2006 post RAAM Interviews:

 

Danny Chew post RAAM Interview with Jonathan Boyer

 

 

Jonathan “Jock” Boyer was the first American to race in the Tour de France.  In 1981, he finished 32nd overall riding for winner Bernard Hinault on the Renault team.  In 1982 & 1983, he was 25th & 12th on the Sem France Loire team.  In 1984, he was 24th on the Skil team.  In 1987, he was 99th on the 7-Eleven team.  Lance Armstrong dropped out of the Tour three times before he started winning it.  In 1985, Boyer became the first “rookie” to win RAAM, and (without using aerobars or disk wheels) set the rookie speed record of 14.31 mph which still holds today.  21 years later, he returned to RAAM this year, and won the first Enduro RAAM.  He became the oldest solo winner, and set the new 50+ speed record (breaking Bob Breedlove’s old 12.26 mph transcontinental record) of 12.63 mph despite spending 48 hours off his bike.  This years Traditional RAAM winner Daniel Wyss became the second rookie (after Boyer in 1985) to ever win solo RAAM.  This year, Boyer won finishing with the smallest crew (3 men in one vehicle) of any solo RAAM winner. 

 

 

DC:  JOCK, CONGRATS ON WINNING THE FIRST ENDURO RAAM!  IN HIS PRE-RACE INTERVIEW WITH ME CONCERNING THE TWO SOLO DIVISIONS, TRADITIONAL ROOKIE WINNER DANIEL WYSS SAID TO ME, "WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE SAME PERSON FINISHES BOTH DIVISIONS BEFORE THEY CAN BE COMPARED."  JOCK, YOU ARE NOW THE ONLY PERSON TO FINISH AND WIN BOTH THE TRADITIONAL AND ENDURO DIVISIONS.  CAN YOU PLEASE COMPARE AND CONTRAST THESE TWO RACES? 

 

JB:  I have a difficult time in remembering all the events that happened to me in the 1985 RAAM.  In that one, I got about 27 hours of sleep.  I will say that I was much more affected then by the sleep deprivation factor than this year.  In the Enduro RAAM, I did not have any hallucinations and was never way "out there".   As far as mentally, I found myself being coherent throughout the whole RAAM.  I do appreciate the ability to sleep 40+ hours during the RAAM, and if I were to do it again, I would opt to do the Enduro RAAM.  I found myself looking forward to the sleep breaks and it served as a motivational factor in my crossing.

 

DC:  WHAT ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RIDING THE RACE AS A 50 YEAR OLD MAN THIS YEAR VERSUS A 29 YEAR OLD MAN AT THE PEAK OF HIS PRO CAREER IN 1985 WHEN YOU WON AND SET THE STILL STANDING ROOKIE SPEED RECORD OF 14.31 MPH WITHOUT AEROBARS OR DISK WHEELS? 

 

JB:  Very different and very interesting.  I had without a doubt higher watts in 1985 during the RAAM.  The equipment factor was for sure a handicap.  In this year's RAAM, I had the best bikes and equipment available, and was able to take advantage of that aspect.  My VO2 was not significantly lower, but I feel my efficiency has improved especially in my last 2 years - due primarily to my organic, healthful diet and supplements.  I think that my real metabolic health is superior now than in 1985, just then I had more strength to dig into.  I could not afford that luxury this year, and even learned quite a lot in my nutritional needs and supplements, and would change quite a few things that would enable me to extend my stamina and strength.  The RAAM is a fascinating event that stresses every system that out body has, and keeping each system at it's optimum is so crucial, each choice we make in diet, hydration, clothes, and equipment has such an impact on them, it's critical we make the right choices.

 

DC:  FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE RACE, THREE ENDURO RIDERS (BALOH, ROBIC, & YOU) DOMINATED - LEADING THROUGH ALL BUT 4 OF THE FIRST 26 TIME STATIONS.  THE SECOND HALF OF THE RACE, TRADITIONAL RIDERS TOOK OVER LEADING THROUGH THE LAST 31 TIME STATIONS.  FOR THE FIRST HALF, YOU SLEPT MORE THAN THE TRADITIONAL RIDERS, BUT STILL WERE ABLE TO RIDE FAST ENOUGH TO STAY AT OR NEAR THE FRONT OF THE RACE.  WHY DIDN'T THIS KEEP HAPPENING THE SECOND HALF OF THE RACE?  I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE ENDURO RIDERS WOULD HAVE BEEN FASTER THAN THE TRADITIONAL RIDERS AFTER THEY GOT THEIR 40 HOURS OF OFF BIKE TIME, YET WHEN YOU REACHED 40 HOURS AT THE MANDATORY

CONTROL POINT IN PARKERSBURG, WV, YOU WENT FROM BEING 6 HOURS BEHIND TRADITIONAL RACE LEADER WYSS TO OVER 13 HOURS BEHIND HIM AT THE FINISH IN ATLANTIC CITY.

 

JB:  I feel there are several factors that affected the second half of the race.  As you know, there is always the RAAM slow down factor that affects pretty much everybody the second half of the race.  As you know too, just before the half way mark, we lost one van and 4 crew members.  Much of my food and other items were in that second van we lost, and it didn't take long for us to start running out of things including food.  We were dependent on deliveries of groceries on the side of the road from people we had never met, but who from one phone call randomly in the city we were going through, would go to the grocery store and buy from their own money $100 worth of groceries, and bring them to some intersection we were going through.  All that happened to us in that respect

was nothing short of miraculous, and without those deliveries, we would have not been able to continue.  We were also plagued with vehicle mechanical issues like a flat tire with no way to remove the tire out in the boondocks somewhere.  My focus was to sustain my mental clarity, and limit our circumstantial mishaps.

 

DC:  YOU ARE A VERY COMPETITIVE MAN.  DID YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU WERE RACING AGAINST THE TRADITIONAL RIDERS, AND DID YOU WANT TO ARRIVE IN ATLANTIC CITY BEFORE THEY DID? 

 

JB:  I set out in the beginning to race against the Enduro riders, and felt my main competitors were Robic and Baloh.  Then after Robic dropped out, my main focus was always Baloh.  I am surprised that I rarely ever knew where I stood in regards to the Traditionalists - they were not my concern.  When we lost our van, I was even more intent that I keep enough distance between myself and Baloh

to guard against any unforeseen mishap.  When the 40 hours ran out and  we still had a ways to go, I continued to monitor Baloh's progress and was dealing with too many other issues to worry about being first in Atlantic City.  If I were to do it again, I would concentrate more on the Traditionalists without ruling out the Enduro riders.  With 40 hours of mandatory sleep, beating the Traditionalists is very feasible.  I would have had to change my strategy a bit, and gear towards that goal, and apply all that I learned this year to achieve that goal.

