From The Drivers Seat: Serindipity in a Frosty Mug of Root Beer

The greatest thing about traveling with RAAM, is that the route is almost entirely on non-interstate roads across the country. While passing through the small towns across the country, you make some great discoveries, cool architecture, interesting shops and restaurants, and some amazing people with great stories.


While passing through Robinson, Illinois late one afternoon following RAAM racers, I spotted the Dog N Suds drive in. This was a very serendipitous moment for me. When I was a little guy, we had a Dog n Suds in my home town of Lebanon, Mo. To say I loved Dog n Suds is an understatement. I had adorned my tricycle with Dog n Suds stickers, and I even had a Dog n Suds mug; the only way to get me to drink my milk was to put it in my Dog N Suds mug.

 Fortunately, for me and ultimately the media crew, it was close to our dinner time, so we made a U turn and went back for a bite to eat.

I quickly located the owner, Mr Mark Mathews, and we shared some Dog N Suds stories, and I found out how he came to be the owner of this once great drive in chain. At one time, there were over 700 Dog N Suds around the mid-west, sadly, only 17 still exist today.

Proud Owner: Mark Matthews

The HQ Media Crew awaiting there Root Beers and Coney Dogs

Mark proudly informed me, they still make there Coney Sauce using the original recipe, and there root beer is still made in house to strict Dog N Suds standards. We were not disappointed when our food arrived, and had the best meal of our 3,000 mile journey.

Almost everyone I talked with on the race crews, all commented on how they loved to see the "Real America" while on their RAAM journey. You just don't see this kind of stuff from the freeway, nor do you get to meet people like the great folks at Dog N Suds in Robinson,Ill.

On your next trip, slow down a bit, get off of the interstate and take some back roads. Who knows what kind of discoveries you might find, perhaps you will find the "Dog N Suds" from your childhood memories.

More Information On Dog N Suds Drive In"s: http://www.dog-n-suds.com/

From The Drivers Seat: The Rider from the Republic of Dexas

From The Drivers Seat: Time for Rehab

From The Drivers Seat: Round on both ends and High in the Middle

Sadly, not all of the time stations for RAAM are maned. THe few that are, are maintained by very dedicated people who sacrifice sleep, and often times personal funds, to support the riders of RAAM.

In Ohio, we found just such a time station. In my opinion, this was the second best time station on the whole route, Congress,AZ being number 1. I let the time station manager know this, and she has made it a personal goal to beat out Congress for the number one position. The gauntlet has been thrown down, I look forward to seeing what happens next year. Watch out Congress!

From The Drivers Seat: Tim the Laker

From The Drivers Seat: Combined Arms Racing

 I apologize for the audio in this clip. It was incredibly windy out there and my camera doesn't deal well with wind noise. This was shot west of Tuba City,AZ where the winds were 40 to 50 miles an hour.

Also, at the time I took this video, I had the understanding the Team 4MIL was in the lead in their division, that was incorrect. At the time this was shot, Strategic Lyons had the lead in the Team Division, and Team 4MIL was in second place. Sorry for the misinformation.

For The Record with Sandy Whittlesey

Strasser's average speed is down to 15.17 this morning.  However, he averaged 16.14 for the Cumberland leg, which makes one wonder if he could bring his average back up to the 15.4 record.

For the record, with 216 miles remaining, Strasser will have to average 19.2 mph - probably out of reach considering that Sideling Hill is still in his way.  But it will still be exciting to watch what he does!

After that, it's clearly a race for second place - but what an incredible race that has become!!!  There remain about 32 to 35 hours of racing before second place is claimed, with Baloh, Gulewicz, and Blanco still trading places.  And, then, what about Pattinson?  He needs to average 1.5 mph faster than the other three to take second - and he was slightly better than that across Ohio!  So if Pattinson takes on the Appalachians as he did Ohio, ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a most extraordinary come-from-behind finish!

 

--Sandy Whittlesey is a journalist and statistician

From The Drivers Seat: RAAM News @ 70 miles an hour on 4 hours of sleep

Rolling down the road with RAAM is a challenge for everyone. The Media crew hops, skips and jumps all over the route and the country trying to keep up with the racers, while trying to find internet to up load and download their stories, and occasionally get some sleep.

Here is a behind the scenes look at our Media Chief, and "The Face of the Race," Jeric, as he films his stand up for the news report.

The Media Crews spend their day gathering stories, shooting videos and pictures, with a deadline of 6 o'clock each day. They then have to compress, and revise their stories and send them to our Editor, who combines them with the stand up that you just saw, and turn it into the finished product. This is a challenging job under good condition, but she does it while bouncing around in the back of a van, with sketchy internet. I took a few minutes to talk with our editor about the challenges of her job.

