Stage “Eleven”: TS 46-48, Grafton, WV- East of Cumberland, MD
When I woke up in the RV to prepare to ride this stage & asked where we were, I was thrilled to be in West Virginia. Challenging hills! Closing in on Annapolis! Whee!
It was a very sunny, humid (of course!), and warm morning. Mike and I got started with a few small warm-up hills then the rest of this ~ 100 mile segment to Cumberland had several 500-1500′ climbs that reminded me of Old La Honda Rd. at home.
It was here that we started passing very tired solo riders. I was so honored to pass RAAM legend Chris Hoppo Hopkinson. That guy is tough as nails. He was one of the ‘stars’ of the 2005 RAAM documentary film, Bicycle Dreams. Bravo, Chris! We passed Maria Parker here, too. I wanted to give her my congratulations & encouragement for overcoming the tremendous challenges of her race, but she pulled into a TS in front of me & I needed to continue on. Bravo, Maria!
I got to climb the last ascent to where the RV was parked about 18 miles outside of Cumberland, MD. Whew, what a great end to a shift: a hot, exposed, warm-water-in-my-bottle, all-alone climb. When I got off the bike & took off my helmet, there was a giant bee-like insect in my hair! No sting, though..:)
Stage “Twelve”: TS 49-54, Hanover, PA- Annapolis, MD
This was a bittersweet stage since it was the last one of RAAM. Part of me didn’t want it to be over, I must admit. Mike and I got on the road about 1:30am en route to Mt. Airy, MD which was about 36 miles down the road. The TS was where penalties are served & we all were very pleased Team Crank It Up again had none 🙂 So we rode on through! The TS is at a very RAAM-friendly bike shop so I was a little sad to miss visiting but RAAM goes on.
It was around here that I passed solo racer, Mike Wilson. Probably the only time in my life I will zoom by a dude with thighs about as big as my waist. Yes, I made sure to savor that moment 🙂 And, of course, yell out encouragement to this brave, tenacious, soon-to-be-a-RAAM-finisher. We rode on through the warm night toward Odenton, MD, about 40 miles from Mt. Airy. The road had a gradual downhill trend with some little ‘bumps’ along the way. I could smell the hay in the barn by this point! Mike did the last long pull into Odenton and then graciously offered to allow me to ride the last 9.5 miles of the timed portion of RAAM.
This was the crown jewel of my RAAM. My legs still felt good (how is that even possible?), Brandon was playing some of my extremely motivational music, and I was ready to spend all I had left in me.
The ride into Ram’s Head Roadhouse was one of the best 9.5 mile rides of my life. The first mile or so I was sobbing with accomplishment & joy listening to Bob Schneider’s The Other Side (from Bicycle Dreams), then all-out hammering to Eye of the Tiger. I was so happy to get the privilege to finish this magnificent thing called RAAM. I hope this satisfaction and resultant personal sense of “anything is possible” never fades.
Friends have asked me if I’ll do it again. Before the race, I said, “Nope, once will be enough.” The all-time great RAAM champion Jure Robic was right when he said that RAAM gets like poison into you. (It’s a good poison, Jure!) The sun will rise tomorrow and a lot of miles & adventure are waiting for me 🙂
Thanks to the rest of Team Crank It Up for riding your hearts out & meeting our goal of a safe, official finish in “7 days and change”. As rookies, we were neck-and-neck with the other team (with lots of RAAM experience) in our division, which makes me even more proud of us! Mike, Lonni, and Doug were spectacular!
Extra special thanks to our just *phenomenal* crew: Sara, Dan, Jordan, David, Brandon, Guy & Raoul. I am in awe of your beyond-excellent work getting us across!
Thanks lastly to all of you for reading this & taking an interest in this thing called RAAM. I fully realize this is the “lunatic fringe” to most folks, even folks who ride. I hope this at least made you smile and maybe want to get out on your bike and see what adventure awaits you!
Cheers & peace,
Tina
2013 RAAM finisher, Team Crank It Up!