Even more Fabio's corner...

6/16/09 0215 Race Time.

My kkkkkidneys are rrrrattling arrrrround as I tttttap awwwwway this mmmmmorning. Pete is doing a stellar job of negotiating the RV around the back roads of Missouri in search of I70. I’m riding shotgun and Mama D is navigating with the Garmin. Somehow I think one of the other 4-man teams programmed our GPS to take us in circles on gravel roads for a few hours.

The last 6-hour shift was awesome. From Osage Beach, MO to Marthasville, MO – 119.5 miles in under 6 hours. Adam and Patt clearly ate their Wheaties beforehand. It all started when I woke to Pete making a three point turn in the middle of highway 54 in search of a pull-off for the shift change (hmm, so Pete’s good with the big rigs too…). With no suitable parking lot, a side road sufficed. Not to be denied, the machine lurched into action – riders wolfing down breakfast and crew scrambling to execute the switch (some even brushed their teeth).

Overall the segment was a gradual decline to Marthasville with some early hills and then two sets of steep pitches just to keep team 402 honest. As expected, AFC turned cranks to maintain the target pace. Pete and Stacey were leapfrogging and Weezal and Fab had Follow duty. Inter-car communications were accomplished successfully with a combination of FRS (channel 8/0) and various cell carriers, as conditions dictated. Riders were wired for FRS channel 4/0 communications most of this interval (but this isn’t always reliable). We continued with solid exchanges as the riders gobbled up as much asphalt as MO could dish out.

We have had contact off and on with the Brits (team United Eight), our leapfrogs passing each other intermittently. It’s always exciting to see other riders and cheer them on. RAAM is a race, but it’s also about having fun, meeting people along the way, and lending a hand if you can. That’s part of the “vibe” that I didn’t get in my pre-race studies. We stopped at a Time Station to borrow their computer to check the standings. We chatted with local cyclists who wanted to hear our story. We stared into the weary eyes of other teams that revealed the hopes, struggles, and satisfaction that swirled in their hearts, heads, and stomachs. We saw other racers riding and always cheered them on. We may be here for different reasons, but we’re all here.

And who better to realize that we need to enjoy the journey than Adam? After one exchange he yelled something to Weez and me in the Follow car about pizza. 3 pizzas. We joked that Adam’s having 3 pizzas delivered to us. It was no joking matter. He had called Papa Johns, who promptly delivered 3 pizzas to us (a 75 mile drive to intercept – kind of makes the Main Street TMR intercept look tame, eh JK?). The next exchange saw a “leap to follow” pizza handoff and simultaneous “follow to leap” Leatherman tool handoff (to tighten a cleat). It doesn’t get any better than that. Thanks, Sug! By the way, could you arrange for subs in WV?

We had a lot of “wouldn’t it be cool?” thoughts. Wouldn’t it be cool to move up in the standings? Wouldn’t it be cool to catch up w/a solo rider? Wouldn’t it be cool to see United Eight riders on the road? Wouldn’t it be cool to see ANY other rider on the road? Not far from the Walmart at the start of our day we encountered a solo rider sporting a PVC contraption that held his head up when his neck muscles fatigued. Later in the day Pattttt got to ride with a solo rider for a stretch. He said the other racer looked good, considering he had ridden almost 2000 miles. His saddle and aero bars were heavily padded for comfort (a relative term indeed).

Our rendezvous with the RV went smoothly, and not long after our arrival the Brits’ crew pulled in. They were about 30 minutes behind, and their crew chief indicated that they were doing well. One of their biggest challenges was dealing with the heat, which was not like home. I told them to wait until they hit the hot and humid east. We’d like to meet these folks in Annapolis for a drink in a few days…

After a hard night’s work the warriors of the night brought team AFC to 1912 miles at about 0000 Race Time. As I close this entry out (0334) Keith and Alex have turned the dial past the 2/3 mark!