TRANS-TRI-2020

Since I've been posting I thought I would give you a few thoughts about Michele's effort and DNF (did not finish). Michele is a heck of an athlete. To complete RAAM is a huge accomplishment. As I told Michele today only the very best in the sport are good enough to fail at RAAM. The statistics say that 50% of all solos who enter will DNF. What other sport do half of all who enter not finish? In RAAM you race against the course, not just the other racers. To be the very last person to cross the finish line is still a high honor. To qualify to enter the race is an honor. There are many many things in RAAM that must go right in order to complete the race. Being well trained and fit isn't good enough. You must have good crew, equipment, logistics, training, and a fair amount of luck. With everything lined up, best of equipment, well trained, experienced talented crew, sometimes it just doesn't work. Michele had all the things she needed, except may experience i...

HI All incredible supporters I write from the rain of Pagosa Springs. Raam is a journey very different from any other I have been on. It has not finished in fact I think it has just started but will take longer than just 10 days to complete. I never knew I could stay on a bike while pedalling so slowly the last few miles. I will write more once we are packed and I can think a little more clearly. I just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciated their support and look forward to supporting IJM more during this journey and giving my corporate sponsors some more exposure. Thank you sincerely to my crew for getting me this far. Michele

Just a short update withTime Station numbers. Michele arrived in TS 14 Durango Colorado yesterday at 19:36 for a total of 814 miles. Michele's average for this section was 9.49 mph with an overall average of 10.74 for the 814 miles. This one of several difficult sections in the Rockies with 3 climbs, each with only a small descent as the reward. So each time a climb is completed you basically get to start another after only a small break. The final climb tops out at 8416'. Michele will be passing many ski resorts in this area. Hmmmm. Michele then got to make a descent into Durango, lossing 2000' of elevation in the process. It is a long, fast, and technical descent that can leave a racer just as tired as the climbs. From Durango Michele then headed to the next Time Station of TS 15 Pagosa Springs, CO. Miles into the race of 884 and an elevation 7619. Don't be fooled the numbers, while it is a 1422' elevation gain in 70 miles there is more to the route than t...

Michele has checked in at TS 13, Cortez, CO some 769.2 miles into the race. Her speed has picked up to 9.92 for this section which if you look at the profile I have shown above and consider that she is 700 plus miles into this race doesn't seem that bad. It looks like Michele is over her quad issues and is moving well. Her problem in now one of time lost. She does absolutely need to maintain a strong pace to avoid the time cut off. That will be difficult with the next several Time Stations all having significant climbs. If she can stay on the bike and keep a strong pace then she can make the cut off in Taos, NM. After that she enters flat lands and has a chance to win back some of that lost time. We all really need to pull hard for Michele. I know she wants it and it is not going to be easy! While I did not get any first hand accounts of last night's weather conditions I understand that the Monument Valley area was pretty difficult for racers with high winds blowing as...

For those who are doing the math, yes Michele's pace had dropped off yesterday evening. Michele was experiencing some issues with her quad muscles. Some rest and massage therapy guided by her awesome massage therapist via cell phone in the wee hours of the morning (thank you Anthony) and Michele is back on the road. A motel stop with showers was also appreciated by the crew in Mexican Hat, Ut. Adrienne reported by cell phone this morning that Michele was riding well up a slight incline at 14 mph. A good sign. This is a tough race, no racer is immune from problems out there. Michele pasted Mexican Hat UT (679.5) at 01:48 this morning and has one more TS before entering Colorado. Lots climbing to go. Michele's average speed has dropped to 11.79 mph. Remember that in order to complete the 3022 miles race in the 12 days set by RAAM Michele must average 10.5 mph average. With the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico it will be important that Michele maintain a strong pace ...

The following is a post (lifted, sorry Vic) from Vic Armijo on the Raam Website. Vic is a raam reporter and a friend of mine and crew member Winston (small world). HELLO DOLLY VIC'S RAAMIFICATIONS HELLO DOLLY! Kayenta, Arizona June 18, 2009 We media types always have deep questions for RAAM riders; What motivates you? What do you eat? When will you sleep? But what I most wanted to ask Michelle Santilhano after seeing her today just outside of Monument Valley, is; "What's that doll on you handlebars? The fun-loving South African will surely have a logical if not whimsical answer. These and other burning questions will be answered soon, very soon.

Michele passed through Prescott, Az last night (396.7 miles) and hit TS 8 Flagstaff (491.1) at 9:02 raam time this morning. While I haven't heard from the crew I'm sure there was a rest break in there. Yuba City AZ is the next time station at 563 miles which Michele pass at 14:13. This is a much faster leg for Michele with an aveage speed of 13.87 mph for the segment and and overall average of 12.12 mph. Remember as Robert mentioned that these averages include any time off the bike. Raam is a non stop race. From here Michele will enter Utah just past TS 10, Kayenta, AZ (634.7 miles) and head for Mexican Hat, Ut TS 11 (679 miles). They are now near the Four Corners area and will be headed for Colorado after passing TS 12, Montezuma Creek, UT. The racers will be encountering a lot more climbing and speeds will typically drop. In the next couple of days the racers will have to climb a number of high mountain passes including La Manga Pass, which is over 10,000'. Com...

