Friday, June 29, 2007
Finish Line Photos!
I wanted to thank everyone for their patience, I know that you've all been waiting for photos from our RAAM adventure. Our extremely talented photographer James Vogl handed off a DVD containing 1300+ high resolution images yesterday and I'm starting in Atlantic City and working my way back to California in my uploading efforts. Keep checking our flickr site, I hope to have all of them up on the site by this weekend. For now, all of the finish line photos are there!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Brandy's Support
The crew as a whole did a fantastic job supporting Rick and I. They were a green crew and they learned lots of things on the fly. I commend them on a job well done.
Furthermore, I wish to acknowledge Brandy for being my primary support person. She kept up on my nutrition, my supplements and provided care to my hemoroids--not exactly a task anyone would want to sign up for. She was there to console me during my lows and very painful times (bowel movements) and shared in my heights when my riding was back to normal. I would not have been able to get through it without her personal support. She was gold and I would have her on my crew again. Thank you Brandy.
I also remember coming in from cold and rainy pulls and someone handing me a cup of soup. This activity was repeated over and over again. I remember Reggie, Herman and Shari everyone chipping in to comfort me after a pull with a soup or a sandwich or a cup of Ensure. Thank you Reggie, Herman and Shari.
To everyone who washed bottles, made bottles, prepped my bike, aired up my tires, ran around looking for headlights and tailights that worked at every night pull you guys/gals were great. Thank you.
To the drivers and navigators who kept me safe and on course. I want to say thank you for protecting as we entered Interstate Hwys and metro areas. I felt a level of comfort and safety knowing that you were there shielding me from the crazy road rage drivers. By and large people were supporting me as they drove by with thumbs up but it took nerves of steel to flare out wide enough to protect me from 18 wheelers that were bearing down on me at 4x my speed. Many of you did your duty while sleep deprived and yet I wasn't ever lost or run off the road. Many crew reports talk about that very thing and that didn't happen to us. Thank you I am home safely because of you.
Furthermore, I wish to acknowledge Brandy for being my primary support person. She kept up on my nutrition, my supplements and provided care to my hemoroids--not exactly a task anyone would want to sign up for. She was there to console me during my lows and very painful times (bowel movements) and shared in my heights when my riding was back to normal. I would not have been able to get through it without her personal support. She was gold and I would have her on my crew again. Thank you Brandy.
I also remember coming in from cold and rainy pulls and someone handing me a cup of soup. This activity was repeated over and over again. I remember Reggie, Herman and Shari everyone chipping in to comfort me after a pull with a soup or a sandwich or a cup of Ensure. Thank you Reggie, Herman and Shari.
To everyone who washed bottles, made bottles, prepped my bike, aired up my tires, ran around looking for headlights and tailights that worked at every night pull you guys/gals were great. Thank you.
To the drivers and navigators who kept me safe and on course. I want to say thank you for protecting as we entered Interstate Hwys and metro areas. I felt a level of comfort and safety knowing that you were there shielding me from the crazy road rage drivers. By and large people were supporting me as they drove by with thumbs up but it took nerves of steel to flare out wide enough to protect me from 18 wheelers that were bearing down on me at 4x my speed. Many of you did your duty while sleep deprived and yet I wasn't ever lost or run off the road. Many crew reports talk about that very thing and that didn't happen to us. Thank you I am home safely because of you.
Crew
It goes without saying that this massive undertaking, racing across America, could not be done without the support and dedication of the crew. I can't imagine why they would volunteer for what always ends up being a thankless job. Their dedication of support to complete strangers was amazing. I am so glad there are selfless people out there because without them Rick and I would not have finished. Thank you crew!!
It had been pre-arranged that the crew chief would fly back because she is a single mom to the three children. Unlike many of the crew the crew chief has three children: Marcellus age 4, Avery age 6 and Gavin age 8. All three of the children are out of school for the summer so they need a lot of attention. She had arranged child care until the Thursday June 21st.
