June 13, 2007, Grace Valley Team

After a delicious dinner of enchiladas, salad, and rice on the road (a very special thanks to Brittany Klein and Sarah Roby for their assistance in making sixty enchiladas for the team), the whole team was quite stuffed.

Nevertheless, after we arrived at our (very, very comfortable)
accommodations at Oceanside Marina Suites shortly before

midnight, no one objected to an impromptu ice cream party to save several gallons of fudge ice cream Joan Roby had packed on dry ice.

After meeting many fellow Team Donate Life riders at breakfast, we caravaned down to the pier, where RAAM teams were gathering to have their motor vehicles and bicycles inspected by race officials. Team Donate Life's six teams make up 20 percent of the field, the largest ever to participate in the Race Across America. The diversity of teams is astounding, including a
team of UK firefighters raising money for children's hospitals, teams from Australia and Brazil, and many US-based teams raising money on behalf of various charities. With riders prepping their bikes and crew adding
official race decals to support vehicles, the race vehicle parking lot is a hub of frenzied activity. During stretches of down time, we have the opportunity to mingle with people around the world and visit the beach. A few of us go down to touch the Pacific - God willing we'll be able to touch
the Atlantic just over a week from now.

With everything prepped and ready to go, we attend a pre-race banquet, during which RAAM officials give us the latest updates on the status of the race. The solo riders had left on Sunday, and many already received time penalties during the first 24 hours. RAAM officials are very exacting in rule enforcement to ensure rider safety, and it's our goal to absolutely avoid receiving penalties for the duration of the race. We also learn that Greensburg, KS, one of the time stations on our route, was wiped out by a tornado a few weeks ago. We're reminded to be respectful as we pass through a place where dozens of families have lost everything.

We rendezvoused back at the hotel to prep for race day, having one last team meeting, including a surprise visit from Jonathan and Naomi Anderson (and her parents). It happened to be Jonathan's birthday, so we all sing happy birthday before praying as a team and heading to bed.

The next morning, after a whirlwind of packing and preparation and another birthday song (this time for Joan Roby!) and more prayer, we caravaned down to the start line to see the riders off. Eight riders followed an initial parade route, before Rick Neptune split off to take the first leg of the race. Four riders went with him in a shuttle vehicle -- our rotation schedule has five cyclists rotating in roughly 15-minute intervals. The remaining three riders get some rest, the two RVs move about 90 miles down the course, and the rover vehicle moves ahead of the pack to find a suitable parking spot for the RVs. The follow vehicle, not surprisingly, follows the rider. Every five hours, all thirteen crew members rotate to different vehicles, three active riders retire, with three rested riders taking their place.

These transitions every five hours are the trickiest logistical points in our rotation, and the first one is made more difficult by the fact that motor vehicles and riders are on one of three separate routes for the first part of the race. This led to a complication before the very first time station. The shuttle and follow vehicle were caught in traffic, missing the initial rendezvous point with Rick Neptune. He ended up pulling an additional seven miles on his leg before the support vehicles were able to catch up and replace him with a fresh rider. The race then curved up and
down mountains in the southern California desert, giving our team the chance to hone their abilities at making smooth transitions. By time station 2, in bleak Salton City, CA, we'd gotten a great rhythm going, with our riders averaging a speedy 23.25 mph.