TexOz Rider Report by Peter Wilson

2 Men, 2 bikes and 8-support crew complete RAAM2007 in 9 Days 4 Hours.

The Date is 12 Jun 2007, the Place is Oceanside Pier California, the event is the Race Across America, a 3050-mile non-stop cycle race, and the finish line is 10 days away on the Boardwalk at Atlantic City.

Team Donate Life TexOz stands ready at the start line; we wear the number 205 so we are up the front as the 2-person team numbers are all in the 200’s. The 4 and 8 person teams lining up behind.

With all the pre-race photos, well wishers and hype both Gary and I missed our call to the line but on arriving at the marshals gate we were ushered into our proper spot on the starting grid to much noise and fanfare, it was hard not to get carried away with the emotion of it all – nearly 3 years of dedicated preparation to get to this point – and no idea how the next 10 days would unravel – You cannot train for RAAM in the traditional sense like you can for a marathon. When I ran marathons it was traditional to train daily over a third of the distance with a long run of around half distance once every 3 weeks – this would be the minimum to guarantee that you at least had a chance of completing the 26 miles 385 yards to the finish line. For a 2 person RAAM team, that same strategy would have you riding 500 miles a day and once every 3 weeks riding 750 miles – Just not possible – for me anyway.

RAAM starts with a parade ride – a mixture of recreational riders, local club riders and the RAAM competitors. Gary and I both rode the Parade with Gary turning back before the Neutral Support Race Zone where I stepped up to take TexOz through to the 28 mile mark when Gary would take over and ride through to the 1st Time Station at Lake Henshaw at 55 miles. The riding was easy and very fast – a mixture of adrenalin and good riding terrain. We were into it and TexOz was looking good, really good – we held our own against the 4 and 8 person teams staying in touch and in front of some for 2 days.

We tore the 2nd time station apart, Gary was riding fast between 25 and 30 mph on the flat, I was cruising at 20 mph I had trained to ride at 15 to 18 mph but the conditions were good and I believed I was comfortable with the pace – we were on a schedule of 1 hr on 1 hr off at this stage all going according to plan.

From TS2 to TS 3 the route took us up onto the Interstate 10 (I-10) and our first taste of night riding. We were still flying.

TS3 to TS4 sees us arrive at Blythe 228 miles done only 2818 to go. It was on this leg that we tried the 1st of our sleep strategies, Gary would go to 2 hr pulls to let me sleep then I would follow with a 2-hour pull so Gary could sleep.

After I woke from my sleep, I could sense that something was wrong, everyone looked worried – in direct contrast to how everyone was when I went to sleep. Gary was in trouble and it looked serious – he was riding at 10 mph and all over the road. Off the bike he was a mess – I elected to do a long pull to let the crew sort him out and get him a decent sleep thinking, no hoping that was all he needed.

I ended up on the bike for 6 or more hours and our average speed dived to below12 mph. Riding in to Williams TS8 I was a very disheartening to see that Gary was totally wasted even after such a long time off the bike. It was explained to me that 2 things had happened, firstly Gary was dehydrated and required a drip, this was arranged and administered at Prescott – secondly Gary had red-lined his heart in the desert and his heart was fluttering- he was medicated to control his pulse – he was given permission to ride whilst on the medication but it restricted his heart beat to 90 bpm no matter what he did – he was speed limited and could produce no power – so hills were out of the question - the concept of the Texan flatlander was born.

There was real concern now that we wouldn’t make the cut-off at Cortez TS14, but I was in no mood to give up. Gary and I had often discussed our strategy should one of us become sick or damaged – in that each of us should be prepared to ride for 24 –48 hours solo, whatever it took, in the hope that the incapacitated rider could recover. So this was it – the Crew Chief crunched the numbers and said that to reach Cortez before the cut-off I would need to maintain 13 mph average. So I changed the saddle on my bike for the comfortable Gel seat I brought alone – one of 3 different saddles in my pack up – got on the bike and rode – My thoughts were in a mess – here we were struggling at the end of Day 1 – I had thought that the sort of trouble we were in would be a Day 3 or Day 4 affair – some things in life just come early. Flagstaff, Tuba City, Kayenta all went by in a blur. When the
going was flat we put Gary on the bike for short pulls so I could rest even 15 minutes off the bike was appreciated. At Kayenta TS11 Gary was very week again and needed more sleep so he was put to bed in the RV and I prepared to ride through Monument Valley to Mexican Hat. It was hot, very hot but I had on my Skins and a neck shade and the 5 weeks training in 130 degrees in the Australian Desert paid big dividends – That ride is now a cherished memory, I was so strong – there was a favourable wind – not exactly a tail wind but anything that is not a headwind in appreciated. And the scenery was – well it was Monument Valley Utah.

