Conference noted::bicycle

	A very interesting new form.
		
	To me it seems evident: a team with more riders can keep a 
	higher speed if it works fine together.
	
	BUT: the coordination is very important and all members should
	be of about the same strength.
	
	An other problem will be the fatigue catching each member of a
	team at a different time, so when do they go for a rest, who will
	decide ?

	An interesting challenge, however.
	
	Norbert

    
    	So who's entering as part of the DEC team?
    
    	John's wheel is mine! :*)
    
    	Graham.
    

    That's interesting.  When one or more riders get tired needs to
    resolve controversy with bodily functions, just take them off the
    course and as long as someone is riding, the team is advancing.
    
    I suspect the crew will be run ragged, ready to drop half way through.
    
    ed

My cut - for the most part, keep two riders on the course running 
staggered shifts of (maybe) 4 hours each, i.e. every two hours a new
rider comes on, then the prev. rider swaps out 2 hr. later. If you have
a strong tailwind, set only 1 rider on the course at a time & let 'em 
fly; for strong headwind, run 3. Be flexible :-)...

                  ken

    
    
    	Much as I was thinking, Ken. I think that the race will be won more
    by the directeur sporif than the riders. If he's got his head screwed
    on right, he'll be able to make the most of his riders.
    
    Graham.
    

    
    
      You could also isolate your best climber then let that person attack
    the large climbs on thier own while the others rest.
    
      JOhn C.
    

    I was thinking of this on the weekend.  Yes, use the best climber for
    the long, long climbs or even put in a new climber halfway up.  At the
    top put in the heavyiest rider (ahem, fastest downhiller) if it's a
    50mph descent but if it's a bit less put in two so they can slingshot
    off each other.
    
    If two or more riders go into a hill and one drops, a sweep wagon
    should just pick him up.
    
    In the heat of the desert, use 1 hr or 1/2 hr shifts, in the cool of
    the evening, use longer shifts.  Always try to have a rider well rested
    for the 2AM to 6AM shift.
    
    Because the team never really stops, it will be tougher on the crew. 
    They probably need a Pullman car.
    
    One of the guys who qualified for RAAM had an uphill-only bike. 
    Luxuries like this will make it tougher on the crew if everyone has
    extra extras.
    
    Always, always, have a rider on the road and never, ever, stop if
    there's a tailwind.  :-)
    
    ed

    
    I like Ed's suggestions.  They go beyond my weekend thoughts,
    but are along the same lines.  On PBP, I was riding with 2 other
    Americans for a while on the second day.  One was medium build,
    one tall and lanky (and, eventually, the 3rd American finisher!),
    and then me, rather on the shorter, slimmer side.  So my strategy
    was to pull uphill and on the flats, then let the taller (heavier)
    person pull on the downhills, making maximum use of gravity, just
    as Ed suggested.
    
    The other thing to keep in mind is you have to have some sort of
    regularity and routine.  If one guy feels exceptionally strong
    the first two days and begs to do 12-hour shifts, he may be doing
    everybody a disservice ... because he may bonk (or rather, get fried;
    he shouldn't bonk, with crew-assured nutrition), and then everyone
    else will have to pull up the slack.  To some extent we found that
    happened with the crew (!) -- where one member or another felt like
    not taking his allotted sleep time... and all it did was make it
    more of a stretch for everybody later on.
    
    I especially like Tom's ideas about using riders with diverse skills 
    (hills, flats, etc.).  The strategy of this division is going to make
    it fascinating to watch.
    
    -john

    With the individuals riders, it's often been seen that experience is
    quite valuable.  I would bet that experience would be very valuable in
    this category.  IF someone could dry-run it in early June, they would
    do very well.
    
    ed

    
    The other kind of experience -- getting an actual RAAM veteran or two
    -- would also be valuable.  Though it's a good question how much
    different doing a "real" RAAM is from doing the course under RAAM
    conditions.  Theoretically, you should be doing your own race anyway
    (unlike road racing, where tactics count for so much).
    
    I wonder how many RAAM veterans would be interested in something like
    this.  Maybe the best candidates would be those who have done Tandem
    crossings (and are thus used to cooperating with another rider).
    
    -john

    
	[from something I was saying to Scott...]
    
	It sounds like 2-3 riders at a time would be optimum
	to be on the road.  Thinking back on the route, there
	are only a few times, I think, when you'd specially put
	your "climber" on the road: the Rockies in Colorado,
	*maybe* the climb out of Indio, a couple of others.
	The rest are choppy enough hills, you'd really be better
	off not disturbing the flow (as you pointed out).

	Another thing to think about: it takes more concentration
	to ride with others (even 1-2 others).  That means you have
	to be sharper, better rested.  You gain that back in performance,
	but you cannot have people weaving on your wheel.  That means
	maybe it would be better to give each rider 4-5 hours sleep
	time per day.  As always, you'd be second guessing the other
	teams, and trying to be as parsimonious with sleep as possible.
	(Again, the price of that, in a pace line, is a lot higher than
	a guy weaving aimlessly by himself.)

    	-john

    	I received an interesting phone call last night.
    
    	Fella got my name from Cathy Ellis. He said he placed third
    	in a 24-hour event and won the RAAM qualifier in New York
    	(run in September, I believe). Wanted to know if I was
    	interested in RAAM '92, etc. I said, "Of course," (I mean,
    	hey, I'm a glutton for punishment).
    
    	I did tell him, though, that my first allegiance was to
    	John and Wayne Agee in that order, so he was about third
    	on the list.
    
    	It's interesting, because I had wondered, after doing RAAM,
    	if I would receive any calls such as the one last night.
    
    	Oh, yeah, fella's name was Ed Cross, from Framingham, MA.
    
    	Scott

    Ed Cross is a member of my club (Minuteman Road Club).  He's a CAT III
    racer and an excellent TT'er.  He's also a real nice guy.  I know that
    he logs some heavy mileage but I wasn't aware he was considering RAAM.
    
    Phil

    	Phil,
    
    	I'm sure he said Ed Cross. I could be wrong. But with my
    	cheap, static-laden phone and poor hearing, I could be
    	wrong...
    
    	The CAT III sounds right. He said he was the president of
    	NEBC.
    
    	Anyway, he's sending me some info my US Mail, so I'll know
    	more in a couple of days.
    
    	Scott

Pres. of NEBC

    I also know Ed Kross real will. He is out of work right now He is
    looking
    for sponsors.  He been biking all around in the past year. with a lots
    of miles under his belt.A real nice guy to talk to. He is the type that
    would give you his shirt off his back.
    
    Mike

    	This note has been inactive, but, no longer.
    
    	I saw Ed Kross today at Pedal Power in Acton, MA. I had to
    	give him some gear to put into the RV. He and about half
    	the crew are leaving Saturday for the drive out. The rest of
    	us fly out on Wednesday the 22nd of July.
    
    	Our original nurse backed out at the last minute. Luckily, we
    	found another nurse.
    
    	Once again, according to the latest VeloNews, all five women
    	are rookies. No veterans to start the race.
    
    	Scott

    
    As some of you know, I will be doing something in RAAM'92 after all,
    namely officiating.
    
    Officials work in pairs.  My partner traditionally sets up the start
    line and the finish line, so I will be helping with that.  We will
    get to observe Women's, Men's, Tandems', and Teams' starts in Irvine.
    Underway we will probably be concentrating on the men and teams as
    we wend our way across the country.  Then we'll be hurrying on to 
    Savannah, to set up the finish line, and participate as the riders arrive.
    
    This is going to be a change, perhaps a poignant one, from riding
    in the race, but I think it will be stimulating and educational.
    I'm looking forward to it!  
    
    Reports and scintillating anecdotes afterwards...
    
    -john

>                                -< Officiating >-

Officiating, indeed. Sounds like an intelligence and strategy-gathering
mission to me!
                             ken

    
    :-)  Insightful.

    sounds like an exercise in "controlling withdrawal"
    
    what are ya gonna do without a bike?
    
    ed

    	Ed and I think alike...
    
