RAAM
Greetings fellow cyclists! I just wanted to invite you all to share with us the experience of Race Across America 2009.
I am the Crew Chief for Alls Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia, a 4 person mixed team based out of New Jersey, but with team members from Arizona to the UK and yours truly right here in DC.
You can check out our AW4F Web site, join our Facebook team, follow us on Twitter, or read all about it on my blog. And you can come out to the dock in Annapolis and welcome us home! Hope to see you there.
We leave Oceanside, California on June 20th and hope to reach Annapolis by June 27th.
Thank you for your support,
Yvette and everyone from All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia
For three decades, cyclists and
non-cyclists alike across the land have looked forward to this unprecedented
event coming through or near their hometowns. Having their town designated one
of the 50-plus time stations draws even more excitement. The most
dedicated fans often stay up through the night to assemble in impromptu
villages at roadsides to watch and cheer as the racers and their support
crews ride by at their steady paces. It's a big show - support cars with
flashing beacons, huge RV's, and even a peloton of scooters, officials, and
motorcycles "How can anyone ride all the way across the USA on a
bike?" is the most asked question "and in 8 days?"
For 2009, Mt Airy
Bicycles, a lifelong supporter of the event, will again not only have the ride
pass by their shop; they will serve as an official time station and the ONLY official RAAM penalty box on the entire
2900-mile route. Any racer with a penalty along the route must sit out
for a certain time.
Because the shop is a platinum level designated
test-ride center for many of the best bike, trike, and tandem brands, we made
sure our smooth, state-bike-route-designated shoulders are wider than the
traffic lanes!
This is a great place to watch the race. Our large,
grassy yard will be an ideal place to pitch a tent and relax between racers
passing through. Plenty of RV parking is available as well. The atmosphere is a
local version of the hillsides of France during LeTour, only our party lasts a
week not just a few hours! Experts agree the RAAM is a far tougher event! You
can expect to see cyclists coming through during the last week of June.
The shop will be providing round-the-clock snacks and comfort
amenities for racers, crews, and fans.
Last year, riders, fans, and
crews from all over the planet agreed this was one of the most interesting stops
ever.....
It is like the grandstand at LeMans or the Derby- it's the start of
the sprint and when all the stops got pulled Mt Airy fans saw Slovenia's
Jure Robic hand carried off his bike seat, into a couch in the RV, and back on
the bike after 'doing his time'
While he was in the bus, his restless crew members jumped on the 7-seat Conference Bike and took it up the highway and back.
Though the weary Slovenian Army officer, Robic, could hardly stand, he pedaled off into the morning mist and was crowned the winner in Annapolis that afternoon- and the ONLY 4-time winner in RAAM history.
The next morning Robic's
now-famous SRAM RED Scott bike was in our shop where it resides and will be on
display.
Another famous RAAM bike will
be on display as well-the 1985 Veltec-Boyer Vitus Carbone used by Jonathan Boyer
to win the RAAM from California to Atlantic City that year. With all due respect
to Ultramarathon cyclists like Lon Haldeman, Michael Shermer, Casey Patterson,
and '85 runner-up Mike Secrest (whom Boyer edged out by a nose' of just hours)
Boyer wanted to show that a regular road and track racer could go the
distance.
Mt Airy's Larry Black, had
known Boyer and some friends from his company for a few years and was able to
get the winning bike shortly after the event. Nearly 20 years later Boyer's
skinsuit turned up in California and came out to reunite with the bike. For 2009
the famous traveling bike museum will be parked at the shop.
The museum
features over a dozen of the most significant examples of milestone bikes going
back to the early 1800's
We are dedicating our rest stop/time station to long time friend and RAAM official Kurt Eisentraut, who passed away just a couple months after the 2008 RAAM.
If you are interested in
volunteering for working this unique history-making time station and penalty
box, if you dare, please contact us - info@bike123.com
The RAAM site is raceacrossamerica.org
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