TRANS-TRI-2020

Facebook | Alexandra Gwathmey : "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

RAAM

Erin: Michele rode into the finish at 9:15am EDT this morning. She has been through every weather imaginable and every form of road possible. Michele has completed her goal and did it with the highest amount of strength and positivity. She is one amazing woman and athlete; this was a tough race, but her preparations helped her race so well. Michele's crew did a wonderful job of supporting her and being with her every step of the way. The crew plays many roles throughout the race: sports therapist, emotional support, navigator, bike repair, driver, and most of all the crew that keeps her safe. She has come all the way across the country in record time, and all the support from her crew and all the friends and family rooting for her has kept her positive and energetic throughout the race. Let's see what's next for Michele and thank you for supporting her through this journey!

Erin: Michele started climbing through the Appalachians last night and did awesome despite the fog and rain. She was able to take some time to sleep and was pschyed to get back on the bike. She is pedaling fast and strong today. Michele is about ready to get to that harbor. Through the desert, Rockies, plains, Appalachians, heat, humdity, rain, wind, hail, and fog...Michele has made it this far with strength and support. Her journey to the east coast is almost over; she has proven to be a strong-willed and prepared athlete. Michele has done what she needed to prep herself for the obstacles she has raced through. Her crew has been amazing and very supportive of her goal to finish the race. We shall see her coming through the finish by early Monday morning, if not sooner. KEEP PEDALING!

Erin: Michele is in the last stretch of the race with less than 500 miles to go. She is in need of a good night's sleep, but she is pushing herself to finish the race as fast as she can. Soon, she will be entering another huge climb through the Applalachian mountains. Michele is excited to start another large climb and is prepared to fly through the mountains. She is a strong rider and is ready to get to the finish. These last miles are the hardest, but she is doing very well. Her energy level is high and the crew is with her 120% to get her to the finish.

Erin: Michele is battling another day filled with heat and humdity as she rides through Ohio today. As of this morning, about 11:30 EDT, she was on her way to Oxford, Ohio. She has gotten more rest and is keeping up with a healthy food regimen which is keeping her energized and positive throughout this entire race. I seem to get the same message everyday, that says that Michele is doing really well and riding strong. Michele is definitely a very strong rider and has prepared herself tremendously for this event. I know that we are all very excited to see her make the finish in Annapolis. I have been asked when the the Building Futures Now team had passed and I have been notified that they passed Michele on Thursday in the early morning. Michele happened to be sleeping at the time they had passed. I should have more updates either later this evening or tomorrow for everyone. GO MICHELE!!!

Erin: Michele has caught up on some sleep so she could ride strong and fast today. She road through Illinois and is going through Indiana. It started to heat up a bit, but she is still pedaling fast and strong. She only has a few more days til she reaches Annapolis. Michele is doing what she came here to do and she is doing it with a lot of strength. I don't have too many details on today's going, but I do know that she has a constant of riding strong and being positive. Michele is making this experience amazing for herself and her crew. Keep pedaling; GO MICHELE!!!

Erin: Hello all, I know I am late getting a blog up and I do apologize. All of you are great readers and supporters of Michele and I know she is very much appreciative. Anyways, Michele reached the 2nd cut off for the race this afternoon (EDT) and has less than 1000 miles to the finish in Annapolis, MD. She is riding stronger than ever and is really moving fast to get to the finish. Michelle is doing her job riding and doing what she loves. She is currently riding through Illinois and is well on her way to an amazing finish. I know I am speaking on behalf of Michele and all of her followers when I say how thankful we are for her crew. They are doing the best job of keeping our favorite rider safe, healthy, and keeping her motivated and encouraged to do ride her best. Keep checking the RAAM site to see her mileage and timing: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org .

Erin: I meant to post this the other day, but totally forgot I had this picture. Michele is just about ready to leave Kansas. She has one last time station at ft. scott, Kansas and then its 66.4 miles to the next time station in weaubleau, MO. Her crew says she had a great day yesterday, but the crew was confused with some of the detour information from race HQ. She is spending more time on the bike and less time resting, but is managing well with her awesome crew. Michele is continuously in good spirits, while smiling and laughing while she is riding. GO MICHELE!!!