We began to run behind schedule and that caused a lot of stress on her and her home life. The father is non-existent he comes around once a week and only for a couple of hours. Many of the crew are not married, no children and quite a few are college students off for the summer months. Many of them if not all are unemployed, retired, semi -retired, laid off or between jobs. There is a huge difference between the crew chief's responsiblities at home than the rest of the crew.
The children were being watched, reluctantly, by the children's grandmother, who was displaced from her home in Arizona and more than anxious to get home. The sooner the crew chief could get home the better for the children, the grandmother (that didn't want to be there) and issues between the father and her would be.
We appreciate the financial support from zamcharles and for allowing me an opportunity to explain the crew chief's restrictions.
It had been pre-arranged that the crew chief would fly back because she is a single mom to the three children. Unlike many of the crew the crew chief has three children: Marcellus age 4, Avery age 6 and Gavin age 8. All three of the children are out of school for the summer so they need a lot of attention. She had arranged child care until the Thursday June 21st.
We began to run behind schedule and that caused a lot of stress on her and her home life. The father is non-existent he comes around once a week and only for a couple of hours. Many of the crew are not married, no children and quite a few are college students off for the summer months. Many of them if not all are unemployed, retired, semi -retired, laid off or between jobs. There is a huge difference between the crew chief's responsiblities at home than the rest of the crew.
The children were being watched, reluctantly, by the children's grandmother, who was displaced from her home in Arizona and more than anxious to get home. The sooner the crew chief could get home the better for the children, the grandmother (that didn't want to be there) and issues between the father and her would be.
We appreciate the financial support from zamcharles and for allowing me an opportunity to explain the crew chief's restrictions.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Photos
From the 360cycling.com website this morning...
"The photos are a bit lopsided with George right now due to the fact the crew chief was with George all the time and was the only one that had access to upload."
Just another clarification post here.
1. I was George's primary support person during RAAM. It was no secret to anyone that I was going to fulfill this role, so the fact that I was "with George all the time" shouldn't be a surprise.
2. There are pictures on flickr that were uploaded the very first day of RAAM, when we had speedy internet access and a chunk of time on my hands. Until yesterday, those were the only photos on the site.
3. I am home now and will be uploading more pictures throughout the day. Yes, they are mostly of George because he was the one that I was following primarily. I can imagine that if Rick had the same primary support person throughout the race, that their pictures would represent that as well.
4. I was not the only one with access to upload. Flickr uploader was on several of the team computers, but all of us were faced with slow internet speeds throughout the race. Our main photographer James takes amazing photos, but the high resolution originals are large files that take a long time to upload even at home, let alone on the road when what we were worrying about more was taking care of these riders. At one time we tried to get him to a Wi-Fi location in La Veta, but the library was just closing when we arrived.
5. I am doing what the blog readers have asked and getting pictures up here now that I have a fast connection at home. I apologize that Rick is not well represented at this time, but the amount of pictures that I took is very minimal in comparison to the others and those will be posted as soon as it is possible.
"The photos are a bit lopsided with George right now due to the fact the crew chief was with George all the time and was the only one that had access to upload."
Just another clarification post here.
1. I was George's primary support person during RAAM. It was no secret to anyone that I was going to fulfill this role, so the fact that I was "with George all the time" shouldn't be a surprise.
2. There are pictures on flickr that were uploaded the very first day of RAAM, when we had speedy internet access and a chunk of time on my hands. Until yesterday, those were the only photos on the site.
3. I am home now and will be uploading more pictures throughout the day. Yes, they are mostly of George because he was the one that I was following primarily. I can imagine that if Rick had the same primary support person throughout the race, that their pictures would represent that as well.
4. I was not the only one with access to upload. Flickr uploader was on several of the team computers, but all of us were faced with slow internet speeds throughout the race. Our main photographer James takes amazing photos, but the high resolution originals are large files that take a long time to upload even at home, let alone on the road when what we were worrying about more was taking care of these riders. At one time we tried to get him to a Wi-Fi location in La Veta, but the library was just closing when we arrived.
