RAAM - The Race

Race Across America (RAAM)

Well first of all apologies for the recent lack of updates to my blog. As previously mentioned the blog is now fixed and my intentions are to keep it updated.

The RAAM was one of the most exciting and personally rewarding projects that I’ve ever been involved in. The whole journey since being asked to join the team in October 2009 has been an epic one. It is now over and who knows, maybe one day we can do it again? I want to be a rider next time though!!

The easiest way to follow what happened is to look at our official team website www.sharp4prostate.org where other blogs can be read. Also make sure you check out the photos by clicking on the the flickr photos icon. Here some truly amazing photographs of our part in the race can also be found.

Likewise facebook is another area to look at the teams success.

My role once the race began was as team mechanic and navigator. I was paired with Anna  Kerr and we were to be a night crew. We worked constantly through each night of seven, plotting our way through the carefully planned time stations all the way from Oceanside, Los Angeles to Annapolis, Maryland. Each night shift consisted of anything from 14 to 16 hours. After which I would see to any bike maintenance and cleaning that was required, before I grabbed 3 or 4 hours sleep on the tour bus.

No I didn’t see much of America. What I did see was mostly darkness and clearly moonlit skies. Too tired and suffering from sleep depravation during the daytimes meant that I never saw much during those times either.

Did it matter, NO I didn’t come to the RAAM for a holiday and to go sightseeing, I came to be part of a successful race team riding in the hardest non-professional cycling endurance race in the world!

Successful, OH YES! 

Sharp4Prostate came third in the overall 4 man open competition, out of 20+ teams. In a time of 6days, 15hours, 7minutes. The results can be found on the official www.raceacrossamerica.org website. Please note that on there it shows us as coming fourth. The team that officially is counted as coming third were on recumbents and really should have been in a separate category, but being the only ones on such machines they were kept in the main 4 man category.

It’s been a privilege working with this team and I now have some very fond memories. The team list is below;

Crew Chief                                           Mark ‘El Burgo’ Burgin

Rider 1                                                  Paul Molyneux

Rider 2                                                  Adam Denton

Rider 3                                                  Dan Broom

Rider 4                                                  Karl Chandler

Mechanic/Navigator                              Richie Mitchell

Driver/Training Camp Accommodator   Anna Kerr

Navigator/Comms                                 Glyn Hughes

Driver/Project Manager                         Hugo Roche

Driver/Project Manager                         Chris Mothersdale

Phsyio/Nutritionist                                  Andrew Evans

Admin/Logistics/Planning                      Noelle Casemore

Assistant/Helper                                    Graham McMullen

Tour Bus Drivers                                    Costa & Eddie

Team Sharp4Prostate