Hello, I have been actively following the race by reading the RAAM websites postings for times at the different time stations. The race is broken up into legs between time stations, they are not all the same distance or the same geographically. Some legs will have alot of climbing others will be flatter. The total distance of the race is 3021 miles, the allowed time to complete is 12 days. So if you do the math the minimum speed to complete is just about 10.5 mph. This may not seem like much but the clock does not stop running so rest/sleep breaks are factored into this average speed. The way I look at it is that Michele needs to do about 250 miles per day, now some days will be easier with less elevation gain and others as she ascends the Rockies or makes her way across West Virginia will be harder. So if she gets good days in the flatter states she creates a time cushion for herself for the nastier days. Don't worry if you see her speed between time stations looking slow, it i...

Hi there, Adrienne just called she is just up for her next shift and reports that Michele is cooking along at 16 mph steady. Micheles stomach has been a little dicey but the trooper she is has not let that stop her as everyone learns how to keep her nutrition optimal in these early days, these issues usually sort themselves out the farther along one gets in the race as the body adapts (those that are eating real food - no accounting for the riders using the powder junk which is a crap shoot at best). They stopped awhile ago for a quick rest and a shower but not for a real sleep break. The other two women Daniela and Janet passed her during this break. It is looking like the tortoise and the two hairs at this point, Michele just keeps it going and the other two rest more and then charge ahead. As the race plays out this strategy will be more difficult to sustain since the bodies ability to charge ahead at higher speeds over multiple days starts to fade. Michele has been in great spirit...

The sun is up on the racers and Michele has reached Time Station 4, Salome, AZ. Michele arrived at Blythe, CA Time Station this morning at 5:15 am (again, raam time EST) which is on the Arizona / California boarder. 2 am local is a good time to ride through that part of the country. Michele arrived 24 and 30 minutes behind the lead two women racers (Janet Christiansen and Daniela Genovesi respectively)in Blythe. As of right now the RAAM website shows Michele checking in at Salome, AZ TS 4 at 10:10 am with a total mileage of 293.7 miles for an average of 15.98 mph. This reflects a drop in overall mph but is no doubt a reflection of a short sleep break. The other ladies in the race have either not checked in at TS 4 or RAAM does not have their times in their system. So Michele may be leading the field of solo women at this point. They still have a very long way to go but so far it looks like Michele is riding a good strong steady race. The best way to reach the finish line. Ad...

At 12 pm (PST) the Women RAAM racers and Men Masters (60 +) began their epic race from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD. All times are reported in RAAM time (EST, military) and I will stay with that convention. Michele reached the first Time Station in Lake Hensaw, CA at 18:50 today. A total of 54.5 miles in 3 1/2 hours for an average speed of 17.87 mph. Crew Chief Adrienne called me from past Time Station 1 at Christmas Tree Circle, in Borrego Springs, CA which is a designated support area for crew to service racers. Adrienne reported that Michele was riding well, eating and drinking as she should be (very important in Ultra races). So far things seem to be going according to plan for Michele. Past experience says after the first night most racers and crew get into the rhythm of what they are doing, they are find was is working and what isn't, with the crew making adjustments. I'll post more as I hear it. David Bradley

My head is buzzing with so much love and support from this incredible raam family from race directors and staff giving me hugs and good wishes to my own ULTRA Amazing crew who just treat me like a queen 24/7. I do hope I can pedal my appreciation for them. Thanks Dave for doing such a great job as Ground Chief & logistician. I know Adrienne appreciates it HUGELY. I got to a local church this morning which was really nice and calming. Dave is running errands to Ace hardware and tried to go to a junk yard for a spare tyre but they would not let him due to him having only trail run tevas on. Adrienne has been working in such an incredibly calm and highly professional manner on more logistics than I could imagine. She makes most Professional Mountain Guides look meek. It is hard being so close to the sparkling ocean with no long swim training planned. I hope to get a qucik dip in the Atlantic before flying back to the pacific. The dream plan is to have arrived on the Atlantic Seaboard ...

Good Morning All, Adrienne and Tanner here, in not-quite-so-sunny California. Lots to do today. We had a great first crew meeting last night. We'll finalize logistical details today. RAAM Headquarters opens this afternoon, so we look forward to seeing the whole RAAM gang. Waiting round Oceanside is always the hardpart, so we can't wait to get this show on the road. We met Herman Bachmann (solo rider) and his crew last night as dinner. It was exciting to see others being excited. Y'all will mainly be hearing from David as we proceed eastward. A huge thank you to David for all of his blogging and countless thankless other tasks he has done and will do to get us to Annapolis! Adrienne and Tanner (Chief and Ass Chief)

David here, ground support. I've been in communication with the team and they have gathered equipment, vehicles, and personnel, organized it all and are headed in the direction of Oceanside. Everything sounds well with no major crisis at this point (hey, it's RAAM, never count out a crisis). Last I heard they were passing Gilroy and threatening to put Michele out of the van an make her ride....nah, they wouldn't do that would they??? The team pictured here: Left to Right are Andre, Tanner, Michele, Adrienne, Mandy, Winston, and Chris Seriously the team seems to be coming together very well. Great attitudes and a lot of raw talent. Michele is in very good hands. The team is especially happy with the rental vans they received and have them ship shape. A dozen days on the road living in the vans and that becomes very important. I will make post as I hear them from the team and maybe a picture or two as it works out. David Bradley