RAAM RACE REPORT (PART 1)

It has been over a month since finishing RAAM, time is flying. Since returning from RAAM we've sold our house in Kingston, bought a new one in Ottawa, packed up all of our worldly possessions and loaded them onto the moving truck.  I have handed over my duties as the Director of Cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada during a formal Change of Command on the 5th of July, and I am now in Ottawa and my new post with Air Force Readiness on the Chief of the Air Staff team.

This year's RAAM was an extraordinary experience by every measure.  I will try to be as brief and concise as positive, and thank you in advance for your patience keeping in mind that RAAM took 10 days to finish! When Jackie and I committed to race RAAM for 2010 we had a couple of objectives in mind: keep it simple, and finish.  Thanks to Jackie's planning and organization we achieved both. I've tried my best to accurately reflect the cadence of this years' RAAM, and should say that any errors in fact or memory lapses are all mine.

RAAM MINUS 10 DAYS

I spent a week in Borrego Springs California prior to arriving in Oceanside in order to acclimate to the desert heat.  Jackie and the team made the road move from Kingston: 2 support vans and an RV full of race gear, equipment and supplies for RAAM.  We've learned from experience that anything can happen during RAAM, and most of the variables are outside of our control.  Time spent in planning and preparation is seldom wasted and this year we were prepared. To that end, I owe a great debt of gratitude to Mark Dwyre at TI Cycle for his endless support and friendship, many thanks Mark-o.  Hans Bergman and his team at ASSOS Canada provided superb racing kit - I was ready for every weather condition, thank you Hans; and, Gilbert Ayoub at CT/CPP Coaching - thank you for an unforgettable experience this year.  All of the planning and logistics were expertly coordinated and executed by my wife and crew chief, Jackie Cowley. Thanks Jack-strap. 

Solo RAAM is a test of mental strength.  Imagine leaving your door for a run or ride with no end in sight.  Go as hard as you can for as long as you can, change your shorts and do it again and again, over and over; you will be tired but still the end is nowhere in sight and you must continue because you are racing against time and the clock is ticking.  It will be really hot, really cold, really wet, really dry, really windy, really dark, really flat, and really hilly with a number of really big climbs.  Solo RAAM is hard on the head.

 PRE RACE

Once everyone was on the ground we very quickly came together as a team, everyone was focussed and committed to the task.  No one could see the finish line and we weren't looking for it, either. We were all focussed on the moment, and whatever had to be done was done without distraction.  We had a team dinner the night before race start and the mood was incredibly light and festive.  When the appetizers came Dan tapped me on the shoulder to observe what could only be a good omen: everyone had ordered the exact same starter. We were all pumped up and there was a lot of laughter, I felt very well supported which allowed me to relax. We were getting a ton of energy and positive vibes through the messages from home, our friends and family were with us for every pedal stroke and it made the difference.  I felt honoured to be their rider.

CALIFORNIA

Weds morning the 9th of June - race start, all of the male solo riders were gathered under the bandshell on the pier in Oceanside awaiting the call to the starters both.  We went off in time trial format separated by one minute intervals.  I was 5th from last to go, slotted in among the pre-race favourites.  I remember looking out and thinking there was no place I'd rather be, I was ready.  My support vehicles were staged and ready to disperse once I got the call from the starter.  The first 100 miles of RAAM is un-supported and I've learned from experience that hydration and nutrition in the first 6 hours will dictate the rate and pace of advance through the desert stages to Prescott Az.  This year I was loaded with fluids and electrolytes, my goal was to make it to Blythe in one piece.  I knew I was in good shape when I got to the start of the climb to Lake Henshaw already having all of my calories and hydration down range, and ready to take on more from the crew.

Through TS 1 and Lake Henshaw my support van was permitted to provide support by leap frog method.  I started to catch some of the riders who had started in front of me, though my goal was to hold a steady power level and not get caught up in the nervous energy and go too hard too soon.  At the top of Montezuma Valley Road I caught 2 riders and for the next 14 miles we made the descent into Borrego Springs through a series of switch backs.  The wind is always fierce on that road, but I felt confident as I made my way down. One of the two riders I had caught went by me like I was standing still, he was descending very well and he looked focussed.  He was also covered in dry salt stains, never a good sign so early in RAAM, but he looked aggressive and determined as he flew by.  The descent down Montezuma Valley, aka: the glass elevator, lands onto the floor of Death Valley and you can feel the hot dry air in the wind as you make the descent.  This marks the start of at least 2 days of very hot, dry air.  I wanted to be well hydrated at this point, and I was.  As for the guy who flew down to the valley floor, I never saw him again.  I heard that he had DNF'd sometime through the night.

