over 2.5 hours.
Day 5 of the 2005 Race Across America was jolted by the second fatality in the race’s 24 year history. On Thursday at around Noon, 53 year old solo rider Dr. Bob Breedlove was killed when his bike collided with a pick-up truck West of time station #20 (Trinidad, CO) near the tiny town of Weston. Over 1,000 miles into the race, Bob had just climbed up 9,941-foot high Cuchara Pass. He was in 12th place and leading the 50+ division at the time of the accident, and trying to break his own 50+ transcontinental record average speed 12.26 mph set in 2002. The other death was two years ago when 30 year old Brett Malin hung a U turn at night in front of an 18 wheel truck he didn’t see on the crest of a hill near Pie Town, NM. His 4 person Team Vail was leading the Team race when the accident happened. The race went on that year like it is this year. Both Bob and Brett died doing what they loved.
I had a great pre-race interview with the
greatest RAAM rider to never win the solo men’s race, although he has won the
tandem division twice. Bob placed 7th in his rookie RAAM in 1988. In 1989, he
set the still standing double
transcontinental record of 22 days, 13 hours, 36 minutes by first riding from his home in Des Moines, IA to Irvine, CA as a warm-up for a 3rd place finish in RAAM that year, followed by a cool-down ride back home afterwards. In 1990, he won Tandem RAAM with partner Roger Charleville – their time was 46 minutes faster than solo winner Bob Fourney. In 1992, he won Tandem RAAM with partner Lon Haldeman – their time would have placed them 4th among solo finishers. In 1994, he placed 2nd in RAAM ahead of me.
Bob has been with his wife Gretchen since they were 6 years old. His fraternal twin brother Bill has been on all of his transcontinental crossings. Being in a group practice with 19 doctors made it easier for him to slip away for long rides. He used to ride 15-20,000 miles per year, but this year rode 8-10,000 miles, which were more quality. He has ridden 4 Paris Brest Paris’ on tandems, and considers his 1999 Elite PAC Tour with his 14 year old son on a tandem to be his most cherished athletic feat.
In Bob’s RAAM bio, he said his ultimate goal was to keep riding a bike until he’s 80 and he was most intimidated by illness, injury or death. The thing he would most like to express to the world is love. With love this world would be paradise. Bob was full of love and extremely humble and helpful to all those who knew and loved him.
As we were interviewing Mike Trevino late last night, he revealed to us that Breedlove was responsible for him to turn from marathon running to ultracycling. Growing up in Iowa, Trevino heard all about Bob’s transcontinental crossings, and sparked Mike’s interest in our sport. Bob can never be replaced, however his spirit can live on through those people he touched so dearly. I was very lucky to have been able to ride some of my million miles with Bob in my rookie 1994 RAAM. My long term mileage goal becomes more important than ever because of people like Bob.
Leader Robic rode 324 miles his 5th day
giving him a 5 day split of 1,789 miles. This is 72 miles less than he did last
year, and 142 miles less than Pete Penseyres rode the first five days of his
15.4 mph record. When we asked the Robic crew about Jure and the 15.4 mph speed
record, they told us that Jure doesn’t care at all about breaking it. Our
camera guy briefly jumped into Robic’s support crew, and found out the $40,000
it costs him to do RAAM is a huge factor to overcome. One of Robic’s support
vehicles ran out of gas near time station #17 in Mount Vernon, KS (the halfway
point of the race). Although Robic’s pace has slowed to less than 15 mph, he
now has a very comfortable 9 hour lead
on Trevino. Rookie MacDonald was closing in on Trevino, so the interesting race might be for 2nd place.
I ate a free lunch and dinner at McDonalds
restaurant in Pratt, KS along the route. The owner Steve Strecker offered to
feed any RAAM rider, crewmember,
official, or media person for free. He wants his restaurant to become a time station next year.
The minimum speed of 10.52 mph has started taking its toll on the riders. At or after time station 17 in South Fork, CO, Kevin Walsh dropped out when his average speed was 9.23 mph. Kish is in big trouble, as he hasn’t moved from time station 19 in La Veta, CO for a full day. Karl Traumueller was able to increase his speed after it reached a low of 10.13 mph. Riders have to reach the halfway point (time station #27 in Mount Vernon, KS) by Saturday, 15:00 race time.
