2013 RAAM Report-Tina Waitzman

Team Crank It Up!

6/26/13

Stage “One”: East of Borrego Springs-Blythe, CA

Stage 1 (prologue):

The starting parade–

Jim “the machine” Dover, from Temecula, CA, was our team escort. He led us on his bike through the first several miles after a staggered start. RAAM rules say a maximum of 15mph during this non-racing section. Apparently 22 is the new 15! We were a smoking fast train along the San Luis Rey bike path which runs along an old winding levy kind of thing out of Oceanside (my guess is an old RR track). It was so great to finally be underway! At the point where the racing began, Lonni got into the follow van, Mike and I got into the “errand” vehicle (the Tracker) which took us back to the RV which had not left the hotel (all going according to our plan). Off to Borrego Springs in the RV. Except Lonni and Doug got there faster than the RV did! So our first exchange was between Borrego Springs & Brawley.

 

East of Borrego Springs-Blythe :

 

The RV, our mothership, was quite a bit slower over the mountains than expected; Doug & Lonni beat us to Christmas circle. They kept going until the RV caught up. Mike and I were more than ready to ride when we did our 1st of many complete exchanges and my RAAM really began!

I got on Candy 2.0 (yes, my bike has a name!) for my first pull and quickly settled into a “high endurance” to “tempo” zone. The heat (high 90s to low 100s) was very manageable while wearing my long sleeved white jersey with a camelbak filled with ice water. I kept my sleeves saturated and it worked like a charm to keep me cool enough to push hard. I was down in my aerobars riding a very strong tailwind, flying along. THIS was the way to begin my RAAM!

Some things one notices more when out on the bike rather than in the van:

Imperial Valley is so incredibly unnatural- heavily irrigated, green, stank of fertilizer/chicken manure, lots of bugs, even a cattle egret (in the DESERT). Just wrong. Although the temperature dropped at least a few degrees, I was glad to get out of there.

Off the bike in Blythe for food & a nap!

Stage “Two”: TS 5-7, Salome – Prescott, AZ

Mike and I got on “shift” in the morning and rode through the Arizona desert as the sun came up and the day began to heat up. We really got very lucky. The high was only 102, there was a nice breeze on Yarnell Grade which kept the suffer factor down, and our wise crew took us down to 20 minute pulls. Neither one of us had any setbacks & climbed strong up the Grade and then into Prescott. The TS at Congress was a hoot & I was lucky to be off the bike then to enjoy a cold/wet towel straight from their pool & some delicious watermelon. Love the Bullshifters!

Stage “Three”: TS 9-11, Flagstaff-Kayenta, AZ

This shift was an all-nighter that began at dusk & ended after dawn. The descent out of Flagstaff was very fast, straight, and major fun. There was very little moon with solid darkness except for thousands of stars keeping me company. Our wonderful crew, Brandon & David put on my tunes & allowed me to really enjoy myself. We got down to Tuba City riding a nice tailwind then gradually climbed back up to Kayenta, arriving around dawn. This stretch of road was where Maria Parker’s van/bikes were rear-ended and totalled a few days before. Joan Deitchman’s van was also rear-ended on this road in 2012. I was happy to have an uneventful trip here. From the Time Station, I could see a few monoliths which mark the entrance to Monument Valley. Lonni and Doug got the honor & privilege to ride through this sacred place at sunrise.

Stage “Four”: TS 14-16, Cortez-Pagosa Springs, CO

The next Time Station after Cortez was Durango, CO, which was our first RAAM cut-off point. Of course, we wanted to hammer it into Durango to see by how much we could beat that cut-off! I was pretty happy with ~ 10hrs. Mike was on the bike through Durango. We had accrued no penalties, so we didn’t need to stop.

This shift was a bit of a “warm up” for the high Rockies soon to come. My legs felt great as I pedaled up, over, and down several hills. Most of them were very gradual climbs which reminded me of the top section of Tunitas Creek, minus all the curves. The little climb out of Wilhoit was a bit of a kicker, though. I had to laugh; it was certainly no Quinnhill! It was sunny, breezy, and in the 80s with a stunning mix of puffy white and gray-purple clouds; another day in RAAM paradise.

Stage “Five”: TS 18-20, Alamosa- Trinidad, CO

This shift was another graveyard one. Began in the dark on a very gradual, long climb up La Veta Pass, el. 9426′. The temperatures were in the 60s to begin, which was just perfect. As we climbed higher, it got a bit cooler but was still comfortable with arm warmers & a vest. Once again, the weather gods were smiling. It was only 44 (could easily have been freezing with precipitation) at the top and the sky was clear and full of stars. I consider myself super fortunate in that I got to ride to the summit of this magnificent pass with birds singing at high volume as the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten. I could begin to see the lush green hues of the different trees that make up the dense La Veta forest that blankets the earth up here. It felt very right to scatter some of my Bumble’s ashes at the summit. His ever-adventurous spirit belongs in this beautiful place. He would be sure to stir up some trouble 🙂

After donning a jacket, toe/hand warmers and full-coverage gloves, we descended into the town of La Veta very quickly and then began the surprisingly narrow, twisty ascent of Cuchara Pass, el. 9938′. The road looked like a driveway in some spots; it was that low-profile. We passed a property whose gorgeous fence I recalled from my crossing two years ago. It was a beautiful structure of stone and wood with just enough pattern repetition to please the eye. The sun was well into it’s rise with birdsong going full blast, a light breeze, and everything so vividly green it almost hurt my eyes. Mike rode to the summit of this beauty. We stopped briefly and scattered more of the Bumble’s ashes so he could investigate all those little birds 🙂

The descent off Cuchara was just as twisty & narrow and seemed to carry some bad juju. I flatted but fortunately I caught it while the tire was soft, not completely flat. The crew had noticed my tail light was too dim so they pulled me over to give me a new one; I checked my tires as I always do & discovered the soft front tire. The crew quickly changed out the wheel & I was on my way again. Further down the descent, we came upon a German rider who had crashed when his front wheel malfunctioned (the language barrier made more details difficult). His crew was taking care of him while he lay on the side of the road, looking ashen. They had already called 911 and had him bundled up in a blanket using their own body heat to warm him. I still do not know how he did; I hope he’s home and recovering.

We pulled into the Trinidad, CO Time Station mid-morning. I got off my bike & there was my CTS coach, Dave McIntosh! Since he lives in Colorado Springs, I had never met him in person before. What a thrill and extra motivation. Thanks, Dave for making a long, early morning drive just for a brief visit with Lonni, myself, and the rest of our team.