    	WICHITA FALLS, TX - In a rather bizarre incident in the 1992
    	Race Across AMerica, a male rider was seen on the side of the
    	highway sans bike. When asked how he lost his bike, the rider
    	was heard to say, "This official in street clothes drove up
    	to me, asked me how I was doing and then, while I was peeing,
    	hopped on my bike and started pedalling like the dickens."
    	Reports are sketchy, but sources close to race director John
    	Marino believe the official/rider to be none other than
    	John Lee Ellis of Charlotte, NC. It seems Ellis is known for
    	riding mega-miles a year and knowledgeable insiders are sure
    	that he is suffering from withdrawal since, as an official,
    	he is not allowed to ride his bike on the course.
    
    	More information as it becomes available.
    
    	8-)> 8-)> 8-)>
    
    	Scott

Officials for RAAM '92 have recieved a suggestion in the mail. The writer
suggests that in order to more closely monitor riders in the '92 RAAM, 
selected officials for the event should take short "pedalling breaks" of 
"1000 miles or so" in order to be "more in tune" with the riders participating
in RAAM. The writer signed his name "Ellis Johnson", but gave no return
address :-)
                           ken

    John Lee,
    
    
    Do you know where, in Savannah, the race ends?  It's worth a trip
    from Atlanta, I think.  Also, what is the feeling concerning
    observers on the course?  Are there "particulars" to keep in mind
    to ensure that you don't interefere with support or competitors?
    
    
    r�

    What's the start date?  Are locals allowed to tag along for the first
    few miles?
    
    Thanks,  Don

    
    Don, the starts, as I remember them, are:
    
      Thu. July 23rd: Women
      Fri. July 24th: Men
      Sat. July 25th: Tandems
      Sun. July 26th: 4-Man Teams
    
    I'll try to confirm whether individuals can ride along at some or
    all the starts as they did last year, and let you know.
    
    Hope to see you out there, by the way!
    
    -john

    
    Strangely, the original .25 and .26 (my reply and r�'s) have
    disappeared.  Here's the original .25:
    
               <<< GOOFOF::NOTES:[NOTES$LIBRARY]BICYCLE.NOTE;1 >>>
                                -<  Bicycling  >-
================================================================================
Note 2111.25                        RAAM 1992                           25 of 25
SHALOT::ELLIS "John Lee Ellis - assembly required"   25 lines  16-JUL-1992 09:14
                        -< small chances for miles... >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    RE: .21-.23:  Too true, too true.� :-)  I will try to keep limber by
    biking a few miles each day in Orange County before the teams start
    on Sunday.  Hints are that I may be called on to be a "sweep" rider�
    on the bike path at the start. (The first 28 miles local riders can
    join in, and there's no crew support, so we need to make sure the RAAM
    riders don't get lost or fall behind.)
    
    And *potentially* I'll help guide the finishers the final miles in Savannah
    (again, by bike).  Not exactly ultra-distance here, but an intriguing
    scenario nonetheless.
    
    �Risk of starting to sight aliens (� la Shermer-fashion) from prolonged
     bike-deprivation!
    �Maybe affix a wisk-broom to the headset? :-)
    
    RE: r� in Savannah: Yes, a good idea: apparently you can also ride
    short distances the last few miles with the RAAM rider, as long as
    the standings aren't very, very close.  (You certainly can't provide
    draft, but riding alongside should be ok... this is *not* permitted
    for the race as a whole, of course.)  My recollection is that the
    finish line is near the Hyatt on the river in Savannah.  Scott or I
    can check on the details.
    
    [Then I added a paragraph on pace vehicles to the effect that a
    spectator/rider should bear in mind that the RAAM rider will be
    communicating and interacting with his/her pace vehicle, and will
    need to coordinate hand-offs of liquid & nutrient in the midst
    of other road traffic.]
    
    -john

    	John,
    
    	Check out 2355.*. I think you did a WRITE instead of a REPLY.
    
    	Scott

    
    Thanks, Scott.  (blush)  
    
    -john

   ><<< Note 2111.26 by SHALOT::ELLIS "John Lee Ellis - assembly required" >>>
   >                              -< staggered >-
   > Don, the starts, as I remember them, are:
   > 
   >   Thu. July 23rd: Women
   >   Fri. July 24th: Men
   >   Sat. July 25th: Tandems
   >   Sun. July 26th: 4-Man Teams
    
    John, what time do things get rolling?
    
    Jodi- (see you when you get to Irvine)
    
    
    

    
    Jodi, the starts should be 9am, except that the men's tandem teams
    have requested to start earlier, which John Marino is inclined to
    let them do.  Any further news, I'll pass along.
    
    See you next week!
    
    -john

    Thanks John.  I'm going to try to be at at least one start.
    
    Jodi-

    
    The RAAM'92 starts will be as follows:
    
       11am  Thu. 23rd - Women
       11am  Fri. 24th - Men
        7am  Sat. 25th - Tandems
        9am  Sun. 26th - Teams
    
    The (early) 7am tandem departure is by their preference.  The 11am 
    men's and women's departures are to avoid rush-hour traffic.  
    
    Alas, no ride-along this year, but people are welcome to come out
    and gawk - start will, again, be at the Irvine Holiday Inn.
    
    -john (official broom-bike)

    	For all my fans 8-)> , I'll be on vacation from 22 July
    	through 9 August. I'll be in the following states:
    
    		California, Arizona, New Mexico, T-e-e-x-x-a-a-s-s,
    		Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, (take a
    		break), South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia,
    		Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut,
    		Massachusetts, New Hampshire.
    
    	At least I'm not the rider!
    
    	Scott
    
    	

    
    
    Who would we get in touch with if we wanted a route map?  Specifically,
    through Georgia.  I imagine they'll stay out of North Georgia(?) if
    they're heading to Savannah.
    
    Also, if we wanted a projected finish day for the leaders, is that
    tracked and updated by somebody throughout the race?  Would that
    "somebody" report that info?
    
    r�
    
    

    
    I don't know whom to contact except a rider.  The past couple years,
    the route has entered Georgia at Columbus (I think that's US hwy. 380)
    proceeding through Plains (famous name small town), and connecting
    with US hwy. 80 only for the last couple dozen miles into Savannah.
    
    The 900 number as to racers' positions has been 1-900-2GO-BIKE.
    People are predicting this will be a fast RAAM, with the major
    mountains removed (the Colorado Rockies), and with some seasoned
    veterans in the men's race, plus the 4-man teams, which could be
    quite fast.  The intent is, as I've said, that the front riders
    in all divisions should be arriving the weekend of the 1st.  The
    4-man teams *could* be coming through on Friday.
    
    Send me a FAX number, and I'll try to find the RAAM'91 route-sheet
    (Georgia portion).  I don't think that's classified or anything!
    
    -john

    I should have the route in my mail this week, but like everything that
    comes from UMCA, I'm not holding my breath.
    
    Scott, don't forget Delaware.
    
    ed

    	Ed,
    
    	Uh, yes, I believe we'll definitely go through Delaware.
    
    	Scott
    
    	PS: Ed Kross called me last night from Las Vegas (Nevada).
    	    I asked him if he was going to spend some of the
    	    hard-earned money. He laughed and said "Yes." I think
    	    he was kidding.
    
    	

    Just returned from the women's RAAM start. The Irvine Digital
    office is walking distance from the Holiday Inn where the 
    starts will take place the next four days. 
    
    John Lee Ellis will escort the five women to Yorba Linda Park, 
    22 miles from the Irvine Holiday Inn. One woman in the race is
    in her 50s. She owns a business called Bonnie's Popcorn. 
    
    It was incredible seeing a parking lot filled to capacity with
    vans and motorhomes covered with bike racks and RAAM sponsor
    stickers.
    
