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2010 RAW RECAP
by Crew Chief Linda
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This race couldn't have run any smoother. Aside from some minor glitches, such as loosing a crown and a fingernail, things ran pretty darn well. 1st in his age and second overall was more than we could have hoped for. There was some stiff competition and weather conditions were much windier than expected. The climbing was tough, seemingly every mile was ascending. The toughest climbs in Arizona and Utah took place in the heat of the day, which made them seem most formidable. Mark pulled it all together through self determination and with the help of a very fine crew, (if I do say so myself!)
The trip out to Oceanside was fun. The crew,(Me, Kalleen, Steve, Peggy, Lauren), and Mark drove to Lordsburg, NM the first night. During that first day Mark lost his crown, and Kalleen, Steve, and Peggy went searching for Fixadent to try and seal it back on. That worked for a while but the tooth kept coming off. Steve and Peggy worked diligently after arriving in Oceanside to find Mark a dentist that would take him in on an emergency basis. After securing a dentist that would see Mark, Kalleen took him and sat there until he was fixed and ready to race. During that time the Pettys and I were at one of the required meetings finding out pertinent information about the race course ahead. Once Mark's tooth was set, it was time to ready the van for inspection. Kalleen, being an old hat at signage placement, went right to work with Steve, Peggy, and Lauren working alongside. Everything was set, and during inspection the officials commented on what a great job we did and passed us with flying colors. Once everything, including the racer,was ready to race, we had some time to relax which included dinner with fellow Texans and JDRF teammates, tandem solo racers Pat & Charlie Jenkins , their crew Gary & Sandy Estes, and John Droese. There was good food, drink, & I believe some Tequilla shots played a role in there somewhere! (No racers partook in this revelry until AFTER the race!)
The trip out to Oceanside was fun. The crew,(Me, Kalleen, Steve, Peggy, Lauren), and Mark drove to Lordsburg, NM the first night. During that first day Mark lost his crown, and Kalleen, Steve, and Peggy went searching for Fixadent to try and seal it back on. That worked for a while but the tooth kept coming off. Steve and Peggy worked diligently after arriving in Oceanside to find Mark a dentist that would take him in on an emergency basis. After securing a dentist that would see Mark, Kalleen took him and sat there until he was fixed and ready to race. During that time the Pettys and I were at one of the required meetings finding out pertinent information about the race course ahead. Once Mark's tooth was set, it was time to ready the van for inspection. Kalleen, being an old hat at signage placement, went right to work with Steve, Peggy, and Lauren working alongside. Everything was set, and during inspection the officials commented on what a great job we did and passed us with flying colors. Once everything, including the racer,was ready to race, we had some time to relax which included dinner with fellow Texans and JDRF teammates, tandem solo racers Pat & Charlie Jenkins , their crew Gary & Sandy Estes, and John Droese. There was good food, drink, & I believe some Tequilla shots played a role in there somewhere! (No racers partook in this revelry until AFTER the race!)
Climbing out of the desert on day one.
Race day came quickly and before we knew we were on the road supporting Mark. The first 100 miles were very tough, constant climbing and desert heat. It wasn't long before Mark was in the van for a massage. Lauren and Kalleen went to work on the cramping muscles, both of them having massage training. We all worked well keeping things moving along. He was back on the road, working through the cramping and pedaling at a good clip. The first hundred is always the most nerve wrecking, ironing out kinks and settling in to a good rythym. The first time station came quickly and had a surprise in store for all the racers. A plague of locusts littered the air and road, creating an interesting descent into Barrego Springs.(I hear they're an excellent source of protein!) Mark enjoyed them so much, he carried one in his helmet all the way to the finish, where the crew was surprised by it and promptly disposed of the darling creature. On to Blythe, CA, which is usually in the 100s, was a pleasant 80 degrees and well below their normal temps for this time of year. However, things heated up as we entered Arizona. The heat started to take its toll on the racers. Coming into Congress, AZ we had no idea where Mark placed because the information was so sketchy. That TS was great though! They had a nice kiddie pool for the riders to cool down and had fresh picked grapefruits to quench their thirst. Kuddos to Kalleen for snagging one of those! Up the Yarnell Grade after Congress and steady climbing the whole way was the ticket. Mark did keep it steady, and before we knew it we found out he was holding first in his age and second overall. Mark made it to Prescott in good shape and on to the climbs at Jarome and Sadona, both to be ascended and descended at night! The weather was great, not too cold or too warm, and Mark climbed up both passes nice and steady. The descents were really something, pitch black and quiet, with only the sound of a clicking freewheel and the hum of the van motor. Kalleen did a great job driving, keeping Mark in sight the whole time.