 

DC:  MY PICK TO WIN THE ENDURO RACE - JURE ROBIC DROPPED OUT WITH PNEUMONIA IN PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO WHILE LEADING BOTH SOLO DIVISIONS.  HOW DID HIS DEPARTURE FROM THE RACE AFFECT YOUR STRATEGY IF AT ALL?  ROBIC ARRIVED AT PAGOSA SPRINGS 2.5

HOURS BEFORE YOU, YET YOU HAD ACCUMULATED NEARLY THAT AMOUNT OF TIME MORE THAN HIM OFF THE BIKE.  DID YOU CREW EVER TELL YOU THAT YOU WERE LEADING THE ENDURO RACE EVEN THOUGH YOU WEREN'T PASSING THROUGH THE TIME STATIONS IN FIRST POSITION?

 

JB:  Yes, I was aware that I was the "virtual" leader at that point.  That is one of the reasons we stuck to our original plan, and I just continued the way I was going.

 

DC:  FOR THE 2ND HALF OF THE RACE, YOU ONLY HAD 3 CREW MEMBERS IN ONE SUPPORT VEHICLE.  YOU ARE THE FIRST RAAM WINNER TO EVER FINISH WITH JUST 3 PEOPLE IN ONE VEHICLE.  HOW DIFFICULT DID THIS MAKE THINGS?  HOW DID YOUR CREW GET ENOUGH REST/SLEEP?  HOW DID THREE TIME 4 PERSON TEAM RAAM WINNER KERRY RYAN WORK OUT AS YOUR CREW CHIEF? 

 

JB:  I mentioned earlier some of the mishaps we had, and that was just a few of the many.  I am certain that without Kerry Ryan as my crew chief, we would not have been able to finish the race intact.  With Ryan's experience and help - along with Ricky G's remarkable ability to draw upon his creative resources, and by the grace of God, we were able to overcome all the obstacles that faced us each moment.  My being able to finish was the result of the help of so many people -  some I never met or knew, it was really an amazing experience.  And to answer the other question, I do not know how they were able to get enough sleep, my assumption is that they didn't.

 

DC:  HOW WELL DID YOU MANAGE MAXIMIZING THE AMOUNT OF SLEEP YOU GOT AT THE ENDURO CONTROL POINTS?  WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO HAVE TO PUSH ON TO THE NEXT CONTROL POINT IF YOU WERE EXPERIENCING A LOW PERIOD?  WHAT ABOUT HAVING TO STOP FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS AT THE MANDATORY CONTROL POINTS EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T TIRED/SLEEPY?  CAN YOU PLEASE ESTIMATE ABOUT HOW MUCH MORE TIME YOU HAD OFF YOUR BIKE THAN THE 45 HOURS YOU OFFICIALLY LOGGED?

 

JB:  I have the ability to be able to sleep anytime, anywhere, in any place, so

Enduro control points as far as I was concerned, were well situated.  I ended

up gaging my efforts to the next sleep point, and I was always able to get

good sleep at the mandatory two hour Enduro check points.  There were only a few times at the end that I needed to take additional stops, and I think we calculated I took an additional 3 hours of sleep between the points.

 

DC:  AFTER YOU WENT OVER 40 HOURS OF OFF BIKE TIME AT THE LAST ENDURO MANDATORY CONTROL POINT IN PARKERSBURG, WV, YOU STILL LOGGED INTO TWO MORE ENDURO CONTROL POINTS EVEN THOUGH YOU NO LONGER HAD TO.  WERE YOU AWARE OF THIS?  WHY DID YOU KEEP DOING IT?  OUT OF HABIT?  DID YOU EVER SWITCH OVER TO TRADITIONAL MODE, AND START STOPPING WHEN AND WHERE EVER YOU WANTED TO WITHOUT CHECKING IN?

 

JB:  I did it because I did not want to arrive in Atlantic City completely wasted.  There is a point that one must look at the overall health and stress impact, and weigh if it is worth the extra stress.  I was ahead of Baloh and I was too far off Wyss, so there was not a valuable enough point to go the extra effort.  Had I been closer to the others or had a competitor close to me, it would have been an entirely different story.  I stayed within the Enduro checkpoint strategy and was comfortable with that.

 

DC:  A LOT OF RIDERS COMPLAINED ABOUT BREATHING/LUNG PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE ALTITUDE THE FIRST 3-4 DAYS OF THE RACE.  DID THIS BOTHER YOU?

 

JB:  I was acutely aware of the lung issues the first days.  I also got a lung infection the first day from going hot to cold and then climbing into the altitude.  It started to become a bit serious, and did worry me a bit (coughing up blood and going into uncontrollable coughing spasms), but I am thankful that it slowly resolved itself, and by the end it was over.  The circumstances those first days made us all very susceptible to any lung infection. 

 

DC:  YOU EXPERIENCED SHERMERNECK (A CONDITION WHERE A RIDER CAN NO LONGER HOLD THEIR NECK UP TO SEE) AND BAD SADDLE SORES THIS YEAR.  WHEN DID THEY FIRST SHOW UP, AND HOW MUCH DID THEY SLOW YOU DOWN?  DID YOU HAVE EITHER OF THESE IN 1985?  WERE AEROBARS TO BLAME?  CAN YOU ESTIMATE WHAT % OF THE TIME YOU SPENT ON YOUR AEROBARS WHILE RIDING?

 

JB:  My surprise this year was my neck problems, and the odd thing was that I was completely unaware that it was happening to me - it came on so slow.  I had been warned about it, but since I had never experienced it, I couldn't relate to it.  It was at it's worst in Kansas when in the incredible winds, I could not look forward.  I didn't even realize I couldn't - I could only stare at the ground, and this was the reason I was blown off the road twice - crashing one of the times.  This didn't happen to me in 1985 since I was not allowed to use a time trial bike or even TT clip-on (aerodynamic) handlebars on my road bike.  I would say I spent 60 - 75% on the clip-on bars with 800 miles of that on my actual TT bike.  My saddle sores this year were the worst I have ever experienced, and were due to a last minute (night before) decision to change saddles because a new saddle I was trying solved an issue I was having with my current saddle - it was putting my left leg a bit numb.  What I did not realize is that the new saddle had some bad stitching that really tore me up the first day.  It was not until the 4th day when  I realized where it was coming from, and it was way too late to have any healing by then.  It was like sitting on razor blades the whole time, and I had to live on Lidocaine constantly which made my whole area numb which really inhibited my ability to urinate (older age can also affect urination).  That whole issue cost me way too much unnecessary time off my bike. 

