Tess's thoughts. A little bit ADD, but that's okay -- I'm a professional.
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed through the above link are strictly personal and do not reflect the opinions of Team Strong Heart or its associates.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
2007 RAAM Course Description
RAAM racers start their cross-country cycling challenge in Oceanside, CA. After cycling over 3,000 miles, climbing over 109,000 feet and crossing fourteen states, as well as all four of the continental United States’ time zones, racers will arrive at the east coast to finish on Atlantic City’s Historic Boardwalk. Along the way they will be challenged with everything a country as large and diverse as the USA can offer.
The racers leave the Oceanside Pier and enjoy a police-escorted "parade" up The Strand and the San Luis Rey bike path. By the time the racers cross under I-15, the parade is over they’re racing. A series of moderate climbs along lightly traveled roads takes the riders into the shadow of Palomar Mountain near the crest of the coastal ranges. Then, not unlike a blast furnace, the temperatures rapidly climb into triple digits during the dizzyingly twisty 3500 foot descent of the "Glass Elevator" into the Anza Borrego Desert. But conditions will get even more miserable along the western shores of the Salton Sea as rising humidity levels make a mockery of the "at least it’s a dry heat" west coast mantra. Not until the racers reach Mecca and start the scenic climb through Box Canyon does the mugginess disappear. Then the racers gradually descend along interstate10 to Blythe, the Colorado River and the first state border crossing of the race.
Conditions continue to toughen in Arizona. The route trends upward along I-10 west of Quartzite and along US 60 further east in Arizona. The barren stretch between Wenden and Gladden will be more mentally demanding than almost any other part of the course: for over twenty miles the road is perfectly straight and not even the string of telephone poles along the left side of the road appears to alter in appearance. The desert is not a forgiving environment. Surviving this, the racers are rewarded with some exceptionally scenic climbing: the legendary Yarnell Grade as well as subsequent climbs into Prescott.
Heading north, the racers join I-40 for the fifty easterly miles into Flagstaff. Once again, the route bends north into the Indian Country east of Grand Canyon. At Kayenta the racers pass between the silent sentinels that guard the spectacular Monument Valley. The Utah canyons around Mexican Hat and Bluff will be equally memorable.
Western Colorado brings the Rocky Mountains: the high Rocky Mountains. Between Cortez and Durango, Mancos Mountain and Hesperus Hill are simply polite introductions to the much more significant climbing to follow. Not until the racers pass through Pagosa Springs do things get really serious. Wolf Creek Pass is a true "working man’s" climb: once the road tilts upwards. The 8% grade doesn’t moderate until it crests at the 10,550 foot continental divide. La VetaPass follows: somewhat less steep but with much more open vistas. Finally, Cuchara Pass completes the trio: a narrow, windy climb that tops out just less than 10,000 feet.
After coasting down the eastern slopes of the Rockies, the racers emerge into the high plains of eastern Colorado at Trinidad. Tailwinds are likely to push the racers along.
Unfortunately, thundershowers and lightning are equally likely to accompany the racers. In Kansas the plains continue their tilt eastward, dropping from 3,000 feet in the west to 1,000 feet in the east. The route passes just south of the wild-west town of Dodge City and the Santa Fe Trail. Towns, along with their water towers, regularly interrupt the continuity of sunflower-lined roads. Halfway across the state, the route leaves US 54 to skirt around the busy Wichita traffic. It is here, soon after crossing the Arkansas River, the racers will be the halfway through the race.
At Fort Scott the racers enter Missouri. Immediately, rolling hills and distinctive "lettered" state highways will clue the riders that they aren’t in Kansas any more. Midway across the state, the route crosses two widely separated arms of the massive Lake of the Ozarks and between which the racers will be forced to contend with an overabundance of vacationing motorists. A short while later, racers circle the magnificent rotunda of the state capital at Jefferson City and cross the Missouri River. For the next 70 miles, the road never strays far from the river and is fairly flat, except for two sections of short extremely steep twisty climbs. Finally, a bit north of St. Louis, racers will cycle over the mighty Mississippi on a magnificent golden yellow suspension bridge, The Clark Bridge, into Alton, Illinois.