5. I am doing what the blog readers have asked and getting pictures up here now that I have a fast connection at home. I apologize that Rick is not well represented at this time, but the amount of pictures that I took is very minimal in comparison to the others and those will be posted as soon as it is possible.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Clarification post
When I said it would have been easier to do Solo RAAM what I meant was the following:
1. By no means do I believe that I had trained enough to do the full 3000 miles alone. That goal is still years away. I was grateful to have Rick and his help. We both knew going into this that I had the Ultra experience and Rick could provide the intensity and speed that I lacked.
2. I was referring to the logistics involved.
3. The amount of crew involved--much less needed for Solo
4. The irregular sleep patterns that a two person team has to adopt--on this event I couldn't get any sleep for the first four days. I believe if I ride 18-20 hours I would be tired enough to sleep when I would put my head down.
5. The lack of pressure to perform as part of a team--in other words when I wasn't feeling well and during the time I was sleep deprived--- if I was riding solo I would just have myself to blame for a slow average speed. In this case, I always felt the pressure that I was slowing Rick down because I couldn't get sleep and he was busting his ass to get me some.
6. When riding solo you ride when you want you stop when you want.
7. Solo RAAM is also easier on the crew because when the rider decides to stop EVERYTHING stops the crew, the vehicles, the rider everyone shuts down and sleeps and then they resume again. With a relay the crew is constantly "on". There is always a rider on the road and the wheels are always rolling.
8. No need for rolling exchanges and/or coordinating multiple vehicles and crew members.
9. The lack of cell phone communication through many states also wouldn't be an issue -- one rider one follow vehicle ...simple. The lack of communication and accurate information created very hectic and disorganized rider exchanges and crew exchanges for that matter.
10. I think many of you are misreading and misinterperting what I posted. Please don't read into it. It is not a "slap in anyone's face". I am a solo rider. I train alone, race alone and eventually will do Solo RAAM.
1. By no means do I believe that I had trained enough to do the full 3000 miles alone. That goal is still years away. I was grateful to have Rick and his help. We both knew going into this that I had the Ultra experience and Rick could provide the intensity and speed that I lacked.
2. I was referring to the logistics involved.
3. The amount of crew involved--much less needed for Solo
4. The irregular sleep patterns that a two person team has to adopt--on this event I couldn't get any sleep for the first four days. I believe if I ride 18-20 hours I would be tired enough to sleep when I would put my head down.
5. The lack of pressure to perform as part of a team--in other words when I wasn't feeling well and during the time I was sleep deprived--- if I was riding solo I would just have myself to blame for a slow average speed. In this case, I always felt the pressure that I was slowing Rick down because I couldn't get sleep and he was busting his ass to get me some.
6. When riding solo you ride when you want you stop when you want.
7. Solo RAAM is also easier on the crew because when the rider decides to stop EVERYTHING stops the crew, the vehicles, the rider everyone shuts down and sleeps and then they resume again. With a relay the crew is constantly "on". There is always a rider on the road and the wheels are always rolling.
8. No need for rolling exchanges and/or coordinating multiple vehicles and crew members.
9. The lack of cell phone communication through many states also wouldn't be an issue -- one rider one follow vehicle ...simple. The lack of communication and accurate information created very hectic and disorganized rider exchanges and crew exchanges for that matter.
10. I think many of you are misreading and misinterperting what I posted. Please don't read into it. It is not a "slap in anyone's face". I am a solo rider. I train alone, race alone and eventually will do Solo RAAM.