 

DC:  SOME OF THE WORST WINDS (UP TO 70 MPH SOUTH) IN THE 25 YEAR HISTORY OF RAAM BLEW ACROSS EASTERN CO AND MOST OF KS.  HOW BAD WERE THOSE WINDS, AND WERE YOU EVER BLOWN OFF YOUR BIKE?  IF SO, HOW BADLY DID YOU GET HURT?  DID YOU RIDE SEW-UP (TUBULAR) TIRES THE ENTIRE RACE, AND HOW MANY FLAT TIRES DID YOU HAVE?  WITH FINISHING TIMES BEING SO FAR SPREAD OUT (THE CLOSEST TIME GAP WAS 6 HOURS, 26 MINUTES BETWEEN 3RD & 4TH PLACES, AND 6TH & 7TH PLACES) AMONG ENDURO RIDERS, STRATEGIES CONCERNING OFF BIKE TIMES WEREN'T NEARLY AS IMPORTANT AS I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO BE.  CAN YOU SHED ANY LIGHT ON THIS FACT?  IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO AD?  WILL YOU BE BACK TO RACE AGAIN?  DO YOU THINK THE 40 HOURS OF OFF BIKE TIME IN THE ENDURO RACE WAS A GOOD GUESS BY LON HALDEMAN?

 

JB:  Kansas was a turning point for many.  I had some of my worst times in the wind in Kansas.  As I said above, I was blown off my bike twice but only once did I fall.  I received trauma below the left knee which became quite swollen and incredibly painful.  I was surprised I was able to recover as quickly as I did - I could hardly walk for days, but it resolved itself after a few days.  It happened at the same time we lost our 2nd van and crew members.  I did use tubulars and I think I had 3 flats (2 in the rain).  I remember in 1985, I rode tubulars and only got one flat going over some train tracks.  I think that you error in thinking that the strategies off the bike were not as important as you had thought.  I think that it was very important to take time off in the beginning, and that is what gave me a bit of an edge despite my external difficulties.  I think that I delayed a bit the RAAM slow down phenomena a bit by doing that.  I think that Lon Haldeman made an excellent choice of 40 hours, and think that it should be kept.  It keeps the Traditionalists in a feasible striking distance if all was planned properly, and there were not too many mishaps.  There is a possibility that I will do the Enduro again, as I learned a lot doing this years RAAM, and could put that to knowledge to an even faster one in the future.  Though I would have to resolve certain issues I had this year before I would do it again.

 

DC:  THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, AND I HOPE YOU ARE RECOVERING WELL.  IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?

 

JB:  I am currently part of the Project Rwanda:

 

http://www.ProjectRwanda.org

 

And will be going back to Rwanda in the spring to choose and train Rwandan cyclists to compete in the international MTB cycling circuit.  Our first race is planned as the Cape Epic which is a grueling 8 day MTB race in the Republic of South Africa. 

 

 

 

Danny Chew post RAAM Interview with Rookie Rob Lucas

 

 

Rob dropped out at the Mississippi River – 1,997 miles into the race.

 

 

DC:  ROB, I AM SORRY ABOUT YOUR DNF, AND I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO INTERVIEW YOU IN ATLANTIC CITY.  WAS IT HARD FOR YOU TO DECIDE WHICH DIVISION (ENDURO OR TRADITIONAL) OF SOLO RAAM TO ENTER AS A ROOKIE THIS YEAR, AND HOW DIFFICULT OF A DECISION WAS IT FOR YOU?

 

RL:  I didn't like the Enduro rules from the beginning, but I also was worried about the Traditional category going back to the 48 hours after the winner cut-off with Allen Larsen racing.  I felt that the Enduro would give me longer to finish and as a rookie I had no idea how well I would do.  If Allen Larsen had withdrawn while I still could change categories, it might have become a hard decision for me.

 

DC:  HOW WELL DID YOU MANAGE MAXIMIZING THE AMOUNT OF SLEEP YOU GOT AT THE ENDURO CONTROL POINTS?  WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO HAVE TO PUSH ON TO THE NEXT CONTROL POINT IF YOU WERE EXPERIENCING A LOW PERIOD?  WHAT ABOUT HAVING TO STOP FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS AT THE MANDATORY CONTROL POINTS EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T TIRED/SLEEPY?  CAN YOU PLEASE ESTIMATE ABOUT HOW MUCH MORE TIME YOU HAD OFF YOUR BIKE THAN THE NEARLY 36 HOURS YOU OFFICIALLY LOGGED BY THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER?

 

RL:  The early part of the race I did really well maximizing sleep at the control points.  Once my pelvis rotated and my IT band and muscles knotted up, I spent time going to chiropractors and massage therapists at some of the control points, so I was sleeping less even though I was logging more time off the bike.  There were only a couple times that pushing on to the next control point was a problem, and they were because my sleep patterns had been thrown off by the mandatory control points.  In those cases, I kept falling asleep on the bike and there was no way to safely keep riding, and I had to take at least a short nap.  Going to sleep was never a problem for me at the mandatory control points.  Even when I got to a mandatory control point in the afternoon, I'd sleep for 3 hours since that was my planned length of sleep breaks.  The 3 hours of sleep was great around 2 or 3 in the morning, but it was a mistake in the afternoon.  Since I'd slept in the afternoon, I'd try riding all night and I'd always end up sleeping on the bike (Chew calls this sleepriding) somewhere around 3 or 4 in the morning, and my crew would have to make me get off and sleep.  I should have taken shorter breaks at the mandatory control points I got to in the afternoon or early evening, and then planned another short break during the night.  I was either fairly alert or asleep.  There really didn't seem to be any in between zombie state for me.  My crew said I actually rode quite well in my sleep, and I would generally wake up just enough to correct my line before crossing the center line or going in the ditch.  In fact it took me telling them I'd been going to sleep on a section before they were able to recognize when I was sleeping.  At first, they thought I just wasn't riding very straight.  I think I probably slept about 2 hours that wasn't at a control point.  After I got injured, there were periods though when I'd ride for 15 minutes, and then would have to stop and stretch and get rubbed down before I could continue on.  I don't know exactly how much time all those stops added up to, but I think the last few days it was a pretty significant amount of time.

 

DC:  A LOT OF RIDERS COMPLAINED ABOUT BREATHING/LUNG PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE ALTITUDE THE FIRST 3-4 DAYS OF THE RACE.  DID THIS BOTHER YOU?  IF NOT, DO YOU THINK LIVING AT ALTITUDE IN COLORADO SPRINGS WAS/IS AN ADVANTAGE FOR YOU?  WERE YOU TEMPED TO QUIT IN CO BECAUSE THE RACE PASSED BY SO CLOSE TO YOUR HOME?

 

RL:  I actually have asthma that is triggered by very bad allergies to pollens.  I had really thought before the race that if I DNF'd, it would be from an asthma attack.  Last summer my peak flow was actually tested at 30% of normal at the ER after finishing a 400k in which I had ridden by a couple fields where they were cutting hay.  The only time I really had trouble breathing was on the climb to Prescott, and I think that was from the dryness or it could have been something in the area that I was allergic to.  I ended up stopping for about 20 minutes at one point and used my asthma inhalers because of it.  From Flagstaff, AZ to Trinidad, CO, I felt really good for the most part.  I think a big part of that was because it was cooler at altitude.  It also helped because we were on roads that I've driven a lot, and I knew the terrain and what was coming up.  I think it definitely was an advantage to live at altitude because I regularly ride up to over 10,000 feet, and am totally comfortable with the altitude.  I can often actually breath better at 10,000 feet because there's less pollen in the air.  I had been worried about wanting to drop out in Colorado, and just drive 90 minutes and be in my own bed.  Friends had come to see me in the middle of the night in La Veta, and then my family was in Trinidad.  I had been riding well up to Trinidad and was pumped up.  When I left Trinidad, I was actually excited to be continuing on.