At Mexican Hat Gary was much recovered and ready to ride, my fear was that he would try to make up for lost time and hurt himself again but I needn’t have worried – yes he was down, he was very disappointed for himself and the team – but ride he did and although still under the affects of the medication he was riding well enough to keep us alive. Gary seemed to be able to hold a good pace for about 25 minutes so the Crew Chief ordered a 30 minute on, 30 minute off, Schedule and a 1hr 30 minute sleep break every 24 hours both of us off the bike together. I didn’t like the idea of both riders being off the road together but did as I was told. It turned out to be the magic formulae and we stuck to it for the rest of the race. It meant that neither of us developed chronic fatigue and could match each other in effort day in day out. We shuffled the pulls around a bit on the climbs as Gary could still only perform on the relatively flat – that’s if you consider there are any relatively flat areas on the RAAM route.

We hit Cortez in 53 hrs 47 min – 7 hours inside the 61 hr cut-off time.
Good, we were still in the race – Gary was still very weak, depressed and still under the influence of his medication but he was hoping that as the effects wore off his performance would improve.

Cortez was the last of the dramatics, I feel sure that the Crew Chief had many issues and that’s his story to tell, but for us riders is was just a matter of getting on the bike every 30 minutes and riding. There was even some fun stuff in there somewhere where both Gary and I were on the bikes together working turns and really enjoying the ride.

Wolf Creek Pass was memorable, Gary started the climb until he was done then I took over and destroyed the mountain – 5 weeks training at 8,0000 feet, 7 days in the Grand Canyon alone, really paid off – I also did La Veta solo – I love riding the mountains and because Gary was still below par I don’t think he minded me hogging all the climbs.

The cut off at El Dorado KS, TS28 was hit at 110 hrs 45 min – 12 hrs inside the cut-off, we were back and very safe.

Next the cut-off at Indianapolis TS40 was hit after 161 hrs 54 min, 14 hrs inside the cut-off we were improving with each day. Gary was out from under the effects of his medication and he was much more aware of his hydration and calorie requirements.

Leaving TS 50 in the dark, I was settling in to one of 4 long hard climbs, the climbing was relentless at this stage as every molehill felt like a mountain. One climb in particular was listed in the Route book as a walker, No way – I have not met the RAAM rider yet who would get of and walk – not now, not here, in site of the finish line. There was 3 Solo riders in front riding at 18 mph and swapping places at the front – these guys were in a caravan and racing hard – after 8 days of racing I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was motivated to catch them and climbing well I closed on the 3rd rider to a distance of about 20 yards – my crew called me off – I wasn’t about to pass them and establish any sort of lead – not with them traveling at 18 mph. Stay back was the order don’t interfere with the Solo race just stay back 100 yards and watch the drama unfold. What a site – rock music blasting out to the riders and a lot of tactical posturing was going on – wonderful stuff. At the top of the climb Gary took over but we wasted too much time on the changeover and lost touch on the downhill – Gary rode hard but they had descended like demons and there was no sight of them. At the next climb I took over again and clawed back some of the time but by then
the caravan had broken up – the 2 in front were disappearing fast and the 3rd guy was in sight but still going strong – as his lights disappeared over the summit – I was told – that’s it Pete there gone – settle to your own rhythm now and lets get on with the business of getting to the finish line. At once I felt lonely, we had been following those guys for over an hour and it was exciting – now it was back to 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off, eating, drinking and riding – we had a long night ahead.

It was not until we hit Pennsylvania that the true Gary came back to the team. Through Pennsylvania and into New Jersey as we approached the finish line Gary was awesome – his form on the bike was picture perfect and so strong he was cruising hitting 30 mph on the flats in an effortless rhythm that was something to behold. We were meant to be still doing 30-minute pulls, but with my agreement, and unknown to Gary (If you ever read this Gary please forgive us) the support crew started to top and tail my pulls and give Gary and extra 10 minutes. It make sense as I was working hard to average 22 mph and Gary was cruising at an average of 28mph we had to capitalize on his effort. We cruised into McDonalds at TS 56, the RV and the rest of the support crew were zooming down the freeway to meet us at the finish – or supposed to be, we learnt later that they were stuck in a traffic jam due to an accident –
at one point it looked like we would beat them to the finish – I could only imagine the stress this caused the crew after 9 days of ushering us across the country, would they miss the finish?.