Daylight of the second day came, and on to Flagstaff, Tuba City, and the fabulous sights of Monument Valley, Utah. We had a visit from the RAAM media crew who took a video of our van and interviewed all of us crew. When watching this, please remember - we are all TIRED and we haven't showered in two days! Enough said. This section wasby far the most dangerous due to high traffic and poor road surface. Texas chip seal would have been a welcome sight! Rain showers popped up and we were warned of possible dust storms. Making it through Monument Valley was a feat in itself. Vehicles here like to pass two by two down the road! Whoa, my fingerprints are permanently etched in the van steering wheel! Making it to Mexican Hat was a relief. Less busy roads and smoother pavement were a Godsend.
Climbing towards Cortez went on through the night and Mark became very tired of the constant push from one mountain to the next. Steve and Peggy were fabulous! They were there for anything Mark needed and gave him much needed encouragement. Word came that a racer was within one hour of Mark and that kept his pedals moving, albeit slowly, but moving nonetheless. The outlying area of Durango was a welcome sight. As the sun started to rise, we could see that the town was just ahead and Mark slowly picked up his speed. He was ready to be finished and had worked hard all night to keep his placing in the race. We came into the last time station and found out we had no time penalties and proceeded on to the finish, up a steady climb to Ft Lewis College. Mark finished in 2 days and 18 hours. We were all happy with his performance and he was happy at how well his crew performed. I have been on several crews, and this one by far was the best! Steve and Peggy have hearts as big as Texas and were there for what ever Mark needed to get him through. Kalleen helped keep things running smoothly with a wealth of experience. Lauren just kept going! She is just 21 after all. I am so glad we all came together to get Mark to his finish of RAW.
So what's next? Maybe we will come together again to support a different rider or set of riders. Steve?... Peggy? The roads await you
Daylight of the second day came, and on to Flagstaff, Tuba City, and the fabulous sights of Monument Valley, Utah. We had a visit from the RAAM media crew who took a video of our van and interviewed all of us crew. When watching this, please remember - we are all TIRED and we haven't showered in two days! Enough said. This section wasby far the most dangerous due to high traffic and poor road surface. Texas chip seal would have been a welcome sight! Rain showers popped up and we were warned of possible dust storms. Making it through Monument Valley was a feat in itself. Vehicles here like to pass two by two down the road! Whoa, my fingerprints are permanently etched in the van steering wheel! Making it to Mexican Hat was a relief. Less busy roads and smoother pavement were a Godsend.
Climbing towards Cortez went on through the night and Mark became very tired of the constant push from one mountain to the next. Steve and Peggy were fabulous! They were there for anything Mark needed and gave him much needed encouragement. Word came that a racer was within one hour of Mark and that kept his pedals moving, albeit slowly, but moving nonetheless. The outlying area of Durango was a welcome sight. As the sun started to rise, we could see that the town was just ahead and Mark slowly picked up his speed. He was ready to be finished and had worked hard all night to keep his placing in the race. We came into the last time station and found out we had no time penalties and proceeded on to the finish, up a steady climb to Ft Lewis College. Mark finished in 2 days and 18 hours. We were all happy with his performance and he was happy at how well his crew performed. I have been on several crews, and this one by far was the best! Steve and Peggy have hearts as big as Texas and were there for what ever Mark needed to get him through. Kalleen helped keep things running smoothly with a wealth of experience. Lauren just kept going! She is just 21 after all. I am so glad we all came together to get Mark to his finish of RAW.
So what's next? Maybe we will come together again to support a different rider or set of riders. Steve?... Peggy? The roads await you