There are over 20 hours of labor from over a dozen people that goes into each daily report, all from the road, parking lots, coffee shops, and hotels. So, the next daily report that you watch, after you tell your friends about the racers, and the stats, don't forget to give kudos to the awsome people who brought you the news.

Your Amigo
Randy

Pro Stats on the Male Solo Front Runners

Read more about the Men's Solo front runners in an article by Sandy Whittlesey, a statistical journalist, below:

Strasser is in position to win the solo men's race so long as he does not falter.  At about 170 miles back, Baloh would have to average about 3 mph faster to catch Strasser by the finish.  In other words, either Strasser would have to average 12 mph average for the last 800 miles, or Baloh would have to increase to an 18 mph average the rest of the way to win.  Neither situation looks likely.

The 15.4 mph record is within Strasser's reach, but he is teetering on the edge.  He must average at least 14.8 mph over the remaining 800 miles, just 1 mph less than what he has been doing across the flat Midwest.  If he takes a couple of sleep breaks, this means that his daytime splits need to hover around 16 mph.  With his two Illinois time stations at 15.7 mph, Strasser is j-u-u-u-st in the zone he needs to be …. but the hills await!  Some 16-17 mph splits across Indiana and Ohio today will help his cause.  It's too early to tell what will happen, even without wondering what the unstable weather patterns will do in the next 48 hours.

As far as who will take second place, it is anybody's guess!  Three men are in the running, and the numbers are far too close to call ….

From the Drivers Seat: Forigners and Crank Addicts.

Wednesday, June 15th, was Team registration, and vehicle inspection at the Start line in Ocean City. It was really awesome to walk around and talk to all of the crews and check out their Support Vehicles, and the Bicycles...mmmm bikes ( Said in a Homer Simpson drooling voice).

I was amazed at the number of countries represented at this race. I talked with some great folks from Italy, Canada, Germany, Austria, and New Zeland, Lichtenstein (SP)

Early on Wednesday morning, before the registration, I meet some really great guys who were the crew for team “Crank Addicts,” (quite possibly on of the greatest racing names I have encountered so far).These gentlemen hail from island nation of Great Britain, and had just arrived late last night. I talked with Crank Addicts Crew Chief, Adam Payne while he was looking over his rental vehicle, making sure he knew where the spare tire and tools were stored, and trying to plan how to get to them after the vehicle is rigged up as a support vehicles. During our visit, after exchanging some less than appropriate jokes and stories, we got down to discussing the difficulties of arriving in a foreign country, and trying to get ready for a race. I hadn't really considered some of the logistical challenges faced by the crews from other countries. Understanding the rules of the road, road signage, even getting used to driving on the “Other” side of the road. Add to that, not really being familiar with store names and associating the names with what they might sale. Just another example of how RAAM is a challenge, from start to finish, and not just for the guy on the bike.

I caught up with Adam and the rest of the Crank Addicts at the staging area, on Saturday June 18th, about an hour before they were due to leave Oceanside for the Team Race. 

Good luck guys. I look forward to catching up with you out on the road, and in Annapolis.

From The Drivers Seat: Oh, The Places We Will Go!

From The Drivers Seat: AC from the DC

From The Drivers Seat: The Bullshifters in Congress

From The Drivers Seat: Late Night Gas

From the Drivers Seat: Nick and The Swiss

From the Drivers Seat: Brawley > Hanging in the Van

From the Drivers Seat : The Glass Elevator / Not on GPS

From the Drivers Seat : Lake Henshaw Time Station

From the Drivers Seat:: RAAM Solo Start

From the Drivers Seat : The Unsung Heroes

In every aspect of life, there are the people behind the scenes. If it were not for the camera man, there would be no movie star, if the grounds keepers didn't do their jobs, the football player wouldn't have a well groomed end-zone to celebrate their touchdowns.

RAAM is no different. The Race Officials are the unsung heroes of RAAM. Some of the officials have been doing this since the early days of the race. For some, this is their “Rookie” year as an official. Regardless of how long they have been doing it, they are all here for the same reason, they believe in RAAM.

                                          RAAM Veteran Race Officials: 
                                                        Rob Warren, Mike Roarke, Cindy Roarke, Jim Harnes

Cindy Roarke, honored with the title “RAAM Mom,” has been officiating for RAAM with her husband Mike Roarke, for 27 years. When I asked Cindy to describe her job as an official, she quickly responded, "We try to keep the riders and the crews safe.”

Cassie Schumacher, was training and planning to ride the RAAM this year, however, too many logistical difficulties prevented her from participating. Wanting to find a way to still be apart of RAAM, she signed on as a Race Official.