Erin: Michele rode into Kansas yesterday afternoon and dealt with more clouds and rain. She was in good spirits yesterday and riding strong. Michele was using a back up bike yesterday due to her favorite bike having a few mechanical issues. Chris was able to get Michele's favorite bike back on track. Around 8:24am EDT, Michele was heading to Pratt, Kansas which marks the halfway point in the race. Her crew says she is pedaling strong and steady. They didn't run into any severe weather last night, but it is humid and drizzling. Now that Michele has her favorite bike fized, she is a happy rider. GO MICHELE!

Erin: Michele was riding through a bad cell phone reception area for quite a while, so I couldn't get you all updates. Michele went through some bad weather with cold temperatures with rain and hail. She was frustrated with the bad weather, but now she is out of the mountains and into the plains. She has less than 20 miles now and she will be in Walsh, CO. The crew says she is feeling very strong today and I'm sure she is happy to be away from the bad weather. They hope to be into Kansas by midnight. She is headed for the next cut off, which is in west alton, MO at the Missippi river. I should be back with more later on today.

Erin: Yesterday Michele made the cut off at Durango by 12:15pm EDT with 18 hours to spare. I didn't receive many updates, because cell phone serice was slim to none. When Michele reached Pagosa Springs, CO, they stopped for a shower and a short rest. By 11pm EDT on Friday, Michele was back on the bike and headed for Wolf Creek Pass with temps forecasted with lows of 32 degrees. Rain and storms were possible or even a little snow was in the forecast. Michele is still riding strong and making her way into the the last 2000 miles.

Erin: I have finally got some details on what has been going on out there. Michele had a really good day yesterday through Monument Valley, Utah; she was going real fast. Yesterday she was able to complete 300 miles in under 24 hours, so she's definitely rockin' it out there. She is about 23 miles away from the first cut off in Durango, CO. Right now, Michele is climbing through the Rockies and jammin' to her ipod. She has experienced a little leg discomfort as can be expected, but its nothing too unusual. Her crew has kept her hydrated and full of calories. Michele is doing really well and is well on her way to Annapolis.

Erin: I have been sent this photo to be posted on here. Apparently, Lance has some birthday wishes to our racer! I don't have anymore updates of Michele as of right now. The must be keeping busy, busy, busy. I'm trying to get some details as quickly as possible. Look out for another blog later this evening. GO MICHELE! Check out http://www.raceacrossamerica.com for the race statistics.

Erin: Michele has been doing awesome today! She rode 100 miles without any breaks. She had to face the Yarnell grade earlier and as said from her crew chief, Sara: "She powered up Yarnell grade like it was just a little speed bump". She is a bit low on her caloric intake, but plans to adjust to more food intake. She has only slept a total of 30 mins, but seems to still have tons of energy. 6:50 EDT, I have been updated that she is approximately 30 miles away from time station #7 in Prescott, AZ. Michele is racing like none other and has really shown how well she has prepared herself. Keep checking for more updates!

Erin: So I have received a long email with details on Michele's overnight status. As soon as it got dark, the follow van enters a direct follow to keep Michele safe while riding at night. After entering the desert Michele was a bit nauseas for about 2 hours, but the crew switched up her nutrition which did just the trick. Her crew chief says that Michele is really thinking strategy and planning ahead for what she needs from her crew. The crew is beginning to get into a routine that fits Michele best. She is using great communication with her crew, and the crew is getting her everything she needs. Michele past time station 3 with a few minutes after 4am EDT. After that she shortly entered into Arizona. She completed 250 miles in approximately 14.5 hours, while spending less than 10 mins off the bike. She is constantly riding strong and she has a great crew with her. Keep pedaling Michele!!