THE DESERT

Rolling through the desert was a wonderful experience, I was mentally ready for the challenge and I wanted to be there.  In previous RAAM's I have always experienced the effects of dehydration and heat stress... not fun!  I came off the bike for a quick nature break at about 130 miles in, and it was the first time that me and the crew were together since starting in Oceanside.  Spirits were high and moral was excellent, I was in great shape and the sun was starting to set, I knew the crew appreciated NOT having to put me back together.  We headed to Blythe and TS 3 in great form.  

I climbed off the bike in Blythe to eat and take stock of how things were unfolding. We were making good progress and better than that, I was in very good shape. I was eating solid food which was a great sign, and after a short break we got right back to the task. Riding through Imperial Sands at night is an experience, I felt the heat coming off the pavement even though it was dark. There are no street lights in the desert, so the only light was coming from my bike and the headlights of the support van. Through this part of the desert it is common to see snow ploughs, they are used to clear the highways of the sand dunes that sweep across the roadways. Snow ploughs in the desert, excellent! I saw a number of snakes making their way across the road during the night, as well as a scorpion. That was cool. It is dead silent in the desert other than the howling from packs of coyotes, and the odd generator providing power to one of the many desert camps.

The climb up Yarnell Pass in Az was an event made special by having Cale on the team this year. In 2006 I was struggling up the climb until I heard The Scientist by Coldplay over the loudspeaker. To me, that sounded just like Cale was playing it on our piano at home and hearing it gave me wings. To this day that song lifts me, and this year I had the boy on the support team for an additional boost. We got the crew together at the base of the climb and cranked up the music, it was another galvanizing moment that brought us all together.  It was stinking hot and the climb kicked up to 8 percent and better, but we were good.  Once on the top it was smooth rolling all the way to Prescott Arizona. We met up with Dr Cathy, Courtney, Adam (2 yrs old) and Sydney(4 months) who were following us in their RV, aka the "Timeout Mobile". Cathy and Courtney kept a tally of the "timeouts" Adam earned along the trip, in bright pink neon numbers in the RV's rear window. Courtney had briefed me that when the number hit 45, he was going to peel off the route and head straight for the US/Canada border. I am still completely impressed that Courtney's family followed us across the continent to provide us with medical and moral support. I think I had the easier task. We made good time through Arizona on our way to Colorado, and good work of all of the challenges that Arizona provides.

THE ROCKIES

Colorado was a challenge, the weather turned quite nasty and we had three major climbs to summit before making our way towards Kansas. We had some fun getting to the top of Wolf Creek Pass, the entire crew including the Timeout Mobile (24 timeouts to the summit) had joined up at the summit to celebrate our reaching the top of the Continental Divide. We made an exciting descent through the Rockies before pushing to Durango's time station. Dr Cathy was able to get her eyes on me and give us an assessment/battle damage report. All in all, we were in good shape. Cathy provided us with a plan on electrolyte replacement in cold weather, and we immediately kicked that into gear. As I climbed back onto the bike the weather looked real grim, the wind was up and there was a thick, black/dark green coloured wall cloud that loomed on the horizon and I was headed straight for it.  

I remember feeling somewhat less than stoked, but we had two more major climbs ahead and time was ticking. I was able to hump over Cucheras Pass without too much incidence. The descent was under rain and the cover of darkness, it was cold and slippery but I was pleased with how I was handling the bike. By the time we hit LaVeta Pass I was wet, cold and not feeling 100%. Gilbert pulled me off the bike and kitted me up like I was going snowmobiling.  At about this point I was overlapping with other riders. I was pleasantly surprised to meet up with a couple of solo women among a group of solo men, they were moving very well and I thought I must be losing time - but good on them. They were close to each other and it looked like they had a great pace going, it wasn't until later that I remembered that the solo women started 24 hours ahead of the men back in Oceanside.

I started the climb up LaVeta fully dressed and hermetically sealed up, water tight!  I was thinking I might overheat on the climb, but the weather was miserable and certainly worth the gamble in my mind. Early into the climb I was passed by someone who seemed to be climbing at light-speed, I remember being mesmerized by his cadence and impressed by his speed and rate of climb. Time passed and I made my way to the summit just as the hint of dawn threatened on the horizon. Still in darkness and cresting the summit I came upon the support crews of at least two other riders who were off their bikes, likely getting dressed for the descent, and at least one other who had just departed. Both guys climbed on immediately, and jumped out ahead of me for the descent.  I think it was Thomas Strobel who took off like a man possessed, his courage on the descent was impressive and I watched in awe as the tail lights of his support vehicle vanished from sight, he in the lead. Kevin Kaiser was also ahead of me and I got a good view of his support crew.  Seeing as it was still dark and raining, I felt it best to sit in and follow the flashing lights of his van as they dove into each of the switch backs, and let them guide the way down.  As we got down to the floor of the pass I could see that Kevin was not adequately dressed, he had to be freezing cold for the last hour or two.  The run out of Colorado was a long one, generally under wet skies and over a series of descending rollers that seemed to take forever to cover. Cathy and Courtney's RV passed me along the way and Adam's timeout tally was unchanged - 24.  I was eager to get out of Colorado and hit Kansas, hoping for favourable winds to help me to the half way point - 1500 miles, just outside of Pratt, KS.

