It was “third time’s a charm” in this year’s Race Across the West (RAW) for Seattle’s Mick Walsh and his Boulder-based teammate George Thomas. The pair won the 2-man race and set a course record.
This was Mick’s third RAW attempt, and his second two-man attempt with George. George, the owner of the Race Across Oregon events and Over the Top Productions, is a veteran RAAM competitor and as part of this year’s festivities was inducted into the RAAM Hall of Fame.
This year’s RAW started June 10. RAW covers the first 860 miles of the Race Across America (RAAM) route and finishes in Durango, CO. Mick and George covered the distance in 2d 2h 17m at an average speed of 17.47 mph.
The pair did a two-man in 2010, but unfortunately they both had physical issues that cost them a lot of time. Mick says 2010 was a great learning experience for him because it taught him how to recover from adversity. 2010 was also a lesson in the differences between conventional road racing and ultra racing:
“The great thing about ultra is that everyone is happy for you when you finish, regardless of where you finish.”
As an example of how volatile an ultra race can be, Janice Sheufelt (a former Seattle-area resident and racer) was this year’s top woman finisher at RAAM (11d 18h 2m) despite spending 15 hours in an emergency room for altitude sickness.
Mick did a solo RAW in 2011 and he says it was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
George has had a long relationship with RAAM:
Finishing RAAM solo in 1995 was a long-time goal. Once I accomplished this I wanted a new challenge so focused on tandem and did that in 2000. Tandem RAAM was the most difficult athletic achievement of my life so I had to try it again in 2002. The second finish really was the end of my ‘solo’ racing career. I remember training in a cold rain – my wife Terri Gooch and I had been offered a sponsorship to race tandem again in ’03 – my neck hurt, hands were still sore and the feeling just overwhelmed me that when I hit the point in RAAM where I had to mentally take over to force my body to do what it wouldn’t want to do anymore I wouldn’t be able to win the battle. So I turned to team racing. The 2-person relay is far and away my favorite division in ultra. Terri and I had a blast racing 2 person RAAM in ’04. 2-Person allows the racer plenty of saddle time but also gives him/her a break. It’s fast, plenty long and has an element of fun that isn’t there in the solo division. You have to be prepared to ride as far and as fast as you can for your teammate so it adds more variety to training as well.
Race Across America will always be very special to me – it’s been a pretty major part of my life for 21 years. But Race Across the West – well, it’s the pretty section of RAAM. After you roll out of the Rockies you’re faced with Eastern Colorado, Kansas, MO, IL, etc. Racing RAW you unfortunately miss Wolf Creek Pass, La Veta, and Cuchara, but not once since Mick and I finished RAW have I wished I was racing across the mid west.
How did you guys get together and decide to focus on the 2-man RAW?
Mick:
We were both injured last year, I got back to do a couple of races. George was hoping to race the Furnace Creek 508 but wasn’t cleared by the doctor to do so. I could see how disappointed he was. I think George asked me about RAW shortly after that and I happily said yes. It’s a great race and plenty hard. George and I really ride well together and will do anything to help the other out, when I needed time off the bike George was only too willing to stay out there for me, I’d do the same for him. Also EVERYONE knows George, so they all wish me well too!
George:
I really enjoyed traditional bicycle racing in the 1980s but after suffering from seizures I became extremely cautious riding in a peloton. I was also always attracted to time trials for some reason. Ultra is really just the ultimate time trial.
In 2009 I did a 2x RAW relay with Tom Letsinger and we finished first. That was my first race of any substance in quite awhile. We had a lot of fun racing the 1,022 miles to Taos that year and still hold the long course record.
I knew Mick through his participation in a number of Race Across Oregon (RAO) events and I liked the way he races. I have the utmost respect for him and consider him a close friend. He makes me a much better rider as I don’t want to let him down – it’s inspiring to watch him climb – he’s just an incredible bike rider. So, that was the start of the partnership for me.
I felt like I totally let Mick down in 2010. It’s nagged at me from the moment I pulled off the bike and told Mick he was going to have to take a very long pull. We ended up finishing 2nd that year, well below our expectations. I will never forget that experience, but our success this year has allowed me to let it go.
Given the injuries you both had in the last year how did you prepare for RAW 2014?
Mick:
I broke my Pelvis on May 23rd 2013. It was August 5th and 20lbs heavier before I started riding again. I just rode myself back into shape, not pushing too hard just getting my strength back and trying to log as many miles as I could.
I did the shortened Furnace Creek 5089 (dubbed the “Trona 356”) last October and the 24 Hr Worlds in November. I finished both, so was happy with that. This year I did a few short road races, some rando events and the Lewis and Clark 12 hr, where I won the 50+ category with a new course record and 2nd overall to my good friend Alex Telitsine.
George:
I was struck by a car and ended up having three shoulder surgeries post-accident. Recovery was a long process.
I had very little time to prepare for this year’s RAW. My goal had been to compete in the 2013 Furnace Creek 508 but I wasn’t medically cleared to race and had to withdraw. That was a really tough mental blow because the 508 had been my motivator to stay focused on physical therapy and long endurance walks last summer.
I was finally cleared to ride in mid-February. My training focus was on hill repeats, intervals and race simulation rides. My climbing really improved so I was looking forward to easing some of the climb burden from Mick – not that I’d be anywhere close to as fast as him in the mountains – but at least be able to maintain a steady pace. Unfortunately I was lacking big time in endurance, so my new-found skills in the mountains were short-lived. However, when the temps dropped and the sun went down and we found ourselves at 7,000 feet elevation in Flagstaff I was in my element. I live at 6,500 feet and suddenly felt amazing. From 6PM Wednesday to 8AM Thursday was some of the best riding of my life. Fortunately Mick was there to once again carry the team when I came back to reality.