    I hope to get over to the men's start tomorrow.
      
    Jodi-
    

    The men's division (15 of them) and the mixed tandem (2) left
    an enthusiastic crowd behind today.  The crowd was much larger 
    today and excitement was in the air.
    
    Maybe I can get John Ellis in the office later to post a 
    RAAM update...
    
    Jodi-

    Got some sketchy results from my husband (he picked up USA Today
    on his way to work)...
    
      The winner crossed the line in 8 days 3 hours 11 minutes 
        (I think the name is Bob Kish?)
      The first tandem came in at 8 days 8 hours 13 minutes.
    
      We haven't heard from Ed yet...
    
      Conni
    

    
    A few brief results:
    
     - Rob Kish *did* edge out Bob Fourney to win his first RAAM after
       seven (7) times riding the event, and twice coming in second
       to Fourney (1990, 1991).  He was in first place almost the
       entire race, collecting approximately $18,000 in primes. Fourney
       "shadowed" Kish all that time, in second place.
    
     - 'Til Georgia, it looked like we might have a three-way sprint
       finish with Fourney, Kish, and Gerry Tatrai, but Tatrai, who'd
       plugged on as third for most of the race, had to make up some
       sleep after pulling ahead to first/second.  Gerry came in 3rd last
       year, as Rookie of the Year.
    
     - 'Til the next-to-last checkpoint, it still looked like a sprint
       finish for Fourney vs. Kish, but the race director took splits
       (10 minutes separation widening to 12 minutes, etc.) and judged
       Kish would prevail.  A sprint finish would have been held outside
       Savannah, on open roads.
    
     - In the end, Fourney came in 45 minutes after Kish.  Both of them
       (and Tatrai, coming in at 9pm that night, 3 hours later) broke
       the previous fastest solo RAAM crossing, Paul Solon's in 1989.
    
     - Kish looked worn but satisfied, and was quite coherent in answering
       questions.  He said for the first time at the end of a RAAM he was
       not immediately considering doing another one.  We'll see.
    
     - Paul Solon rode strongly, between 3rd and 5th for much of the race,
       but had to drop in Texas (at the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon, before
       the 10% grade out of it, part of Nick Gerlich's Tour of North Texas
       route) because of bronchial pneumonia, probably a condition he had
       gotten into in the previous weeks.  Paul won in 1989, but ran into
       a cattle truck just prior to RAAM'90 and wiped out on a curve coming
       into Palm Springs in RAAM'91 (denoted as "Solon's Curve" in the
       RAAM'92 Route Book).
    
     - Ed Kross was going strong the last I heard - we passed him climbing
       the 10% grade out of Palo Duro canyon at 11pm in the evening.
    
     - The Team Manheim four man team (Atlanta) easily won their division, 
       in 6 days, 0 hours, and 36 minutes, about 5 hours ahead of Kish
       though having started 46 hours behind the men.  The next team, 
       Ultra Sport (New Jersey) came in at 4:41am yesterday morning, or
       about 16 hours later.  The third team, Ultimate Athlete, finished
       about 3pm yesterday, unofficial finishers, since they were beyond
       the 24-hour team division cutoff.
    
     - The Haldeman-Breedlove men's tandem team came in toward 6pm yesterday,
       not setting any records (Lon said the course was *not* a fast course
       for tandems, having many hills, if few passes), but putting in a good
       ride.  Lon looked basically untouched by the miles - strong as ever.
       Dr. Bob Breedlove looked a bit worn, but satisfied.
    
     - The only other men's tandem team, Nick Gerlich and Roger Mankus,
       had to drop (for health reasons?) in about New Mexico, so unfortunately
       they did not get to pass through their residence of Canyon TX.
    
     - Apparently both mixed tandems are still in the race.
    
     - Computers at race HQ project Seana Hogan to come in toward dawn
       on Tuesday, as first woman.  Her initial 15mph average speed soon
       dropped to 13mph and then 11mph in Texas, and when we passed her
       in Childress TX she was sleeping and had slowed considerably, still
       leading the next woman by more than a half a day.  Her original goal
       had been to set a women's RAAM-crossing record.  Still looks like
       she'll get the women's title.  (All '92 women soloists are rookies.)
       Seana had originally asked to start with the men.
    
     - For local (NH) fans, Amy Regan had to drop in Texas because of knee
       problems.  She had been looking good up to that point, but the knees
       were something she couldn't get around.  She'd gotten off to an
       aggravating start when her rear wheel's spokes loosened on the 
       unsupported yellow-flag race start on the Santa Ana River bike path.
       She had to stop every mile or two and have the spokes tightened by
       the race official accompanying the women (me).
    
     - Fourth and fifth men's places went to Rick Kent and David Kees,
       11am and noon yestreday.  David looked quite happy.  Rick looked
       pretty tired - he had edge out David in the last miles.  Rick has
       moved up over the years from 11th place, to 9th, to 7th, and now 4th.
       Behind them is quite a gap 'til the next bunch of men.
    
    More later...
    -john

    
    #159 (Ed Kross)     Finish 11:16am 3-Aug-1992 (9d 20h 56m)
    #161 (Seana Hogan)  Finish  5:56am 4-Aug-1992

    
    A few initial notes on RAAM'92-as-a-race-official (more may follow):
    
    - My partner-official was Kurt Wochholz, who has been officiating 
      the RAAM since 1985.  He also sets up (and to some extent *builds*
      and *wires*) the Start and Finish Lines. (John Marino also does some
      of the carpentry - John also hand-crafted the huge RAAM-winners
      plaques this year.)
    
    - In Irvine, we set up the Start Line and organize each of the
      four starts.  I also accompanied the riders for the first three
      starts (Women's solo; Men's solo & Mixed Tandems; and Men's Tandem) out
      the first 27 miles, which are unsupported yellow-flag miles, mostly
      on the Santa Ana River bike path.  For this duty, I'd mounted a wisk
      broom on the aero bars of my loan-bike. ;-)
    
    - In Savannah, we set up the Finish Line (conditions quite a bit
      different: sultry 90� weather, "Heat Index" over 110� - versus
      Coastal Pacific weather in the 70's).  I then rode out to meet some
      of the finishers, including the second team (Ultra Sport), Tatrai,
      Kent, Kees, and Haldeman-Breedlove.  This was also on a loan-bike,
      in this case Michael Shermer's, a vintage Peugeot carbon fiber model,
      but with the seatpost stuck higher than comfortable for sitting. :-)
    
    - This meant leaving Irvine *after* the 4-Man-Team start (the last start) 
      on Sunday the 26th, and arriving in Savannah Thursday at midnight, a day 
      before the first finishers were expected.
    
    - In between we actually "officiated" - sticking first with the Teams
      (about 2 days), who were also being covered by Team-Race Subdirector
      Chris Kostman and friends.  The teams surprised me by never putting
      more than one rider out at a time (never a pace line).  But to no one's
      surprise, they always looked fresh and rode speedily. 
    
    - The most critical officiating time is at night, when riders are
      sleepiest (safety concern), vehicle lighting is most crucial, and
      possible infractions are most likely.  So this meant napping during
      the day, plus catnaps at night, and leapfrogging the riders on the
      route to check up on them.  
    
    - In Texas we moved ahead to the rest of the field, overtaking the women,
      mixed tandems, and tail end of the solo men, performing some
      officiating as we went.  It was in Texas that we saw and talked to
      Amy Regan and Ed Kross.
    
    - We skipped ahead to east Texas, ahead of the leaders (so we didn't
      see them) and checked out some routing-questions through Shreveport
      and later through Selma.  That was the last we saw of the riders
      'til Savannah.
    
    - Our elapsed crossing time was 4� days, probably putting 3500 miles
      on the vehicle, sleeping 3-5 hours per day (in the vehicle), not once 
      checking into a motel.
    