 

DC:  WE STAYED AT THE SAME MOTEL IN TRINIDAD, CO WHERE YOU HAD SOME FAMILY MEMBERS MEET YOU.  WHO WERE THEY, WHERE DID THEY COME FROM, DID ANY OF THEM JOIN YOUR CREW THERE, AND HOW MOTIVATING/UPLIFTING WAS THIS FOR YOU?

 

RL:  They were my 2 little girls (Danielle and Cassidy), my parents, my in-laws, and 3 of my nieces.  It really did help me.  It was special to have my parents there because I've been racing for 17 years, and my parents had never even come to local races.  The original plan was for my wife to meet me there, and crew the rest of the way.  The second day I had been frustrated with my crew since none of them had crewed for me before, and only one had ultra cycling experience.  My wife has crewed for my 4 RAAM qualifiers and six 24 hour mountain bike races.  We didn't want her to be gone from the kids the whole time.  She ended up having my friend bring her to meet us near the Utah and Colorado border.  By that time, things were going much better with the crew, but it was still good to see her.

 

DC:  WIND SLAMMING OUR MOTEL DOORS SHUT WAS A SAMPLE OF WHAT LAY AHEAD - SOME OF THE WORST WINDS (UP TO 70 MPH SOUTH) IN THE 25 YEAR HISTORY OF RAAM ACROSS EASTERN CO AND MOST OF KS.  YOUR AVERAGE SPEED FINALLY DROPPED BELOW THE 10.49 MPH MINIMUM (NEEDED FOR AN ENDURO OFFICIAL FINISH OF 12 DAYS, 2 HOURS) BY EASTERN KS.  HOW BAD WERE THOSE WINDS, WERE YOU EVER BLOWN OFF YOUR BIKE, AND HOW MUCH DID THAT 10.49 NUMBER HAUNT YOU?

 

RL:  The winds were really bad.  I finally quit paying attention to tumbleweeds, but a couple times I saw bushes blowing across the road and that worried me.  I never got blown off my bike, but some really bad gusts would blow me most of the way over to the wrong side of the road.  I don't know what might have ended up happening without the wind, but it was the strong crosswind that caused me to have trouble with my leg.  I have had trouble with the SI joint in my left hip, and leaning into the wind caused it to cause me problems.  Because of things being out of alignment, my IT band knotted up and then some of the muscles in my left leg also got tight and knotted.  I could tell it was coming from my hip.  I was just beginning to have problems when I last saw you in eastern Colorado at I believe Kim when I was stopped icing my IT band.  Late that night my family doctor was on the phone with my crew trying to step them through popping things back into alignment while I lay beside a grain elevator with the wind howling and lightning flashing all around.  It was really almost scary weather conditions.  I didn't make it much past Ulysses, KS before I couldn't even push through a pedal stoke.  I ended up getting shuttled back into Ulysses, and sleeping another couple hours even though I had already taken a sleep break there.  Once it was daytime, my doctor got me set up with a local doctor, and then he sent me to a chiropractor.  The chiropractor said my pelvis had rotated.  After he adjusted me, I was able to ride better, but my IT band and muscles never recovered.  I saw another chiropractor in Pratt, KS at 1:30 in the morning, and all he wanted for payment was a picture with somebody that would do something like RAAM.  I never really focused on the actual average speed.  Even before my average speed had dropped too low, I pretty much knew the race was over for me.  Even though I still felt good overall a lot of the time in Kansas, I couldn't get any power out of my injured leg.  The pain was bothering me, but the frustration of not being able to pedal well with my left leg was even harder for me.  I just kept trying to make as much progress as possible in hopes that I'd find the right chiropractor, massage therapist, or somehow else figure out how to get my leg better and be able to get my speed back up.  Emotionally, I went through the fact I was going to DNF a couple days before I dropped out.  By the Mississippi River, it was clear that there was no way I could get an official finish, and even an unofficial finish didn't seem possible.

 

DC:  YOU MENTIONED HOW YOU WISHED YOU HAD A MASSAGE THERAPIST ON YOUR CREW TO HELP DEAL WITH YOUR IT BAND KNEE INJURY.  HAD IT EVER ACTING UP BEFORE IN TRAINING OR IN A SHORTER RACE?  HOW EARLY INTO THE RACE DID IT START BOTHERING YOU?  DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE FINISHED WITH A MASSAGE THERAPIST ON YOUR CREW?

 

RL:  I've had tightness in my IT band but never the problem I had during RAAM.  I broke my leg just above my ankle over 10 years ago, and since then I've seemed to have some alignment problems with my left leg.  This was really the first time I'd gotten to the point of not being able to ride.  I had tightness in my IT band early in the desert, but then I had gotten better.  I had a little pain on the inside of my knee just before Trinidad, but that went away and I think it was from climbing Cuchara Pass when I was really tired.  It was different than the problems I had once I got into the wind and started having problems with my hip.  I think I had ridden about 3 hours in the crosswind when I started having problems.  Of course I don't know for sure I would have finished with a massage therapist on my crew, but I think there's a very good chance I would have.  I think if I could have kept my muscles from getting in such bad shape before I got to the first chiropractor, I may have been able to ride fairly well once my alignment was better.  I think my muscles were so tight by the time I got adjusted, that they may have pulled the hip alignment back out.  Although my crew tried their best to massage me, they were limited in what they could do without any training.  In any case, an experience massage therapist would have been able to get me massaged faster, and most likely better so I wouldn't have been stopping every 15 minutes like I was at times.  I got a really good massage in El Dorado, KS and actually rode quite well into Missouri.  I was in a lot of pain just before the Ozarks, and my crew actually got something to pop in my hip with me lying on the side of the road, and then I felt much better.

 

DC:  WHAT SORT OF ADVICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE OTHER RAAM ROOKIES WHO MIGHT BE READING THIS INTERVIEW?  WAS THE RACE AS DIFFICULT AS YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE?  DID YOU BRING ALONG ENOUGH CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT, AND CREW MEMBERS?

