Now that the miasma of this weekend’s endurance test is over, the RAOd Warriors have entered a spell of euphoria, and incoming messages from the team read like this:
Mark Mirante:
“Wow… What an exciting weekend. As a team, The RAOd Warriors made something happen that we were all hoping somehow was possible… Well, we did it. Every person involved contributed more than could ever be expected. I know for myself, Shane and I were able to enjoy a great ride home to Seattle. I should say we were both in disbelief of the win. What a close race and so much fun through the evening and early morning.“
Mike Stafford:
“…it’s funny how quickly one forgets the painful bits & starts to mull the good ones — I’ve ALMOST already convinced myself I had a wonderful time and would do it again…“
Vic Steuber:
“Wow, that was an amazing race / weekend! Crew was awesome! Thanks everybody for a real memorable time!”
For me, it was the best time I’ve ever had on 2 wheels. As we closed in on the finish, race organizer George Thomas asked me whether it was as hard as I expected. I answered that it was easier–I expected the sleep deprivation to drive me nuts but it didn’t. The misery was countered by the fact that we were so well-matched with Three Rivers Racing that battling with them for 28+ hours was as fun as it gets on a bike.
Prologue
Race Across Oregon was my big cycling project for 2008. Emphasis on project. The logistics of pulling together a mix of compatible racers and crew was a monumental task. We went through numerous permutations, and the final configuration stabilized only two weeks before race day. Although the racers and crewmember Midge Steuber spent a training weekend together, many of the crew didn’t meet until check-in on Friday before the race.
Then there was the training. In previous years my summer cycling plans emphasized simply putting in lots of miles. To prepare for a 4-man RAO, I switched to an interval-based training program that definitely took its toll. By mid-June I felt like I could barely tick over the pedals, and the workouts were so hard that just thinking about VO2 max hill repeats made me want to barf. I suffered from leg cramps all spring, and was paranoid that I was going to cramp during the race.
I don’t think any of us were too worried about nutrition. All things being equal, we expected that each of us would ride a fairly modest ~137 miles, though those miles would be nearly all-out efforts. We ended up with way more food than we needed. I ate modest amounts of solid food: 1 burrito, 4 bananas, 2 rice crackers with peanut butter, and a couple bags of Sharkies. I took on lots of liquid food: Hammer Perpetuem and HEED, Shaklee Physique for recovery, and for the last few rotations, 2 Gu Espresso Love gels with caffeine. I took 4 Endurolytes at the end of each rotation, and suffered no cramps. I’m not willing to say there was a causal relationship, but this higher dosage (for me) sure seemed to make the difference.
The start of the 2008 Race Across Oregon. Video courtesy of Vic Steuber.
The Race
PDX Holiday Inn, Mile 0 to Maupin, Mile 122.5
The race began with a ~10 mile neutral start, meaning that we rolled at a mellow conversational pace from the start to just past Troutdale. I took this leg and got the benefit of time to chat with Richard Haight of Three Rivers Racing, who would turn out to be our rivals during the race.
As we rolled off the bridge after Troutdale, George waved and it was race on! The pace accelerated to about 25 mph for the first couple of miles.
A steep climb followed by a series of steep rollers quickly fractured the group. Richard and two other teams fought for KOM points on those early hills and I let them go because it didn’t make sense to burn any matches that early in the race. We were in fourth position at the first exchange on Hwy 26.
Mark “Mad Max” Mirante races vehicle traffic down Hwy 26. Image courtesy of George Thomas.
The non-highlight of this section came when one of our racers ran a stop sign as he entered Hwy 197 from Dufur. Everyone in our van yelled at him to stop because he was so obviously going to get busted: Two race officials sat in lounge chairs next to the stop sign and a car that had a huge “Race Official” sign on it.
They issued us a ticket that summed it up perfectly: “Totally blew through stop sign.” Yep, no arguments there. We gracefully accepted the 5-minute penalty. Unfortunately, we felt so paranoid about breaking rules from then on that according to George we may have lost time as a result.