    There were lots of vignettes: talking with other race officials in the
    Arizona desert night under the Milky Way; stopping at a town museum of 
    19th century artifacts in St. Johns NM; getting a "Timestation #26 plus
    Hotter Than Hell Hundred" T-shirt in Wichita Falls; tracking down a
    rider proceeding at dusk down a road closed for a movie-shoot in Texas;
    retrieving a crew-member jogging back in the dark to his pace vehicle
    with its car-keys; waiting for dusk stop a sand embankment in the
    Mojave, palm groves in the distance.
    
    Conclusions: I think I learned a lot from officiating - it certainly
    was an "intense" experience (or made to seem so by sleep deprivation).
    If you want to learn crewing technique or rider technique, officiating
    doesn't teach you much: crewing does. (Scott I'm sure will be offering
    details on that.)  But it gives you a chance to see lots of rider styles
    and crew set-ups, and it's just plain an inspiring experience.
    
    Well, that's done with - time to start training for RAAM'93! :-)
    
    -john

    
    RAAM'92 inaugurated a 4-Man-Team division.  There were three entrants:
    
         - Fools On Wheels (Team Manheim) - from Atlanta   - 6d 0h 36m
         - Ultra Sport                    - from NJ        - 6d 16h ?m
         - Ultimate Athlete               - from Reston VA - 7d 3h ??m 
    
    To compare, the male solo winner:
    
         - Rob Kish (Fort Orange FL)                       - 8d 3h ??m
    
    
    o  The Race
    
       Most of the time, the lead team maintained an average speed of
       18-19mph.  This compares with 14-15mph for the solo men.  The
       Atlanta team took an early lead of about 1+ hour, a margin to which
       Ultra Sport held them for several days (e.g., the margin was 1:08 at
       the Prescott AZ timestation).  Ultimate Athlete (the name of the
       sponsor, *not* a reflection of the riders' egos, as Chris Kostman
       pointed out) trailed early - to our view (mine and my co-official's)
       a reflection of crew organization and equipment (only one pace
       vehicle), rather than the riders.
    
       The teams never passed each other.  Fools On Wheels say they could
       have broken 6 days easily with a slightly different rider-roster.
    
    o  Pacelines?
    
       There was much conjecture what kind of strategy the teams would use.
       Many anticipated 2 or 3-man pacelines.  In fact, we never saw any
       of the teams put more than one rider on the road (except during
       the handoff of the "phantom baton").  Their view apparently was that
       the marginal increase in performance (15-20% mph) did not warrant 
       the incremental effort (say 60% more effort for each rider added)
       in a pace line.  I do not believe they encountered gale-force
       headwinds, as previous RAAM's have done, but it's unclear even then
       that pace lines would have been used in that situation.
    
       A common strategy was to break the riders into two pairs.  The
       on-duty pair would alternate riding in shifts as short as � hr.,
       as long as 1 hour.  They would be relieved in maybe 6 hours by
       the other pair, who in the meantime had gotten some real sleep.
    
       As we say, Ultimate Athlete looked underequipped and understaffed.
       Fools On Wheels had 19 people on their crew, two primary pace
       vehicles (minivans) plus a third (car) for added night coverage,
       and an RV.  I'm not sure how many bikes each rider had.
    
    o  "Black and White"
    
       A first glance, it's easy to see the quantitative difference in
       Teams vs. Solo Riders - effort spread 4 ways instead of 1; 30%
       higher average speed; logistics multiplied.  However, the crucial
       differences are black and white (qualitative):
    
          - NO time on bike lost to sleep.
          - NO single point of failure, due to injury, illness, or exhaustion.
    
       While we don't know of any injury or illness among the 1992 teams,
       should one or two members of a team have been incapacitated, it
       would have slowed but not halted the team.  If the incapacitation was
       recoverable, the recovery would probably be faster (less pressure, more
       rest), and a rider in a marginal condition could be pulled right
       away (speeding recovery) - a solo rider might ride until there was
       no hope of going on.  Finally, the team rider can push himself and
       risk more, for these reasons, than a solo rider can afford to.
    
    o  "Four-Person-Team" ?
    
       At the finish line, we debated calling the winner a "Four Person
       Team" record setter or a "Four Man Team."  We do think separate Mixed 
       and Women's divisions (or maybe one separate Mixed/Women's division)
       make sense.  It will be interesting to see if this develops. 
       Tandems have Men's and Mixed divisions.
    
    o  Future Implications: Riders, Sponsors, RAAM
    
       - Riders: The Team Division makes RAAM much more attractive to most
         competitive riders, even those that excel in solo events.  (For
         example, Fools On Wheels are all tri-athletes).  Team riders can
         concentrate on performance, rather than on keeping body and soul
         together, as the soloists must do.  Drowsiness (sleep deprivation)
         and exhaustion are no longer problems, and nutrition and bodily
         complaints less so.
    
       - Teams are much more attractive to sponsors - possibly because of
         the association with professional teams in sports.  Opinion
         was that the Team Division could attract much more corporate
         sponsorship - making it easier for entrants, and possibly for RAAM.
    
       - The Team Division could make RAAM a bigger and more visible event.
         What does this mean for the solo riders?  Do they become vestigial
         or do they benefit from a stronger RAAM?  How does the soloist,
         battling 2930 miles in a lonely struggle, take being passed by
         four fresh, spiffy cyclists at 22mph?
    
    -john

    	Ah, yes, back to the salt mines. 
    
    	I'll have more to offer later. Just checking in to let everyone
    	know that Ed and crew returned safely.
    
    	Only 10 men finished officially. Ed was the first rookie, so
    	he was Rookie of the Year. 9 days, 20 hours, 56 minutes.
    	He finished ahead of Hubert Schwarz (9th, a veteran) and
    	Paul Black (10th, a rookie). Interesting that Schwarz means
    	"black" in German. Schwarz' crew made two placards, one that
    	they used:
    
    			SCHWARZ IS BETTER THAN BLACK
    
    	and one they gave to Paul's crew for his finish:
    
    			BLACK IS BETTER THAN SCHWARZ
    
    	Don't ask me why. RAAM crews get kinda weird after 10 days on
    	the road.
    
    	Overall, weather was not much of a factor. Last year, John Ellis
    	went through Aguila, AZ, when the temp was around 115 degrees.
    	This year, Ed went through when there was a cloud cover. Musta
    	been around 95 degrees at most. Quite a difference.
    
    	I'll have to continue this later.
    
    	Scott

    
    First off, a big congratulations to Ed Kross!  
    *********************************************
    
    My information is that Ed was going out on his first RAAM to size
    things up and see how things went - real low-key - so this impressive
    showing (Rookie of the Year) is made all the more impressive.  BTW,
    I believe only 3 rookies finished in the men's solo division this year.
    
    Aguila AZ and Yarnell Grade:  If it was "only" 95�F with overcast,
    that was a real break for the riders this year.  Now I know why some
    riders consider going the first night without sleep: it's not to stay
    up with the leaders; it's to get out of the low desert as soon as possible!
    
    The first 4-Man Teams crested Yarnell Grade before dawn of the second
    day.  They had hit Aguila about 11pm and climbed Yarnell in the dark.
    They had left Irvine at 9am, though, vs. 11am for the soloists. Yarnell
    crest is at mile 357 of the route, so you'd think you could climb it before
    it got real warm.  I'd be interested on Ed's experience in that region.
    
    Again, congratulations... awaiting more interesting tales...
    -john

    	Some more ramblings...
    
    	Crew:	Jay Carrington, mechanic (CAT III racer for NEBC)
    		Jodi Cecchi, massage
    		Scott Critz (cyclist)
    		Patty Dietsch (cyclist)
    		Cheryl Goodall, nurse (marathoner; did Boston this year)
    				      (and will run NYC marathon in Nov.)
    		Mike Herring (CAT IV racer for Minuteman RC)
    		Vic Kross, Crew Chief (Ed's dad)
    		Tom Luongo, (CAT IV racer for NEBC)
    
    	Our nurse backed out just before we left for the race. Joyce at
    	Pedal Power in Acton, MA, knew Cheryl and asked her if she's like
    	to go. Cheryl said yes and proved to be a major asset during the
    	race.
    