 

RL:  RAAM takes a huge amount of planning and organizing.  By the time the race started, I was just happy to be able to forget about planning and start riding.  Even so, there were lots of things; I should have gone over better with my crew.  I was so relieved to be on the bike the first day of the race that I couldn't focus.  It was like my mind just shut down.  I actually went of the road in to the ditch a few hours in to the race because I wasn't paying attention.  I've mountain bike raced for years, so I was able to keep from crashing and bunny hopped back up on to the road.  The first 4 days of the race were actually easier than I expected them to be.  The next 4 days before I dropped out were definitely very tough for me, but I had expected that even without an injury.  I had a crew of 6.  It worked, but I think that is a minimum for doing the race.  Another couple of crew members would have helped out.  Because of doing Enduro, I thought using motels would work as well as using an RV.  For me, it never was an issue other than I would have liked to have slept in La Veta instead of riding on to Trinidad, but there weren't any motels.  I think for my crew it would have been much better with an RV, and they would have gotten more sleep.  Because of doing 4 RAAM qualifiers over the last 4 years, I had pretty much figured out what I needed to do the race.  I actually had more stuff than I would have used I think, even if I had made it to the finish.

 

DC:  IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?

 

RL:  Doing RAAM was an incredible experience, and it is a very special race.  More information about me can be found on my website at:  

 

http://www.ultrarob.com

 

And I write a blog about my training, racing and other adventures at:  

 

http://www.ultrarob.blogspot.com

 

DC:  WILL YOU BE BACK TO RACE AGAIN?  IF SO, WHICH DIVISION?  DO YOU THINK THE 40 HOURS OF OFF BIKE TIME IN THE ENDURO RACE WAS A GOOD GUESS BY LON HALDEMAN?

 

RL:  I really hope to race RAAM again.  All the time gone training was hard on my family, so it will probably be a couple years before I am able to do it again.  Although I had some sponsors, the majority of the money for RAAM came out of my own pocket, so that's another factor in whether I can do RAAM again.  If the rules don't change, I really think I'll do Traditional next time.  The mandatory control points made it really hard to get a good sleep pattern.  Only sleeping at the non-mandatory had some impact my sleep pattern, but nothing like the mandatory control points.  The 40 hours is probably about right for Enduro, although I think it's hard to not go over that because of the mandatory control points throwing sleep patterns off.  I really need to sleep sometime around 3 in the morning whether or not I've slept earlier.  That wasn't really surprising based on how I'd felt during 24 hour mountain bike races and the RAAM qualifiers.  I normally didn't even nap during those, but I'd always struggle to stay awake a little while before dawn.  I actually hope that it goes back to having one category.  

My preference would be back to the rules of last year with the 12 days 2 hours cut-off, and no rules about sleep.  I think that would be best for the racers.  I do understand that the race needs more media coverage to get the necessary sponsors and some changes may need to be made for those reasons.  Having two categories seemed very confusing for my friends and family trying to follow the race.  I also was back and forth more with Traditional racers during the race.  I didn't get the same boost to push harder when I was close to them as I did when I was close to another Enduro rider.  There just aren't enough competitors to have two categories.

 

DC:  THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, AND I HOPE YOU ARE RECOVERING WELL. 

 

 

 

Danny Chew post RAAM Interview with Rookie Mitch Lesack

 

 

Mitch dropped out in West Virginia – 2,686 miles into the race.  

 

 

DC:  MITCH, I AM SORRY ABOUT YOUR DNF, AND I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO INTERVIEW YOU IN ATLANTIC CITY.  WAS IT HARD FOR YOU TO DECIDE WHICH DIVISION (ENDURO OR TRADITIONAL) OF SOLO RAAM TO ENTER AS A ROOKIE THIS YEAR, AND HOW DIFFICULT OF A DECISION WAS IT FOR YOU? 

 

ML:  It wasn't a difficult decision for me since I really did not know what to expect.  I knew that I wanted to finish in official time frame so I thought my best bet was to enter the Enduro division.

 

DC:  YOU ONLY HAD 3 CREW MEMBERS IN ONE SUPPORT VEHICLE.  HOW DIFFICULT DID THIS MAKE THINGS?  HOW DID YOUR CREW GET ENOUGH REST/SLEEP? 

 

ML:  That was the worst decision I made before the race.  I didn't have the funds I needed to enter RAAM properly.  Having one support vehicle wasted much time, especially finding motels and eating.  My crew could not function properly with the amount of sleep they were getting which amounted to a few hours per day.  I felt that I just couldn't race my bike because I was always worried about my crew.

 

DC:  I WAS IMPRESSED THAT YOU WON 4 TIME STATIONS.  TWO OF THESE WERE AFTER (7:30 & 2:47) STOPS AT ENDURO CONTROL POINTS.  DID YOU FEEL THAT THESE STOPS IMPROVED YOUR ON THE BIKE SPEED A LOT? 

 

ML:  The stop for 7:30 was a major screw up.  I told the crew that I wanted to sleep for about 3 hours.  Nobody set the alarms and we all over-slept.  When we finally got back on the road, we were behind the time limit so I had to over extend myself to get to the next time station.  Other than that, time off the bike has its advantages for recovery if you don't have to over extend and keep an even pace.

 

DC:  HOW WELL DID YOU MANAGE MAXIMIZING THE AMOUNT OF SLEEP YOU GOT AT THE ENDURO CONTROL POINTS?  WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO HAVE TO PUSH ON TO THE NEXT CONTROL POINT IF YOU WERE EXPERIENCING A LOW PERIOD?  WHAT ABOUT HAVING TO STOP FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS AT THE MANDATORY CONTROL POINTS EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T TIRED/SLEEPY?  CAN YOU PLEASE ESTIMATE ABOUT HOW MUCH MORE TIME YOU HAD OFF YOUR BIKE THAN THE NEARLY 59 HOURS YOU OFFICIALLY LOGGED BY GRAFTON, WV? 

 

ML:  Being a rookie I did a poor job of maximizing time spent off the bike at the control points, and I was always doing something with my crew.  I estimate that I was only sleeping approximately 2-3 hours a day.  Pushing to the next control point wasn't a major problem except for one in particular when my crew took me off the road 25 miles before one control close to the Mississippi River.

 

DC:  AFTER YOU WENT OVER 40 HOURS OF OFF BIKE TIME IN JEFFERSON CITY, MO, YOU STILL KEPT LOGGING INTO ENDURO CONTROL POINTS EVEN THOUGH YOU NO LONGER HAD TO.  WERE YOU AWARE OF THIS?  WHY DID YOU KEEP DOING IT?  OUT OF HABIT?  DID YOU EVER SWITCH OVER TO TRADITIONAL MODE, AND START STOPPING WHEN AND WHERE EVER YOU WANTED TO WITHOUT CHECKING IN? 

 

ML:  I was aware of going over the 40 hours, but I still had an average speed fast enough to finish in Atlantic City in 12 days - that was my goal.

 

DC:  A LOT OF RIDERS COMPLAINED ABOUT BREATHING/LUNG PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE ALTITUDE THE FIRST 3-4 DAYS OF THE RACE.  DID THIS BOTHER YOU? 

 

ML:  I had no breathing problems at altitude.  The only problem I had was dehydration in the California desert.  I needed an IV in Blythe, after that I felt good.