Team RAAM
Just as Robic is dominating the solo race,
Beaver Creek – Vail is controlling the 4 person team race keeping 2nd place
Kern Wheelmen 4 hours back. BC-V rode 544 miles on their 2nd day giving them a
48 hour total of 1,105 miles.
Riding at over twice their speed, The lead
team (BC-V) only needed 40 hours to catch the last placed solo rider Kevin
Walsh on Thursday morning 900 miles into the Team Race between time stations 16
& 17. Because of heat, headwinds, and more feet of climbing this year, only
2 divisions are on pace to set new records: BC-V and the corporate 8 person
team leader Insight.
Leader Robic rode 309 miles his 6th day giving him a 6 day split of 2,098 miles. This is 114 miles less than he did last year, and 182 miles less than Pete Penseyres rode the first six days of his 15.4 mph record. Robic slept two hours on Friday night before crossing the mighty Mississippi River just North of St. Louis. Traditionally this is where the race begins. With two thirds of America behind him, and a 13 hour gap on 2nd place Trevino at time station #36 in Greenville IL, the Slovenian has a good chance to win again. There is a general rule in RAAM that you can only expect to make up 10% of the remaining distance. Since a 13 hour gap towards the end of the race represents about 185 miles, it is seeming more and more likely that Trevino will have to accept 2nd place, and start worrying about the guys behind him.
The only person other than Robic to win a time station (the 13th one in Utah because he waited longer to sleep than Robic), Slovenian Marko Baloh dropped out (while in 5th place) at or after time station #29 in Yates Center, Kansas. Baloh’s crew chief Allen Larsen told me that Marko went to the hospital in Iola, KS as a preventative measure, and he learned he had pneumonia. This was Baloh’s 2nd RAAM DNF – chest pains and severe saddle sores forced Marko to drop out of the 2003 RAAM at 2,449 miles. This year, he was either 1st or 2nd place for the first 15 time stations over 825 miles.
After riding 1,458 miles to time station #26 in Pratt, KS, 13th place Alessandro Colo DNFed because he ran out of money. This is indoor Spinning guru Colo’s second consecutive DNF – at least he made it farther this year than last year when saddle sores ended his race at 1,191 miles.
RAAM history was made when Rob Kish announced he was dropping out of RAAM for the first time ever on Friday. Rob arrived at time station #19 in 19th place some 1,047 miles into the race. He would go no farther: he had been in the hospital twice for pneumonia, and when he heard of Bob Breedlove’s death decided it wasn’t worth risking his own life to continue. Kish’s name is synonymous with RAAM. His record 19 RAAM finishes (including three wins and six 2nd places) will most likely never be equaled. In his 1992 RAAM victory, he set the time record of 8 days, 3 hours, 11 minutes. He has the most RAAM miles ridden - 57,377. Rob proved that if you ride enough RAAMs, sooner or later the event will chew and spit you out with no mercy. Death was the only thing that could prevent Bob Breedlove from finishing RAAM. Good thing I stopped after finishing 8 eh? You can only push your luck so far when going up against such a formable opponent as RAAM. The sequence of rare events that have happened in RAAM this year means there is no longer a 50+ division field.
By time station #33 well after the halfway point, Fabio Biasiolo moved up to 3rd place, and has maintained this position through 6 time stations. Rookie Chris MacDonald’s long sleep breaks have moved him from 3rd to 4th place. I am proud of Chris for having enough confidence to sleep so long. By riding only one mph faster all day than your competitors, you get to sleep 90 more minutes per day than them. Chris reminds me a lot of myself when I slept a lot in my 1994 rookie RAAM. I hope somebody is keeping track of his total sleep time, which will probably be three times as much as Robic’s or Trevino’s. Although most people think of RAAM as some crazy sleep deprivation contest, it need not have to be this way. Because of sleeping so much, Chris is by far the freshest rider we have interviewed so far, though we haven’t seen Ben Couturier (who is also sleeping a lot) for several days. Chris seems to be enjoying the race far more than those people who try to get by on such minimal sleep. Perhaps Chris and Ben can send a clear message to future RAAM riders than when it comes to sleep, MORE IS BETTER! When a rider sleeps more, their crew gets more sleep making them function better. That extra hour or two of sleep every night can make a huge difference in resting your neck to prevent the dreaded ‘Shermerneck’.
