Outside of Socorro, New Mexico was a deja vu. The course followed the same route as RAAM '92 through this area (in fact, all the way to the Texas border). On the climb out of Socorro, there were thunder storms; I was afraid that there would be hail much like there was in 1992. Rob Schaller was riding near me at the time and he kidded me about being a jinx for saying anything. We got a little rain but it wasn't like that RAAM storm (thank goodness).
When my heartrate monitor began acting up; I knew we must be near Roswell. Those pesky aliens are always messing with the electromagnetic fields. I enjoyed listening to the wind during the night as a front passed through the area. We awoke the next morning to a terrific head wind.
After 40 miles my average speed was about 13mph. At that rate there was no way I was going to make it to Post before sunset riding alone. At the first rest stop was Gerry Tatrai, Cassie, Eric Bianchini, me and poor Eric Ryan sitting in the van with a swollen achilles. After much self-wrangling I decided I would join a paceline in this horrific wind; it was either that or risk being sagged-in after dark. Gerry, Cassie, Eric B, and I rode together while picking up a couple of stragglers along the way.
We caught the group that was riding ahead of us at the next rest stop. The lead group left while the rest of us filled our water bottles and discussed the brutality of the wind. Ali Naveros, one of the crew, left solo. I left shortly afterward. Gerry said, "Aren't you going to ride with us?". I said,"Try to catch me!". I knew that Ali was out there, I just had to catch her so that we could fight the wind together. I was riding pretty hard and only going 15-16 mph. I finally caught her and we teamed-up. We beat Gerry and his band to the Texas border but we could not hold them off all the way to lunch. It was very fun.
Since I was training for RAAM, that was all the pacelining I could justify. When we rolled into Post, Texas that day, I had the sorest bottom in the world. I am used to riding on my aerobars and sitting up in the paceline killed me. And the required concentration, geez, I like to look around a little but I didn't dare in that situation.
As we approached the half-way point, spirits were not as high, some faces were a little long and the competitive spirit that was so present in the beginning had waned to a little more than "let's just make it through another day". This attitude continued for much of the rest of the ride. Folks mellowed into a pace that was comfortable and fun to hold.
We crossed the Mississippi at Lula. There is a gawdy smoke-filled casino there. We had to walk through all the hoopla to redeem our free buffet dinner. It was delicious. One of the crew members won a nice chunk of cash at the black jack table. I lost my helmet mirror walking into the hotel. I imagine one of the casino goers picked it up thinking it might be valuable and then tossed it (betcha it was the lucky crew member). Anyhow, Susan loaned me her helmet so that I had a mirror until mine arrrived from Wyatt two days later. I cannot ride comfortably without a mirror. Most of the next day we got to ride on the Natchez Trace Parkway. It was delightful! The road was smooth, truck free, and I felt terrific.
A Chattanooga choo-choo greeted me as I approached the city. I looked up at the engineer and he blew his horn. That made my day. Again a deja vu. The motel where we stayed was a block from where, in 1994, my crew and I had a conference to decide to take me to the hospital. Memories... Richard Avalone and I rode into the motel parking lot together. He is a sweetheart; he gave me some espresso so that I would have more pep in the mornings.
Between Chattanooga and Hartwell, I rode a little while with James Rosar. He is a very strong rider and plans to race in RAAM in the future. I really enjoyed the Georgia rollers. On RAAM the rollers are a pain. You look up and say, "Oh gosh, not another one.". This time, I actually had fun attacking the tops (as it were, after all those miles). In Hartwell, RAAMster John Stoneman joined us and hammered us. In Orangeburg, the Kish's joined us and Rob proceeded to hammer us.
The last day was leisurely. We cruised to the coast. Everyone was upbeat and happy. You could feel the pride emminating from the group. I felt proud. Not only for myself but for being a part of such a fabulous group of people. We all enjoyed the banquet at the Holiday Inn on the beach. Lon and Susan presented everyone with Elite PAC Tour picture plaques. This plaque has very special meaning to me.
There were five rest stops, including lunch: The first rest stop was typically near mile 30. Jim Clark manned this stop: gatorade, water, and soda. The second stop near mile 60 was manned by Gerry Tatrai: snacks and beverages. The lunch stop usually around mile 100 was manned by many crew people: Susan, Stuart Levy, Doug Slack, et al. The food was good and plentiful! The fourth stop manned by Josh Simonds was much like the second stop (about mile 130) and the fifth rest stop manned by the cheer- leader, Nancy Ensley (about mile 170) was much like the previous.
When we arrived at the motel, we picked up our room keys and the route sheet for the next day. There were snacks and sodas at the end. We had to find our gear bags and tote them up the stairs to our rooms (if you do PAC Tour, pack lightly). Some people did maintenance work on their bikes (mine consisted of spraying Tri-Flow). After the first few nights, I went for a massage each night. Josh and Ali were our massage therapists. Dinner was sometimes before the massage, or sometimes afterward depending on timing. Ah, then sleep.
Lon and Susan run an air-tight operation. They are so organized and the crew they selected was terrific! I met so many good people, I miss them already. For the first time I got to talk to Lon and Susan other than "hello, how are you" and got to know them a little better. The support was flawless, the route sheets were almost perfect.
I highly recommend the ride to anyone considering RAAM. It is also great for those who think that RAAM is too much but they want the challenge of riding across the continent at a fast pace. This ride was terrific and I would do it again in a heartbeat!