                                                                Cassie Schumacher, Mike Roarke

Jody Stange, is an aspiring RAAM racer, and has ridden the route independently, as well as having been a crew member for a RAAM racing team. Still unable to manage the logistical hurdles of entering the race himself, he decided to be an official this year, so he could continue to be apart of this great event.

                                                                          Jody Stange

All of the Race Officials have great stories of how they have become involved with this race. As you follow the race and cheer for the riders please try and remember there are some really awesome people behind the scenes, keeping the riders on the bike, keeping the route safe, and making sure the race will continue.

Keep your rubber side down

RB

Welcome to Oceanside!

The RAAM crew has been arriving throughout the day as we set up at headquarters in Oceanside to film interviews, register riders and inspect bicycles on the day before the big kickoff. Tuesday is the Race Across America's official start date and begins with the female solos and 60+ riders. Needless to say the parking lot is full of excitement, competitors, cameras and most importantly bikes! Stay tuned for more on the race via Twitter, Facebook and the Race Across America website. Bon Voyage!

 

-Kait

From The Drivers Seat

I am sitting here in Oceanside at the Super Duper 8 hotel enjoying the last beer I will have for several days and recovering from my first official day as the driver for the Headquarters Van of the RAAM Media Crew. We spent most of the day gathering necessary supplies (Inverters, Extension Cords, Tape etc.) to convert the rental vans into Mobile Media Stations of Never Ending RAAM Information or MMSNERAAMI....okay, it's a work in progress.


We were not the only ones scurrying around the parking lot "Pimping" our rides. The crew from Austria supporting Gerhard Gulewicz were also busy decking out there SAG Wagon and their R.V. They we gracious enough to let me on board of their R.V. to have a look around, and I talked with the Team Nurse, as he inventoried and organized the medical supplies (hopefully not) necessary for the race. The team informed me they have at least 4 designated drivers for the race, and will be driving in shifts depending on who is the most rested, rather, the least tired.

On the other side of the parking lot, there was a row of vehicles, that will be driven by the RAAM Race Officials. I talked briefly with Hans, as he placed stickers on his ride. Hans is a native of Austria, and he has supported RAAM as a race official for the last 5 years, as a Vacation. All of the Race Officials are volunteers, and only receive per-diem for expenses.

GERHARD GULEWICZ CREW: "We must win!"

Vic Armijo-Oceanside, CA.

Austrian Gerhard Gulewicz is one of the most experiened riders in this 30th edition of RAAM, having started this event six times. This shot is of his crew preparing his motorhome and follow car. He's been second in each of the past two years and his crew declares that he and they are tired of being in the runner up position. "This year Gerhard must win!" a crew member said as the rest stood by nodding in agreement.

After five RAAMs Gulewicz and crew have learned a few things. His follow car is one of the most well set up I've seen---very well thought out with everything that the racer and crew needs ready at hand. Unlike most follow cars that carry the back-up bike on a roof rack, Gulewicz's extra KTM is on a rear rack where it's out of the wind, doesn't get pelted by bugs and dust and it's much easier to get when needed. Nice!

From the Drivers Seat

I am sitting here in Oceanside at the Super duper 8 hotel enjoying the last beer I will have for the next 14 days, and recovering from my first official day as the driver for the Headquarters Van of the RAAM Media Crew. We spent most of the day gathering necessary supplies (Inverters, Extension Cords, Tape etc.) to convert the rental vans into Mobile Media Stations of Never Ending RAAM Information or MMSNERAAMI....okay, it's a work in progress.

 We were not the only ones scurrying around the parking lot "Pimping" our rides. The crew from Austria supporting Gerhard Gulewicz were also busy decking out there SAG Wagon and their R.V. They we gracious enough to let me on board of their R.V. to have a look around, and I talked with the Team Nurse, as he inventoried and organized the medical supplies (hopefully not) necessary for the race. The team informed me they have at least 4 designated drivers for the race, and will be driving in shifts depending on who is the most rested.

On the other side of the parking lot, there was a row of vehicles, that will be driven by the Race Officials. I talked briefly with Hans, as he placed stickers on his ride. Hans is a native of Austria, and he has supported RAAM as a race official for the last 5 years, this is his idea of a Vacation. All of the Race Officials are volunteers, and only receive per-diem for expenses.

Tomorrow, we will be spending time down at the beach, talking with the teams, as everyone gears up for the race.
Keep your Rubber Side Down.
RB

RAAM Media Crew - ready to rock!

Jeric here, Director of Media for the Race Across America.

I've got my media crew here in Oceanside and we are ready to start putting out some awesome reports. Stay tuned and keep checking in to RaceAcrossAmerica.org