Vic “Gyro Captain” Steuber hammers through some rolling terrain. Image courtesy of Midge Steuber.
Our only (slight) injury came when Mike lost control on some gravel on Dufur Gap Road and picked up a touch of road rash.
Maupin, Mile 122.5 to Fossil, Mile 192.6
Maupin was the first time check and the only refueling stop until Prineville. Both support vehicles gassed up while Mark churned his way up the infamous and aptly named Bakeoven Road.
Fortunately, conditions could not have been better when we passed through this section. The oven was only in pre-heat mode, and we had a tailwind or benign cross-winds all the way to Fossil.
I think it was in this section that some confusing route finding cost Three Rivers Racing 7 minutes when they went off course around Antelope.
Meanwhile, we faced our own difficulties with handoffs. We flubbed at least one exchange when Mike changed jerseys without telling anyone–so we didn’t recognize him coming up the road — then he raced past the exchange as if he was on another team.
Instead of exchanging riders, some heated words were exchanged. We were not immune from minor interpersonal conflicts during the race, but based on accounts from other teams I think we got off easy.
Fossil, Mile 192.6 to Long Creek, Mile 272.0
The John Day stretch of the race was absolutely gorgeous and consisted of mile after mile of stunning mesas, basalt formations, and a verdant river valley. I had always wanted to go there; now I definitely want to return–but under less stressful circumstances!
The temperature went into the mid 90’s on this section, and a few of us used ice socks (socks stuffed with ice and then stuffed into the backs of our jerseys) to stay cooler during our rotations. I took 2 rotations with ice socks and I think they helped significantly. The one down side was that the padding in my shorts got soaking wet, which increased friction in the nether regions.
The real racing started around sunset as we ascended a very difficult un-named climb about 20 miles from Long Creek. Just as we made an exchange, Mike caught a Three Rivers rider. Ahead, a racer from one of the 2-man “recupright” teams (one rider on an upright, the other on a recumbent) laid down a blistering pace.
I held on to the train as it chugged up the hill. Then, to make things interesting, Three River’s support vehicle dumped out a fresh rider who sprinted ahead. I continued to grind up the hill within my limits and narrowed the gap with the new rider. Then they dumped out a second guy who sprinted ahead. I just shook my head and laughed: “Give me a break! We have 250 more miles to go!” Three Rivers definitely had a “take no prisoners” attitude.
Teamwork: Jeff Kraai and Shane Balkovetz set up Mark for an exchange near Long Creek. Image courtesy of George Thomas.
Mark took the exchange at the summit of the climb, which was perfect because he is a phenomenal descender, and we checked in at Long Creek at the head of the pack at the same time as the recupright Team The Second Coming.
Long Creek, Mile 272.0 to Prineville, Mile 408.4
We were now racing in the dark, and the tit for tat that started before Long Creek carried on for the next 100+ miles. There were two long climbs up to Keys Creek Summit, and Ochoco Pass Summit, and to over 5,000′. It’s hard to know exactly where we firmly secured a lead over the competition, but it was on one or both of those climbs.
Cycling under a full moon was a surreal, beautiful experience. On one exchange, instead of encouraging “Go! Go!,” Mike just said “God it’s gorgeous out here.“
Racing at night was mentally and physically challenging. I felt weird all night long, but really couldn’t tell whether it was due to lack of sleep, too much strenuous exercise, or under-fueling my body. Mike and Mark reported minor GI trouble during the middle of the night. There were also reports of abnormally high methane production in their vehicle as the race progressed.
At the end of one rotation Vic got back into the van with an angry mood and mumbling something about how at age 53 he was too old for this kind of thing. Although in the headlights Vic’s riding style looks like he’s doing an Irish jig (which provided comic relief for the crew), his strong performance on the bike showed that age is no excuse.
The nighttime desert temperatures dipped to the mid-40’s and for the first 15 minutes of the nighttime rotations, my legs felt like 2 by 4’s, and I was unable to get my heart rate up to the target zone.