Pictures for last 248 miles
The first batch of pictures are posted. They are for the last 248 miles where George had to go solo. As the crew makes there way back to California from Atlantic City we should have more and more pics.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Done
George here
I want to tell you how much I apprecitated all your comments and well wishes. I of course did not have the time to post or read the blog. I was too busy riding or trying to sleep. Doing a two person relay is a very demanding way to compete in RAAM. I didn't know what to expect but I know now that I think it would be easier to do Solo RAAM. I will have a full race report to post here and on my website www.epictrain.com or blog. But for now I will be attending the banquet tonight with my head held high because tonight I am an Official Finisher of RAAM "the world's toughest endurance bicycle race"
official time 9 days 18 hours and 55 minutes.
BTW they posted this article on us.
http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/team-beat-cancer-www-coastalsportsmedicine-com
I want to tell you how much I apprecitated all your comments and well wishes. I of course did not have the time to post or read the blog. I was too busy riding or trying to sleep. Doing a two person relay is a very demanding way to compete in RAAM. I didn't know what to expect but I know now that I think it would be easier to do Solo RAAM. I will have a full race report to post here and on my website www.epictrain.com or blog. But for now I will be attending the banquet tonight with my head held high because tonight I am an Official Finisher of RAAM "the world's toughest endurance bicycle race"
official time 9 days 18 hours and 55 minutes.
BTW they posted this article on us.
http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/team-beat-cancer-www-coastalsportsmedicine-com
10 miles toTS 56!
George is still rolling, putting in a lot of effort out here. You can tell from looking at him that he is just exhausted. He is asking for Coke, Go Girl Energy Drinks and Red Star Energy right now, just trying to make it to the next TS and then to the finish.
He's bringing it home for the team and I can't wait to see both him and Rick cross that finish line in Atlantic City!
He's bringing it home for the team and I can't wait to see both him and Rick cross that finish line in Atlantic City!
TS 55
We're in and we're out! George has been hauling ass. He switched to the P3 after the hilly start of the last section and he's flying. He looks great out there, he said he's moving on straight adrenaline. I'm so proud of him!!!!!! He's still in great spirits, our navigator is shouting one liners out the window to him as he speeds down the 40 toward Atlantic City and he's responding via nods and shaking his booty for us. :)
Keep the team in your thoughts...we're 60 miles away. 60 miles...it's just a club ride from here!!!
Keep the team in your thoughts...we're 60 miles away. 60 miles...it's just a club ride from here!!!
Thank you to Alex from Vintage Velos...
for all of the super high end wool clothing! George is looking resplendent in his Vitadello jersey and his wool baselayers are keeping him warm on this chilly night. Pictures coming soon of George on Wolf Creek Pass where he proudly wore his wool!
http://www.vintagevelos.com/clothing1.html
http://www.vintagevelos.com/clothing1.html
Crossed the Susquehanna River...
and we're into "Horse and Buggy" country. Unfortunately it's too dark to take in the sights.
George is feeding me info to blog, he said that he hopes I don't mind, but that it's keeping him awake. I told him "absolutely not sweetheart, whatever it takes!" So expect some more blogging as long as I have connection!
George is feeding me info to blog, he said that he hopes I don't mind, but that it's keeping him awake. I told him "absolutely not sweetheart, whatever it takes!" So expect some more blogging as long as I have connection!
The rest of the team...
We're hoping to see the motor home up ahead at the next time station. Hopefully Rick is getting some rest and he is feeling better. It would be really cool if he could ride the final stretch into Atlantic City with George. If not, we'll proudly escort him on foot.
These two guys are amazing and have pushed through more than most people would ever dare to dream about.
These two guys are amazing and have pushed through more than most people would ever dare to dream about.
3:09 a.m. race time...
we just rolled again after an hour of sleepy time off of the road. George is coughing badly and I'm not sure that he got much if any sleep. He's exhausted and just wants to be done. I sent him off with a big hug and a kiss and told him that I'm so proud of him and that the rest of you are too...and that we all know that he can do this. Keep sending positive thoughts his way!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Rick is done...
