This is my slightly random collection of RAAM memories and experiences, mainly what I saw, how I felt, and my feelings as I write this report over a week after finishing. Since Tina and I were riding together, a lot of my on-road notes are likely to be the same as in her wonderful reports. I do hope my meager dispatches adds something more, giving my slightly different perspective on the race.

To start, my only previous RAAM experience was crewing a segment of the 2011 RAAM for 60+ solo rider, David Jones. That was from Durango, CO to Wichita, KS, for about three days. Even though I joined the crew fairly early in the race and left before the half-way point, I could already see the crew suffering from the stresses of sleep deprivation, lack of hygiene, and logistical issues in running the RV and van with a crew that was probably too small.

However, our situation was completely different, riding as a 4x person team. Our crew number was seven, with two RV drivers, Dan and Jordan, and four crew directly supporting the riders. David and Brandon would support Tina and I, while Raoul and Guy would support Doug and Lonni. Our super capable crew chief Sara would keep everything running smoothly. And I’ll say right away that everything ran very smoothly indeed. We had practiced our crew swap transitions until we were a well oiled machine, and our practice weekend in May gave us experience in switching riders on the road and in moving a very large RV from point to point.

Personally, my main questions going into the race were how well my body would physically handle the challenge of riding over 750 miles in about 7-8 days, with only a small amount of time for recovery between our shifts on the bike. This was unknown territory for me, so I approached the racing part of RAAM with no small amount of nervousness at the task ahead.

Also challenging for me was the preparation of the follow van. I’ve had some experience in setting up the van for the Furnace Creek 508, but RAAM is a whole different thing. Going from a two-day weekend event where everything has to be stuffed into a single vehicle, to RAAM, where there’s an RV that can be used to help restock the van meant paring down the stuff that we carried. The practice weekend had also resulted in a list of things to modify or add. The bed that was useful for 508 wasn’t needed as a bed, but became a surface to attach baskets to hold rider items. A clock showing race time, not needed for the 508, was added. By the time we pulled into Oceanside, I felt pretty comfortable with the follow van setup.

Oceanside

Seeing the start line in Oceanside was a particularly memorable experience. There were a number of events to attend, from getting our pictures taken, getting fitted for our finisher’s jerseys, to attending the rider meeting and seeing all the teams that would be on the road with us. It was a whirlwind of activity and I just tried to enjoy each moment as it came, knowing that we would soon be on the road, with Oceanside a distant memory. Race inspection was particularly memorable, as I got to talk with solo veteran Gary Verrill, who was a race official responsible for our inspection. I enjoyed listening to his previous RAAM experiences, as a racer and official, and chatting with him about bikes in general.

Soon enough, we lined up for the start. The two-person teams went first, followed by the four-person teams, with the eight-person teams leaving last. Soon enough, we got to the start line, and were introduced. The announcer shoved a microphone at my face, and asked why we were doing RAAM. Being unprepared to say anything, I stammered out a fairly non-coherent answer and soon enough we were on the road.

We started out with all four of us riding the eight-mile parade, escorted by a cyclist named Jim “The Machine” Dover, who seemed to exemplify the laid-back Southern California lifestyle. I had thought the parade portion along the bike path was going to be fairly mellow, but Jim set a faster pace than I expected. However, we soon settled into a collective rhythm and we quickly reached the end of the bike path, where Doug continued on alone (the race is on!), with Lonni joining the follow fan, and Tina and I with David in the Tracker to meet up with the RV.

Stage One – Almost Brawley, CA to Blythe, CA

The initial plan was for the RV with Tina and I to proceed to Borrego Springs and make the initial shift switch there. However, we were a little slower getting out of town than anticipated and some slight confusion with directions required a change in that plan, with the RV heading out further along towards Brawley. However, that was the only minor navigational mishap, and our excellent RV team of Dan and Jordan very quickly got up to speed with their navigation and were like seasoned RAAM veterans in guiding the RV for the rest of the race.

Getting on the bike to race for the first time was very exciting, and there was a fierce tailwind when Doug finally pulled up beside me. Soon I was flying down the road, and with my cruising speed settling in at over 30mph, I was really enjoying my first pull. I was sad that the tailwinds didn’t last all the way through the shift, as we made the turn onto the highway into Brawley, but we still made good time.

Desert riding at night is very peaceful, but doesn’t always make for interesting riding. I do remember powering through rolling terrain, concentrating on keeping a sensible pace on the short rises, and enjoying the brief downhill sections. I was on the bike when we passed through the U.S. Border Patrol Station in the middle of the night, with the friendly officer waving us through, unsurprised at seeing yet another cyclist and his trusty van passing through.

