Marko Baloh....

Running a TS with few volunteers is hard, but the rewards are generous and long-lasting.
When I got back to the TS at 9:45 Wednesday night I found Marko Baloh's crew and FAMILY doing RV chores and getting ready to sleep for a few hours. Here's what their Blooger said about their Camdenton stop:

TS31: Camdenton


torek, 23 junij 2009



Moja izmena je bila hitro koncana, je pa zato bilo prav lustno. Zacelo se je s pokvarjenimi rotacijskimi lucmi...

Se opravicujem, ker ni sumnikov, izposodila sem si racunalnik sefa casovne postaje.
No, zacelo se je "...prizgi luci, prizgi luci," mi pa "saj so prizgane". Se ustavimo in vidimo da res ne delajo, do nocnega casa pa se 15 minut! Klicemo avtodom, da se ustavijo in potem akcija! Merilne instrumente ven, pa ugotoviti, kje ni toka in stvar popraviti - pokvarilo se je stikalo, hitro stran, zvezati, gas za Markom in minuto pred osmo uro smo bili za njim.
Za mene je bilo zelo zanimivo, saj sem sele v spremljevalnem vozilu dobila obcutek, da sem na dirki. Marko je bil dobro razpolozen, za vsak drugi ovinek je vedel kaj povedati ... tu sem sel na WC, tu je bila ena huda nesreca .... Enciklopedija deluje tudi po vecdnevnem kolesarjenju. Cez dobro uro je sledila menjava celotne ekipe in prispeli smo na TS31.... Ja, Andrej je ze vedel, zakaj je druge poslal za Markotom. Tu je vsega dovolj - pijaca, sadje, pizza, bazen, katerega je z veseljem izkoristil Matic. Nam je pa itak tako vroce, da smo tudi cisto premoceni. Ko bi vsaj malo zapihalo....

Thanks for the nice words.....(We'll ask Marko for a translation...I know that food is mentioned)

Bike Auction......

Team AFC is auctioning off their four bikes to raise more funds for their causes......
http://www.adventuresforthecure.com/raam/raam09Bikes.php

Hey...buy a great bike CHEAP and help out!

We are stll in recovery/catchup mode......... A big cloud hangs over the Men's finish.

Here is Jure Robic's statement as to why he dropped out of the race with just 93 miles to go:

Many of you are wondering why I stopped racing at time station 51 of this years’s Race Across America, RAAM. I have won RAAM four times and always followed all rules and procedures, I am proud of that and know that I am the best racer in RAAM history. This year I was first at all 51 times stations from Oceanside to Mt. Airy, Maryland and was leading the race for 2967 miles. The race organizers assessed three penalties to me and my team for a total of 60 minutes. None of these penalties gave me any advantage to be faster or gain any unfair advantage. The first was assessed even before the start because I had to pee and did so in a private matter near the starting line. Apparently an ambitious policeman saw me and reported this to the race organizer who assessed the first 15 minute penalty before I even got on my bike. The second one was assessed to my team on interstate 10 in the night of the California desert. I was held up by a slower rider from another division for almost 30 miles on the intestate where it is not allowed to pass other vehicles. Then an official vehicle arrived on the course and talked to that slower rider. My team’s pace car got some visuals signal that we understood as a clear indication to pass the slower rider, we did so and to our surprise a second penalty of 15 minutes was served by the same official about 2 hours later. The third penalty was a result of a navigational mistake of my crew near Bloomington, Indiana. They followed the route from RAAM 2008 which is 6 miles longer, more difficult and had lots of traffic. It slowed me for about one hour and on top of that, race officials assessed a third penalty of 30 minutes for a total of 1 hour. With this handicap of questionable penalties I rode my fastest RAAM ever always staying ahead of my nearest competitor Dani Wyss who was riding the race of his life. At this point, I would like to congratulate him on a plan well executed and his great achievements of keeping my pace. However Wyss and his team were not subject to the same rules and regulations as my team and myself were. Wyss and his team were not assessed any penalties. We have shown clear video evidence to the race officials of consistent infractions of Wyss and his team nothing was done by the race organizers. The race organization ignored infractions that clearly made Wyss race faster on a consistent basis. These infractions include: - Running red lights - Turning right at red lights and immediately crossing to the left - Running stop signs - Not stopping at the mandatory stop for racers at TS 51 - Feeding the racer at red lights - Aiding the racer from the pace car leaning out the window - Inappropriate behavior of crew - Caravaning None of these observed infractions that made Wyss and his team ride a faster race were acted upon by the race officials with giving at least some penalties. You can see videos that were all made in less than a 12 hour period of some of these infraction on YouTube and more will follow in the next few days. Most of these relatively small benefits when looked at individually add up to several hours of benefits if consistently implemented over 8 days and 3000 miles of racing. The race officials did not act upon these infractions and as such did not ensure a consistent and fair race.