George and I were with our driver and navigator at McDonalds in Mercersburg, PA when the RV pulled up telling us that we needed to double back and George needed to take over. Rick's achilles tendon has been giving him a lot of trouble since early in the ride and he says that it snapped at the beginning of the big climb between TS 51 and TS 52. He thinks that he might be able to ride the final parade leg into Atlantic City if it's absolutely flat. We're hoping so...he has worked so hard!!!
Positive thoughts for George, he has 234 miles to take on before Atlantic City. Keep your comments coming, I'll be at his side the whole way and he loves your support.
Positive thoughts for George, he has 234 miles to take on before Atlantic City. Keep your comments coming, I'll be at his side the whole way and he loves your support.
Mystery solved...
If you know George, you know that he lives to ride. Even more so, he lives to climb. Show the man a mountain and he's ready to take it on. Yesterday while taking on the stage that led into Athens, Ohio one of my crew members mentioned that he thought that George had gained strength over the course of the ride and my reply was...
No, that's just George Vargas you see right there, that's how he rolls! I explained that the riding they had seen thus far from George just wasn't typical, that the sleep deprivation and being sick had really gotten to him.
Well, it seems that he's back...again! We pulled up alongside him after the bypassed exchange and he starts saying...
"Floyd Landis, stage 17, 2006 Tour de France, he dominated and whether he doped or not, no drug could make him that much stronger. He's my hero"...that's what is getting him through this stage of RAAM, right here, right now. He's laughing, he's joking, he's smiling, and damn it...he's kicking the ass of these Maryland summits.
Keep the comments coming, I'm yelling them out the window to him. Thank you for posting Kim...it means the world to him that Nick is watching!!
No, that's just George Vargas you see right there, that's how he rolls! I explained that the riding they had seen thus far from George just wasn't typical, that the sleep deprivation and being sick had really gotten to him.
Well, it seems that he's back...again! We pulled up alongside him after the bypassed exchange and he starts saying...
"Floyd Landis, stage 17, 2006 Tour de France, he dominated and whether he doped or not, no drug could make him that much stronger. He's my hero"...that's what is getting him through this stage of RAAM, right here, right now. He's laughing, he's joking, he's smiling, and damn it...he's kicking the ass of these Maryland summits.
Keep the comments coming, I'm yelling them out the window to him. Thank you for posting Kim...it means the world to him that Nick is watching!!
Change in plans...
Rick and his crew were waiting for us in Flintstone and George decided at the last minute to keep riding. When we pulled alongside him he said that his legs felt great after aching at the beginning of this pull and that he was finally awake...thanks to two Cokes and a Mountain Dew. He wants to keep climbing! He told me to just keep feeding him Cokes. This stage has 4340 feet of elevation gain.
Rick's crew was caught off guard as much as we were, but the upside is that Rick will get some more rest while George takes this one on.
Rick's crew was caught off guard as much as we were, but the upside is that Rick will get some more rest while George takes this one on.
Time Station 50!
310 miles to Atlantic City, baby!
We had a long night in the van last night, letting most of the remaining crew, we're down three now for a total of nine, get some sleep. We worked both of the riders out of the follow van and sent the shuttle and motor home ahead. We're into some very hilly terrain and swapping riders out every 15 miles worked well for us and we made our way through at least three time stations working that strategy.
Rick and George were spent after that, so we parked it at TS 49 when we rolled in around 4:50 a.m. and let them sleep for a couple of hours. Rick took the first 30 miler this morning and George is in the middle of his right now. We'll exchange again in Flintstone which is about 15 miles from here. After that we have some nasty climbing that we will break up, working Rick out of the shuttle vehicle and George out of the van. Hopefully we can time our exchanges well and make up some time.
BIG thanks to race officials Mike and Cindy. They are like little angels looking out for us, calling to check in on us, listening to our woes, cheering us on and greeting us with smiles and hugs everytime we see them. I'm getting all choked up writing this, they have no idea how much seeing them lifts our spirits. This morning while getting ready to exchange, George says "I miss Cindy" and not two minutes later my phone rings and guess who it is...Mike! We took a few minutes to visit with them at TS 50 and we look forward to seeing them again soon. :)
We're getting there! This entire team has worked so hard, we've had our ups and more than our fair share of downs, but we'll make it!!!!!!