 

DC:  SOME OF THE WORST WINDS (UP TO 70 MPH SOUTH) IN THE 25 YEAR HISTORY OF RAAM BLEW ACROSS EASTERN CO AND MOST OF KS.  HOW BAD WERE THOSE WINDS, AND WERE YOU EVER BLOWN OFF YOUR BIKE? 

 

ML:  I was lucky and never put the bike down, but those winds were very dangerous along with the hail, torrential rain, thunder and lightning.  I was scared shit-less riding through that mess!!

 

DC:  YOUR AVERAGE SPEED FIRST FELL BELOW THE 10.49 MPH (NEEDED FOR AN ENDURO OFFICIAL FINISH) BY FLAGSTAFF, AZ LESS THAN 500 MILES INTO THE RACE.  YOU GOT IT BACK UP OVER 11 MPH BRIEFLY IN UTAH, BUT THEN IN COLORADO IT DROPPED AND STAYED BELOW 11 MPH FOR THE REST OF THE RACE.  WHEN YOU DROPPED OUT IN GORMANIA, WV (WITH JUST 357 MILES TO GO), IT WAS DOWN TO 10.51 MPH.  IT MUST HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATING TO MAKE IT THAT CLOSE TO ATLANTIC CITY, YET STILL NOT FINISH.  HOW MUCH DID THAT 10.49 NUMBER HAUNT YOU? 

 

ML:  This will always be in the back of my mind.  I still get very depressed thinking about it, quitting so close to the finish.  Maybe this is why it took me all this time to answer all your emails – Sorry.

 

DC:  WHAT SORT OF ADVICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE OTHER RAAM ROOKIES WHO MIGHT BE READING THIS INTERVIEW?  WAS THE RACE AS DIFFICULT AS YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE?  DID YOU BRING ALONG ENOUGH CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT, AND CREW MEMBERS? 

 

ML:  RV is a necessity along with a larger crew that are highly motivated.

 

DC:  IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? 

 

ML:  Thanks to all the nice people I met all throughout the race.  I also wanted to thank my darling wife, Carol and my children Jimmy and Alaina for all their understanding.  I seriously don't know how they put up with me.

 

DC:  WILL YOU BE BACK TO RACE AGAIN?  IF SO, WHICH DIVISION?  DO YOU THINK THE 40 HOURS OF OFF BIKE TIME IN THE ENDURO RACE WAS A GOOD GUESS BY LON HALDEMAN? 

 

ML:  I will be back this coming June in a mixed two person team with my friend Deb Georges.  WE will be well equipped and going for the record!!  I will do solo either in 2008 or 2009 pending funds.  

 

DC:  THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, AND I HOPE YOU ARE RECOVERING WELL.

 

 

 

Danny Chew post RAAM Interview with Joe Petersen

 

 

Joe has the most (7) Four person team RAAM finishes.  He was the first person to win 4 person team RAAM three times (Kerry Ryan, Jimmy Mortenson, & Linda Guerrette have also won 3 times), and held the speed record of 23.04 mph for eight years.  Joe & teammate Kevin McNulty (Team BodyXchange/Garden Pathways) won 2 person team RAAM this year setting a new speed (19.58 mph) record, and finishing 3rd overall among 29 teams.  

 

 

DC:  CONGRATS ON WINNING 2 PERSON TEAM RAAM, BREAKING THE OLD SPEED RECORD BY NEARLY A FULL MILE PER HOUR, AND BEING THE THIRD FASTEST OF ALL TEAMS THIS YEAR.  KNOWN AS "BIG JOE" (HE IS 6’4” TALL AND WEIGHS 230 POUNDS), YOU HAVE BEEN THE FACE OF 4 PERSON TEAM RAAM EVER SINCE YOUR FIRST ONE BACK IN 1994 (THAT WAS ALSO MY FIRST YEAR).  WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO SWITCH OVER TO 2 PERSON THIS YEAR?  WHY DID YOU CHOOSE KEVIN (FROM YOUR 4 PERSON TEAM LAST YEAR) TO BE YOUR PARTNER?

 

JP:  My intention at beginning of the 2006 race season was to once again field a 4-man team for RAAM.  However, the riders I had wanted to race with were not able to participate, so RAAM plans changed.  I made the decision to sit out the 2006 RAAM and focus on the following year.  Kevin McNulty, who was part of my 2005 team, and the only one available to race for 2006 suggested that we consider doing the 2-Man format, and after several weeks of mulling the idea over, I agreed.  There are very few people I would even consider teaming with for such an endeavor.  In 2-Man RAAM, you have to have a consistent dependable partner.  There are no contingencies, no back up plans, if your teammate can't go the distance; you are on your own.  Kevin is the strongest, fastest, and most consistent rider I know. 

 

DC:  HOW OFTEN DID YOU SEE KEVIN DURING THE RACE?  DID YOU TRAIN WITH HIM MUCH BEFORE RAAM STARTED?  

 

JP:  Kevin and I live about 250 miles apart, so the majority of our training was done separately.  We did however do a lot of races together.  We also had several weekends where we did long mileage on Saturdays, and then raced on Sundays to see how our recovery was.  During the race I only saw him when we transitioned, and briefly while he was riding before I stretched out to rest in the van.

 

DC:  THE NEW OLDEST SOLO RAAM FINISHER (61 YEAR OLD FRED BOETHLING) SAID, "IT WAS 5 TIMES HARDER TO GO FROM 2 PERSON TO SOLO RAAM."  WAS 2 PERSON TOUGHER THAN 4 PERSON?  PLEASE COMPARE AND CONTRAST THESE TWO RACES.  

 

JP:  Some things about doing 2-Man RAAM are easier.  For instance, you never have to wonder who the next rider will be.  LOL.  There are not as many transitions, so it is much easier on the crew.  The cost is slightly less than 4-Man, so it's easier on their budget.  But when all is said and done, 2 Man teams do twice the work of the 4-Man teams, and get half the rest. 

 

DC:  HOW DID YOUR BROKEN COLLARBONE BEFORE THE RACE AFFECT YOUR PERFORMANCE?  DID IT GET WORSE AS THE RACE WENT ON? 

 

JP:  As you know, I was hit by a truck while cycling on my way to the gym, just 4 weeks prior to RAAM.  My clavicle was so badly shattered that it had to be bone grafted, plated, and screwed back together.  The pain was constant, but the biggest issue was the inability to stay in my aero bars for any length of time.  The connective tissues on the injury side were so traumatized that I had to constantly change positions to deal with the intense neck and shoulder strain.  The last day and a half of the race, the neck pain eased some, and I was able to push harder for longer periods of time. 