“I have been involved in sports for almost 30 years as athlete and coach and as such have lots of tolerance to application of fairness in sports. However what was displayed by the RAAM race officials during this year’s RAAM goes far beyond anything that is acceptable. The race officials crossed this line when RAAM officials including Perry Stone’s media crew saw Wyss run a red light in West Virgina on Day 7 of the race – again without any consequences. While Jure and Dani Wyss were riding together, I observed Dani Wyss attacking Jure immediately after he had a flat tire and had to stop. This is against any established and practiced sportsmanship in cycling. We tried to bring fairness to the race but the entire team was ignored by the RAAM race officials. Our clear message to them by stopping our race in first place at time station 51 is that it is unacceptable to mistreat a four time champion in the way they did. I must sadly say that the treatment Jure received from the RAAM race organizers during this race is the biggest disappointment in my career as sportsman and coach.”

Uros Velepec, crew chief Team Jure Robic and head coach of Slovenian Biathlon Olympic Team.

I am very proud of my achievement of again being the fastest rider during the entire race and would like to thank my crew for their relentless support and positive spirit. Last but not least I thank all my sponsors for their generous support and my fans for their encouragement. I will be available for an online press conference at www.jurerobic.net at 2000 Central European Time today June 26. 2009. See you then.

Record year for RAAM....

2009....Probably the most exciting RAAM in history. Time will tell, but the excitement caused by the race between Jure Robic and Danny Wyss and the coverage of all the events and races within RAAM caused the internet servers to crash and burn due to traffic loads only imaginable by a dreamer. The TS managers, fans, and RAAM officials did their best to keep information before the public as the race proceeded down the road in record and near record time. By using Twitter, rider websites, TS websites and various blogs the news of rider standings and events on the road enabled fans to (mostly) keep abreast in real time.

The matter of time penalties assessed against Jure Robic and alledgedly not against Danny Wyss will have to be worked out. Robic's crew blogger, Matjaz, will have more to say in the coming couple of daysof the events which lead to Robic's crew calling for abandenment of the race at TS51.

The following is from the Blog of TS40-41 in Ohio:

Robic's latest time penalty was from taking the wrong route to time station 40. There was difference between the GPS file and the route book. RAAM rules state that the route book is the official route and GPS is only provided to assist crews.If a racer goes off course, they must go back to where they went off course and continue riding the course. They can be shuttled back to that point by vehicle. Apparently it was quite a ways back to where Robic went off course and his crew chose to take a 30 minute penalty instead.Robic wasn't the only one to have route issues yesterday. Earlier in the day, Wyss rode 9 miles off course before being taken back to the course. His crew estimated he lost 45 minutes from the route mistake...


Danny Wyss set the second fastest MPH average in RAAM history ... 15.28mph, with a time of 8days 5hrs 45min. The MPH average is VERY impressive, considering that the current record, 15.4mph, established in 1986 by Pete Penseyers, was ridden mostly on easier interstate highways. The 2009 route was without question far more difficult.

Team Ty1, the eight-person diabetic team shooting to ride in the 2012 Tour de France, set a RAAM team record established just last year by Norwegian team BMC, by finishing in (get this)
5days 9hrs 5min. averaging 23.41 mph.

The Womwn's race is a good one with Brazilian Daniela Genovesi leading American Janet Christian going into W. Virginia
See Janet's progress http://twitter.com/TeamOsprey

More to come......

Traveler from Germany.....

