Raam 2010

[Blueberry]

Any TE peeps involved this year? Know anyone who is? I can't believe we're this close and there hasn't been chatter:)

[Pedal Wench]

Kevin Kaiser is going again. He's my local brevet director, and we did a fleche together. A kind, soft-spoken and gentle man. Wish him tailwinds!

[Susan Otcenas]

Former TE staff member Sandy Earl is competing in the solo women's division. We were her much success!!

TE staff member Edna VanGundy is crewing for George Thomas and Mick Walsh, who are doing RAW (Race across the West, the 1st 1000 miles of RAAM).

Susan

[MommyBird]

We will be watching Kevin Kaiser too. Our favorite LBS owner, Phil, is part of his support team. My husband talked to Kevin in the shop last week.

When I did my first metric at the Best Dam Ride in April, Kevin and the fast guys passed me like a freight train a few miles from the finish line. They were finishing the century and Kevin had done something like 250 miles the night before. Then he rode the 30 or so miles home to Augusta. I am not sure if he is human!

We will be keeping him in our prayers.

[Blueberry]

Awesome! It's always nice to "know" people and to be able to pull for them.

Sandy is riding solo on a bent, no?

[Fredwina]

I did a socail ride with Team BentUp Cycles on Saturday
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TArPAMzqgAI/AAAAAAAAJE4/MOGKvHyrD7U/s640/101_1236.jpg
Dana Liebermann, Jim Verhuel, Kent Polk,and Willie Hunt
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TArPEirlpOI/AAAAAAAAJFk/aZYAOCWEnT0/s640/101_1241.jpg
I also know Bernie Barge from Team JDRF.
I'm going to be riding down for the team Start on Saturday, will try and post pics:o

[Tokie]

My coach Jill Gass and 3 of her awesomely strong teammates, Sonia Ross, Lisa Tonnello and Avalon Jenkins-Balker are getting ready to roll this weekend. Their website is www.TeamKalyra.com - they are the only women's 4 person team I believe. It's their second try to break the existing record for Jill,Lisa and Sonia - and it's Avalon's first RAAM. Brutally hard, both for the racers and their support crews out there on the road! The Kalyra RAAM team is raising money for Girls Inc with their RAAM ride. Very cool! Tokie

[Fredwina]

Sandy is riding solo on a bent, no?

Yes, she's riding a Carbent. Barbara Buatios is also riding solo on a bent.

[Fredwina]

Time station #1 Lake Henshaw, CA
1. Barbara Buatois
2. Michele Santilhano
3. Amy Xu
4. Sabrina Bianchi
5. Sandy Earl
Sandy is about 20 minutes behind at this point :(
Solo men start tomorrow and team on Saturday

[Blueberry]

Looks like Sandy is now in 2nd place, and about 40 minutes back from the leader after TS 4.

Standings:

Barbara Buatois
Sandy Earl
TEAM STRONG HEART/Amy Xu
Michele Santilhano
Sabrina Bianchi

All except Sabrina are through TS 4.

[Fredwina]

http://www.ultraracepics.com/

[Susan Otcenas]

I wouldn't worry about Sandy's position this early in the race. She's really good at pacing herself and remaining steady. She'll do HER race without worrying too much about where anyone else is.

[Blueberry]

I wouldn't worry about Sandy's position this early in the race. She's really good at pacing herself and remaining steady. She'll do HER race without worrying too much about where anyone else is.

I'm not worried - it's just fun to watch! Position (at least at this stage) totally depends on when/how much someone is sleeping and doesn't mean anything.

I'm sure she'll do great!!

[Fredwina]

Barabara and michele have passed Falgstaff
Sandy, Amy, and Sabrina are at Cottonwood , AZ
Kevin is at Parker, AZ

[Mr. Bloom]

I'll probably volunteer at the time station in Bloomington! It's pretty cool when they come through town!

[Catrin]

I'll probably volunteer at the time station in Bloomington! It's pretty cool when they come through town!

This sounds like fun!

[Fredwina]

Barbara Buatios is in first - between Durango, Co and Chama, NM
Michele is 2nd between Cortez and Pagosa Springs, CO
Sandy is 3rd with Amy and Sabrina following between Montezuma Creek, UT and Durango
Kevin is between Flagstaff and Kayenta, AZ
I should be spectating at the Team Start tommorrow. will try and post pics. :)

[Catrin]

Barbara Buatios is in first - between Durango, Co and Chama, NM
Michele is 2nd between Cortez and Pagosa Springs, CO
Sandy is 3rd with Amy and Sabrina following between Montezuma Creek, UT and Durango
Kevin is between Flagstaff and Kayenta, AZ
I should be spectating at the Team Start tommorrow. will try and post pics. :)

Cool! I note that there is at least one women's team, Team Kalyra? (spelling may be off)

I shall be volunteering at the time stop in Bloomington next Friday evening :)

[Blueberry]

I'm jealous of those of you who live near the route! Sounds like a fabulous time!