RAAM slices through the farming country of southern Illinois and central Indiana, following US 40 for most of the way. The historic National Road spurs off at several spots, including once to pass through an old covered bridge within sight of the race route. Along the tree-shaded boulevards of Terre Haute, Indiana, the race enters the Eastern Time Zone, to complete the final third segment of the race. (Note: Indiana time zone rules—i.e., "Indiana Time"—are extremely confusing. Like Arizona, most of the state does not observe daylight savings time. For this summer’s race, local time in Indiana is the same as Missouri’s.) Continuing east, RAAM retraces much of the RAIN (Ride Across Indiana) route, arcing south of Indianapolis and on into Richmond.
Considering that Ohio is the seventh most populous state, racers will be pleasantly surprised at how rural this section is. The course gently rolls north of Dayton (reaching its northernmost point outside Urbana) before trending southeast, to the west of Columbus. Steep inclines once again challenge the riders through the thirty miles of hardwood forests of the Hocking Hills region. In Athens, the grades moderate as the riders skirt Ohio University’s sprawling campus and athletic fields.
RAAM crosses the Ohio River and enters West Virginia on US highway 50 and starts a series of climbs through the Appalachian Mountains. As the road narrows, it climbs over the Eastern Divide at 3,000 feet above sea level, and then climbs again to the ominously named Mt. Storm before dropping into Maryland. Some of the most intense grades of the entire race are found on scenic US 40 in the forty miles between Cumberland and Hancock. The fourth of these climbs, Sideling Hill, subjects riders to a 1,000 foot ascent in two miles.
Fortunately, once the route enters Pennsylvania racers will no longer face any extended climbs. Unfortunately, between Gettysburg and the Susquehanna River an interminable series of extremely steep but mercifully short rollers will discourage all but the toughest of competitors. The course then starts to flatten out as it enters Pennsylvania Dutch "horse and buggy" country. After skirting the southern suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware, racers will be shuttled over the Del Mem Bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey.
The increasing traffic hints of the now near and approaching finish line. After one last time station in Mckee City, Atlantic City’s casino-dominated skyline rises in the distance. The racers collect a police escort for their entry into the city. Finally, after crossing the familiar "Monopoly" streets—Atlantic, Pacific—the racers arrive at the Historic Boardwalk, just a few feet short of the Atlantic Ocean.
The racers leave the Oceanside Pier and enjoy a police-escorted "parade" up The Strand and the San Luis Rey bike path. By the time the racers cross under I-15, the parade is over they’re racing. A series of moderate climbs along lightly traveled roads takes the riders into the shadow of Palomar Mountain near the crest of the coastal ranges. Then, not unlike a blast furnace, the temperatures rapidly climb into triple digits during the dizzyingly twisty 3500 foot descent of the "Glass Elevator" into the Anza Borrego Desert. But conditions will get even more miserable along the western shores of the Salton Sea as rising humidity levels make a mockery of the "at least it’s a dry heat" west coast mantra. Not until the racers reach Mecca and start the scenic climb through Box Canyon does the mugginess disappear. Then the racers gradually descend along interstate10 to Blythe, the Colorado River and the first state border crossing of the race.
Conditions continue to toughen in Arizona. The route trends upward along I-10 west of Quartzite and along US 60 further east in Arizona. The barren stretch between Wenden and Gladden will be more mentally demanding than almost any other part of the course: for over twenty miles the road is perfectly straight and not even the string of telephone poles along the left side of the road appears to alter in appearance. The desert is not a forgiving environment. Surviving this, the racers are rewarded with some exceptionally scenic climbing: the legendary Yarnell Grade as well as subsequent climbs into Prescott.
Heading north, the racers join I-40 for the fifty easterly miles into Flagstaff. Once again, the route bends north into the Indian Country east of Grand Canyon. At Kayenta the racers pass between the silent sentinels that guard the spectacular Monument Valley. The Utah canyons around Mexican Hat and Bluff will be equally memorable.
Western Colorado brings the Rocky Mountains: the high Rocky Mountains. Between Cortez and Durango, Mancos Mountain and Hesperus Hill are simply polite introductions to the much more significant climbing to follow. Not until the racers pass through Pagosa Springs do things get really serious. Wolf Creek Pass is a true "working man’s" climb: once the road tilts upwards. The 8% grade doesn’t moderate until it crests at the 10,550 foot continental divide. La VetaPass follows: somewhat less steep but with much more open vistas. Finally, Cuchara Pass completes the trio: a narrow, windy climb that tops out just less than 10,000 feet.
