Cat Berge - Will she finish the RAAM?

[maggieH]

The Race Across America (RAAM) starts tomorrow, June 19.

From "Chews Views" on the raceacrossamerica.org website:

Sweden’s Anna (Cat) Berge qualified for RAAM at the 2001 Furnace Creek 508, placing second overall and beating Seana Hogan’s 1991 rookie time by over four hours. Berge is attempting to become the first woman finisher since Cassie Lowe in 2001. She will be going for Muffy Ritz’s 12-year old rookie record of 12.49 mph, which would yield a finishing time of 10:04:21 on the 2005 course. Berge once took a survey of why people drop out of RAAM. I hope she doesn’t become a statistic in her own survey.

Cat's website is http://www.catharinaberge.com - it's pretty interesting, lots of photos. She has a PhD in comparative pathology

Here's the link for Cat's RAAM updates Her pre-race message was written June 6. Apparently she intends to post messages each day.

[Veronica]

She's amazing. I saw her last year doing the Devil Mountain Double on a tandem. It was hot last year and they were in and out of of our water stop on Mount Hamiliton lickety split. They were trying to break the course record I think. Yeah, if nothing goes wrong - she'll do it.

V.

[maggieH]

Cat Berge passed TS#2 at 17:40 eastern time, putting her in 11th place, ahead of 15 of the men.

[bluezfire]

Just before reading this thread, I was at the RAAM website reading the updates. As of this writing, she has passed TS#5 in Hope, AZ with a time of 17:41. I'm most excited about having a woman to watch in this year's race. Or I guess I should say "solo" woman.

This is my second year following this race. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end last year, anticipating each newsletter update with the latest happenings. Man, I wish they televised this race ... live! Or at least with daily highlights or something. (Forgive me if they actually *do* this where you are because around here, we get nothing. Thank God for the internet, is all I can say.) I'm so glad to see others on here talking about it. I'll have an outlet for my thoughts and such so I don't bore those people in my real life with details of an event that most of them have absolutely no knowledge that even exists.

[maggieH]

She still hasn't reached TS#6. A couple of the guys who reached TS#5 after her have already gotten to #6. Perhaps she decided to sleep awhile. So far all of the ride times equal the elapsed times. It will be interesting to see when that starts to differ -- how much they are sleeping.

~maggie

[MomOnBike]

I just checked out the daily pictures and Cat is in far more than her share.

Gosh, I wish I still lived along the route. Right about now I'd be filling water bottles/jugs & baking high protein cookies to hand out to riders and crews - or something. More likely, I'd just stand by the side of the road & watch and cheer.

[MM_QFC!]

Here's here site, with daily updates and pics...she's looking great so far...hopefully, she'll continue to have a good strong safe race.
http://www.catharinaberge.com/id75.htm

[Deanna]

Cat is fairly well known and very well liked in my local bike club, so this update appeared on our chat list. It's quite lengthy, but I didn't see this on Cat's website, so if people are interested, I'll post them as they appear:

>>>Good morning!

>>>I chatted with Elaine Miles from Cat's crew this morning! We had a good 20 minutes to talk and I slammed her withquestions. :-)

First and foremost, Cat is doing great!!! Of course she is having the usual RAAM-induced variety of problems, but her spirits are good and she is focused and determined. She is quite aware of whose RVs she is seeing and who might be taking sleep breaks, who might be ahead of her, who might be behind her, whose pace van that is pulled off the side of the road, etc.... Of course, like I mentioned before, her crew does not have access to the time station stats like we do on the RAAM site. They only have the data that is available at each time station, if they even have a chance to stop at it. Each time station lists who has already passed thru ahead of her. So, who is in back of her is really unknown to them unless they see a pace van belonging to a rider that they know is not ahead of them. If so, they can deduct(deduce) that that given rider may be close behind or their van pulled ahead for a crew sleep break and is just going to wait for their rider and the 2nd pace van. It's really a lot of detective work for each crew to deduct where other riders are.

I updated Elaine on the placing of each rider, their average speed so that we could figure out who hasn't slept yet and who has, and how far ahead of
her the next rider is so that Cat could pace herself.

Cat is having trouble with her knee. She has a neoprene support brace on it now and will be riding with that, probably from now until the end. This knee has been a source of trouble for her and prayers are needed to keep her knee in good condition to get her to the finish line. She also is wearing 2 pairs of shorts due to saddle sores and has switched to her larger pair of cycling shoes due to swelling in her feet.

