En route to San Diego, where I look forward to meeting the
other three racers who will trade off 30-minute shifts with my friend, Don
Metz, as they strive to cycle across the country in seven days (and nights),
faster than any other four-man team of 70-somethings has ever ridden the 3,000
mile route set for the Race Across America (RAAM) (the current record is 7 days, 16
hours and change).
Don Metz. Who wouldn't drive 3,000 miles to see this guy set a record?!
Interested as I am to get to know Don's fellow racers, I'm particularly looking forward to meeting the 14 individuals with whom I'll be sharing duties
as supporting "crew" for our team of racers -- one masseuse
(soigneur, in Tour de France parlance ... or should that be soigneuse?), one
nutritionist, one nurse practitioner, two bike mechanics, one crew chief, and nine-odd other, uh, generalists, including yours truly, who will drive and navigate the FIVE
support vehicles (one "follow vehicle", one "racer
vehicle", one "utility vehicle" and two RVs), plus perform other
duties as assigned for the next week or so.
It's relatively easy to understand what motivates the racers, as much as we ever understand what makes people climb mountains or race bicycles at any level, including the all-out sprint for the town line against your beer-drinking buddies on the Wednesday night group ride. The mystery for me, as we prepare to embark on this strange adventure, is what makes my fellow crew members want to do this?
All of us, except maybe our crew chief, are unpaid volunteers. Except for me and maybe one other guy, I don't think any of the crew has a personal relationship with any of the racers. And though most of us are avid cyclists, I don't think that's true of everyone on this crew, including a handful who are recidivist volunteers (several are on their fourth or fifth stint on a RAAM crew!). In short, almost every single one of my crewmates is taking off a week and a half from work to volunteer their efforts in support of four nearly complete strangers and their quest to break a record so obscure most people don't even know it exists! Why?
I expect I will learn much this week, not only about the determination, grit and massive coordination of effort required to move a team of four bicycle racers and a supporting crew of fifteen spread over five support vehicles, but also what motivates that effort in everyone ... including me.
It's relatively easy to understand what motivates the racers, as much as we ever understand what makes people climb mountains or race bicycles at any level, including the all-out sprint for the town line against your beer-drinking buddies on the Wednesday night group ride. The mystery for me, as we prepare to embark on this strange adventure, is what makes my fellow crew members want to do this?
All of us, except maybe our crew chief, are unpaid volunteers. Except for me and maybe one other guy, I don't think any of the crew has a personal relationship with any of the racers. And though most of us are avid cyclists, I don't think that's true of everyone on this crew, including a handful who are recidivist volunteers (several are on their fourth or fifth stint on a RAAM crew!). In short, almost every single one of my crewmates is taking off a week and a half from work to volunteer their efforts in support of four nearly complete strangers and their quest to break a record so obscure most people don't even know it exists! Why?
I expect I will learn much this week, not only about the determination, grit and massive coordination of effort required to move a team of four bicycle racers and a supporting crew of fifteen spread over five support vehicles, but also what motivates that effort in everyone ... including me.
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