 

DC:  AVERAGING NEARLY 23 MPH FOR THE FIRST 682 MILES TO MEXICAN HAT, UTAH, YOU AND KEVIN STARTED OUT LIKE YOU WERE ON A 4 PERSON TEAM.  AT WHAT POINT IN THE RACE DID YOU HAVE TO COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT THERE WERE ONLY TWO OF YOU?  YOU WERE STILL OVER 21 MPH AT HALFWAY, AND DIDN'T DROP BELOW 20 MPH UNTIL THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS WITH LESS THAN 400 MILES TO GO.  HOW BADLY DID YOU WANT TO FINISH ABOVE 20?  HOW MUCH WORSE IS CUMULATIVE AVERAGE SPEED DECAY IN 2 PERSON THAN 4 PERSON?  CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT DOES TO US SOLO RIDERS?  

 

JP:  Before RAAM 2006 began, Kevin and I both agreed that 20 mph was do-able, and we believed and fully expected to do just that.  Our average speed the first 700 miles was well above that, but also well within our ability to maintain it.  We knew, and were totally prepared to do whatever it took to reach our goal of winning the 2-Man category, and shattering the old record.  What slowed our average speed down the most, was getting off course, and losing time backtracking to find the course.  We also had a transmission go out in one of our vehicles, causing extended slower pulls.  The winds in Kansas were the worst I've seen since 1994, and it was all we could do to keep the bikes on the road.  The road conditions in Missouri get my vote as the absolute all time most horrendous roads of any state RAAM has ever passed through.  Navigating the ruts, cracks, debris, and potholes also contributed to slower speeds.  And finally, as if that weren't enough, LOL, with roughly 800 miles to go, Kevin careened into a huge pothole, and did a face plant.  The cuts and abrasions to his face, and the concussion took its toll on his body, but not his spirit.  I watched this guy climb onto his bike for the rest of the race, and give it everything he had left in him.  At the finish line, there was nothing left, he had to be helped onto the stage.  Kevin is a champion, and I expected nothing less.  I think that cumulative average speed decay is all relative.  There are too many variables to quantify it.  One would have to consider conditions, weather, circumstances, luck, and the biggest factor would be effort.  Knowing your body is key, being able to push it to the absolute edge, and maintain it without going anaerobic.  If that is sustained, then speed decay is minimized.

 

DC:  WHAT ABOUT LOGISTICS?  HOW LONG WERE YOUR PULLS?  DID YOU TAKE LONGER ONES AT NIGHT?  HOW MUCH OF YOUR SLEEP DID YOU HAVE TO GET IN MOVING VEHICLES?  HOW MUCH DID YOU SLEEP?  DID YOU GET MUCH MORE SLEEP IN 4 PERSON THAN 2 PERSON? 

 

JP:  We decided to do shorter pulls during the days, and extended pulls during the night to allow for sleep breaks.  100% of our sleep was in a moving vehicle.  We only had one van and one pick-up.  In 4-Man, we did half the mileage and got twice the rest. (ideally)

 

DC:  A LOT OF RIDERS COMPLAINED ABOUT BREATHING/LUNG PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE ALTITUDE THE FIRST 3-4 DAYS OF THE RACE.  DID THIS BOTHER YOU?  

 

JP:  Neither Kevin nor I had any issues with the altitude, we were amazed at how easy it was climbing through Colorado.

 

DC:  SOME OF THE WORST WINDS (UP TO 70 MPH SOUTH) IN THE 25 YEAR HISTORY OF RAAM BLEW ACROSS EASTERN CO AND MOST OF KS.  HOW BAD WERE THOSE WINDS, AND WERE YOU EVER BLOWN OFF YOUR BIKE?

 

JP:  Kansas was non-stop, in your face headwinds, coming from an angle.  Kevin and I are both big riders, and managed to stay in the saddle.  However, we had to fight to keep the bikes upright.  I spent the entire day leaning into the wind.  My bike was at a 45 degree angle most of the time.

 

DC:  AT AGE 48, YOU ARE NOW 12 YEARS OLDER THAN WHEN YOU RACED YOUR FIRST RAAM IN 1994.  HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY SLOWER OVER THE YEARS, AND IF SO, BY HOW MUCH?  WHAT DO YOU THINK THE IDEAL AGE IS FOR 4 PERSON TEAM RAAM RIDERS?  

 

JP:  Wow, now I feel old!  15 years ago, my 10 mile TT time was 21:33.  This year I posted a 21:50.  But at 33 yrs old, all I did was Time Trials; it was my focus.  The last few years my focus has been on ultra endurance, with the focus being on endurance and recovery.  I'm 17 seconds slower for 10 miles, that equates to less than 3 minutes per 100.  I believe that age is a number nothing more.  Training, nutrition, and good genetics are far more important factors in ones ability to compete.

 

DC:  RAAM EXPERIENCE IS A HUGE FACTOR IN THE SOLO RACE.  HOW MUCH OF A ROLE DOES IT PLAY IN THE 4 PERSON AND 2 PERSON RACES?  DO YOU THINK HAVING A LOT OF RAAM EXPERIENCE CAN MAKE UP FOR OLD AGE SLOWING A RIDER DOWN? 

 

JP:  Are you calling me old, and slow again?  Experience, and the knowledge that comes with it are not necessary for success in RAAM, but can be very advantageous.  It can certainly help level the playing field for us geriatric athletes.

 

DC:  WHAT SORT OF ADVICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE OTHER RAAM RIDERS WHO MIGHT BE THINKING ABOUT GOING FROM 4 PERSON TO 2 PERSON TEAM RAAM?

 

JP:  One word:  SPECIFICITY e-mail me and I'll let you in on the big secret.  

 

OnTheGoPT@aol.com

 

DC:  CONGRATS ON SETTING THE NEW 2 PERSON TEAM RECORD, AND BEATING ALL OF THE 4 PERSON TEAMS AT THE FURNACE CREEK 508 MILE RAAM QUALIFIER WITH TEAMMATE KEVIN.  DID YOU FEEL COMPLETELY RECOVERED FROM RAAM THERE?  WHAT ABOUT YOUR COLLARBONE INJURY?  

 

JP:  I've had four more months of recovery time for the shoulder, I'm told by my doctor that it is as good as it's going to get.  Kevin and I were both fully recovered from RAAM. (mostly LOL)  However I was ill throughout the entire race, from an infection.  Consequently, I suffered much worse at the 508 than I did in RAAM.  Life goes on!

 

DC:  WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CHRIS KOSTMAN'S FC 508 TEAM RULE OF ONLY ALLOWING RIDER CHANGES AT TIME STATIONS?  HOW WOULD THIS RULE WORK/CHANGE THE DYNAMICS OF TEAM RAAM IF IT WERE USED?  CONSIDERING ALL THE INTERSTATE RIDING ON RAAM, DO YOU THINK IT WOULD MAKE RAAM A LOT SAFER? 

