Race Reports from Time Station #31
Camdenton, Missouri
June 13, 2008, 10:25 a.m,. by Jim Glickert
We expect the first team to arrive today around 2:00-3:00 p.m., followed by the first solo rider around 6:00-7:00 p.m. Due to this morning's rains and winds, we won't be setting up the tent that you've become familiar with over the last few years until either later in the day or very early on Saturday. Have no fear, though. We'll be around the time station this afternoon, although we may be camping out in our vehicles until the rain stops.
June 13, 2008, 8:20 p.m., by Jim Glickert
The first team--the two-person male Gran Fondo Fixies--arrived at the time station at 2:17 p.m. local time this afternoon, shortly after rains that had begun overnight had finally stopped. They passed by the time station without stopping.
At 6:25 p.m. local time, solo male leader Jure Robic arrived, and stopped for about 10 minutes. What really struck us is how great he looked. He was surprisingly talkative to the media and the few spectators. He has a substantial lead, but that didn't stop him from jumping back on the bike after a brief rest......and an ice cream bar. He is truly amazing.
June 14, 2008, 3:10 p.m., by Jim Glickert
David Haase was the second solo racer to arrive at Time Station #31. He arrived at 9:10 a.m. local time. After a short break of about 15 minutes, he was back on the bike.
June 15, 2008, 11:50 a.m., by Eric Johnston
Good day to all RAAM fans around the world!!
We are a bit late in getting things going today as 20 both Jim and I "slept" for a very brief time just before 20 sunrise. The weather will be 86F with a breeze so today should be nice for the riders.
Last night we hosted both Team Type 1 and their nemesis from Norway Byggkyop/BMC Cycling Team. The Norwegians are showing they are the real deal, ahead of Type 1 by over two time stations (1105 RAAM time).
Type 1 was 2:15 behind when they arrived at 02:20 Sunday.
Both teams are very well organized but we must say the Norsemen are traveling in a style only imaginable in a story book. They have a huge tour bus with 12=20 bunks and a professional cook, who last night was preparing steaks, brats and corn on the cob......on a big grill NOT inside the bus. To a person they were friendly and having a fun time in the US. Everything they did was planned and executed like a well-oiled machine. They are a group of 27 and everyone does a great job keeping the road show going.
More solos and teams came through all night, some stopping while others were NO STOPs.
This morning we got to see one of last year's great stories in Jim Rees of the UK. This is the rider whose crew constructed a brace to hold his neck up after the neck muscles became badly fatigued from the long ride. I had missed him last year due to work but kept in touch by email all winter, so it was very gratifying to meet him in person. He's looking well and in good spirits and is well ahead of last year's pace. They also put a link to our website on theirs... www.teaminspiration.co.uk
The crew of Canadian solo rider Caroline van den Bulk stopped for a spell and enjoyed watermelon and smoked brisket sandwiches and were glad for the internet connection. They didn't think it too weird that we had an internet connection at a table in a gas station parking lot.....or maybe they think that's life in the U.S. ....GREAT bunch.
Another fun meeting was with the 8-man North County Cycling, featuring RAAM speed record holder Pete Penseyers and his brother Jim, who rides with a prosthetic leg from the knee down. For sixteen years these two lived maybe 20 miles away from me in Southern California and we never met, so we were able to take care of that right in the time station. Eighteen hundred miles away from home we meet our neighbors on the road......wonderful.
Around 04:30 Brazilian Julio Patterlini came through but some of his crew stayed for a visit. Most of them speak good English and were here last year.
Very nice people.....Their driver didn't speak English but it wasn't difficult to tell that they were having a good time and loved the scenery of the country.
Lots of teams and solos didn't stop at TS31, just a wave or nod as they passed in the night...but the nature of this event is to get down the road, so although it's disappointing that we don't get to see everyone, especially our favorites, we understand the need to keep going.....and hope to see them next time through.
Please check back often as I'm working on the Photos and doing what needs to be done while volunteering at a RAAM TS.... and visit all the websites of all the racers...LOTS of good reading.........
June 15, 2008, 10:10 p.m., by Jim Glickert
Our luck finally ran out today. Our weather luck, that is.
In the relatively few years that our small group has staffed Time Station #31, we've managed not to be hit by stormy weather. That's quite a streak, considering that Missouri's immediate neighbor to the west, Kansas, has punished past RAAMs with some of the worst storms in race history. Sure, we've had light rainfall and our notorious Midwest heat and humidity, but we've never had to run for cover. Until today.
Three or four days ago, the weatherman forecasted a 30% chance of showers or thunderstorms for today. (Since weather can change so quickly in Missouri, and because our local economy at the Lake of the Ozarks is based on outdoor recreation, we tend to pay close attention to weather forecasts.) Oh, well. That wasn't too bad. It could be worse, right?
To our chagrin, the forecast for today changed dramatically in the past 24 hours. The 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms suddenly became an 80% chance, with heavy rain and high winds possible. Not good. Our time station is located at a Signal gasoline station/convenience store, and we operate from a tent in the parking lot. Heavy rain and high winds could quickly make a mess of things. We have computers and food in the tent to serve RAAM crews and ourselves, and a bad storm is our worst nightmare. Well, today we had our first nightmare.