After coasting down the eastern slopes of the Rockies, the racers emerge into the high plains of eastern Colorado at Trinidad. Tailwinds are likely to push the racers along.
Unfortunately, thundershowers and lightning are equally likely to accompany the racers. In Kansas the plains continue their tilt eastward, dropping from 3,000 feet in the west to 1,000 feet in the east. The route passes just south of the wild-west town of Dodge City and the Santa Fe Trail. Towns, along with their water towers, regularly interrupt the continuity of sunflower-lined roads. Halfway across the state, the route leaves US 54 to skirt around the busy Wichita traffic. It is here, soon after crossing the Arkansas River, the racers will be the halfway through the race.
At Fort Scott the racers enter Missouri. Immediately, rolling hills and distinctive "lettered" state highways will clue the riders that they aren’t in Kansas any more. Midway across the state, the route crosses two widely separated arms of the massive Lake of the Ozarks and between which the racers will be forced to contend with an overabundance of vacationing motorists. A short while later, racers circle the magnificent rotunda of the state capital at Jefferson City and cross the Missouri River. For the next 70 miles, the road never strays far from the river and is fairly flat, except for two sections of short extremely steep twisty climbs. Finally, a bit north of St. Louis, racers will cycle over the mighty Mississippi on a magnificent golden yellow suspension bridge, The Clark Bridge, into Alton, Illinois.
RAAM slices through the farming country of southern Illinois and central Indiana, following US 40 for most of the way. The historic National Road spurs off at several spots, including once to pass through an old covered bridge within sight of the race route. Along the tree-shaded boulevards of Terre Haute, Indiana, the race enters the Eastern Time Zone, to complete the final third segment of the race. (Note: Indiana time zone rules—i.e., "Indiana Time"—are extremely confusing. Like Arizona, most of the state does not observe daylight savings time. For this summer’s race, local time in Indiana is the same as Missouri’s.) Continuing east, RAAM retraces much of the RAIN (Ride Across Indiana) route, arcing south of Indianapolis and on into Richmond.
Considering that Ohio is the seventh most populous state, racers will be pleasantly surprised at how rural this section is. The course gently rolls north of Dayton (reaching its northernmost point outside Urbana) before trending southeast, to the west of Columbus. Steep inclines once again challenge the riders through the thirty miles of hardwood forests of the Hocking Hills region. In Athens, the grades moderate as the riders skirt Ohio University’s sprawling campus and athletic fields.
RAAM crosses the Ohio River and enters West Virginia on US highway 50 and starts a series of climbs through the Appalachian Mountains. As the road narrows, it climbs over the Eastern Divide at 3,000 feet above sea level, and then climbs again to the ominously named Mt. Storm before dropping into Maryland. Some of the most intense grades of the entire race are found on scenic US 40 in the forty miles between Cumberland and Hancock. The fourth of these climbs, Sideling Hill, subjects riders to a 1,000 foot ascent in two miles.
Fortunately, once the route enters Pennsylvania racers will no longer face any extended climbs. Unfortunately, between Gettysburg and the Susquehanna River an interminable series of extremely steep but mercifully short rollers will discourage all but the toughest of competitors. The course then starts to flatten out as it enters Pennsylvania Dutch "horse and buggy" country. After skirting the southern suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware, racers will be shuttled over the Del Mem Bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey.
The increasing traffic hints of the now near and approaching finish line. After one last time station in Mckee City, Atlantic City’s casino-dominated skyline rises in the distance. The racers collect a police escort for their entry into the city. Finally, after crossing the familiar "Monopoly" streets—Atlantic, Pacific—the racers arrive at the Historic Boardwalk, just a few feet short of the Atlantic Ocean.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Still more Testing!
Enter the lab.....
Tonight Tim Case and Greg Kostik came to Room 1004 at Children's Hospital for their 2nd round of testing with Dr. Dan and his staff. Tim was wallowing in lowlander's heavy atmosphere, having flown in from Boulder earlier today, beating the second snowstorm in a week here in Minnesota.
He was anxious to see how his winter training has been paying off: he will be racing this Sunday in his first criterium of the season back home in Boulder. I don't think he has much to worry about. We will get solid figures in a few days, but I believe he is on target for a good season, both for his new squad in Colorado, and for Team Strong Heart!Here is is being tested (as all of the guys are) to check his acuity under the clock. As the timer ticks, the subject has to sequence 3 colored pegs into a numbered board, in order. The holes are randomly numbers and colored, so it is quite a challenge. They perform this test prior to the heart-rending cycle tests; it gets them in a frame of mind for competition. All four of our guys did a great job.
