Danny Chew’s Brief Autobiography

 

Being the million mile man (currently at 591,000 miles at age 43), I naturally gravitated towards RAAM.  Finishing eight solo RAAMs (1994-2001) including two wins (1996 & 1999), I have the second most RAAM miles ever ridden (23,545) - still well less than half of Rob Kish.  Interacting with my Chew Crew members and other RAAM riders, I developed a deep passion for the race and all people involved with it.  Once I could no longer afford to ride, I still wanted to stay involved so in 2002, I wrote my daily analysis reports (at home) from reading the RAAM website and carefully studying time station splits.  Race director Jim Pitre liked my writings so much that he invited me to go along the RAAM route in 2003 when I began my daily Chew’s View updates.  Wanting to put my University of Pittsburgh math degree to work on RAAM, I also began creating statistics, keeping track of records & race history, and made my solo & team RAAM rider indexes which document every rider who ever started any RAAM.  Chew’s Views continued in 2004 & 2005 when I enjoyed doing some post-race interviews.  I hope to continue my involvement with RAAM to see what direction it will take. 

 

I enjoy meeting and riding with new riders at events such as the Michigan National 24 Hour Race I won in 1999, Nick Gerlich’s Hell Week in 1999 & 2000, Dave Holmes’ UMCA 24 Hour World Championship in 2000 in Iowa where I set the course record of 508 miles, Calvin’s 12 Hour Challenge which I have won since 2000, & write up afterwards, and my own Dirty Dozen ride up Pittsburgh’s steepest (one is a 36% grade and cobblestones) hills annually since 1983 {only a year after the first RAAM}.  It was especially rewarding for me to see Chew Crew members Bob Rich and James Rosar ride the 2004 RAAM.  Perhaps I will one day crew for a rider or team.  

 

 I also enjoy reading and answering e-mails from new people I’ve just met/ridden with, and concerning my DannyChew.com website.  Most enjoyable are those letters in which people tell me how my long term riding goal has inspired them to ride farther than they ever thought possible.  I have told them that a 12 or 24 hour event is their own personal RAAM.  Seeing my friends like Dave Holmes and Bob Breedlove get killed in bicycle/automobile accidents really brings home the dangers we all face out there on the open roads we love riding on.  If my recent collision with a deer in Ohio is my worst accident chasing a million miles, I should consider myself lucky.  When riding, we should all remember Bob’s saying, “It’s Another Day In Paradise” or IADIP.  Riding (especially as far/long as we go) is a privilege we should not take for granted.