MacDonald’s elaborate 18 person crew is like a full house poker hand – three minivans and two motor homes. Crewmember Thomas told me about an angry redneck coming out with a gun to get Chris and crew off his property. Chris jokingly told the guy to go ahead and shoot him to put Chris out of his misery. Mac saw nearly the entire RAAM route by riding the western part, and driving the rest with his father. The rookie has been amazed at the emotional bonding he has had with his crew bringing him to tears more than once. David Haase is also having a great race, having moved up to 5th place by time station #33 in Jefferson City, MO. There are now three Americans in the top 5.
18 year old Alaskan Ben Couturier has moved up to 8th place in his quest to become the youngest solo finisher. A record held by Furnace Creek 508 director Chris Kostman who finished the 1987 RAAM in 9th place at age 20. Attempting to become the first solo woman finisher since Cassie Lowe in 2001, Cat Berge was in 9th place at time station #32 in Camdenton, MO.
The back of the packers were concerned about keeping their average speed above the 10.52 mph needed to officially finish. They had to reach the halfway point (time station #27 in Mt. Vernon, KS) by 11:00 am on Saturday. I mistakenly wrote it was 15:00 in my last posting. Pat Autissier made it by 9:35, but triathlete Tom Rodgers arrived 38 minutes late. Since race director Jim Pitre allowed riders to stop and grieve Bob Breedlove’s death (the time would be subtracted from their finishing time), Tom was permitted to go on. 18 out of 26 riders continue pedaling towards Atlantic City.
Team RAAM
Beaver Creek – Vail continues to lead all teams now, having a 5 hour buffer on Kern Wheelmen. Similar to the solo race, a fierce battle for 2nd place is shaping up, as IWC Schaffhausen is only 42 minutes behind Kern at time station #39 in Putnamville, IN. BC-V rode 527 miles on their 4th day giving them a 4 day total of 2,210 miles. BC-V finally caught and passed lead solo rider Robic just after the IL/IN state line after chasing him over 2,200 miles across the country for 4 days. BC-V has finally fallen below the 4 person speed record of 23.06 mph set by Action Sports last year.
In the 4 person HPV (recumbent) division, ALS is 4th overall among the teams, and leading their competition JDRF by 8.5 hours. In the 4 person mixed division, Cheniere’s is leading Landis Team Phoenix by just 49 minutes. In the 4 person women’s, Roaring Fork Velo B2B Divas are faster than they were in Greenville, IL last year, but are behind the record.
In the 2 person division, Lower Austria – City of Krems is beating Crazy Gones by over 7 hours. Citta Della dropped out at time station #19 in La Veta, CO from medical problems. 60+ is in 3rd place and ahead of Wisconsin.
In the 2 person mixed division, Grupo Guapo is beating Endorphins by over 2 hours. Free Riders dropped out at time station #23 in Ulysses, KS because of logistical problems.
In the 8 person corporate challenge
division, Insight is 5th overall, and leading their competition Donate Life by
almost 4 hours. Although their average speed is 20.05 (above the record of
19.84) at time station #39 in Putnamville, IN, it may
not be high enough to survive decay from the
upcoming Appalachian Mountains. The record holders (R2R-Kaiser Permanente in
2004) had an average speed of 20.20 mph last year at the same time station.
The gap between leader Jure Robic, and the other top riders has gotten so big (over 12 hours) that the film crew and I can no longer drive to the front of the pack to shoot Robic, and then go back to shoot the other top riders in one day. This is partly because we get slowed down visiting the manned time station volunteers. Very early on Sunday morning before daybreak, we shot Mike Trevino and Fabio Biasiolo on US Rt. 40 in Western Indiana. As we went back to our motel room to get some much needed sleep, 2nd place rider Mike Trevino crashed and separated his shoulder. His tired crew (only 5 people with a minivan and a full sized van getting not much more sleep than his 15 minute cat naps) took him to a motel near the Indianapolis Airport. They then drove him back out onto the route where he crashed, but he would have had to have ridden the last 800 miles using only one arm which he felt was too unsafe to continue, so he dropped out. He probably would have finished 2nd to Robic again like he did last year if not for his accident. My film crew guys got a terrific interview with Mike from his motel before he flew back home to San Diego. He said his saddle sores were much worse this year because it was so much hotter. I got to thinking that he could sleep a full two days in Indianapolis, and still have a full three days to ride the last 800 miles into Atlantic City as an official finisher. Mike will be watching closely to see how David Haase does.