    	More later,
    
    	Scott
    		

    	Jodi Newell,
    
    	I'm sorry I missed you. I was there for the women's start
    	and (of course) the men's start.
    
    	I/we speculated quite a bit about what the team's would do
    	with the riders. I talked with a Mannheim crew member about
    	strategy. He said, basically, that each rider rode solo for one
    	hour and was off for three hours. One of the other teams had two
    	riders on for 12 hours, with each riding solo for  one and a half
    	hours. So, every team seemed to have a little different idea
    	about how to do it.
    
    	The Mannheim crew member did say that each rider was to ride
    	very hard for that one hour, so....
    
    	Scott

    Well Scott, I meant to ask John Lee where you were and instead I
    just got wrapped up in the goings-on.  I video-taped the Men's
    start, I wonder if I have you on tape. John Lee, do I?  Because 
    of the crowd, I barely got a shot of John.  And if you look real
    close and real fast, you can almost make out the wisk-broom on
    his handle bars.  I'm still not certain I understand what they 
    were used for. John Lee?
    
    Anyways, Scott...next year for sure :^). 
    
    Jodi-
    
    

    
    Jodi, you'd think that if Scott were anywhere remotely in the
    neighborhood, he would have stood out (literally!), being a
    veritable oak of a man. :-)  But I didn't see him at the moments
    you were there.  
    
    I'll review the videotape, but don't recall seeing you, Scott.  
    (It *was* good to see you myself, before the race-starts.  You
    were off-duty when I talked to Ed Kross in Texas.)
    
    Next year. :-)
    -john

                                1992 RAAM Diary





     22 July (Wednesday) Fly to LAX



     I arrived at Logan airport around 1400.  Our flight was at 1720, but I

     like to get there early.  I had a bite to eat and waited as Patty,

     Tom, Mike, and Cheryl arrived.  None of us knew Cheryl, so we sat

     there wondering which blonde (we knew she was blonde and a marathoner)

     "Is that her?" Our original nurse had backed out at the last minute so

     Joyce at Pedal Power more or less recruited her as our nurse.  She did

     a super job.



     The flight was uneventful, though long.  Special thanks to the woman

     that put me in the business class seat.  Lots of room for my feet and

     legs.  We arrived at 2330 (0230 east coast time) and called a limo to

     take us to Nendel's motel in Santa Ana where Ed, Vic, Jodi, and Jay

     were staying.


                                                                Page 2





     23 July (Thursday) Women's Start



     Ed, Tom, and I went to the Holiday Inn in Irvine for Ed's drug test.

     We saw Joe Regan and the rest of Amy's crew.  Joe took us up to see

     Amy, who sounded ready to go.  Randy Ice was sick, so no more drug

     tests.  Since Amy later becomes sick, many wonder if the two are

     related.  No idea.  We watched the ceremonies and intros for the

     women, and the start.  John Lee Ellis led them out.  Amy's knees have

     large bandaids below the kneecap.



     We went back to Santa Ana to finish getting things ready for our start

     on Friday.  We returned to the Holiday Inn at 1500 for a big meeting

     with all the male riders and crews.  Sad to hear Matt Bond asking if

     anyone wanted to join his crew.  He had what looked like five

     20-year-olds.  I knew it would be a long race for him and the crew.


                                                                Page 3





     24 July (Friday) Irvine, CA to East of Indio, CA



     We all get to the start in plenty of time.  Marino introduces the

     veterans and then the rookies.  Jay and Vic will be in the pace

     vehicle for the first shift.  The first 23 miles (more or less) are

     under yellow flag conditions.  This gets the riders out of town, where

     they regroup and actually start racing.  Riders and pace vehicles can

     hook up at about 40 miles into the course.



     Marino cautions the male riders to use dependable equipment for the

     first 40 miles.  We find out that Amy Regan had a rear wheel whose

     spokes kept coming loose.  She and John (Ellis) had to keep stopping

     and tightening the spokes.  Things will get worse (flu) for Amy before

     they get better.



     Cheryl drives us to an RV park at Indio for us to dump.  I navigate.

     We switch and I drive until 0400, when we stop at a rest area.  This

     proves to be less than perfect, since a ton of 18-wheelers are

     constantly arriving and leaving.  We've also realized that there is

     not enough room for everyone to sleep in a bed, so I get on top of of

     the RV for a snooze.  Ah, what a life.  Sleeping on top of an RV with

     the spell of spent diesel fuel in my nostrils.  I can sleep anywhere

     as long as I'm prone.  (Once, in Vietnam, I slept in a pile of gravel,

     but that's another story for another time.)


                                                                Page 4





     25 July (Saturday) East of Indio, CA to East of Flagstaff, AZ



     People awake a little tired, but that was expected.  We're not quite

     coordinated yet, but that will come.  Jay and I pace Ed from 0815

     until 1300.  Cheryl comes along because Ed is not peeing.  Some

     concern here, especially if his kidneys shut down.  The section

     through Aguila, AZ, is not near as hot as last year.  It's overcast

     and probably around 90 degrees.



     We switch and the RV heads up the 7-mile climb to Yarnell, AZ.  Jay

     and I do some climbing to get some good pictures of Ed finishing the

     climb to Yarnell.



     Further down the road, we get out to cheer Ed on.  I see a tarantula,

     which I had told some of the crew about before we left.  Ed wants us

     to capture the spider for his sister Barbara (she hates spiders).

     Patty captures "Fred" in a new Rubbermaid container.  Fred is still

     alive to this day and resides with Jay Carrington.



     We pull off the road at a Texaco station on the on-ramp to I-40 west.

     I again sleep on top of the RV.  It's colder than a mother-in-law's

     heart up there, but I can stretch out and no one bothers me.


                                                                Page 5





     26 July (Sunday) East of Flagstaff, AZ to Magdelena, NM



     I awoke just before 0800, assuming Jay and I would be pacing Ed.  It

     turns out that Tom and Jay are going to pace Ed.  I wonder about that,

     since getting into a schedule helps.  Well, that's the last day

     without a definite shift schedule.



     I drive the RV.  During a gas stop on I-40, I call Ed's home in

     Framingham to give them an update.  We find out that Dodie <mumble>

     from NEBC won a women's road race in Connecticut.



     We drive on to Springerville.  We're now at an elevation of 7000 feet.

     The sun is warm and the air is cool.  We wash clothes, buy some new

     bottles (the others are leaking some), and get some different drinks

     for Ed.  He's happy and making jokes.



     Ed wanted to ride to TS 11, but it was already 0420.  Everyone is

     tired and cranky.  We get two motel rooms in Magdelena.  All of us

     shower and about half get some decent sleep.


                                                                Page 6





     27 July (Monday) Magdelena, NM to Tatum, NM



     Ed leaves about 0800 so we head for Carrizozo and Capitan, NM.  We

     catch up to Amy Regan along the way.  We stopped and talked to Joe and

     some of his crew and yell and encourage Amy as much as we can.  Amy

     was off the bike for about 10 hours with food poisoning (Back in New

     Hampshire, Amy told me it was the flu).  Sorry to hear that, although

     she's plugging away now.  Some concern about her knees.



     We arrive at TS 12 to find that Jeff Born blew out a knee coming in.

     He's done for this RAAM.  His brother said he was already in the motel

     sleeping.  Too bad, but they'll all be back with one or the other of

     the boys riding.



     Just before Carrizozo, we see these amazing lava fields.  One of the

     locals at the TS tells us that near White Sands, the same animals are

     colored differently based on whether they are in the lava fields or in

     the sands.