Mick, you also do randonneuring events. How do the timed ultra competitions compare to the time-limit format in rando events?
Rando events are way more relaxed, you don’t have a support crew, which takes some of the pressure off. They are both fun and you want to get the best time you can regardless, but put the word race in there and the intensity goes up!
Did the race go according to plan?
Mick:
We had a plan? I was going to do the bulk of the climbing and have George make up time on the flats and less steep hills. We hoped to go out easy, so we could get stronger as the race went on.
Until about half way, due to circumstances beyond our crew’s control, I ended up taking three long pulls in a row in Arizona, then I had Mingus mountain in my way! That combined with the 7,000 elevation I had to contend with might have caused me to be disoriented and moving very slowly by the top.
I never fully recovered from that, but, luckily George was there to pick up the slack, he really stepped up and covered for me, taking longer, faster pulls.
George:
For the most part, yes. We overworked Mick in AZ following Yarnell Grade. He rode all of Yarnell, took a short break and then, when he started riding again, got through a construction zone where the crew got held back. When we finally caught up to him we were in the long climbs of Skull Valley heading to Prescott. He was riding with Marko Baloh and Adam Bickett who immediately dropped me when I’d come out to relieve him. (Marko and Adam both finished in a little over 2 days and ahead of most of the teams, let alone the solo racers.)
This adversely affected my psyche and I took pulls that were too short. Comparing my performance to those two was ridiculous in hindsight. We were putting time on all the other 2 and 4 person teams behind us – but a racer doesn’t often see the big picture and I saw Baloh and Bickett easily distance themselves from me so I felt like I was crawling uphill. I felt great, but I was just slow in that terrain relative to those two guys. This was a huge mistake because it caused us to over-work Mick when he needed to hydrate.
Ultra events are notorious for the physical issues with heat, digestion, cardiovascular, and so on. How did things go this year?
Mick:
Well basically from Cottonwood, AZ which I think is around half way, I was unable to eat anything, or drink much either, and I ended up severely dehydrated by the finish. Luckily George recognized the symptoms and told me to go to emergency care and get an IV. I got 3 liters and oxygen, as they said I was showing some symptoms of altitude sickness.
George:
I was pretty pleased with how my stomach held up this year. I ate regular food the entire time: Feedzone rice bars, Pay Days, Feedzone sandwiches, Skratch, V8, Sprite and Nuun. I slept whenever I had the chance and I didn’t drink any caffeine at all.
Mick, how was it to ride with Marko Baloh and Adam Bickett on Yarnell?
That was amazing! Those guys are so strong, it was great to be able to keep up with them, they are also nice guys. I just tried not to get in their way and watched what they did.
I think all told I must have spent 40 miles or so with them. Adam could be one to watch in RAAM in a few years. If Christoph Strasser is not around.
Mick, any visions of doing RAAM on a team or as a solo?
I would like the opportunity to race Team RAAM, but solo is not feasible for me. I don’t have the time or the resources to make it happen, besides I seem to be sick at every race I do, would need to figure that out too.
Tell us about your crew.
Mick:
I had John Henry Maurice, Kevin Van Dyke and Travis Profit in my van. They all did an excellent job of keeping me on the road and making sure we were on schedule. They are all ultra racers, Travis did his first ultra at Coup de Cascades last year and came on RAW to see if he might want to do it solo next year. He learned a lot. John-Henry and Kevin are both Furnace Creek 508 finishers.
George:
My crew – Vicki Ford, Tracy and Knox Williams – was superb at keeping me eating and drinking. I was definitely fortunate to have them.
What is next on the cycling and ultra cycling schedule for you?
Mick:
I just completed the Cascade 1200 randonneuring event (just 9 days after finishing RAW). I will make another solo attempt at Race Across Oregon on July 19th.
George:
After RAW I went to Annapolis to announce at the RAAM finish line and banquets. Getting inducted to the RAAM Hall of Fame was a huge surprise that kicked things off on the right foot for sure. In July I want to direct a fantastic RAO 2014, Ring of Fire, and it would be a blast to race a 2-person at Tejas 500 or the Silver State 508. I always look forward to Double Trouble because I actually get to ride with my NW friends. Mostly I want to keep off the fat that I’ve lost – it feels great being skinny! I’d also like to improve my endurance and see if I can actually feel comfortable on long climbs through the mountains. There aren’t many people I’d ever do a RAAM with but if Mick approached for 2 person 50+ or 60+ during the years to come I’d be sorely tempted!
Related:
Marko Baloh’s 2014 RAW report (with mentions of Mick and George as well as Seattle’s Chris Ragsdale who crewed for Marko.)
Mick’s Ultra Resume:
2009 Team RAO 4x relay 1st
2010 Team RAW 2x relay 2nd
2010 RAO solo champion
2011 Solo RAW
2011 Solo RAO attempt-dnf
2012 Solo RAO attempt-dnf
2013 Trona 357 finisher (a shortened version of the Furnace Creek 508)
2013 24hr Worlds
2014 Lewis & Clark 12 hr, 1st place 50+ (Age group record: 213.9 miles)
2014 Team RAW 2x relay 1st (Course record: 2d 2h 17m)
George’s Ultra Resume:
1993 Team RAAM 4x relay 1st
1994 Team RAAM 4x relay 5th
1995 Solo RAAM 8th
2000 Solo Tandem RAAM 1st
2002 Solo Tandem RAAM 1st
2004 Team RAAM 2x Mixed Relay 1st
2009 Team RAW 2x relay 1st
2010 Team RAW 2x relay 2nd
2014 Team RAW 2x relay 1st (Course record: 2d 2h 17m)
