Fabio's Corner :)

Here is another entry from Fabio. We are currently in Boise City, OK getting some wash done, food, and other unnecessary things. Enjoy!

PS - Happy Father's Day a day early to all Dad's :)

- weez


Friday, 6-13-08, 1338 Race Time.
We are pulling out of the Visitor's Center in Durango, Colorado with Papa D at the helm (currently negotiating out of the RV area in reverse [my heart thumping...]), Fabio tap-tapping on the blog riding shotgun, Pat sleeping (eat, sleep, ride, repeat), Peter asnooze, Stacey gathering thoughts for a future blog, Weezal directing the RV, and Adam wide awake, too wired to sleep ("I feel like I should be riding now," he says).

Let's try to recap some of the events of the past few (only 2?!) days of racing. Pardon the stream of consciousness, but with the schedule we're keeping it's amazing some of us are conscious at all.

I must start by closing on the previous blog prediction. Adam did, in fact, blow past racer after racer on the big opening ascent. I’ll tell you what I would have been thinking – he’ll burn out before the top or maybe won’t even be able to finish out the day. Well after almost 2 days of racing all of our guys are going strong. I knew there would be ample opportunity to see these guys climb, but we got a good dose going from TS5 to TS6 (Congress, AZ to Prescott, AZ). Adam took the first nibble: an 1800 foot climb over 7 miles. Watching him wend through the switchbacks is hypnotic - back bobbing slightly, head moving back/forth, quads driving relentlessly. Maybe I’m just a cycling neophyte, but I don’t know how the human machine holds together under such stress. The tremendous torque and overall effort expended to reach such a summit is incomprehensible to me (especially considering the tall gear he’s pushing). At one of the dry runs back east Madio commented on the rhythm the riders have, and that doesn’t fade on the climbs. Unfortunately, Adam didn’t encounter other racers on that particular mountain because I know he would have gone even faster and succeeded in his quest to overcome. He is driven. He rides because he loves it. He is a competitor.
Our second climb on the way to Prescott is placed on the broad shoulders of our hero, Patt. 1100 feet in 6 miles – not for the faint of heart. What’s interesting about Patt is that no matter what you ask him to do, he accepts the challenge. “Patt, wanna climb that mountain?” “How about this descent?” “Would you mind taking an extra turn at the end to get us to the next Time Station?” He is always willing. On this particular day he was both willing and able. Patt has a different style than Sugar – less movement while seated and more nimble and quicker in/out of the seat. At the heart of his engine are two strong cylinders that motivate his machine anywhere he steers. I must say that it’s hard to get to know a rider from a few 25 mile TMRs here and there. But after just a few short days on RAAM with Patt, he’s the guy that goes long. The engine that could. The Energizer Bunny. He’s Perpetual Patt – always pushing to the end. I should have figured this out from hearing about the marathons and Iron Man competitions he has completed. There was also chat at the hotel in Oceanside, CA about how Baby Suga could beat Patt in a foot race. Well, a sprint, 10K, and maybe 10mi. But Patt would have the edge on the half-marathon and longer races. But I digress... Back to the mountain where this man is powering up the hill relentlessly. After a long push he crests the top and spins down with a blistering cadence, ready to devour anything else RAAM throws at him. Hey, RAAM isn’t a sprint, a 10K, or even a 10 mile foot race. It’s a true endurance bike race that will break unprepared solo and team racers alike. When I think about Patt’s ability to go long I get even more excited about AFC’s chances.