There is an all women's team and - of course- lots of female solos this year. That's really great to see.

I don't think there are any solo women racing RAW, though - and I'm not sure one has ever finished.

[Fredwina]

Cool! I note that there is at least one women's team, Team Kalyra? (spelling may be off)

I shall be volunteering at the time stop in Bloomington next Friday evening :)

that's right;) http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/entrydtl.php?s_N_Year_ID=33&s_N_Race_ID=1&N_Entry_ID=2506
There's also some mixed team - like JDRF (go Homey!)http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/entrydtl.php?s_N_Year_ID=33&s_N_Race_ID=1&N_Entry_ID=2582 (this is a Tandem team)
Operation Progress: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/entrydtl.php?s_N_Year_ID=33&s_N_Race_ID=1&N_Entry_ID=2632
A Maureen on Team icebreaker:
http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/entrydtl.php?s_N_Year_ID=33&s_N_Race_ID=1&N_Entry_ID=2658
and a 4 woman RAW team (http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/entrydtl.php?s_N_Year_ID=33&s_N_Race_ID=3&s_N_Category_ID=&s_N_Country_ID=&s_T_Last_Name=&s_T_First_Name=&s_tblentry_T_Entry_Name=&N_Entry_ID=2599) who finished today:D

[Catrin]

that's right;)
and a 4 woman RAW team (http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/entrydtl.php?s_N_Year_ID=33&s_N_Race_ID=3&s_N_Category_ID=&s_N_Country_ID=&s_T_Last_Name=&s_T_First_Name=&s_tblentry_T_Entry_Name=&N_Entry_ID=2599) who finished today:D

RAW? I did a quick search for it on the RAAM site, and on Google, and didn't come up with much. Is this something separate?

[Fredwina]

RAW? I did a quick search for it on the RAAM site, and on Google, and didn't come up with much. Is this something separate?

RAW : Race Across the West: basically race the course from Oceaside to Durango, CO: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/raam2.php?N_webcat_id=27

[Pedal Wench]

We will be watching Kevin Kaiser too. Our favorite LBS owner, Phil, is part of his support team. My husband talked to Kevin in the shop last week.


OH!!! I just realized that I know Phil too! We rode together for a while on the Augusta 300K this year. I completely forgot that he had mentioned supporting Kevin. What a nice man!

[Fredwina]

The start:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-AX2uOKI/AAAAAAAAJMQ/htsbVOEELkQ/s640/101_1266.jpg
This handcycle is for a female LAPD officer who was shot on duty:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-DBPeFzI/AAAAAAAAJMo/HjBFQ7wlGlk/s640/101_1269.jpg
Team Kalya:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-IMHxXdI/AAAAAAAAJNM/Onv16hIPNP4/s640/101_1273.jpg
My friend Bernie and Stoker:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-GYTtWTI/AAAAAAAAJM8/hn9RZe4NNo4/s640/101_1271.jpg
My other Friend Dana:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-I1lRxeI/AAAAAAAAJNU/ozv60TDzDd0/s640/101_1274.jpg

[Fredwina]

I don't think he's doing RAAM:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-QWTGfnI/AAAAAAAAJOc/ljUdKk2BKn4/s640/101_1284.jpg
the beach:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ9_Vcw9qI/AAAAAAAAJMI/8MTc8Oi--RU/s640/101_1264.jpg
I got a souvenir:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-NMrglpI/AAAAAAAAJN8/ng23-5h9t58/s640/101_1279.jpg
going home, a sign you don't see every day
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/TBQ-SzxdI0I/AAAAAAAAJO0/hAjk4eONc4Q/s640/101_1298.jpg

[Fredwina]

Barbara did get passed By Jure Robic. But she supposedly held the solo men off longer than any other solo woman

[Blueberry]

Thanks for the photos! I've been enjoying all of the coverage this year - such a cool event!

Has a solo woman every finished RAW? I can't find that one has...

[out_spokin']

I was on an annual trip to NM and on my way back to CO earlier today saw an officials' vehicle...I was just ahead of riders going over La Veta Pass. Darn! Didn't know anyone was close otherwise might have figured it out. Official was nice, talked to me about how everything was going.

Got lucky a few years back and saw rider/support vehicle headed up this pass, pretty cool. See very few riders in this area usually, let alone with RAAM!

[Fredwina]

The teams should be coming through shortly

[spindizzy]

My coach Jill Gass and 3 of her awesomely strong teammates, Sonia Ross, Lisa Tonnello and Avalon Jenkins-Balker are getting ready to roll this weekend. Their website is www.TeamKalyra.com - they are the only women's 4 person team I believe. It's their second try to break the existing record for Jill,Lisa and Sonia - and it's Avalon's first RAAM. Brutally hard, both for the racers and their support crews out there on the road! The Kalyra RAAM team is raising money for Girls Inc with their RAAM ride. Very cool! Tokie

I had a fabulous bar-b-q dinner at Kalyra (Ka-Lye-ra) winery when I did my bike camp in Solvang.

