Hi gang-
Damn! Sure is good to be back in the mountains of Idaho again! We arrived back in Ketchum yesterday afternoon after taking four days to drive home from Savannah. I am working on a story regarding Muffy's race which I'll post someday soon. I think I had a good viewing position in the race as I was her crew chief this year and got to see almost the entire race (didn't sleep a whole lot and I think I got less than three hours sleep in the last three to four days...but hey! who's counting?). But before I do, I wanted to throw a few thoughts out, random observations I made during the race or previous ones that were solidified during the race.
First of all, thanks to everyone who emailed, called, or snail mailed their support of Muffy. She is still recovering from the effort, sleeping a lot, so I am helping her do some of the "thank you" letters. As one who has ridden in RAAM I can tell you that any good luck wishes are not only helpful and appreciated at the start of the race, but also during times of stress during the race. Man, if I had a dime for every time I used the phrase "Muffy, I know you're hurting but just think of _______ who gave their support before the race"...
So what made this RAAM so difficult? I would offer the following:
a.) The start of the race this year was much hillier than in many other years, perhaps the hardest start to RAAM ever. Once you left the Palm Springs area, you climbed, serious climbs, for the rest of the afternoon until the next morning. I've often thought that doing the Furnace Creek 508 route backward was a particularly cruel way to start the race (I believe that route, or part of it was used in RAAM '89). And while I'm very glad the route did not go through Las Vegas (for traffic reasons...you crew for a rider who hasn't slept since the start and you'll pick any other route any day, as long as it is lower traffic), the alternate route through the Lake Mead area is a lot hillier. All in all, I think this was the hardest start to RAAM terrain-wise.
b.) I believe the winds through the midwest were the strongest and longest lasting ever. You can always count on a good "non tailwind" wind most years through the midwest but this year was insane. I swear the wind just did not stop. No matter which way the rider was facing it was in their face. From Eastern New Mexico all the way to the Arkansas/Tennessee border it was a most unwelcome guest. Nasty winds this year, that caused a lot of people problems. I've always believed that RAAM really "begins" in the midwest and this year I'm convinced of that even more. Talk about a mental challenge. You've just busted your butt getting through the Rockies, looking forward to getting a little break (just a little!) from the effort now that you're in the midwest. Next thing you know, even though you're on less hilly ground, you're working twice as hard thanks to the wind! Speaking of mental challenges...
c.) Palo Duro Canyon. It's inclusion in the race is not necessary for future RAAMs IMO. For the most part, once you get out of the Rockies you should have some time to regroup in the midwest. Having this climb (until you've been there you just can't understand the total package of this part of the route) on the route, especially after battling the typically horrendous winds of Texas' panhandle, just isn't necessary. Of course, RAAM should be difficult, but I think (as do other riders, crew members, and officials) Palo Duro Canyon need not be a part of future RAAMs. The midwest should be a time to regroup; it has been in every other RAAM and throwing in a b*tch of a climb (complete with it's own weather system it seemed!) is on the cruel side. Riding through the midwestern part of the USA is challenge enough. OK, having said all that, I want to just say that I think Nick and the powers that be were not "wrong" for having it in this year's race; I mean, who was to know until you did it? All I'm suggesting is that it not be in future races. I think it proved to be the beginning of the end for a lot of riders this year.
d.) The addition of Burnt Mountain to the route. Having the route go as far east of Atlanta as possible is a definite plus. This year's course into Savannah was perhaps the least congested so I believe it was the best to date. However, that meant having to negotiate some pretty tough hills near the end, including this monster. Anyone who has done the Elite or the Southern PAC Tour is familiar with this climb and all the other tough ones around it. After the climbs in Tennessee you're ready to have the serious climbing over with; having more in Georgia adds to the difficulty. I think having these climbs on the route is certainly OK, in fact I think it was a great addition to the route, but it solidifies my opinion that Palo Duro is not necessary, and Burnt Mountain did make this year's race more difficult.
e.) The additional miles. After 1988 the routes have all been under 3000 miles. Boy was I glad it was under 3000 when I did RAAM '91 (after doing a 3073 mile RAAM in 1988) but I think that RAAM should be close to 3000 miles, at least most years, and if you hadn't done a 3000+ mile RAAM before you were in for a challenge. An extra 100-150 miles may not seem like much after all the miles you've already done but I can tell you it must feel like another 1000 miles; those last 100 or so are just so difficult. Going from 2910 or so miles to 3040-3050 miles is a big leap even if it doesn't seem like much "on paper". If you're "conditioned" to 2900 mile RAAMs and sub nine or ten day crossings I think it's got to play on your mind as well as your body when you start getting into mileage, hours and/or days you're not familiar with.
