by Gus Grissom, Correspondent
For many amateur bike racers, crits in excess of 20 miles fall squarely into the “long race” category; forget the 40K TT! For a few racers from the MABRA region, however, the first twenty miles fall into the “neutral rollout” category as they begin the Race Across America (RAAM). For those unfamiliar with the race, organizers bill it as “an annual transcontinental bicycle race from the west to east coast of the USA. RAAM is one of the pinnacles of sporting accomplishment, globally seen as the highest rung of the endurance sports ladder. Since 1982, RAAM has a rich and storied history standing as a monument to human endeavors. It is an event so staggering that merely to finish is, for most, the accomplishment of a lifetime.” But for some local racers, this year’s edition is a special opportunity as Team 4MIl competes in support of the Wounded Warriors Project.
Team 4Mil, which consists of eight racers and twenty-one support crew, has given itself the mission “to compete in the world’s most respected and longest running annual endurance event to commemorate the sacrifices of all those who have served their country, generate charitable contributions for the Wounded Warrior Project, and make a positive contribution to military recruiting and public relations.” To that end, this week’s trip to Oceanside CA for the start of the event is merely the beginning of the end of a year-long journey of training, preparation logistical planning. Team Director, Jim Weintstein -- who also races for Team Bike Doctor -- says that this year has represented an effort to adjust to a disastrous end to last year’s race. “RAAM is extremely difficult and somewhat dangerous,” he says, understating the obvious. “The winner is going the team that can suffer the most exhaustion without killing themselves. Last year, just outside of Durango, Colorado, we crossed that line and nearly killed several of our teammates” when an R.V.’s tumbled off a mountain pass and forced the team to withdraw from the race.
This year, however, the team feels stronger and even more prepared for the challenge as they gather tomorrow in Oceanside, California for a week of safety inspections, organizer meetings, and final logistical preparations. They will roll out with the rest of the eight-rider teams at one-minute intervals starting next Saturday at 5:00 (E.S.T.). Before they start, there is still much to do. With two R.V.’s and six additional support vehicles, the team’s logistics are nearly a full-time operation: two mechanics will spend this week re-assembling bikes from their shipping crates and preparing a time trial and road bike for every rider; the lead navigator will put the finishing touches on Garmin data to cover in excess of 250 turns which must be navigated perfectly to avoid disqualification; and the communications chief must ensure all team radios and satellite phones are working properly. The riders, including MABRA racers Kyle Pitman (ABRT), Dan Schindler (ABRT), and Roy Collins (USNA), will spend the week testing out their bikes, riding together and working on the details of their shift timing and hand-off procedures.
So, how exactly does a team do a relay race across America? Weinstein explains, “with a lot of LT intervals.” Basically, the eight-rider team is broken down into two, four-rider squads who will be on the road for ten hours at a stretch. During these ten hours, each rider will do one fifteen minute interval, at or near their lactate threshold, followed by forty-five minutes recovery time in the team van, where “they will relax somewhat but not cool off completely,” he adds.
Their focus, as the team name indicates, is the “Wounded Warrior Project,” a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to “to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation's history … by raising awareness, helping injured service members help themselves and others, and providing unique programs to meet the needs of injured service members. The team, in fact, has had four wounded warriors involved in the preparation for this year’s event, two of whom will be active members of the race crew. The eventual goal, Weinstein explains, is “to put together a team for next year composed of 50% wounded warriors and 50% active duty military. After that, we’d like to eventually field an entire team of wounded warriors as well as our active duty team.” In so doing, he says, the team has gained insight into how beneficial cycling can be for wounded warriors. They have been able to work closely with Walter Reed Medical Center to provide adaptive cycling clinics that will allow the center to “make cycling a viable rehabilitation option for our nation’s wounded warriors.”
GamJams will be following this team closely as they prepare to race across America and updating readers as often as possible. But you can follow them too. Please check out their various media outlets by following them on Twitter and Facebook and realizing that another MABRA notable, Bruce Buckley, will be with the team to chronicle their adventure with his extraordinary photo-journalism talents. You can also read more about them and make a donation to their cause on their website. At the very least, please, take a moment to keep these racers in your thoughts as they prepare for a race so long and so arduous that even to consider its undertaking is a daunting feat for most cyclists, amateur and professional alike. With a race this long, one of the long-standing mottoes from military training is the only way to sum it up: the only easy day was yesterday.
Fair winds and following seas, Mil4RAAM!
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