Monday, April 19, 2010

The Journey to RAAM (Race Across America) 2010: OCEANSIDE, CA





























































































































































April 16-17, 2010 -- see below Michelle's summary about our RAAM simulation ride. It was a wonderful weekend testing many things out with my crew chiefs.

Michelle reports --

"I would imagine that most of us have ridden a bike at some point in our lives. The first time you learned how to pedal, and keep your balance was such a euphoric moment. Then maybe you did your first 10 mile ride whether it be to work or with your family, or something bigger like a weekend club ride preparing for a 100 mile century or triathlon. At some point, most of us have experienced some perception of what it means to ride your bike, but can you just imagine for one second, riding your bike for 20 hours, then sleeping for 3 hours, and then getting up and doing it again for 13 days? This past weekend was a big benchmark for Team Strong Heart in the preparation for the Race Across America. The alarms went off around 4:30 am in Colorado and Minnesota, and by 10:45 am, Amy, Michelle, and Sandy met in Los Angeles airport for our first big simulation ride. Friday was filled with a lot of errands which included putting Amy's bike together out of the bike box, food shopping, and planning of nutritional and navigation strategies before we started the ride.By 6:30 pm, we had driven past the start line in Oceanside, scanned the starting parade route, and there we were on Old Castle Rd when Amy started the first of over 200 miles ahead of her. Sandy drove while Michelle sat in the back seat of the rental caravan mixing liquid nutrition, and giving navigation directions down to the 0.1 mile marker. The first section of the race that was practiced is where Amy will only be given leapfrog support, which means we go ahead of the racer about 7 miles at a time, and then wait for us to come to that point to give support, which could be a bottle of water, or just a plain cheering for encouragement. The first climb out of Oceanside is not forgiving at all, of which the climbing starts immediately. Amy started strong through this section, and set the pace for what became an incredible night.Even though this was a simulation ride, the adrenaline for the crew starts immediately, and you become very focused into the details of your job, to make sure there are no mistakes.The dark came on quickly, and before we knew it we were riding into the night. Lake Henshaw was our first goal which came up quickly. Before we knew it, we were dropping down what's called the "Glass Elevator", which is a 9 mile stretch of 8% downgrades that drop with hairpin turns into the desert. A few sips of Red Bull with a boost of adrenaline, and I never let the headlights leave Amy for a second. She tucked down into an aerodynamic position fighting some warm crosswinds and getting to the bottom safety, with then a big thumbs up. The route became more and more familiar as Sandy and I both crewed in 2008. Fond memories started to come up, along with many ideas for the best strategies. A few hours later which included a near dog attack on Amy, two large hairs jumping across the road, several semis sending a startling beep across the road, and we decided to stop at the 140 mile marker, as we had all been up for 24 hours. The Brawley Inn is where we set up shop, and Amy was in great spirits, especially after we let her know that she just averaged 16.1 mph over the last 89 mile stretch. By 4 am we were all headed into a deep sleep, and before we knew it, we all saying good morning by 8:30 am.Breakfast was a good time to talk about what we liked, didn't like, and had to work on. A morning massage and stretch session, and by mid day we were off to our last planned 89 mile stretch towards Blythe, Ca. The day started off warm, with temps reading 89 degrees by 10 am. This next section put us through these magnificent sand dunes where we got to see several people racing their dune buggies. The typography changed quickly, and views became more spectacular by the second.Amy performed like a machine. Her focus and cadence we incredible, along with her cooperation and appreciation of the crew. Sandy and I started to feel our rhythm. Fine tuning bottle hands offs, keeping an accurate nutrition log, and monitoring Amy's needs while riding. We already have a nickname for Amy, which is "Mocha Mama", since she just loves her Hammer Perpetuum mixed with a mocha recipe that will be top secret for now. This stuff was like serious rocket fuel for her, and after most big sips she would just pop out of her saddle, and take off. It was great to watch. Experiencing the heat was intense but good for all of us to practice, and we figured out what works well for Amy.With an impressive average of 17.1 mph, which included only 9 minutes total off the bike in 5.25 hours, we made our goal but 5:15 at night pulling into the Alberton's parking lot on Blythe, Ca. Amy was in great spirits, with a big smile. She was still motivated to practice with a device designed for her in the event that Shermer's neck were to develop during the race, which is a condition in which the neck muscles decide to stop working. A walk through Alberton's to satisfy her watermelon craving, and we hopped into the car, and headed back over 200 miles towards Laguna Hills where we started this adventure. I was pretty exhausted at this point, fighting to keep my eyes open. Although at the same time we were all so excited by the success of this simulation, that we just couldn't stop talking. A stop for some dinner, and before we knew it, what seemed like the most comfortable bed in the whole entire world offered a well needed night of rest. Today was spent well with a little time pool side, and a great hour spent at Laguna Beach where the feeling of sand between my toes, and the smell of the salt water was so healing, not to mention the honor of seeing a school of dolphin just a few feet from us. A few great goodbyes at the airport, and we were all off back to life, and each of our personal responsibilities in continuing the preparations for the race.At this point Team Strong Heart is very bonded, and prepared for this incredible mission. Our team has recently had some very exciting additions including several additions to crew that will be announced within the next few weeks. Most importantly we continue to stay very focused on our mission, which is to complete the Race safely while raising awareness and funds for the incredible children of Camp Odayin.Our next big landmark will be the weekend of May 15th when Amy flies in Boulder for another big ride prepared by her coach Erik Kenney, and Team Strong Heart hosts a large fundraising party hosted at the TREK Bicycle Store in Louisville. I hope you can all be there. Stay tuned..."