We noticed in early afternoon that our formerly clear skies were getting cloudy. We looked at the weather radar on the Internet, and saw a large, severe storm far to our west/northwest moving in our direction. By mid afternoon, clouds completely covered the sky. Severe storm warnings were issued by NOAA for counties to our west. The skies grew steadily darker, and we prepared for what was to come. We secured our tent to the ground, and moved all of our electronic equipment to our vehicles. Conditions continued to worsen.
A photo taken from our time station in mid afternoon.
This cloud effect is called "mammatus", according to Wikipedia.
It's indicative of a particulary strong storm.
Solo riders Daniel Runge and Beny Furrer and their support crews, as well as those for team Adventures for the Cure, were at the time station, putting their races on temporary hold as the storm approached. The winds suddenly picked up, temperatures dropped and it started raining, although not heavily. At about the same time, the tornado warning sirens of the City of Camdenton started blaring. That was both surprising and alarming, since NOAA alerts earlier in the afternoon hadn't included any tornado watches or warnings.
As soon as the sirens were sounded, the riders, support crews and time station staff all sought cover inside the Signal station. There was no panic, but it was an anxious wait until the worst of the storm passed to our north and we were left mostly with steady rain and breezy--and occasionally gusty--winds. Our tent took a bit of a beating, but nothing that couldn't be easily remedied. Though it sounds strange to say, we got lucky, even though our luck had finally run out.
RAAM spirit wasn't lost while waiting out the storm. While inside the Signal station, we took the occasion to take photos of those gathered.
Taking group photos while waiting out the storm.
June 16, 2008, by Eric Johnston
Good morning from TS31.....oh..it's afternoon already....we think this is Monday....running a time station and trying to do what we do is a good way of forgetting details...like what day it is....
Monday dawned with cloudy cool skies and rain...rain....rain....and then it rained reaaaly hard for an hour and a half...lot and lots and lots...well, you get the point. The team with local interest, the Hole in the Head Gang from the St. Louis area, came through at 2:30 local time. Being the first Missouri team to participate in RAAM There were several radio stations wanting to interview them on their arrival but at 2:30 AM I didn't think any local media would be available to do the interview. Maybe those can wait until the team gets back to Missouri.
Team CYCLE SMART #414 arrived at 2:21AM local time and one of the people we were hoping would stop and visit this year was Bob Ansell...who just happened to be on the bike when the team arrived! During the hellos (Lena got a big hug) Bob asked how the armadillos were doing!!
Well....the story is that last year Volunteer and food person Lena Herrera happened to come into possession of a litter of possums just as the race started.....and wanting them to take care of them but, busy with the TS, she decided to bring them to the TS and feed them here.... and many RAAMsters saw this. So, Bob remembered the critters but got the species wrong....but that's OK, because at least he remembered WHERE he saw them!! Kind of amazing considering the toll this race takes on the memory. It loooks like most of the team signed our guest book and left nice comments.
#606 Learning for Life stopped this morning and were in an upbeat mood. They're from the Redlands area of California and are riding to raise funds for two schools which are to be merged into a wonderful institution dedicated to those kids who were born with various disabilities. They have 14 crew and eight riders, one of whom is the youngest in RAAM this year. Robbie Roach, 17, isn't far from his family no matter where he is on the route. His father and mother, Bob and Elizabeth, on crewing. Kalie Richardson is one of three teen volunteers keeping the two RV's cleaned up and doing all the "gopher" chores. Dan Dewitt is assistant crew chief. They have a large banner with the school logos attached to the side of the RV's and signed by many students who have done various projects to also raise funds for the schools. The team is already well over their optimistic goal in their fund raiser ride. See http://teamlearning4life.org/
Team Colorado Flash, the amazing four women team from Colorado, has a crew of 11, from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Colorado and Portland OR. Celeste Callahan, 66...Yes ... 66, the team leader in her third RAAM, is considered a world class athlete. She teaches cycling to women who have never attempted athletics before and encourages them to try triathlons and other events that they may have thought are beyond their capabilities. After RAAM she is going to Washington DC to visit her new grandson, her sixth!! She was on the 2006 Red Helmets team. Her sister, Kathleen Haik, 57 is on the crew as cook! Celestes' son, Colin, is Crew Captain and crewed for Red Helmet ladies.
Helena Harman, 51, from Denver, is doing her first RAAM.
Carol Whipple is also on her first RAAM.
It looks like a beautiful day for the rest of Monday. About 7 or 8 teams are still on the course on their way here so stay tuned and read the other blogs!!!
June 16, 2008, 6:15 p.m. CDT, by Jim Glickert
The Serpentine Golden Girls reached the time station a bit ago, and graciously asked that we post a photo showing that they're doing fine. We're more than happy to oblige. Hilary said she's having a great time.
(l to r) Celia Gillbe, Gemma Reynolds and Hilary Webber
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2007
June 28, 2007, by Jim Glickert
A personal report of experiences at Time Station #32 during the 2007 Race Across America can be viewed here.
(PDF format; 15 MB)