Gary and I both rode the last leg to the freeway ramp to pick up the police escort – perhaps we should had rode hard as the clock was still ticking – but we were basking in the euphoria of finishing – the formalities of the finish line were for everyone else – to us riders the clock stopped on the Freeway Ramp. We both rode the escorted trip down the freeway – I found the pace very fast and had to draft the escort car – what was going on did the nice policeman think he were escorting motorcycles to the finish line. Well it made the 5 miles down the freeway a quick trip I guess, then it was onto the boardwalk, through the finish tape and up onto the podium – that was it for me – I lost contact with the real world – whatever I said or did I hope was it was appropriate. I remember none of it. I hope I thanked all my
friends and family, Team Donate Life and especially our superb support crew in an appropriate way. I’ve seen the official photos and I like them all, Gary and I look like we were satisfied with our effort - 9 Days and 4 hrs – good enough for a pair of 55 year olds looking for adventure – Well we got the adventure bit in Spades.

Will there be a solo attempt – Let me just say that I haven’t discounted the possibility. As for Gary, well the potential is there and should he give it a go – if he wants he already has a Crew Chief in me. Well done Pardner – lets hope there is more to come from the TexOz partnership.

To all my Team Donate Life colleagues, whether you rode, crewed ,or supported from home, congratulations on a simply superb effort. On behalf of Gary, myself and the TexOZ Support Crew let me just say that we all found the TDL community and our collective involvement in the 2007 addition of RAAM to be nothing short of amazing - it was without doubt an experience of a lifetime and thank you all for your part in making it happen. I hope to maintain my association with TDL and to work/ride/crew another RAAM once again under the TDL Banner. I need to thank Jason and in particular my friend Kent for their support and encouragement without which my involvement with TDL could not have been possible - to both you guys I remain truly
grateful.

So here is my take on this years RAAM

Enjoy,

Peter Wilson

TDL Mentioned in Chew's Views - From RAAM Website

From Chew's Views - Day 12:

9 hours after Phoenix, the 6th 2 person team & first 50+ 2 person Team Donate Life – TexOz finished. The team consists of Texan Gary Barnes & Australian Peter Wilson. Having been on many crews, Peter has been planning RAAM for 5 years. He crewed on the Royal Air Force 4 person team 3 times and for Chris Hopkinson (first British rider to finish solo RAAM) in 2005. After crewing for Hopkinson, Peter knew he had to do 2 person or solo. About RAAM, Gary said, “It teaches you there is no such thing as a solo effort.” He knew about RAAM before Team Donate Life. Gary added, “Since Texas didn’t prepare me to climb, I designated Pete as the team climber.”

While a senior in college, Gary took a 2,500 mile unassisted trip on which a car hit him head-on. This made him realize that every pedal stroke is a reminder that life is a gift. Gary thanked their bike sponsor Jim Hoyt of Richardson Bike Mart (Lance Armstrong). Gary & Peter held up criss crossed little flags of their countries. RAAM race director Terry Zmrhal gave Team Donate Life (TexOz was the last of their 5 teams to finish this year – their 2 person mixed Team Beauty & The Beast DNFed) a special plaque in appreciation of their RAAM support. The team had an emergency neck brace (Peter saw what solo RAAM did to poor Hopkinson’s neck) ready, but didn’t need it. Gary rode on the 8 person Team Donate Life last year. TexOz was impressed as they rode behind 3 soloists at 18 mph. After completing a 2 man team, Peter feels farther away from solo, and can’t see himself doing it for at least 5 years. Gary wanted the 2 man team record until he got sick in the desert.

From Chew's Views - Day 11:

The final (8th) 8 person Corporate Challenge Team Donate Life – Heels On Wheels finished on Wednesday morning. The first all women 8 person team, they established a new division record of 16.57 mph. To give you an example of how/why older well established records are harder to break, the 4 person women’s team record is 18.57 mph set in 1996 by Team Florida. The oldest woman ever to ride RAAM, 65 year old Eleanor Markb rode to the summit of Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado. Descending at 50 mph, Mark made a statement for any senior citizen. Karen Lehman was deeply moved when she rode 6 miles with a local rider through tornado-devastated Greensburg, KS. RAAM marketing director Jeff “Bubba” Stephens performing MC duties on stage was brought to emotional tears by the Heels on Wheels team. As the route passed through Ohio, Jeff made a slight detour/stop at his house where his 4.5 year old daughter Paige asked him about the girls in the race. Jeff said these women are terrific role models for his daughter.

