RAAM Solo Racing Crew Support and Support at other Ultra Distance Races.
Many see us racers to fight races such as RAAM or other Ultra-Distance races. The crew most often is somehow in the background when reports go online about the races. It is us racers who get most of the attention. Funny as it is … preparing for such races is a bit deal. It requires insane amount of training and focus on the race itself. What’s hard to see is that it also requires to find a great crew to get the best possible support. The crew is the key factor for us to complete such races. It’s not just driving the support cars … it’s helping with navigation to assure a racer does not make mistakes or misses a turn. It’s also all the help to prepare and provide proper nutrition and help us to get ready for sleep breaks as well as keeping our bikes in good shape and prepare for bike or wheel swapping. It’s hard to mention all activities done by the support crew. However, one very critical to me is besides of what I mentioned to make sure the racer stays focused and in good mood. It’s a lot of motivation that takes pace by great crew members. I learned that in numerous Ultra-Distance races and specifically at RAAM as well as in lots of my training rides. In 2023 I was not able to finish RAAM and got out after 2145 miles due to not being able to recover from food poisoning. I had an amazing crew helping me and trying to get me through the race. The issue was related to simple not testing myself what proper nutrition would be best for me. So, after 2023 RAAM I was wondering if I could ever get such great crew together again. Luckily my Crew chief Heidi supported me also for 2024 and helped specifically getting a great crew together again. Also, I was happy that Dee was able to make it again as she also supported me in other Races. So we ended up getting a great 7 person crew together again with additional members such as Victoria, Barbara, Dave, Carlos and Mark (on purpose I leave the last names off). Unfortunately, after the first few days Barbara had to leave due to family needs. So, we continued and finished with an overall 6-person crew. What was impressive again … most crew members never met each other before. So, it took a day or two and everything worked well. Main reason for it was because every single person worked for one goal only … getting me across the finish line in time. That by itself is very impressive. It’s a very tough task being on crew for races such as RAAM or even any 500-mile race. As a racer I cannot say how much I appreciate all their support. They motivated me when I was mentally struggling. They helped me with verity of nutrition. Also made sure my bikes are always ready as well as the lights and if needed the spare wheels. And not to forget they always had very motivating comments making sure I am focused on the race and in some cases when I was getting to suborn and was already way too tired for riding … they made sure I got off the bike and take a rest. Overall I cannot say how thankful I am with such great crews I had in 2023 and again in 2024. Yes I am the one riding the 3065 miles but the crew made sure I could do that .