With Trevino’s departure, everybody except Robic moved up a place. Fabio found himself in 2nd place, which would be his best RAAM finish ever if his previous kidney problems don’t resurface. Rookie Chris MacDonald and his huge crew are in 3rd. We pulled into a time station thinking there were many riders around only to learn that all 4 vehicles belonged to Chris. 18 year old Ben Couturier is in 7th place, and Cat Berge in 8th. When Ben finishes he will send out a strong message to today’s youth who would rather do things virtually on the Internet.
Falling behind the 10.52 mph minimum speed to officially finish RAAM, Patrick Autissier arrived at time station #29 (1,417 miles) in last place with a speed of 10.32 mph. Soon afterwards, the scientist with so many electrodes attached to his chest (to record all sorts of data posted on his website) dropped out from exhaustion. He was no longer willing to have his body be a guinea pig in the world’s toughest experiment.
Robic rode 301 miles his 7th day giving him a one-week split of 2,399 miles. This is 91 miles less than he did last year, and 226 miles less than Pete Penseyres rode the first seven days of his 15.4 mph record. 15 out of 26 solo riders continue pedaling towards Atlantic City.
Team RAAM
Beaver Creek – Vail will most likely win team RAAM this year. In the battle for 2nd place, in the Appalachian Mountains, IWC Schaffhausen have caught and passed Joe Petersen’s Kern Wheelmen boys between Grafton and Gormania, WV. BC-V rode 485 miles on their 5th day giving them a 5 day total of 2,695 miles.
In the 4 person HPV (recumbent) division, ALS is still 4th overall among the teams, and leading their competition JDRF by 12 hours. In the 4 person mixed division, Cheniere’s is leading Landis Team Phoenix by over 90 minutes.
In the 2 person division, Lower Austria – City of Krems is still beating Crazy Gones by over 7 hours. 60+ is still in 3rd place and ahead of Wisconsin.
In the 2 person mixed division, Endorphins have brought a once over two hour gap down to 49 minutes in their attempt to catch Grupo Guapo.
In the 8 person corporate challenge
division, Insight is still 5th overall, and leading their competition Donate
Life by 7.5 hours. Their average speed has dropped to 19.98 mph, and they will
have to work very hard to break the speed record.
Day 8
Entering the beautiful, humid, green Appalachian Mountains, leader Robic’s average speed has dropped below 14 mph, but he continues to pull away from the field as he has done the past week turning the 2005 RAAM into his own parade, and making another huge margin of victory race which has been the case since my 1999 win. Looking at the depth of the field this year, I thought it would have been a closer race, but Robic went out hard, and anybody who tried to match his pace paid the price. He rode 275 miles his 8th day giving him an eight day split of 2,674 miles. This is 152 miles less than he did last year, and 280 miles less than Pete Penseyres rode the first eight days of his 15.4 mph record. Each time a champion rider tries and fails to beat Pete’s record; they get a deeper respect for it. Does RAAM need Lance Armstrong to get the job done?
At time station #47 in Smithburg, WV (with
just 445 miles left to go), rookie sensation Chris MacDonald caught Fabio
Biasiolo in the battle for 2nd place. Chris would like 2005 to be the third
consecutive year in which a rookie grabs 2nd. Will Fabio’s years of RAAM
experience and having his wife and baby on his crew pay off or will Mac’s huge
crew and his more hours slept be the deciding factor? Eight hours behind them
in 4th place is David Haase who hopes he can make it past the point in West
Virginia where he dropped out last year 2,508 miles in. He was the 11th and
final rider to DNF, and there are 11 DNFs so far this year. Three hours behind
Haase is Achermann in 5th place, and six hours
behind Achermann is Zeller in 6th place. Austrian Zeller is experiencing a crew meltdown. His crew chief told me that Zeller wants his girlfriend Manu in the follow/support vehicle at all times. As a result, she is exhausted and causing huge safety issues. The crew chief ordered her to sleep, but she would not. Achermann is hoping to finish after saddle sores ended his 2004 RAAM 1,120 miles in.