Meanwhile, the crew overcame the difficulties it had earlier in the day and orchestrated perfect 30-minute rotations all night long. There is consensus that 30-minute rotations were optimal for all but the strenuous climbs and hot parts of the day, where 20 minutes might have been better. The 90-minute rest between rotations was a welcome luxury.
RAOd Warrior director sportif Shane Balkovetz had this insight about the exchanges:
“Overall, I think the timing of the rotations was the most challenging part for the crew. The complexity is understanding the terrain, the pace vehicle understanding how their racer is feeling, and then calculating all of that to position the next vehicle for the upcoming exchange. We always had a racer advancing on the course (except to briefly repair a flat tire in the first hundred miles). Radio communication was also very critical for the rotations and unfortunately our radios had issues.“
It wasn’t until 1:51 AM that we passed Brian Ecker of team First Rate Mortgage who planned to ride for a solo course record. Unfortunately, Brian later withdrew due to a bout of pulmonary edema and was taken to hospital. Fortunately, he is recovering. Encountering Brian so far into the race was an inspiration and we cheered him as we passed.
We were also disappointed that the youth team, the Aardvarks, also withdrew before sunrise. They were a team of only 3, and they deserve kudos for even stepping up to the starting line of a crazy event like this.
Prineville, Mile 408.4 to Timberline Road, Mile 532.4
I took the exchange from Mike out of Prineville and the lethargy I felt all night started to lift: Sunrise was approaching, my attitude improved, and my legs reconnected to my body.
The section between Prineville and Madras has a reputation for strong headwinds, but all I felt was the mist from sprinklers in the farms along the road.
Most of this stretch is beautiful, open, rolling terrain, but there are two difficult climbs on the Warm Springs Reservation, the second of which feels like crawling out of a cave. Luckily, Mike got the second climb, and having ridden thousands of miles with him I knew he was having a strong rotation. The next time I got on the bike I felt confident that we had the race in the bag.
The fine art of the exchange: Mike (right) finishes a rotation and I (left) start a rotation; Mike’s support vehicle behind. Image courtesy of George Thomas.
That’s about when George came onto the scene to burst my bubble of overconfidence: Although we had a ~20-minute lead in Prineville, Three Rivers was gaining on us and the lead was down to about 9 minutes. Crap! Many thanks to George who advised we switch to 10-15 minute rotations for the rest of the race–about 30 more miles.
This was when Shane announced it was time to squeeze blood from the turnips.
Mike “the dog” Stafford demonstrates his turnip squeezing technique. Image courtesy of George Thomas.
Timberline Road, Mile 532.4 to Finish Line, Mile 537.5
By the time we made the turn to Timberline, the crew made adjustments to seamlessly coordinate shorter rotations, and we dumped out fresh riders (or wilted turnips?) like clockwork.
On the final approach up Timberline, we made our last call to the race officials and got confirmation: We had expanded our lead back out to 20 minutes and Three Rivers had stopped racing.
The RAOd Warriors approach the finish line. Image courtesy of George Thomas.
With ½ mile to go, all four racers got on the road and pedaled to the finish line together: The only way to demonstrate the teamwork it took to race to the edge of Oregon and back.
Post-race meet & greet: Richard Haight and Three Rivers Racing commiserate with the RAOd Warriors. Image courtesy of George Thomas.
Crew
Countless thanks to the crew, who did an amazing job especially considering they pretty much had no idea what they were in for, but during the course of the race became at least as competitive as the racers:
Michael Jay: My business colleague and friend of over 14 years thrived on the tactical aspects of the race and wants to do it again.
Cameron Acedo: Michael’s grandson stepped into something completely out of context for a 17-year old and staged Vic and I for each of our rotations.
Midge Steuber: Vic’s sister and a recumbent enthusiast collaborated with Michael to take meticulous time and distance splits.
Shane Balkovetz: Our director sportif brought his randonneurring experience to bear and taught us how to squeeze blood from turnips.
Jeff Kraai: Made me smile in-between gasps whenever I saw him cheering as I approached an exchange.
Nick Stafford: Mike’s son took the feeding process very seriously and apparently scolded his dad if he wouldn’t eat as directed.