The RAAM cyclists and their crews weren't the only visitors to visit Camdenton's TS31 this week. About noon Thursday Klaus and Osel Urbanek of Hanover, Germany stopped and visited the Volunteers at SIGNAL.
Klaus is a lifelong cyclist and was a road racer in his younger days. In 2005 he and a friend, followed in a vehicle by their wives, rode the West Coast route from Vancouver BC to Tijuana Mexico, a very popular route known world-wide. When he learned of RAAM he checked the route on the internet and determined that he would give it a try. He asked Osel if she'd "crew" for him and she said SURE.
They trained in Florida this past January, arrived in Califrnia May 25 and started their trip from Oceanside June 2. Averaging about 100 miles per day, the couple is enjoying the scenery and friendliness of those they meet along the way.
Klaus is a prime example of lifelong fitness. Although 70 years YOUNG he has the physique of a much younger man.

After a short stay the couple was off to Jeff City and the 1200 miles left in this years RAAM route. We wish them open roads and fair weather.

Last riders....

Team can Be Venture, a four man wheel chair racing group from the UK passed TS31late Thursday afternoon to be the last riders going through the Lake area.

Last Day of TS31...

GOOD MORNING WORLD !!



A couple of things cause me to say WHEW! One being the weather...the other being the GREATEST Solo RAAM race in history, and we get to follow it in almost live-time. For those of you who haven't done so, copy the following link into your browser:

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http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/rcrank.php

This is the current standings page, which is accurate.
........................................................................................


http://www.jurerobic.net/index.php?id=302

This link is Jures Blogger, right now Matjaz, a fine fellow who has seen more of Jure's backside than anyone.
.........................................................................................



I don't have to tell you followers that what you will be witnessing today is historic, so enjoy the show. Be sure to go to the RAAM homepage and click on the blogger videos.

Keep in mind that Jure has an hour penalty. The way the penalty is accessed is by having the rider actually STOP at TS51 and wait. Can you imagine having to STOP?



In the Women's race, Brazilian Daniela Genovesi has taken the lead over Janet Christiansen of Escondido CA by less than one hour, as of TS37 in Sullivan IN. This race would be getting all the attention were it not for the Men's show. Again ...WHEW! What a year for RAAM.



Overnite at TS31 saw several teams pass by. You can see the chronological list of the arrivals at TS31 here: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/rcts.php?s_N_TimeStation_ID=1519&s_N_Year_ID=2



When the crews come in the first thing they want is info. Some teams have everything you would want in electronics, but with no connection it's all useless. A German man this morning commented on the lousy connections in the US, as have many others. So our internet setup is being put to good use.



It's been an odd year in that few crews are hanging around the TS as in the past. Maybe the weather, maybe better organization, maybe a more competitive bunch. Even though most, if not all, of the Teams are riding to raise money and/or awareness of and for their cause, the competitive nature of the riders and crews kick in at some point and Team RAAM goes from raising money to being an actual race. Everyone races against those in their own division but "side" competitions develope with other teams outside of the division. For example, a four person team might be competitive with an eight person team, or a two person vs. four person, etc. Like NASCAR, the race is more fun to follow once you understand the inside stories and the tactical moves of the riders and teams.

Oh, speaking of NASCAR, Carl Edwards uses the same trainer in Colorado as do many of the racers, Chris Carmichael Training Systems.



Team SaveBuzzards Bay from Massachusetts is riding to raise awareness of clean water issues in their part of the state. We should give them a follow to the finish as we at the Lake have some common issues. They left some bottled water from one of their sponsors.

I'll be siiting here all day at SIGNAL so if you're in the area stop by. Today is our last day here.

PS Late last night I got a call from Simon Ballou at TS29 Ft. Scott KS. He alerted me to the fact that a 70 yr old German has flown to the US to ride the RAAM route, followed in a pickup by his wife!! Simon says ( I know, I know) the man is in remarkable shape and will be here today to visit the TS. We hope his journey is a safe one.

Local interest in RAAM.....

The other day I was asked about local interest in RAAM. I don't know the numbers, but it is very obvious to us that the local folks are following the race through the local media and through the RAAM website and ours. Yesterday, a local ATTORNEY (watch out here) came into the TS early and asked how things were going. A woman and her three kids asked later, the banker from across the street has come over a couple times, people buying gas at the SIGNAL are walking over asking, someone just now is asking Jim where the racers are. I write notes to the local press and put up stories on our site and don't know if anyone is listening until the race gets here. Well this year the locals are showing up in full force!! Thank you local papers and radio stations for all the publicity. YES....RAAM is a nutso event....but it absolutly captures the imagination of the fans, as is evidnced locally and in communities through which it passes. This is a REAL athletic event...for NO MONEY...just for the love of competition and striving to be the best! Long live the greatest bike race on earth!!!