     Patty and Mike pace Ed while we head to Hondo, NM.  We stop at a small

     gas station/store.  I get some Jay-food (salsa and crackers) and get

     on top of the RV to eat and watch.  The German film crew pulls up and

     commences filming me eating and generally relaxing on top of the RV.

     Weather again is overcast and cool/pleasant.



     Jay and I take over at 2000.  The shift is uneventful.  I'm wondering

     why Jay and I are pacing one day at 0800 and another day at 2000.  We

     get that straightened out and keep the same shift from now on.  Jodi

     and Cheryl relieve us and we stop at Lil's 380 Cafe in Tatum, NM.  We

     clean the vehicles and get some sleep.


                                                                Page 7





     28 July (Tuesday) Tatum, NM to Kingsmill, TX



     I awake and see Jim Courtney and crew at Lil's.  Jim and I talk some

     while his crew checks his blood sugar (he's diabetic).  He says he

     hopes to see Ed up the road.  I reply, "You will." He chuckles and

     leaves.



     Jay and I pace Ed until 1430 or so.  The RV was no where to be found,

     so we just kept pacing Ed.  We stop at a flower shop (Carol's or

     Caroline's Creations, or something like that) just outside of Muleshoe

     to call back to Framingham and see if the RV folks have left a

     message.  No message, so we continue on.  Eventually, they show up.



     We dump the RV, get water, and do laundry.  Ed is riding well.  We

     stop on a dirt road just west of Kingsmill, TX.


                                                                Page 8





     29 July (Wednesday) Kingsmill, TX to Wichita Falls, TX



     Ed had some trouble waking up this morning.  Tom and I on first shift.

     Ed wants a 15-minute nap, so we oblige.  He wakes up and proceeds

     without any more problems.  The terrain is rolling with a headwind.

     The weather is hot and humid, probably the first real heat any of us

     have had to deal with so far.



     I get a slight scare when I look back and see a rider and pace vehicle

     moving up fast.  I can't figure out who it could be.  I tell Tom and

     then Ed over the PA.  To our relief, we realize it is one of the team

     riders for Team Mannheim.  Even though it is hot, humid, and there is

     a headwind, he is really moving.  He says "Hi" to Ed and is gone.



     Patty and Jay relieve us.  They have to help Ed with the initial

     stages of heat prostration.  He gets back on the bike and is none the

     worse for wear.  Ed decides he wants to ride through the night.  We

     try to discourage him from this course.  We find the Hardee's, but

     it's on the right side of the course and not the left.  We call race

     headquarters and tell them that the route book is definitely wrong.

     We proceed up the course to make sure the next checkpoint is where the

     books says it should be.  It is, so we go back to the Hardee's.


                                                                Page 9





     30 July (Thursday) Wichita Falls, TX to ?



     Tom and I have a long first shift.  We're not relieved until around

     1430 or 1500 (the people in the RV got lost).  Ed is riding well.  I'm

     a little groggy so I catch a few Z's in the back.  I awake refreshed

     and ready to go.  Warm weather with clouds.  Ed is off the bike at

     0100.  He's one tired puppy.  We stay at the local gas station.  I get

     to sleep on top of the RV again.


                                                               Page 10





     31 July (Friday) ?  to Jackson, MS



     I assume something happened today but I didn't write anything down.

     Some fatigue-induced amnesia.


                                                               Page 11





     1 August (Saturday) Jackson, MS to Montgomery, AL



     Tom and I pace Ed for the first shift.  Ed is a little sleepy, so he

     takes a short nap on the side of the road.  Paul Black is pretty close

     to us right now.  By afternoon, Black and Schwarz have again fallen

     back a ways.


                                                               Page 12





     2 August (Sunday) Montgomery, AL to Savannah, GA



     Tom and I leave with Ed at 0600.  He takes two 10-minute naps.  We are

     not relieved until 1430 at a state park.  Cheryl has to change the

     Second Skin on Ed's backside.



     We met a woman from Americus who followed us to Vienna.  She just

     started cycling.  She's trying to start a cycling club.  I give her a

     VeloNews and tell her that the race results should be in the next

     issue.  She and Jay talk some about the race.  She's very impressed

     with Ed and the other riders.



     It's 2130.  We're stopped in Jacksonville, GA.  Mike and Vic pace next

     shift, then Jodi and Cheryl.



     Ed wants to ride all night.  If he continues to ride well, he should

     finish some time Monday morning in under 10 days.



     We leave the TS and pull down a side road, far enough off the road

     that no one can hear our generator.  We take one and a half hours off

     to feed Ed and let him get an hour or so of sleep.  Cheryl does some

     work on Ed's backside.  Tom walks back to the junction to watch for

     Schwarz and Black, who are very close.  When he leaves here, Ed will

     have only 141 miles to go.



     If Ed rides hard, he just might catch Philippe Vetterli (another vet).



     After turning down the side road and stopping, and before Tom went out

     to watch, I walked back to the main highway to see if I could see a

     pace vehicle.  None coming.  Jay didn't know I was out there, and got

     a little shock when he saw this big person (me) walking toward the RV.

     He said, "Scott, is that you?" I said, "Yeah" and he relaxed.  I guess

     he thought I was the Swamp Thing or something.



     Ed rested about an hour and got back on the bike.  Around 0400 or so,

     I began driving, Mike navigating, and Patty feeding.  The three of us

     would stay with Ed until he crossed the finish line in Savannah.

     During a short stop, Schwarz passed us.  Ed got on the bike and

     motioned for me to go.  We went flying by Schwarz and his crew and

     didn't see them again until the finish line.


                                                               Page 13





     The worst part of the race for Ed was the last 60 miles, more or less.

     He knew he couldn't pass Vetterli and he knew no one could pass him.

     We played some of his favorite CDs and paced him into Savannah and on

     to River St and the finish line.  In typical race fashion (non-typical

     RAAM fashion), Ed came across the line with arms raised in triumph.

     This proved to be somewhat unsettling for the photographer who was

     taking pictures at the line, since no one else had done it.  Anyway, I

     guess Ed ran into him; I didn't get to see the exact finish since I

     was trying to park the pace vehicle on River St.  Ed later said,

     "Didn't he know that I couldn't stop the bike with my hands in the

     air?"



     Ed finished in 9 days, 20 hours, 56 minutes.  He was the first rookie

     rider, making him 1992 RAAM Rookie of the Year.  He finished 8th

     overall (only 10 men finished officially).



     Postscript



     It is now the 14th of August.  With a little reflection, I realize the

     following:



      o  Ed rode fast the entire race.  I never sensed that he was riding

         "slow".



      o  I was seldom groggy from lack of sleep.  The motels helped.



      o  We had few crew problems; everyone did a great job.



      o  The RV was too small for 9 people.



      o  A third vehicle may have been worth it, regardless of the need to

         drive it 300 miles a day.

    
    Very nice report!
    
    Will Ed be back next year?
    
    -john

    	John,
    
    	That's a hard one to answer. He is, for all intents and purposes,
    	unemployed. He's an EE by education, but was laid off some time
    	ago. He is currently doing small remodeling jobs on houses, etc.
    
    	Coming home from Savannah, he was talking about seriously looking
    	for a "real" job.
    
    	I don't know how much we spent, but Ed assumed almost all the
    	cost himself. So, I would assume that it will take him some time
    	to recover from the financial burden.
    
    	I talked to Amy on the 6th of August. She sounded in pretty good
    	spirits, although she said she was depressed during the trip home
    	because	she was wide awake and everyone else (except the driver)
    	was asleep.
    
    	She said she'd be back, probably in 1994.
    
    	I felt real sorry for her. As you well know, a very expensive
    	undertaking.
    
    	Scott

    John, Scott or whoever...
    
    Do you know the status of all the women riders? I'm especially
    interested in Bonnie, the older woman.  Who finished?  If someone 
    didn't finish, how far did they make it?
    
