It would be tempting to think that RAAM would present a great opportunity to "see the country," moving across it at the seemingly leisurely pace of 19+/- miles per hour (as of this writing, our boys are relentlessly pushing their average speed up ... by turning in consistent time segment speeds above 20 mph, they've moved their cumulative average speed up to 19.39 mph ... in a word, they are animals!). The reality is there is virtually no opportunity for "touring" in this 7-day speed fest. As one of the earliest posts to the United 4 Health Racing site succinctly put it: "This ain't no tour." No, it's not. It's a bike race.
Consider, first, the perspective of our four racers. Half of the time, they're trying to sleep in a fly-infested, barely air-conditioned RV that's as dark and quiet as a hearse and smells, well, worse ... ain't no site seeing going on there. When they're out on the road, they alternate between 20 minute shifts of racing (not riding), most of the time (so far) on so-called "time trial" bikes, which are engineered to get the racer's butt up, and head and hands down & forward, like so ...
... so as to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible. Views? What views?
When the racers on their "on" shift are not pedaling their bikes like a bat out of hell, they're being popped in the "Racer Vehicle" and shuttled up the road 6-8 miles to ready themselves for their next segment of pedaling, all the while trying to force down food and fluids, tweaking equipment and getting peppered by support crew with questions and suggestions.
And the support crew don't really have any better opportunity for site-seeing. As I've noted in previous posts, the two guys in the "Follow Vehicle" are first and foremost watching the racer in front of them every second, and, like every sled dog following the leader, that view never changes. When they do look beyond the cyclist in front of them, it's only to recognize upcoming turns, obstacles or other hazards, and to bark out warnings to the rider over the PA system mounted on the Follow Vehicle. A third Follow Vehicle member is always rotating through the "Crew RV" for rest, but let me tell you, those guys are so exhausted they sleep when they're off duty.
The guys in the "Racer Vehicle" don't have it much better. As they leapfrog the second racer up the road to the next racer exchange site, they're (a) making sure the racer in the vehicle is staying on top of nutrition and hydration, (b) selecting an appropriate site for the next racer exchange (right distance up the road, considering the terrain, weather, time of day or night and racer condition, with a good spot on the shoulder to enable a safe, smooth exchange), (c) taking care of any necessary equipment maintenance or repairs, (d) shuttling bikes on & off the Racer Vehicle every 20 minutes, or so, and (e) communicating with the crew in the "camp" (the Racer RV, Crew RV and the crew chief) about the whereabouts, condition and spirits of the racers on the road.
Finally, even though life in "camp" is somewhat more leisurely (compared with the racers and support crew out on the road), as described in my previous post on the subject, the activity during the hours before and after a "team exchange" is steady, intense, sometimes even frenetic ... and even if we have a bit of down time, it's likely to be "enjoyed" in a scenic location like this abandoned gas station lot ...
Here, Michael Scholl and Karen Scheerer take a load off with Dur Higgins. Benzene, anyone?
For the RV drivers (there are four of us -- Michael Scholl & I drive the "Racer RV" a/k/a the hearse ... also notorious for its pungent aroma ... while Howard Conway & Lewis Runnion share duties for the "Crew RV"), there are more opportunities to enjoy the sights of this great and diverse country of ours, since it is our "job" to be looking ahead and around while we drive. But half the terrain we cover is shrouded in darkness, and even when it's daylight, we're moving a 28-foot motorhome over winding two-lane roads, frequently picking our way around other RAAM racers and their support vehicles, not to mention other traffic. This still "ain't no tour." I will say that I've enjoyed some truly spectacular sunrises and sunsets this week from behind the wheel of the Racer RV, but I wouldn't recommend this as a good way to "see the country." There clearly needed to be (needs to be) some other motivation to volunteer for RAAM support crew. More on that topic later ...
Consider, first, the perspective of our four racers. Half of the time, they're trying to sleep in a fly-infested, barely air-conditioned RV that's as dark and quiet as a hearse and smells, well, worse ... ain't no site seeing going on there. When they're out on the road, they alternate between 20 minute shifts of racing (not riding), most of the time (so far) on so-called "time trial" bikes, which are engineered to get the racer's butt up, and head and hands down & forward, like so ...
... so as to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible. Views? What views?
When the racers on their "on" shift are not pedaling their bikes like a bat out of hell, they're being popped in the "Racer Vehicle" and shuttled up the road 6-8 miles to ready themselves for their next segment of pedaling, all the while trying to force down food and fluids, tweaking equipment and getting peppered by support crew with questions and suggestions.
And the support crew don't really have any better opportunity for site-seeing. As I've noted in previous posts, the two guys in the "Follow Vehicle" are first and foremost watching the racer in front of them every second, and, like every sled dog following the leader, that view never changes. When they do look beyond the cyclist in front of them, it's only to recognize upcoming turns, obstacles or other hazards, and to bark out warnings to the rider over the PA system mounted on the Follow Vehicle. A third Follow Vehicle member is always rotating through the "Crew RV" for rest, but let me tell you, those guys are so exhausted they sleep when they're off duty.
The guys in the "Racer Vehicle" don't have it much better. As they leapfrog the second racer up the road to the next racer exchange site, they're (a) making sure the racer in the vehicle is staying on top of nutrition and hydration, (b) selecting an appropriate site for the next racer exchange (right distance up the road, considering the terrain, weather, time of day or night and racer condition, with a good spot on the shoulder to enable a safe, smooth exchange), (c) taking care of any necessary equipment maintenance or repairs, (d) shuttling bikes on & off the Racer Vehicle every 20 minutes, or so, and (e) communicating with the crew in the "camp" (the Racer RV, Crew RV and the crew chief) about the whereabouts, condition and spirits of the racers on the road.
Finally, even though life in "camp" is somewhat more leisurely (compared with the racers and support crew out on the road), as described in my previous post on the subject, the activity during the hours before and after a "team exchange" is steady, intense, sometimes even frenetic ... and even if we have a bit of down time, it's likely to be "enjoyed" in a scenic location like this abandoned gas station lot ...
Here, Michael Scholl and Karen Scheerer take a load off with Dur Higgins. Benzene, anyone?
For the RV drivers (there are four of us -- Michael Scholl & I drive the "Racer RV" a/k/a the hearse ... also notorious for its pungent aroma ... while Howard Conway & Lewis Runnion share duties for the "Crew RV"), there are more opportunities to enjoy the sights of this great and diverse country of ours, since it is our "job" to be looking ahead and around while we drive. But half the terrain we cover is shrouded in darkness, and even when it's daylight, we're moving a 28-foot motorhome over winding two-lane roads, frequently picking our way around other RAAM racers and their support vehicles, not to mention other traffic. This still "ain't no tour." I will say that I've enjoyed some truly spectacular sunrises and sunsets this week from behind the wheel of the Racer RV, but I wouldn't recommend this as a good way to "see the country." There clearly needed to be (needs to be) some other motivation to volunteer for RAAM support crew. More on that topic later ...
thanks for the updates! great blog.
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