3.5 hours behind Zeller in 7th place is 18 year old Ben Couturier from Alaska. In Eastern Indiana, I jumped into his follow vehicle and his RV. What Ben is doing is nothing short of amazing! He never complains and has never wanted to drop out. I learned why he has the mental toughness of somebody a decade or two older. Ben’s training partner Jeremiah Bell told me that showing up at the start of the Iditarod race in Alaska in the dead of winter with snow so deep that you have to push your bike for 75 miles – that sort of true hardship makes RAAM seem relatively easy to Ben. His REI boss and coach John Glidden doesn’t believe in all liquid nutrition that nearly all other RAAM riders swear by. Having a cast iron stomach, Ben has been eating anything and everything all the way across the country. 10 time Kish Krew member Peter Moffett who likes to crunch RAAM numbers and stats is extremely knowledgeable. He is on the Couturier Crew.
Primarily a mountain bike rider, Ben bunny hopped railroad tracks and road kill for the first 2,000 miles. He did his first road race on a road bike he pulled out of a dumpster. His REI co-workers have nicknamed him Popeye because of his huge forearms from weightlifting. Weightlifting, hockey, and long sleep breaks have prevented Ben from getting Shermerneck. He is on a random sleep schedule. Within 30 seconds of cresting Wolf Creek Pass, his heart rate was down to 83. He had to wait the full 30 minutes for construction at the tunnel on the Wolf Creek Pass descent. He almost always talks with (ride side by side other RAAM riders for 15 minutes every 24 hours) other riders he catches or catch him. He has no rooftop speakers to blare music at him like most RAAM riders have. He talks to his girlfriend Shauna once a day. He has a “dog dish” bowl attached to his handlebars to eat out of. His sponsor Kona must be very proud of him. He is riding a Titan Flex bike. He hit 60 mph on a descent near Mexican Hat, UT.
Glidden said Ben did no 24 hour rides before RAAM this year. He only did two “12 hour” rides, but they were two 6 hour rides separated by a 2 hour break. He slept in a hypobaric tent on half the days in May. It can simulate up to 12,000 feet altitude, but Ben mostly used 5-7,000 feet altitude. Ben’s parents are both on his crew. Ben’s mother Brenda told me she is more stressed out when Ben’s out in the Alaskan wilderness by himself without communication, than on RAAM now. Ben’s father Mike has climbed Mt. McKinley. He thinks the experiences a person has in their lives more so determines how they can handle extreme sports like RAAM rather than what the calendar says their biological age is. Although he is only 18, Ben has suffered and endured more than most extreme athletes twice his age.
Time station #42 in Troy, OH (one of the best) is manned by two time solo RAAM finisher Matt Bond. Matt told me that 23 out the 57 time stations are manned. I was fortunate to observe a huge Couturier Family Reunion there. Ben’s 4 grandparents from Toledo were there: Mike’s parents Al & Eileen, and Brenda’s parents Norm & Carol. Mike’s brother Joe and Mike’s sister Madonna were also there. Shortly after Ben stopped at the time station in Troy, a heavy thunderstorm opened up, so well all (including Ben) stood under the gas station roof in a party-like atmosphere.
Five hours behind Couturier in 8th place, Cat Berge under veteran crew chief Lee Mitchell is making all women cyclists proud as she is filling the void in the women’s race since Cassie Lowe last finished back in 2001. The oldest man left in the race, 48 year old Austrian police detective Karl Traunmueller is in 11th place. He hopes to finish his 2nd RAAM. He finished in 1994, which was my rookie RAAM. His 11 year gap may be the longest in RAAM history.
Mark Metcalfe (similar to Jeff Bubba Stephens finishing the 2001 RAAM unofficially) in 14th place is making all the common man, slightly overweight, JMO Challenge, Randonneer riders very proud. He designed and built the house he and his family have lived in since 1987 in Duncanville, TX. Riders like Mark and Jeff prove that ordinary men can indeed achieve extraordinary results. Who is to say that they finishing RAAM is not as tough or tougher than a fitter person like Robic winning RAAM?
A former couch potato until age 37, Texas triathlete Tom Rodgers is in 15th (last) place. At time station #34 in Marthasville, MO, he arrived 2 days, 18 hours after leader Robic. Although he is well under the 10.52 mph minimum average speed, the multisport endurance coach may want to finish so badly that he continues on unofficially. Not counting any time credit he receives from stopping for the Breedlove accident, he has until 11:30am on Tuesday morning to make it to time station # 40 in Indianapolis - three quarters of the way into the race.
I was surprised that nobody dropped out. There are still 15 out of 26 solo riders heading towards Atlantic City.
Team RAAM