Erin: Today has been the official start to the 2010 RAAM race. Michele started the race at 3pm Eastern Daylight Time (12pm PDT). The race will be on eastern time for the entire race. For the first 20 miles of the race, Michele was not supported with the crew. The crew has a follow van set up after the 20 miles and begins following her once she passes the van. I received note at 6:53 EDT, that Michele just recently went through her first time station in Lake Henshaw. We all know she is racing strong and her crew is making sure she eats accordingly and takes breaks when she needs them. I should keep getting updates throughout the evening. Erin

Erin: Today has been the last day to prep for tomorrow's official start to the RAAM 2010 race. Michele and her crew have attended informational meetings designated for the crew and the racer. All of these meetings discuss rider safety, where they talk about how some roads can become narrow and somewhat dangerous. Michele's crew decided that the entire team would greatly benefit from attending the meetings together. Her crew chief, Sara has pulled together an amazing group of people to be apart of Michele's crew; They are doing everything in their power to ensure that Michele has a safe and utterly successful race. Rider safety is the highest of priority throughout these long and intense races; Sara and the rest of the crew have assisted Michele in gathering all supplies and equipment needed to get her to the finish line. Michele is pumped up and ready to get on the bike and start pedaling. She has a top of the line crew, equipped with two sports-massage therapists to ensure

In Danville,CA & the sun is shining and the laughter plenty. Sorting & Packing at Pia & Chris's gorgeous huge place. Gr8 Barbeque last night, cinnamon apples and french toast this am. Yummy chicken salad - homemade of course and veges for lunch. I have even had a great massage and half hour ride this am and plan to be on rollers this pm. YES MY TEAM ROCKS!!! I plan to rock the pedals all the way this time to say thanks to my 09 and 10 teams.

WOW!!! Relaxed, calm wisdom with a lot of laughter and stories from adventures. What a team from Home Base Redwood City to Chris and Pia's new home base in Danville where we arrived safely with our 2 2010 vans at 4pm to a wonderful garden setting. The best barbeque I have had in years!!!! and that is no exaggeration!!!! My stomach and heart are really full of gratitude and peace. Thanks to Erin who is also being a huge part of the team with updates. Photos will come tomorrow PST as Sara is keeping the East Coast crew up with rules of the road. I have a feeling it is going to be a gooood goood night by Black Eyed Peas. We are now chasing the Blue Crabs of Virginia which is there local delicacy. Lots of love & appreciation to all Michele

Erin: I am the daughter of Michele's Raam 2010 Crew Chief, Sara and will be keeping everyone up to date on what is going on throughout the entire course of the race. Now the race doesn't begin until Tuesday, June 8th at 12pm PDT, but the entire crew has flown into San Francisco to help gather all supplies needed for the upcoming race. Sara, Champe, Karen, and Alex flew in early in the afternoon to meet up with Michele to load up all of the supplies and equipment needed. Not too long ago, they all headed out to Chris' house to meet him and Pia (other two crew members) out in the San Francisco East Bay. Today is just the start of the entire team coming together to finish up last minute details on the race and make sure Michele is pumped up and excited to race. The entire crew is making sure that they have everything they need from bike parts to an extra pair of clean socks. Michele has done just what she's needed to do to train and prepare herself for Raam 2010. I'll

WOW!! Raam 2010 is here. Time seems to have become a blurr and I am not even sleep deprived yet. Gratitude to all those that have encouraged, supported and assisted me to getting to this point of attempting Raam 2010. The plan is to put a big FULL STOP in Anapolis on June 21 by 06h00AM PST and to celebrate Sunday 27 June in the evening. Watch this space for details and updates which will also be linked to my facebook page. My prep has included: Brevets: 300km, 2 x 400km, 1000km- Double Centuries: Butterfield, Mullholland, Solvang, Devil Mountain Double (with Stage 2 Amgen Breakaway century the next day) & Davis double. Multiple centuries and chase group/time trial rides during the week with few velodrome sessions for a little sharpening to keep me peddaling. I also trust all the wonderful memories of continuing my ride solo and unsupported last year will fuel my legs to pedal through this amazing country for one more time: The statues of Monument valley, mile markers of the rock