3.) Not to diss on the Italians but...
If you can't follow the rules, stay out of the race. Once again this year, and I hope it's the last, that clown from Italy, Aldo "Rock" Calandro, tried to get away with early race violations. We witnessed him hanging on to his van and drafting his van. We didn't mention it to any officials because we knew he'd be way back after Day One and his presence in the race wouldn't be of much consequence. His riding "technique" almost took out Muffy and Seana on a few occasions as well. Guys, the red octagonal signs that say "STOP" mean just that. I swear, I can't understand why anyone that's making the effort to enter and race the race can't read the rules beforehand and follow them. I absolutely don't want to sound prejudiced here, that's not my intention, but it's always the Italian entrants. Look at who gets the most penalties and it's them. I make a big deal out of this because as it turns out, they're usually in the back of the pack and their actions may just piss off a motorist who's going to take it out on someone further up the road. Simply put, if you can't follow the rules stay out of the race.
Also, along the same lines, I find it really hard to believe that some of these riders can't get their act together regarding the rules regarding support vehicles and bikes. C'mon guys, you had the rules given to you weeks ago! Some of these guys didn't even know that you had to have reflective tape on your bikes. Geez, just because you got a free invite to RAAM doesn't mean that you're exempt from the rules!
Lastly, leave the trick bikes at home. Sure they look really cool at the start but it's comfort that makes finishing RAAM possible, not the lastest hot frame from godknowswhere. I loved that guy, the 12 hour time trial champ, who brought his 65 tooth chain ring bike to RAAM. He really looked awesome (he did...I'm serious) climbing some of the early climbs in that monster gear. However, by the first time station he was off his bike with knee problems. Perhaps someone should have told him that RAAM is not a 12 hour TT but more along the lines of a 212 hour (and more) time trial.
4.) If anyone out there is seriously considering doing RAAM someday just know that nothing you do in training can really ever simulate the race. This year, watching Muffy, Kaname Sakari, Peter Pop, and Beat Gfeller (these were the riders we saw the most after the halfway point) go through more physical problems than a person should ever have to go through convinces me of that. That isn't to say that you shouldn't put in the miles, you should by all means. Just remember that all those double centuries, that 24 hour qualifier race, even something more difficult like the 508 or TNT ain't gonna mean squat after a few days of RAAM. Train hard and go into RAAM with confidence but remember that this race will find your weakness and humble the sh*t out of you. Also, do yourself a favor and don't watch the RAAM videos too much, especially the old ABC ones. You'll get a false sense of what RAAM is about. None of those videos show how horrifyingly difficult RAAM is. Do I make this sound like it's not fun? Good, because for the most part RAAM is not fun and most of the time it is most cetainly not that great, fun adventure we all think it's gonna be. Sure, there are times when you're feeling good, the scenery is beautiful, and being in RAAM is a blast. But looking at the faces of a lot of riders this year during the race I can tell you that no one was having a lot of fun a lot of the time. You may think differently at the finish line (which is why I think we keep coming back for more!) but this race is really a friggin' death march half the time! This year's race put a lot of riders, including Muffy, into full on survival mode. Other excellent riders such as Ed Kross, Rob Morlock, and Mikael Henrikkson (among others) were unable to finish. If you decide RAAM is for you go into it with a healthy, and I mean healthy, dose of respect. Forget about how great you rode that qualfier and how low your resting heart rate is. Kiss goodbye every previous thought you had about how doing RAAM would be fun because this race is absolutely the hardest race a person could ever do, perhaps the hardest thing a person could ever do. To anyone who thinks otherwise, especially the guy in a long ago post who was dissing RAAM, I suggest you give it a go even if it's "only" as a crew person. Simply because RAAM does not get the press coverage it should doesn't mean it's "silly" or whatever you called it. Your post was so lame (and I could add nothing to the reply Mike Gladu wrote anyway...great post Mike) that I won't even waste my time responding. All I will add is that if you haven't done it you will never know how hard this race really is. If you are serious about doing RAAM get it in your head that this isn't like anything you've ever known or will know. Get on a rider's crew before you decide to venture into the arena as a rider yourself. That will open your eyes and help make the decision to race a lot easier.