We had a long night in the van last night, letting most of the remaining crew, we're down three now for a total of nine, get some sleep. We worked both of the riders out of the follow van and sent the shuttle and motor home ahead. We're into some very hilly terrain and swapping riders out every 15 miles worked well for us and we made our way through at least three time stations working that strategy.
Rick and George were spent after that, so we parked it at TS 49 when we rolled in around 4:50 a.m. and let them sleep for a couple of hours. Rick took the first 30 miler this morning and George is in the middle of his right now. We'll exchange again in Flintstone which is about 15 miles from here. After that we have some nasty climbing that we will break up, working Rick out of the shuttle vehicle and George out of the van. Hopefully we can time our exchanges well and make up some time.
BIG thanks to race officials Mike and Cindy. They are like little angels looking out for us, calling to check in on us, listening to our woes, cheering us on and greeting us with smiles and hugs everytime we see them. I'm getting all choked up writing this, they have no idea how much seeing them lifts our spirits. This morning while getting ready to exchange, George says "I miss Cindy" and not two minutes later my phone rings and guess who it is...Mike! We took a few minutes to visit with them at TS 50 and we look forward to seeing them again soon. :)
We're getting there! This entire team has worked so hard, we've had our ups and more than our fair share of downs, but we'll make it!!!!!!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Apology to our sponsors
We have had spotty internet coverage throughout the race and uploading pictures has been difficult. We have thousands of images that will be available to you once we return, we were not expecting to encounter difficulties with upload times.
Good morning Ohio!
After a little bit of sleepytime, we're back on the road. Rick had a 63 mile pull and upon his return, he asked if we were in Iowa...close, it's another four letter state...Ohio! He was happy to see the food that Bike Forums member John (R900) had brought to us. Who knew that chicken casserole would taste so good at 5:00 a.m.?
George is riding right now, climbing, climbing, climbing a slight grade. We just passed the shuttle vehicle on the side of the road and they were sleeping, so George pulled off, I jumped out and we sent the follow vehicle back to wake them up, with the instruction to use the usually dreaded "siren" mode on the mega-phone. Wish I could have seen that reaction!
Thanks to R900 (John) for the yummy food that he delivered to the time station in Cambridge City. We've been blessed with the kindness of friends, old and new, across the country.
George is riding right now, climbing, climbing, climbing a slight grade. We just passed the shuttle vehicle on the side of the road and they were sleeping, so George pulled off, I jumped out and we sent the follow vehicle back to wake them up, with the instruction to use the usually dreaded "siren" mode on the mega-phone. Wish I could have seen that reaction!
Thanks to R900 (John) for the yummy food that he delivered to the time station in Cambridge City. We've been blessed with the kindness of friends, old and new, across the country.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Goodbye Indy...
We took the team off of the course for a much needed break. One of George's customers, Scott Brooks, invited us in to his home for showers, sleep, an amazing home cooked meal and massages for the guys. What a treat! We're a clean bunch now and we're rolling right when we anticipated that we would. Unfortunately George didn't get much sleep and he has a headache, but after his 54 miler, Rick will take a long pull and George should be able to sleep some more. Right now, we're going north for another three miles and once we turn east again, he will welcome the tailwind he was enjoying a few minutes ago.
Thanks to Scott and his family and friends for the hospitality. We truly appreciate it!
Additional thanks to the people of Illinois and Indiana. We have had more people here cheering the boys on, and it is so encouraging to them!
Thanks to Scott and his family and friends for the hospitality. We truly appreciate it!
Additional thanks to the people of Illinois and Indiana. We have had more people here cheering the boys on, and it is so encouraging to them!
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