    Jodi-
    

    
    Jodi,
    
    I can try the 900 number later.  Don't have any info beyond Seana
    Hogan's finish.
    
    -john

    	This might not be the correct place to put this, but...
    
    	I received a call last night from Wayne Agee. Wayne and I
    	and a few others crewed for John Lee Ellis during RAAM '91.
    
    	Wayne and Lucy and Gary and <mumble> were in Wisconsin to do
    	a RAAM qualifier (Ed and Linda were there, too). Wayne qualified
    	in the 50 and over category. I think it was something like 520
    	miles, which he did in 39+ hours. Wayne came in second to some
    	fella that was 60 years old.
    
    	So, it looks like another friend who will be looking to do RAAM.
    
    	Wayne mentioned a couple of killer hills. In fact, he said he was
    	only doing about 4 MPH on one of them.
    
    	Scott

    
    Scott, maybe this goes in the RAAM'93 note!  :-)
    
    A couple more details (which you probably heard, too).  The
    course was an out-and-back 520 miler, mainly in Wisconsin, a
    big break from Lon Haldeman's tradition flat 28�-mile figure-8
    around Capron, IL.  There were some flats, some very rough road
    surfaces, and some "killer hills" (orientation packet recommended
    carrying something like 42x28) outside of New Glarus, Wisconsin.
    
    Wayne was not rained on but there were showers.  The temperature
    got down to 38� at night.  Wayne finished in 39:59, coming in under
    his personal goal, about 2:20 after the 60-year-old, thus qualifying
    for RAAM.  Don't know about the rest of the field.
    
    Wayne is 50 years old, I believe, a veteran of 1 ultramarathon run
    (a 50 miler) and other long-distance runs, and RAAM'91 as a crewmember.
    
    -john

    	Here are the finishers:
    
    	Men:	Rob Kish		08 days, 03 hours, 11 minutes
    		Bob Forney		08 days, 03 hours, 59 minutes
    		Gerry Tatrai		08 days, 06 hours, 10 minutes
    		Rick Kent		08 days, 20 hours, 17 minutes
    		David Kees		08 days, 22 hours, 04 minutes
    		Phillipe Vetterli	09 days, 20 hours, 00 minutes
    		Pat Ward 		09 days, 20 hours, 45 minutes
    		Ed Kross		09 days, 20 hours, 56 minutes
    		Hubert Schwarz		09 days, 21 hours, 20 minutes
    		Paul Black		09 days, 23 hours, 06 minutes
    		Tom Davies		10 days, 17 hours, 26 minutes*
    
    	Women:	Seana Hogan		11 days, 15 hours, 07 minutes
    		Debbie Turner		12 days, 01 hours, 40 minutes
    		Bonnie Allison		14 days, 07 hours, 27 minutes
    
    	Tandem Men:
    		Bob Breedlove/Lon Haldeman
    			08 days, 08 hours, 13 minutes
    		Nick Gerlich/Roger Mankus
    			Dropped in NM, I believe
    
    	Tandem Mixed:
    		Antoinette and David Addison
    			11 days, 09 hours, 34 minutes **
    
    		Clare Rietman and Ricky Wray Wilson
    			11 days, 17 hours, 13 minutes
    
    	Teams:	Mannheim		06 days, 00 hours, 37 minutes
    		Ultra Sport		06 days, 06 hours, 14 minutes
    		Ultimate-Athlete	07 days, 02 hours, 39 minutes*
    		SCOR			07 days, 07 hours, 41 minutes*
    
    	* Unofficial finishers - outside the 24-hour cutoff for teams
    
    	** The Addison team was interesting. Antoinette must be about
    	   4'11'' or so. David Addison must be about 6'6''. Everybody
    	   chuckled when they were introduced and they were standing
    	   side by side.
    	

    
    Thanks, Scott.  Another interesting aspect is #1 vs. #2 women:
    
    Seana Hogan, who as we all remember, had recently broken Paul Solon's
    SF-to-LA record, finished only 9 hours ahead of Debbie Turner, a grand-
    mother 15 or 20 years her senior (I'll have to go back and check the
    roster), and at 11d15h a bit behind Sue Noterangelo's 1989 record of
    9d9h9m (which Seana was hoping to break).
    
    Raw statistics don't tell the story behind them, however; Seana may
    have had some real difficulties in the second half of the race. Her
    finishing time is very respectable, especially for a rookie.  More to
    the point however, is Debbie Turner's extremely consistent and good
    performance, a true competitor.
    
    -john

    	John,
    
    	I think Bonnie Allison was the grandmother. Debbie Turner was
    	more or less Hogan's age, I believe.
    
    	Anyway, no where close to Susan Notorangelo's time.
    
    	Scott

    
    I'm always getting confused.  Here's the low-down:
    
       Seana Hogan,    32,
       Debbie Turner.  41,
       Bonnie Allison, 50, thus the only woman senior, and the only
         senior to finish RAAM'92, period; 2 grandchildren.
    
    -john

    





                      Relay Across America: RAAM's Future?

         (Copied without permission from VeloNews Volume 21, Number 14)



     For the first time in the 10-year history of the Race Across AMerica,

     a special division was offered for team entry:  four riders per team,

     and no restrictions as to the combination of relaying and drafting

     within the team.  However, given the chance to team time trial across

     America, all three teams decided they'd rather rest and relay in

     pairs, instead.



     Georgia's Team Manheim brought the best riders, the biggest budget,

     and arguably the best rotation strategy conceivable - to win the event

     hands down.  They covered the 2909 miles in six days and 37 minutes,

     or an average speed of 20.1 mph, and more than 480 miles a day.



     All this non-stop, 24-hours-a-day excitement got underway on July 26,

     46 hours after the solo men departed.  (A new twist for RAAM this year

     was a staggered start, designed to bring the various finisher into

     Savannah closer together.) As the race rules dictated, all team racers

     rode out en masse for the first 24 miles, under yellow-flag

     conditions, and then the racing and rotating began in earnest.

     Amazingly enough, this would be the last time that Team Manheim or the

     second-placed team, Team Ultra Sports, would see each other or be seen

     by their competition.  Even with team strategy, the potential for

     adequate rest and the option of drafting, big races still separate the

     wannabes from the real riders.  By the finish, Ultra Sports of New

     Jersey would be 16 hours back - while Virginia's Team Ultimate Athlete

     would be 26 hours back...  and two hours beyond the official

     finisher's cut-off.



     A fourth special-entrant team of eight riders - Team SCOR, of

     California - also covered the distance, in an effort to bring

     attention to the value of cycling in recovering from heart surgery.

     Three of the riders were 60 or older, and several had undergone

     open-heart surgery.



     All the team riders clearly did their homework for this new event, but

     they came up with three distinctly different strategies.  During the

     race, it became evident that the choice of strategies had the most

     profound impact on the overall results in the race.  Here's how they

     did it, with each rider on a team designated by an A, B, C or D:



      o  Manheim riders paired off and rode one at a time A-B, A-B, C-D,

         C-D, repeat, day-in and day-out, with shifts of 60 minutes during

         the day, or 90 minutes at night



      o  Ultra Sports riders paired off and rode A-B, A-B, repeat, for 12

         hours, then C-D, C-D, repeat, for 12 hours, with all shifts at 30

         minutes



      o  Ultra Athlete used an approach like Ultra Sports, but did

         90-minute to three-hour stints in the saddle, in 14-hour shifts.





     The upshot of all the number crunching?  Team Manheim stayed fresher


                                                                Page 2





     and faster.



     When asked why they chose to enter RAAM as a team, this year's

     participants answered without hesitation.  "It should be illegal to

     have this much fun!" explained Manheim's Steven Simberg.  "When I'm on

     the bike, I can look down the road and have 20 minutes to go; but the

     solo racers look down the road and have maybe 2000 miles to go!"