Claudio Clarindo...Brazil

Surfers

12:27 Surfing USA No Stop...........

I drove West on Hy 54 looking for Dominique Briand and came across Michael Cook around 7AM. He's looking well....

Whew .... it's been tough....

Sorry for the delay in posting. The crash of the RAAM server the last two days has been a nightmare. I spent much of yesterday creating impromptu links between other time stations thru Twitter, a site for TS Managers, the phone (lots of HOURS used yesterday) and other sources just to try and keep up. The crews were especially in need of info due to lack of cel phone coverage west of the Lake. Plus living outsde in a parking lot made for HOT conditions.

The heat has realy taken a toll. It was 105-108 in Kansas Monday, the same yesterday, and then the RAAMsters hit the humidity here. Ugh!! But everyone was suffering more or less equally, and knew it, so we heard NO grumbling from anyone.

Here's a link to those who have arrived at TS31: http://74.50.27.205/raam/rcts.php?s_N_TimeStation_ID=1519&s_N_Year_ID=2

Fun to see last night was Claudio Clarindo (www.clarindo.com) of Brazil. He was here in 2007 and is just the nicest guy imagineable! He used our wading pool (pics coming) to cool off (thank you Wal-Mart) His same crew is back , so I was able to show them pics from '07. One of the crew members is William Carvalho, who speaks great English, has a great personality and knows US politics better than a native. Clarindo and crew stayed about four hours and left before dawn.

Unfortunately, this morning, we missed Dominique Briand of France, riding in the 50-59 Division.

Because of strong winds that hit us late last night Jim took down all the web equipment, so overnite there was no service at the TS. This morning I drove over to the Dairy Queen and was able to get on there and send out info to the media (THANK YOU, Denny!!!) However, while I was gone, Dominique came through. In 2006 he was part of a 2-man team, the Crazy Gones, who had their fill of the race by the time they arrived. It was reallllly hot that night and they wouldn't even sign an autograph. Oh, well. We wish Dominique the best.

However, fortunately, while driving west on 54 looking for Briand, I came across Michael Cook of CA, Solo Mens Division, 10 miles west of the TS. I have been reading his Blog for three months at least, so it was great fun to be able to meet him. They had stopped on the side of the road to take care of some health issues. The inside of his follow car looks like the inside of the space shuttle....FULL of electronic gear. Michael has in the back pocket of his cycling jersey an Altoids box-sized transmitter that is a GPS unit. Also, in the van, is a LIVE web cam so that we can see Michael on the road. I'll forward the long link when his crew chief sends it. Only six viewers at a time, though, so keep trying.

In the closest RAAM ever (in the Solo Mens Division) Jure Robic currently leads but he has one hour of penalties and Danny Wyss has none (we think). So when you look at the standings and figure the lead by Robic you must remember that penalty times are NOT included in the current race standings. Near the end of the race the rider MUST STOP at a Time Station and actually WAIT the amount of time equal to his penalties. Robic HATES to wait, so look for him to try and drop Wyss. Look at the times between time stations for the two and note the average speed between stations. Any small variation can mean minutes lost, and in a close race like this even seconds are going to count.

TS31 favorite Jim Rees of the UK stopped in and spent 20 or so minutes with us, sitting down with an ice cream treat to cool off and being his usual gracious, talkative self. How he retains his good spirits under such trying conditions is inspiring. If you have noticed on the front page of our web-page we have a link on the left to Jim's Team Inspiration website. The story of his having to use a neck brace, which was made by two of his crew members here at TS31, and then wearing the brace for 1200 miles (ugh) and finishing just EIGHT MINUTES UNDER the cut-off time is truly one of the great stories of recent RAAM lore. I keep in touch with Jim and he's always willing to answer emails. This year, we have been hearing of less experienced riders asking the "old timer" for advice. Check the Team Inspiration page for the story by Paris Golden.
I'll be back later. For you locals, stop by the Time Station at SIGNAL in Camdenton and be on our live VIDEO FEED. YOU can BE A MEDIA STAR at TS31!

Janet..

Janet Christiansen arr TS31 1:03 (RAAM Time=EDT).

Following Janet.....

Follow Janet Christiansen from her website.... http://watchmyrace.ning.com/profile/TeamOspreyRAAM2009