This is the first time in the history of RAAM, that we have had at least one all women’s team in every division (solo, 2, 4, & 8 person)! Deirdre Greenholz said there are 97,000 people waiting nationwide for organs. My colleague Perry Stone asked Greenholz on the phone, “Why are you in last place?” She said this has been with her since Monument Valley AZ/UT, and she made a list of the many reasons why. For 7 women on the team, RAAM was their first bike race. They didn’t get to see each other very often. Nicknames were used for all crewmembers like Flat Tire. Light rain began to fall during the awards ceremony, and it got heavier by the end.

Conversation with Deborah Georges

I had a chance to talk to Deborah Georges a few days ago and she filled me in a bit about what happened on her ride.

"I"m fine I guess. I'm recovering," she said. "I was descending into Osage Beach - I was on a descent. I was going very fast down the descent, I was holding a really good line, and I was enjoying it."

Her crew was right behind her and filled her in later on their view.

"I hit a rock or a crack and started wobbling. I flipped over the bicycle and landed on my ride side, I broke 10 ribs on my right side and my right clavicle." She said she landed in a ditch off an embankment on the side of the road.

"I've never had broken ribs before. It's painful, but I have a very high tolerance to pain. I'm more determined than ever to ride solo next year."

In typical cyclist fashion, she showed more concern for her bike than her body. "My bike - thank God - is O.K. There isn't a scratch on it!"

She explained her state of mind before the crash. She was riding solo because her partner had dropped out of the race in Colorado. But because they had registered as a two-person team, she had to still meet the two-person requirements even though she was only one now. Her crew rallied around her and they all made the decision to carry on and attempt to finish on her strengths.

"I had to get to the Indiana time station to stay in the race. I was hustling. I was riding strongly. We were determined to make it."

About the accident she said: "I didn't see it coming. It was unfortunate, especially since I was riding so well. I'm sure I would have made it."

Her entire crew stayed by her at the hospital as she got checked out.

"They wanted me to stay another day, but I was determined to get up and I checked out."

Although originally Deborah and crew wanted to go on to Atlantic City, the van had to be returned to New York and they wouldn't have made it in time. Plus, the nurse on her crew, Kim Kennedy, didn't want her driving all the way to Atlantic City. So she's with family right now on the West Coast.

She has especial words of thanks for her crew. "There was such good karma. In spite of everything that happened, I had a ball! I've already begun raising money for next year."

Hopefully Deborah will be riding for Team Donate Life next year. What a true competitor. Thanks Deb!

Gary and Pete @ The Finish

Some great pictures of two admirable men at the finish line:
http://gallery.raceacrossamerica.org/gallery/3039729#165401360

6.21.07 - TDL TexOz Rides the Boardwalk!!

The TDL TexOz 2-man (50+) team of Gary Barnes and Pete Wilson reached the finish line on 6/21/07 at 9:24 Eastern Daylight Time.

3042.8 Miles total
220:11 Hours total
13.82 MPH Average Speed
9 Days, 4 Hours, 11 Minutes

What an awesome achievement for two guys who had never met before, and battled serious health issues across the country but NEVER gave up. Way to go - you guys rock! Thank you Gary and Pete!

Finished With Grace

From Jason Weckworth

My favorite quote from RAAM this year came from our Crew Chief (and my wife), Kristen. "You need a tremendous amount of grace to be a part of RAAM."

We finished well. We finished, period. That is all that matters.

As I fall asleep tonight in our hotel room in Atlantic City, my mind is primarily surrounded by the following thoughts:

Kristen, thank you for your grace. You will always be my favorite crew chief.

Crew, thank you for your serving attitudes. You kept us safe, and you brought us all the way across the country in 7 days. You are simply amazing.

Teammates: Thank you for your training, your intensity, and your fundraising. We have made history together as the first 4-person team in TDL.

Crew Member Families: Thank you for allowing us to take part of your family away for the past 12 days and for all the sacrifice you have made on our behalf.

Friends, Co-Workers & Family: Thank you for your comments, phone calls, and e-mails of support. It means so much.

Financial Donors & Sponsors: Thank you for making a difference. You are helping us change the world and save lives through our message.

Grace Valley, Heels on Wheels, Primo, Beauty & the Beast, Tex-Oz: Thank you for your alignment with TDL, your passion for our cause, and the incredible sacrifice you have made for TDL. To all teams and Crew, I hope that this memory will last a lifetime.

Kent Mulkey & Tamsin DeLong: Thank you for choosing TDL. We are becoming something very big because of your efforts.

RAAM: Thank you for a great race that was extremely well organized.

I can't wait to start evaluating this year, and to start planning next year! We will only get better.

Please stay tuned for the many pictures that we will download from our cameras when we get home. We will post them to our site through our photo gallery.

To everyone involved with TDL: Thank you.
--Jason, June 20, 2007, 8:36 P.M.