5.) Along the same lines this year confirmed my belief that mental training and proper nutrition (yes, including supplements) are as important or nearly as improtant as the physical training. There is nothing you can really do in training to simulate what you'll feel like on say Day Five of RAAM but there is a lot you can do to prepare yourself mentally for that. And, since a lot of RAAM is merely trying to keep the body intact to the finish with minimal breakdown, there are a lot of nutritional/supplement possibilities for helping protect the body and keeping the muscle tissue from severe breakdown. These things are far more important IMO than having aero wheels and a lot of other bike related trick stuff. If you want to do RAAM then I would suggest taking the time to train mentally and nutritionally as well as physically.
6.) Stud-of-the-race award goes not to Wolfgang Fasching or anyone else in the top five. No, I would bestow that honor to Kaname Sakari. Here's a guy that rode in so much pain, basically had no neck muscles left after the halfway point, but still never lost focus on finishing. He saw his goal of finishing higher up fall due to a mountain of physical problems but he never stopped trying or making progress eastward. I saw him a couple of times when he took short breaks while still in Muffy's vicinity of the race, and his determination through severe physical (and mental and emotional I'm sure) difficulties literally made me cry. We used his effort (we started calling him "The Warrior") to inspire Muffy who was having the worst physical problems in her three RAAM career. No one I saw displayed more toughness than Kaname. He was/is truly an inspiration.
7.) A big congratulations to my friend Mike Wilson who not only won the over 50 division but also won the Rookie of the Year award. Mike proved this year, as did Jeff Bell did last year, that you need not be the fastest guy in the world to do well in RAAM...just the smartest and one of the toughest. Awesome job Mike!
8.) I will go into this in a little more depth in my story about Muffy's RAAM but I would like to say that Seana (will she ever have her name spelled right?) rode a race befitting of a champion. Physical problems or not it would have been difficult at best for Muffy to mount a challenge to her. While I am convinced of Muffy's abilities on a bicycle, knowing that aside from Seana, there is no one than can come close to Muffy, I would never venture into the gray area of saying that Muffy could have or can beat Seana. The truth is that in three efforts she has not and she graceously admits that in RAAM, Seana has no equal. While I would sure like to see how Muffy would do without some of the problems that plague her every RAAM I can honestly say that once again, Seana's effort physically AND mentally was awe inspiring. Once Muffy started having really bad physical problems after the Rockies, it was no longer a race. Seana rode a great, powerful race and showed once again why she is the best. Great ride Seana!
9.) Having said that, I have not yet witnessed, aside from Kaname's ride, as gutty a performance as Muffy's. There were a lot of people that would have considered it a good reason to call it quits had they experienced what she did this year. Muffy was literally crying in pain so much of the time because of the myriad of problems that happened. Not to get into too much detail, but she has crotch problems that no one else she knows seems to have or at least in the severity that she does. She has tried several different saddles, creams, lotions, potions, you name it, but the problem has never been solved. This year seemed to be the worst of all. And, when we tried to find a remedy for it, her knees started having problems that got worse and worse as the race went on. She spent an awful long time off the bike while we rigged up various solutions to her problems. Our frustration was that one solution seemed to cause another problem. She told me several times during the race that she's never hurt so bad in her life and that the other two RAAMs combined came nowhere near the agony she was dealing with in this race. Still, she never mentioned the word quit. She never once thought about packing it in. Even when Seana was too far ahead for her to mount a challenge she never stopped fighting. So even though more hours separated these two at the finish than in previous years, there's a lot that made that a reality, both in Seana's magnificent effort as well as Muffy's unusual struggles this year. I can tell you that if you have ever been a part of either of these two women's races you are a witness to two of the finest, toughest athletes you'll ever know. It is too bad that in a race this difficult, there can only be one winner, or one who crosses the finish line first. I tend to look at it differently. To me, there are no losers in RAAM, only winners. You will not find two better examples than Seana or Muffy.
Later-
Steve Born