     Simberg's teammate Jim Kennedy, a district time trial champion (in the

     45-plus age group), added, "The team race is extremely difficult and

     challenging, but is still accessible and doable for mortals like us -

     with real jobs and commitments.  Plus, it's exciting to be a part of

     an event that we have admired for so long."



     Is this the future of RAAM?  It may well be, for the solo RAAM field

     had hardly grown since 1985 (about 30 riders annually), while rumors

     and speculation about the ream race predict at least 12 teams on next

     year's starting line.  It looks like several European countries will

     be represented along with women's teams, and teams made up of former

     solo entrants.  Picture this definitely plausible situation:  A

     50-rider field sprint into Savannah, after 200 miles of non-stop,

     head-to-head team racing.

>>     45-plus age group), added, "The team race is extremely difficult and
>>     challenging, but is still accessible and doable for mortals like us -
>>     with real jobs and commitments.  Plus, it's exciting to be a part of
    
    Is this implying that the John Ellises of the world don't hold down
    real jobs? If so then I think that the personnel department within DEC
    would like to speak to John...  :*)
    
    
    We don't see much of the RAAM this side of the pond (OK, read
    absolutely bugger all, none, not a sausage, zip, nought, totally devoid
    of any content...), but I think that the team competition will keep the
    RAAm alive. It makes it more open to everyone. I think that it's a
    shame though. It takes away from it being the last of the old style
    racing, the last of the great epic races...
    
    Graham.

    Bonnie Allison is the woman I was very interested in hearing about. 
    She is 50 and owns her own business "Bonnie's Popcorn".  What I
    thought was interesting was that her legs were that of a 20 year
    old athlete and her mid-section looked like that of a well-worn
    grandmother.  I had my doubts about her ability to finish.
    
    Jodi-

    RE: .-1
    
    My impression as well, looking at Bonnie's physique. 
    But in her face you could detect a toughness and determination.
    
    -john

    
    RE: .-3 (Graham)
    
    My feelings, too.  Very few RAAM soloists (or tandemists :-)) don't
    hold down "real" jobs.  Lon Haldeman may exemplify the exception.
    
    Paul Solon was a trial lawyer as of RAAM'89; now he's moved up, to
    District Attorney or other prosecutor role, all this while training for
    RAAM's.  Rob Kish is a  surveyor; I've forgotten what Bob Fourney is. 
    Jim Penseyres is/was a machinist; Pete Penseyres works in aerospace,
    and as part of RAAM training would commute 40 miles each way to/from
    his full-time job.
    
    I do feel that the 4-person relay teams detract from some of the spirit
    of RAAM.  But in making RAAM more accessible to the mind and body of
    a larger cross-section of cyclists, it may keep RAAM alive.  Who can say?
    
    -john

    Has Pete changed jobs?  I thought he was a supervisor at a nuclear
    power plant somewhere near the Marine Base south of LA.
    
    ed

    
    Ed sounds right about Pete Penseyres's job...
    
    -john

    	Just received a post-RAAM crew packet from John Marino.
    
    	Men who did not finish:
    
    	Darrel Bowles, 32, Tempe, AZ		    2828
    	Matt Bond, 31, Dayton, OH		    2278, Too far back
    	Beat Gfeller, 46, Uster, Switzerland (R)    2625, neck problems
    	John Stoneman, 30, Boseman, MT		    1968, Achilles tendon
    	Jim Courtney, 33, Chandler, AZ (R)	    1513, Fatigue
    	Brian Thomas, 32, Muncie, IN (R)	    1399, Too far back
    	Paul Solon, 38, San Francisco, CA	    1256, Bronchial pneumonia
    	Ken Bell, 44, Roseville, CA		    1256, Saddle sores
    	Jeff Born, 38, Santa Rosa, CA (R)	    0898, Knee
    	E. Thomas McFall, 32, Columbia, MO (R)	    0671
    	Al Muldoon, 36, St. Joseph, MI		    0391, Stomach virus
    	Willi Zuber, 52, Pfaffikon, Switzerland (R) 0273, Hot feet
    
    	Matt Bond finished officially last year; this year, he had a crew
    	of what looked to be five teenagers. The crew had to stop once of
    	an extended sleep break.
    
    	John Stoneman's crew crashed on of their vehicles.
    
    	Jim Courtney is a diabetic; this could have affected performance.
    	"Out Spokin' for Jesus" was the sign on his RV. He was a pleasant
    	fella to talk to.
    
    
    	Women who did not finish:
    
    	Amy Regan, 33, Hollis, NH (R)		1321, Knees
    	Beth Dawson, 30, Saratoga, CA (R)	0671, Knees
    
    	Amy had more problems that one rider should have to go through.
    	We're almost neighbors - we live about 5 miles apart. The last
    	time I talked to her, she said she'd be back, probably in '94.
    	I talked to her husband after that - he said she may be back in
    	'93. I believe John Marino had called or something and wanted
    	her back in '93 if she could make it.
    
    	More info on splits, etc, when I decide to add it.
    
    	Scott

	Copied w/o permission from Bicycle Guide, March 1993

	Post-RAAM Fiscal Fitness

	Ed Kross, the 33-year-old president of Acton, Massachusetts'
	North East Bicycle Club, spent 1992 doing something he had
	never done before. Kross prepared for the Race Across AMerica.
	He lined up his crew, studied the logistical problems inherent
	in a one-way bike race across the country, and he trained hard.

	Most of all he raised money. RAAM is expensive. Kross figured
	it'd cost him $10- to $20,000 to mount a campaign. Racers
	(especially rookies) attract few corporate sponsors and must
	raise money from individuals and community organizations.

	So Kross enlisted the YMCA to co-sponsor a Bike-A-Thon, held
	fundraisers that enlisted area bike and ski clubs, and arranged
	publicity on local TV [it helps when you brother works for
	Channel 50 in Salem, NH, Scott]. These accounted for about 40%
	of the total. The rest came from personal donations, with
	hundreds giving less than $100.

	My wife and I contributed a small amount to Kross's campaign,
	and were gratified when he finished eighth, in nine days, 20
	hours and 56 minutes, and won the Rookie of the Year award.

	While Kross deserves congratulations for this impressive
	finish, it's his follow-up that is a model for anyone seeking
	sponsorship, or just help, in their athletic endeavors.

	At Christmastime, he sent every contributor an eight page
	single-spaced letter than detailed his experience. We found
	out that he ate Pop-Tarts and Mexican food after rejecting
	the malto-dextrin mix he started on, and that this diet was
	the talk of the race. We discovered he fell asleep on his bike
	once, but never hallucinated. He told us all the fascinating
	minutiae that newspapers and magazines never have room for.
	But most of all, his letter showed Kross's commitment; he
	thanked everyone who was involved, and told us that we had
	contributed to his dream.

	Private donors and civic organizations have different motives
	than many corporate sponsors. They aren't interested in getting
	their company name or product into the limelight. They give
	because they want to help and maybe be a part of an exciting
	enterprise. Kross demonstrated how to emerge from a long,
	difficult process with all contributors feeling like winners.

	Another thing Kross told us in his letter is that he would be
	seeking corporate sponsorship for his next effort. Any
	corporation that doesn't sponsor him in 1994 doesn't know what
	it's missing.

    re. .70
    
    Scott or anybody else,
    
    >	More info on splits, etc, when I decide to add it.
    >
    >	Scott
    
    
    does anyone have the splits for RAMM?  I'm interested to know how many
    hours/day these riders are on their bike/ave speed cycling. I know the
    complete average speed was ~14mph, but that included
    stops/sleeps/eats...etc.
    
    Does anyone have that info?
    
    thanks
    	John

    	I have the splits. UMCA publishes them in its newletter shortly
    	after RAAM ends.
    
    	I was figured out the differences, but got sidetracked.
    
    	I'll either add them in here (as I said I would do) or make a copy
    	and send them to you using GOATMAIL. Expect the latter, since
    	typing all the numbers, etc., is pure drudgery.
    
    	Scott