KANSAS

Many of the towns we passed through on our way to Kansas seemed deserted, and it wasn't much better when we hit the state line.  It is impossible to get lost on the RAAM route in Kansas, the road travels in a painfully straight line for as long as the eye can see.  You will see a couple of grain elevators off in the horizon and believe me, they stick out and they give the rider something to aim at. We got ourselves caught in a cross wind for a period of time, but the road was flat and straight so on we pressed. We seemed to be miles from nowhere, tilting into the wind and pushing forward when suddenly on the horizon a group of grain elevators appeared out of nothing to mark the way, and the support crew chimed in on the radio to tell me that the New York City skyline was 7 miles up the road. That joke never got old. Every time we reached one of these "New York City" skylines, there was a mandatory 90 degree left turn, a mile or so straightaway, followed by a 90 degree right turn and another 50 mile stretch of highway. Kansas is a wide state and it took me the better part of 2 days to get across it, and those 90 degree turns were the hi-light of the route. Riding through Montezuma KS at night was a treat. I'm not sure what agriculture is grown in that part of the state, but it smells like an out house... and I mean no disrespect here. RAAM must wind through Kansas at the high point of their fertilizing season because that stuff was everywhere, on the roads, spilling out of trucks, coming up from the tires of every passing vehicle, and of course, all over my face. It is a distinctive smell that a RAAM rider learns to love, especially through a part of the mid west appropriately named Montezuma Kansas.  It was here that I got the opportunity to do a live interview with Jim Elyot from 98.9 the Drive in Kingston, On. That pumped us all up for the morning. Sometime through the night I had caught up to the Spanish rider with whom I had been trading places for the last three days, and passed him for what turned out to be the last time. That put me in 7th place heading towards the half way point in Pratt, and Adam's tally had climbed to 28 timeouts. 

HALF WAY

14 miles east of Pratt KS is the half way point for RAAM. It is a significant psychological point when the miles-to-go shrink and the distance covered increase; this brings a lift for both crew and rider. I have vivid memories of RAAM's half way point. It wasn't far from this point in 2009 when I hit a set of railway tracks that parallel the highway; and, during RAAM 2006 I was in serious doubt that I would make it to the finish in advance of the time cut-off... what did I know, I was a rookie!  This year I was delighted to be at this point of the race and moved through Pratt and the series of railway tracks with little fuss or fanfare. To me, the best was still to come and I was feeling well. I really wanted to get to Missouri. I caught up with Rob Morlock and we traded positions a couple of times before I made a final pass. I got a chance to speak with him and I was really impressed by his mental toughness.  He was suffering through a bad spell but he never gave in to it; he's a tough guy.  I was riding in 6th position overall; Adam was holding steady at 28 timeouts. 

THE TIPPING POINT-MISSOURI

Be careful what you ask for...  Missouri was a tough go for me this time around.  I found the roads too rough to ride on, and the traffic worse!  It could be because I went through Jefferson City in the middle of the day, but I felt lucky to get through the traffic without incident.  Somewhere in Missouri I caught up with Kevin Kaiser, it was hot and he was quiet. While I was taking a break he passed me back, I remember seeing he and his crew go by and the heat was taking it's toll on him. I remember riding along a highway in Missouri the likes of which I've never seen anywhere in America, this highway is in serious need of renovation. The number of 18 wheelers and heavy traffic, combined with countless potholes and no road shoulder was enough to make even the most resolved riders consider riding the bus. My sit bones were pummelled by the end of that stretch of road, it was torture. Nobody voluntarily rides a bike on that road, I'm sure of it!  

Comments

[mike]

Wonderful Post TB, looking forward to part 2. One week to go for me :)

[Tony O'Keeffe]

Mikey, one week to go and your life only gets better from here. Have a great week and be sure to send us photos of the big day. I trust preps are good for IMC? TB.

[Joanne]

WOW.

As you know...I've been waiting for this race report...and this first part of the sequel did not disappoint...totally worth the wait!

You're an amazing but kinda crazy guy. LOL.

[Helen]

i agree Joanne ... only I think he's crazy... kinda, but an amazing guy! Great write up little brother - looking forward to Part II
xoxo

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