Greg arrived straight from work, and while Tim finished up on the cycle, he did his vertical leap tests and other preliminary testing. He showed that his legs have been strengthening over the winter. When finished with that, Greg plugged in his Ipod and pedaled to Metallica for a very impressive cardio performance.All in all, Dr. Dan got alot of data to put together our plan for conquering the Race Across America in June. With this data we can fine-tune our racing plan, nutrition and rest goals and continue to train for the biggest race in the world.
Friday, February 23, 2007
2nd Team Physio effort
Last night Bernie and Niel got together with Dr. Dan and his crew at Children's Hospital in St. Paul. This was the second time I had attended one of these treats where I get to cheer the guys on, but don't have to do it myself.
I brought along cameras and video equipment, and post something once I get it edited down to a reasonable length (I have almost 2 hours of video, and most of it is just guys pedaling. I was trying out a new helmet cam, which made good video, but for some reason the sound was not working properly. I tested the unit after the session, and it recorded fine, but I must have shut something off or something. I will perhaps use the silent footage over music later: if I find something that is great I will post it somewhere and link it here.
I took a few snaps as well: here is one with Niel dying at the peak of his 2nd (or 4th?) Wingate test, when he was still trying to beat the title that Bernie laid down earlier...
Here is another with Bernie giving his order for Fava beans and a nice Chianti.
I will have more material later: and next Wednesday Greg and Tim will come down, and we will see what we get.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Our Adventure! ...and don't call me Francis...
I don't have any photos for the tasks at hand, but I get to include a link. I have begun a discussion with Pamela Blalock, a ultra-distance cyclist currently residing in Boston. I discovered her website several weeks ago. You can find it at http://www.blayleys.com/trips/2002/raam/index.htm
She crewed in 2002, and created a dynamite website with tons of insight into crewing and riders of the toughest race anywhere. As Crew Chief of Team StrongHeart, I am doing quite a lot of research and thinking about how to get this band across the county twice (from Minnesota to California to start the race, across the country during the race, and home again from Atlantic City!) safely and happily.
Pamela's website is a must-read for anyone interested in the technical aspects of the race from the "mule's" perspective. By mule, it is with admiration that I refer to the multitude of crew members that have gotten their riders to Everest and back again as the steadfast animal.
As an important aside, let me include a bit of my family history in explanation. My Father-In-Law, Rudy Stefancic, served in the 10th Mountain Division during the Second World War. They finished the war fighting north along the spine of Italy and crossed the Po River. During a conflict where the internal combustion engine came into its' own, this division of American warriors did their job with the aid of these sturdy critters. Mules carried all of the materiel needed to keep 10,000 soldiers moving and fighting, including field artillery, food, ammunition and climbing gear.
I am happy to be compared to these fine animals (I mean the Mules; I should be so lucky to be compared to the soldiers of the 10th Mountain). Not glamorous, but essential tools whenever the going gets tough.
Ideas are welcome for a better mascot!
She crewed in 2002, and created a dynamite website with tons of insight into crewing and riders of the toughest race anywhere. As Crew Chief of Team StrongHeart, I am doing quite a lot of research and thinking about how to get this band across the county twice (from Minnesota to California to start the race, across the country during the race, and home again from Atlantic City!) safely and happily.
Pamela's website is a must-read for anyone interested in the technical aspects of the race from the "mule's" perspective. By mule, it is with admiration that I refer to the multitude of crew members that have gotten their riders to Everest and back again as the steadfast animal.
As an important aside, let me include a bit of my family history in explanation. My Father-In-Law, Rudy Stefancic, served in the 10th Mountain Division during the Second World War. They finished the war fighting north along the spine of Italy and crossed the Po River. During a conflict where the internal combustion engine came into its' own, this division of American warriors did their job with the aid of these sturdy critters. Mules carried all of the materiel needed to keep 10,000 soldiers moving and fighting, including field artillery, food, ammunition and climbing gear.
I am happy to be compared to these fine animals (I mean the Mules; I should be so lucky to be compared to the soldiers of the 10th Mountain). Not glamorous, but essential tools whenever the going gets tough.
Ideas are welcome for a better mascot!
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