I just got back from Savannah today (Muffy and I drove for many hours to get here by 11:00 AM!). I hope to be able to write a more complete RAAM story at a later time but for now, I need to get my sleep back to normal and allow my body to heal. This will be a huge understatement when I tell you that this RAAM was more like a death march than a bike race...most of the riders already agree with me on that one. It will take several weeks before my hands, feet, and legs return to normal.
After being involved in RAAM for 10 years I can honestly say that this one was by far and away the hardest one yet. The "flattest, fastest" course suggested was not that by any means and the temperatures and headwinds were downright hellish. I can only marvel at what riders such as Gerry, Rob, Danny, and Wolfgang are able to do. I rode the fastest, hardest, most controlled race of my life and I finished well behind them. Still, in 1991 I finished nearly 40 hours behind Rob, this time I was less than 22. So I know that I rode a fast race, one that I am extremely proud of. To do a 9 day 17 hour crossing on this course under these conditions is something I wouldn't have thought possible.
As I mentioned, the course, while certainly not the most mountainous of previous courses, was absolutely not the flattest. Certain altimeters don't take into consideration the myriads of rollers that seemed to be an endless part of this course. I'm not knocking the difficulty of the other courses, especially since I have done them as well, but there was something inherently difficult to this course that escaped the eye of the casual observer. Perhaps the most difficult thing about this course was the lack of landmarks, scenery, or anything that would break up the monotony. You could go for stretches of hundreds of miles and not see a damn thing. At least when the Rockies are a part of the course it offers a definite break between the desert Southwest and the Midwest. I for one missed that break. This course seemed to be one insanely hot desert, expecially in Texas.
The weather this year could not have been more difficult. We had temps well over 100 degrees nearly every day. I remember listening to an AM radio talk show on my Walkman while baking through some no-name section of Texas. And as they were talking about the heat and heat index and all the fatalities that had occured I started questioning the wisdom of riding my bike out there hour after hour, day after day in such misery. The heat was the worst I have ever witnessed in the years I've been involved in RAAM. For example, the heat in Pine Bluff, Arkansas at 5PM local time was 107 degrees with a heat index of 114 degrees. One of the race officials told me later that the heat on the pavement was 125 degrees, which may explained why I felt such an increase in rolling resistance...the pavement was literally melting! There were no such reprieves at night although I tried to ride through the nights in order to be riding in "only" 90 plus degrees. And the humidity...just devastating.
I felt better as we got into Tennessee and managed to finally ride past Mark Patten, Harold Trease, and Andrew Bohannon for good on the difficult climbs. During the first night in Tenn we had a thunderstorm that literally knocked trees to the ground. It was as though a tornado had touched down. At times I couldn't see much more than a couple feet in front of me and the wind was incredible. However, since this is RAAM, you pretty much just keep riding 'til it's time for a sleep break.
In order to stay ahead of the three I had finally passed I rode hard and kept my sleep breaks to a minimum. In the last three days of the race I slept less than five hours. It pretty much kicked my butt but I was able to greatly distance myself from the others and finish in Savannah in 8th place. I did finish with absolutely nothing in the tank, I was completely gone. The past two nights I had been hallucinating tremendously. It wasn't a pretty sight actually. Still, I had accomplished my goal and I am very pleased with the results. I think the thing I find most satisfying is the lack of time I spent off the bike. Normally it's very easy to justify taking ten minute breaks a few times a day. I forced myself to stay on the bike through thick and thin most of the time and it paid off...boy did it kick my butt, but it did pay off!
When I look at the riders I finished behind I can feel even more comfortable with 8th place. Four of the riders are previous winners, two of them are/were European professionals, and the other, Tom Buckley, is just one tough SOB. Believe me, there isn't a hint of regret here!
This race really took it out of all the riders, and I can say for certain that it exacted a real toll on me. This was not an easy crossing at all, in fact it was a very difficult one that strained me to a point well beyond my previously concieved physical, mental, and emotional limits. I admit that I am one tired guy right now. This race simply wasted me. It was harder than the other two races I've finished combined. And, it took its toll on my crew. I was a difficult rider a lot of times to deal with as the extremes of this race turned me into a real pain in the ass. Still, we made it and now I can start the process of getting mind and body back in order knowing that I gave it my absolute all and that we were successful.
This was my last RAAM. I have accomplished everything I believe I have the power to do so I don't feel compelled to continue to do the race. I am looking forward to still being a part of this race and of course the UMCA but I am very happy to say that I am retiring from RAAM. This was a great way to end my RAAM career!
More later-
Steve "good to be home" Born