Cat didn't sleep at all the first night, which I already knew... but she did take her sleep break last night and the night before. Her sleep break is scheduled to be for 3 hours, but Cat is waking up after 2 and has been getting back on her bike without the total 3 hours to sleep. REM sleep patterns are such that 90-minute blocks of sleep are most helpful and most resting, so 120 minutes has her waking up before her 2nd REM cycle. She also took another 30-minute break early this morning because she was so cold. They put her in the van and cranked up the heat and she snoozed for 30 minutes.

The crew has been reading some cards to her over the PA system... cards from well wishers, notes of encouragement. Cat loves this!

Since the crew has not had a chance to download the digital photos they have been taking, or check emails, I don't have any photos today and I can't read all of your emails to her crew. So, I'm trying to make a deal with Cat's sister, Susanne, who is coming to the course from Sweden on Sunday, and having her print the emails out so that the crew has them for the 2nd 1/2 of RAAM and can read them to Cat.

Cat has a big climb today....as she leaves Time Station #16 from Pagosa Springs and heads into Time Station #17 into South Fork, Colorado, she has to climb Wolf Creek Pass, of which the elevation is at 10,857 feet. The temperature looks to be cool, at 61 degrees (F) in South Fork, Colorado this
morning. Then she has a 6% descent for 6 miles off the summit.

Cat is eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches , peanut butter bagels, Hammer Nutrition products Sustained Energy and Perpetuem, Clif Shots, and organic milk and organic chocolate milk. Nutrition-wise, she is doing great. She is having no problems with her food or water consumption.

Cat should be pulling into Time Station #16, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, really soon now. This puts her at around 300 miles, give or take, for Day Three. From what I have read, the weather ahead of Cat looks great.... sunny, around the middle 80s (F), and SW winds.

A note to Susanne, Cat's sister.... yes, she has the Swedish National Anthem with her! Cat has it noted in her crew book and the CD is ready to be played while crossing the finish line!!!!

[SadieKate]

Deanna, aren't they reading emails to her over a loud speaker system? Maybe you could put together a message from the TE women, aka the Ladies' Mutual Aid and Admiration Society?

[Deanna]

Yes they are. If you send them, I'll do my best to get them to her!

[SadieKate]

http://raceacrossamerica.org/

With profound regret, Race Across America announces that Bob Breedlove, competitor #188, collided head-on with a pickup truck at approximately 12.15 p.m. EDT, on June 23, 28 miles west of Trinidad, Colorado. When paramedics arrived on the scene they pronounced him dead. The accident took place on a section of road that sloped very gently downhill for cyclists in the race. According to the driver of the pickup truck, Bob Breedlove appeared to collapse on his bicycle and swerved into the path of the oncoming vehicle.

Cyclists competing in the Race Across America are offered the option of completing the race, should they so desire.

Race Director Jim Pitre said: "Speaking both personally, and on behalf of the entire management and all those associated with the race, I extend my most sincere sympathy to the family of Bob Breedlove."

[SadieKate]

Apparently he was in the lead for the 50+ category. Here is a note from the 6/21 race daily report

50+ Race
The two-man battle for the 50+ might not seem close, with Bob Breedlove enjoying a five-hour lead over 20-time RAAM finisher Rob Kish. But Kish has forgotten more about finishing RAAM than anyone else will ever know and his measured pace has lulled more than a few fellow racers into a false sense of security.

[MomOnBike]

My heart goes out to Mr. Breedlove's family and friends - and to the driver of the truck.

What a tragic accident.

[Trek420]

Mine as well. So very very sad.

Just another thought, on the RAAM site there is a bulletin board where people can post their thoughts about this tragic losss. From what I read there he was such a great guy.

It said there that the stunned, sad, doubtless tired and bleary eyed board administrator accidently deleted the posts about this heroic rider. Any of us who have posted our thoughts and feelings there please revisit the site.

I don't know if any of those are reaching the families of the rider, driver and other riders but worth a try.

[bluezfire]

I was stunned and saddened by this news yesterday. I picked out my "favorites" and have been watching them closely since Sunday. And Bob was one of those, him being in the lead for the 50+. I couldn't help but sit here and be amazed and in awe of him and his accomplishments. I couldn't help but think how great it would be to do something as amazing as this when I'm over 50. It's a tragic thing, indeed.