I'd like to point out that all the women on the Kalyra team are over 50. Age is just a number- those women rock!

[artifactos]

I saw the signs for the RAAM route through Oxford and Trenton, OH today! Apparently, they should be coming through in the next four days. I didn't see anyone today, but I'm considering camping out on the route to give some encouragement!

[Blueberry]

Facebook update from RAAM:


Sandy Earl is happy and talkative as she cruises down US 54 E toward Fort Scott, Kansas. Her left knee has a scrape from a small fall but she's riding along strong and sans neck pain!

[Fredwina]

Jure Robic is Effinghman, Il from the website, it looks like he'll be in Ohio tomorrow and Thursday
Barbara is getting ready to Cross the Mississippi she should be in Ohio Thursday.
Sandy is getting ready to cross into Missouri.

[Blueberry]

The RAAM leader board is reporting Sandy as a DNF. Hope she's OK!

[Deborajen]

Unfortunately, some bad news. Looks like a rider was hit by a car in Kansas and has been taken to the hospital. They're not giving a name or much other information yet, but this is from one of the Wichita TV stations:

http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/Bicyclist-critical-after-being-hit-by-car-on-K-254/ZGvlzIPv3EqWfgijX_XLRg.cspx

[Blueberry]

DAMN. It wasn't one of the solo women - they were all clear of KS. Really hope the cyclist will be OK:(

[Deborajen]

Here's a news update on the accident from another Wichita TV station.

http://www.kwch.com/global/story.asp?s=12657383

Kansas just passed a law within the last few weeks banning texting while driving, so they mentioned right away about the driver apparently not texting at the time. It's really sad, though, regardless. I hope the rider is o.k.

I just looked at the RAAM site and noticed that a Spanish team (T415) DNF'd after Maize, KS and had checked in there shortly before the accident time. The accident happened between Maize and El Dorado. All the other teams have either checked in at El Dorado or weren't even at Maize at the time of the accident, so it sounds like it was a Spanish rider. I do hope he's o.k. :(

[Blueberry]

Yeah - it was someone from Team 415. I found a video clip of news coverage, and they showed the stopped follow car with the team no. That sucks:( At least law enforcement seem to be taking this one seriously.

[Deborajen]

Local news just said the injured rider is Diego Ballesteros Cucurull who is on the Coafi Desafio Asparo team from Spain -

[kacie tri-ing]

Velonews talked a lot about Sandy's DNF in this article:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/06/news/raam-update-dnfs-pile-up-but-attrition-less-than-usual-so-far_121300

In short, they said that she and her crew chief decided to pack it in when it seemed clear that they weren't going to make the Mississippi River time cut. :(

We are big Sandy fans! We look forward to her next major effort, be it at RAAM or some other event!!

[Fredwina]

Just noticed that Amy Xu/Team Strongheart DNf'ed due to Fatigue at the Mississippi River

[Blueberry]

Sandy and Amy are still amazing in my book! RAAM actually let Amy go on even though she missed the cut off - but when she got back on the bike, she realized she couldn't go on. Seriously, though - they rock!

[Deborajen]

Our local news reported that Diego Ballesteros Cucurull has been upgraded from critical to serious condition, and he's expected to spend about two weeks in the hospital before being flown back home to Spain. He's declined interviews but he did issue a statement thanking his supporters - at the hospital, law enforcement and worldwide - for all of the prayers, care and well-wishes. They're saying he's in good spirits.

As of now, no charges have been brought against the driver but that may change because the KS Highway Patrol will be presenting evidence to the District Attorney to determine if there is a case. That sounds to me like they're not letting this go, which is good news. I'm familiar with the stretch of road where the accident happened and it's WIDE open - four-lane divided, wide shoulders, and an extra wide median (a semi could pull across between the east and west lanes without sticking out into traffic either way). The country is about as flat as it gets, and there aren't a lot of trees or other visual blocks of any kind. There was just flat no reason the accident should have happened. Anybody who can't control their car any better than that shouldn't be driving.--

[Catrin]

Had a blast at the Bloomington, Indiana time stop last night! It was slow when I was there, it was the last night for the stop, there were only 9 riders or teams left last night - I saw two of them :)

I got to see Team Fara - their rider was on a recumbent at that moment - though the team vehicles had several types of bikes ready. I also saw the final solo male to come through - he and his team are German. Apparently he only made the most recent time cut by 20 minutes - but he is hanging in there and is determined to finish even if he may not "officially" finish.

It was fun to be there, and learned more about how the race actually works. Several race officials came through while I was there by myself and I learned a lot listening to them.

And bestest yet I finally got to meet a fellow TE member :D Mr Bloom was able to swing by - great to be able to put a face to a name!