 

JP:  The 508 because of its new format is a completely different type of race.  To be competitive under his format requires a lot more training time, and also more talent and athletic ability.  Applying that rule change to RAAM would completely change the dynamics of the race.  It would also eliminate a substantial amount of people who would not be able to handle those lengths of pulls for 3,000 miles.  Not everyone who does RAAM is there to win.  Some are there for the adventure and the satisfaction of having completed such a daunting task.  I may be wrong, but I do not recall one single accident that was caused by a transition on an Interstate.  I do not think the change is necessary, or warranted.  Valid arguments can be made for both positions; change wouldn't make the race better, just different.

 

DC:  WILL YOU BE BACK TO RACE AGAIN?  IF SO, WHICH DIVISION?  IF YOU EVER FELT CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO SOLO RAAM, WOULD YOU CHOOSE ENDURO OR TRADITIONAL, AND WHY?  WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE NEW ENDURO CATEGORY THIS YEAR? 

 

JP:  I still have a few RAAMs left in this old tired body.  So the answer is yes, there are two more records I have my eyes on.  Time in the saddle has never been overly kind to my nether region, so Solo RAAM has never been a consideration.  If you held a gun to my head, I'd have to choose Enduro only because it would allow me to get off the seat long enough to get some relief from the pain.

 

DC:  IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? 

 

JP:  There is no other event in the entire world that compares to the Race Across America.  My hat's off to the UMCA and to all those involved in the labor of love that is RAAM. 

 

DC:  THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, AND I HOPE YOU ARE RECOVERING WELL.

 

 

 

Danny Chew post RAAM Interview with Chris Kostman

 

 

At age 20 in 1987, rookie Chris became the youngest solo RAAM finisher.  He held this record for 18 years until 18 year old rookie Ben Couturier finished in 2005.  For 17 years, Kostman has run the Furnace Creek 508 in California – the longest running RAAM qualifier that started out as the John Marino Open in 1983.  This very first RAAM qualifier changed names to the John Marino Open West and then the RAAM Open West before becoming the Furnace Creek 508 in 1991.

 

 

DC:  WHAT YEAR DID YOU BEGIN YOUR NEW RULE IN YOUR FC 508, WHICH ONLY ALLOWS TEAM RIDER CHANGES AT TIME STATIONS?

CK:  2004, so we've now had three races in this format.  In those three years, the team division participation has grown from 46 in 2003, to 58 in 2004, to 70 in 2005, to 104 this year.  Clearly, the racers prefer this new format. (And we haven't, and won't, add an 8 person division to pad our field size.) 

DC:  WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT USED IN TEAM RAAM?

CK:  Absolutely.  It's the future of team ultra racing.

DC:  How much safer do you think it make ultracycling team races?

CK:  Infinitely safer, even safer than the solo division.

DC:  DID YOU HAVE TO START KEEPING/ESTABLISHING NEW FC 508 TEAM RECORDS UNDER THE NEW RULE?

CK:  Yes, as you can see here, I needed to list all the new records from 2006 on this page:

http://www.the508.com/results.html

DC:  HAS ANY TEAM BEEN ABLE TO BREAK THE OLD RECORDS YOU SAY ARE NOW "CARVED IN STONE"?

CK:  I haven't bothered to compare, but it's unlikely in most circumstances.  Nobody ever compares the two formats, until you sent me this e-mail.

DC:  PERHAPS IF YOU GET A NEW SUPER STRONG/FAST TEAM SUCH AS THE 2 PERSON PETERSEN/MCNULTY DUO, THERE WOULD BE THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS HAPPENING.

CK:  They raced the 508 this year in 26:12:25, compared to the "open relay" record of 25:38:08.

DC:  DOES PETERSEN HOLD YOUR FC 508 FOUR PERSON TEAM RECORD?

CK:  Yes, he and three teammates do in the new "fixed relay" format.  Kerry Ryan and friends have it for the "open relay".

DC:  THIS IS THE ALL DIVISION RECORD (LOWEST TIME) FOR YOUR FC 508 COURSE?

CK:  Ryan's 4 person time is the fastest overall in the old style, but Petersen's 4 person record is the fastest in the new style.

DC:  HAS THE COURSE ALWAYS BEEN EXACTLY THE SAME FOR HOW MANY YEARS NOW?

CK:  All records are consistent from 1989 to the present.  There have been tiny route changes, but they have been worked out to keep all records consistent.

DC:  IN MY PRE-RAAM ARTICLE ON THE NEW SOLO ENDURO RAAM THIS YEAR, YOU WERE AGAINST IT AND THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE DEATH OF SOLO RAAM.  DID YOU FOLLOW ENDURO AND TRADITIONAL SOLO RAAMS THIS YEAR, AND IF SO, WHAT DID YOU THINK? 

CK:  Yes, I absolutely followed the race this year, starting with going down to Oceanside to ride out with the start of the race.  I was the RAAM Race Official "in charge of" Jonathan Boyer back in 1985, and that experience had a profound impact on me.  Like wanting to be there for Ben Couturier in 2005, I wanted to be there this year for Jonathan, as well as all the 508 racers who were competing.  I care deeply about specific RAAM racers each year, and about the event in general.  I followed the webcast splits very closely throughout this year's RAAM, constantly comparing the Enduro vs. Traditional solo racers.  Clearly Boyer was the superior cyclist out there this year, and only got passed, overall, near the end when he "had to" sleep, and the others didn't.  Although I was initially very critical of the new format when it was announced, during this year's race I became a fan of it.  When a race organizer cares deeply about the safety and future of his event, as I do with Furnace Creek 508 and Jim and Lon do with RAAM, it's important to be willing to make the hard decisions, even if they're unpopular at first.  I did that with the 508 Team Race, and history has proven it to be the correct one.  Now I believe firmly that RAAM needs to pick one solo format and stick with it:  history will hopefully support that decision for them, too.  It's too confusing to fans and especially the media to have so many divisions and "winners."  Perhaps after one more year of testing it, RAAM should either keep the Enduro exclusively and eliminate the Traditional, or just go back to Traditional.  But one of them needs to go.  Ditto for the 8 person division:  yet another superfluous category, which also has no logical place in the RAAM field.  (If RAAM is "the world's toughest race", why does it have a recreational category?  The Tour doesn't.  The Olympics don't.  RAAM needs to pick one identity and stick with it, period.)

DC:  WILL YOU EVER RIDE RAAM AGAIN, AND IF SO, WHICH DIVISION? 

CK:  I had toyed with the idea of racing in 2007, the 20th anniversary of when I raced it at age 20.  But I'm at a different point in my place now with different priorities, on and off the bike.  It is tempting in many ways, but one doesn't race RAAM on a lark or as a nostalgia trip.  If I did it, I would most likely choose Enduro, but I would partially decide that based on what the others were doing:  which athletes I really wanted to race against. 

DC:  THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, AND ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL FURNACE CREEK 508 THIS YEAR. 

CK:  My Pleasure.  I love producing the 508, and am honored to do so every year.  Thanks for your efforts in tracking the history, statistics, and culture of RAAM.  Yours is a very worthwhile effort. 

Sincerely,

Chris Kostman