Getting Closer Now

Been busy.  Very busy.

April was my best month on the bike ever.  It even exceeded my build-up for RAAM in 2008.  Mid-May:  I tipped the scales at 158 finally realizing a goal I've had since graduating from "college" in 1984.  Preparations for the RAW are 99% done and going very well.  All systems GO.

About a year ago, I stood at Lake Henshaw as a support crew member for Team Third Coast.  While waiting for one of our riders, I talked briefly with another rider from a two-man team.  He was young, about 30, and very fit.  As we talked, I realized there was no reason I could not acheive the same level of fitness.  As the Race wore on, I resolved to come back in 2011.  My goals were simple:  show up in Oceanside at 155 lbs and be more fit than when I began RAAM.  Oh yeah, and ... I almost forgot ... somehow do it in a way which does not rob me of my joy of cycling!  (Training for RAAM made me hate my bike.)

I realized the other day I have already been successful in my goals.  It has been a great year.  Although I am not quite 155 (yet), I am sub-160 which means my college roomie owes me a 6-pack of Coke!  I am more fit and stronger on the bike than I was at the RAAM start line.  Looking back 6 months, I am only about 500 miles short of my pre-RAAM mileage even though I logged ZERO miles in February.  And above all, I still love riding my bike!  The Race is just icing on the cake.

Enough about me though.  I am also honoring those who helped me do the RAAM in 2008.  Although I can NEVER directly repay those who supported me, I made a promise I would do what I could to support others taking part in RAAM.  This year, I'm riding so another can ride.  He is my cycling "mentor."  When I wanted to start riding, he was the person who guided me and helped me get my start.  And he has continued to help me.  I want him to climb Yarnell Grade, descend into Jerome, and pedal through Sedona and Monument Valley.  I hope he will experience the same joy I and many others have felt by participating in RAAM/RAW.


As if I'm not busy enough, I've joined Team Ride Red as a support crew member for RAAM.  TRR is a high-powered team from Austin, TX.  The four female riders are stellar and their crew chief and support team are committed and dedicated to an excellent finish in Annapolis.  After I finish RAW in Durango, I'll make my way back west as quickly as possible to join them somewhere in the California desert (RAAM teams start on Saturday the 18th).

They are a team of rookies and I hope my experience is beneficial to them.  Already, I'm having a blast watching them tackle the RAAM logistics.  More to come ....