We reached Blythe at around 12:30am, and with that, there was an exchange of riders and van crew. I concentrated on what would become my recovery ritual, which I would perform in roughly this order:

1. Get night lights charging, along with phones and Garmin bike computers

2. Eat some food, and stay hydrated

3. Cleanup, usually with a shower, sometimes with just a Fresh Wipe when I didn’t have any sunscreen to clean off (e.g. after a night shift.)

4. Get some sleep

5. Wake up, eat some more food, and start getting ready for the next stage, clothes, sunscreen (if needed), helmet and shoes

Stage Two – Salome, AZ to Prescott, AZ

It was early in the morning when Lonni pulled into Salome, AZ. I started on my bike immediately as she arrived since it was already 7am local time and I didn’t need to wait for the van. It would would drive over to the RV for the crew swap and would quickly join me on the road.

The road to Congress, AZ, the next time station, was pretty boring, with a long 20-mile perfectly straight section, and the road very gradually rising, punctuated by a short slightly steeper climb near Congress. Tina would take the last pull into Congress, and we went ahead to visit with the volunteers manning the rest stop. There was a pool for hot riders to cool off, popsicles and ice, as well as a place to get a quick shower.

While the road to Congress was not particularly exciting, t was the road after Congress that was to prove more interesting, where we would almost immediately tackle the Yarnell Grade. On paper, Yarnell Grade isn’t a particularly difficult climb. I think I saw most 4-5% grades, and the elevation gain was only about 1,600 ft. However, the temperatures were starting to rise, so we decided to switch riders every mile or so, just to keep from overheating. That tactic worked very well, as I was able to climb hard and fast for about 5-10 minutes and then cool off in the van before my next turn. Before long, Tina had crested the top of the grade, and we went back to our usual 30 minute pulls for a while.

The next part featured another climb out of Wilhoit, where the grades seemed to pitch up a little more than those on the Yarnell Grade. Once again, we kept the pulls a little shorter than usual, and I really enjoyed the up and down winding mountain road more as a result. Pulling into Prescott wasn’t particularly memorable at the time, but afterwards, we would read about the 19 firefighters from here that died in the line of duty fighting the Yarnell Hill fire that started after we had passed through. Truly a huge tragedy that would darken my memories of a wonderful RAAM stage.

Stage Three – Flagstaff, AZ to Kayenta, AZ

This was our first full overnight shift, and the first one that was over eight hours. Our first two stages were about 6 ½ hours, so this was the first real challenge of the race for me, in terms of amount of time and distance, combined with having to be up from dusk til dawn.

Coming out of Flagstaff, there was a short climb, then the road took a downward trend for about 50 miles. As a result, we quickly gobbled up 72 miles in about 4 hours, and reached the Tuba City timestation in the middle of the night.

The next 72 miles were much more difficult. It was dark, this section of the course was mostly trending uphill, and I was definitely getting sleepy and maybe a little cranky while waiting in the van, and was the only time I needed a No-Doze caffeine tablet. To top it off, there was a nice long stretch of road construction, where the surface of the road had been stripped off, leaving it very rough and uneven. Trying to find the least bumpy line was pretty much impossible, so I just gave in to the rattling and hoped that this section would end soon. When it did, I raised a hand in victory at the end of the harsh road conditions and soon enough, I pulled into Kayenta, AZ at the crack of dawn, with the last 72 miles taking 5 hours. We were both tired, and I had no problems sleeping in the RV as made our way to Cortez, CO.

Stage Four – Cortez, CO to Pagosa Springs, CO

This stage would see us enter the Rocky Mountains, and pass the first cut-off point of RAAM, in Durango, CO. I had been riding the Ellis bike mostly up until now, which was outfitted with the very comfy Syntace aero-bars, but now it was time to break out the Titus climbing bike. Even though the Colorado climbs are not particularly steep, the Titus was lighter and equipped with lower gears, and without aero-bars, it had better handling on the descents.

This section was special for me, as it was where I started crewing in 2011, and the short climbs that I saw while driving the van then were much more fun to ride on my bike. We set a great pace, with the help of a slight tailwind, and did 44 miles to Durango at an average speed of 17.2 mph. I’m very proud of our performance through this section. We came through the timestation and with no penalties for our team, there was no need to stop. In fact, we ended up with no penalties at all for the entire RAAM, which was a great accomplishment in and of itself.

The section from Durango to Pagosa Springs saw us cross paths with the eight-person ProWIN team a few times. I always like a good carrot to chase, but their pace was a little too much for me and I let them go up the road. My primary, and really only priority on the bike was to ride at the best sustainable speed without going harder than I had planned, based on power zones that I had established after months of training. I knew there was plenty of road ahead, so I didn’t push any harder than I was already. Given that, as I was doing the last pull into Pagosa Springs, I began to see their follow van up ahead, and sure enough I was closing in. I had a certain sense of satisfaction as I caught them just as we pulled into the timestation, just doing the same pace I had throughout the entire stage