Sir Steve Redgrave Crew

By Redgrave Crew Racer Peter McConnell

It’s nearly two weeks since returning to the UK and nearly 3 since RAAM ended, yet it’s still the most dominant event in my life at the moment. Either people asking me how it went, offering congratulations, asking how Steve is or wanting to see photos. And I’ve just rebuilt my bike and been on my first ride since returning home.

From a little bit of distance it’s much easier to be satisfied with what we achieved. A group of former rowers of varying fitness, only one used to the demands of road cycling, crossing the breadth of the United States of America in 7 days 3 hours and 42 minutes. At the time I was disappointed, which sounds disingenuous, however I was tired, emotional and pumped with adrenalin. We’d just experienced Steve’s crash half a day earlier, our decision making had become fuzzy due to exhaustion amongst riders and crew and we’d relinquished our 4^th place in the race. I was deeply disappointed by that and found it difficult to feel as elated as some of my team mates about finishing.

This race reignited a competitive instinct in me that had been dormant for many years, I put every ounce of effort in that I could to make sure we were riding at speed and was convinced we could get higher up the leader board. Yet looking back we still ended 8^th having taken a night off following Steve’s accident, we still completed the race, albeit without one of the team and we still made it well under our original target of 8 days. It’s amazing how once we knew we were competitive we all switched into a different mentality. A mentality that meant we lost sight of our original objective. I should be and I am satisfied with what we achieved, but I have this feeling of unfinished business and know that if we were to do it again we could achieve much more.

So how did we manage to do so well given my earlier comment about being former rowers with varying fitness. I think this is down to 4 factors; we trained together as a team as often as we could, putting in a lot of mileage both on the track and around the Chilterns and parts of Hampshire forming a strong team spirit. We had an outstanding group of people in our crew who enabled the riders to concentrate on riding their bikes, indeed the race was probably harder on them than it was on us racers. We had practiced our strategy and rider changes for day and night and they worked magnificently during the race. Lastly that residual rowers competitiveness and latent fitness re-emerged which pushed us ever onwards.

As I have written previously our strategy as an eight man team was to divide into two teams of four, each team racing for periods of 6 hours with the rider on the road changing as often as necessary during that six hours. Remember we only needed to keep one racer on the road at any one time, which meant that we could ride relatively short stretches before making a change, enabling us to keep the speed up and for riders to get some rest during the 6 hour stretches.

While one team was out on the road with a support car and at night or in busy conditions with a follow vehicle, the second team would be in one of our two RV’s, eating, sleeping and travelling to the next rendezvous. Because of the distances involved in most cases, it meant that the riders were trying to sleep while the RV was travelling, an experience not to be recommended. Because of this strategy it was also very difficult for the support crew to get any good quality sleep, or indeed enough food.

We alongside many other teams were hampered by the surprising lack of mobile phone coverage in the States, which was intermittent at best, completely nonexistent at worst. This caused us numerous problems with arranging rendezvous and changeover points, especially on the penultimate day when everyone was very tired. To compound this, our CB radio’s would only work within a few miles of each other and then not at all in the hills and mountains! Next time I recommend satellite phones, they may be expensive but could be a life saver.

Our two riding teams were: Joff, Nick, Nev & Pete in one and Steve, John, Malc & Francis in the other. We knew that one team was liable to be quicker than the other and probably more able to cope with the mountains, and while this was the case it was a total team effort with everyone making valuable contributions.

I was in the team with Nick, Joff and Nev, where we largely rode between 2pm & 8pm and then again from 2am to 8am. We were lucky, and I think the other guys realised this, in that we rode into every sunrise and saw every sunset, most of which were very beautiful. We also seemed to get some of the cooler parts of the day. Though I was astonished by just how hot America is absolutely everywhere apart from the coast of California.

It is also worth mentioning that the race is as much an exercise in navigation as it is in riding. Teams follow a specific route as specified in the 60 page route book Mostly you are on smaller roads and at times the instructions can be complicated. (Here’s a link to it if you really want to see how complicated the route is http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/userfiles/file/RAAM2010-directions(Final)1.pdf ).  We also had to call in at 55 separate time stations along the route, and expect to be checked by numerous RAAM officials to ensure we were following all the rules, anywhere along the road.

Our racing strategy was to change rider approximately every 3-4 miles; in the mountains we changed rider even more often. While climbing the Rockies up to Wolf Creek Pass we changed around every hairpin, often after only ½ mile or less. Adopting this approach worked fantastically well, enabling us to overtake numerous other teams with their longer change strategies.

A strategy like this wouldn’t have been possible without great back up from the team in the cars with us, catching incoming riders, moving bikes around and finding the right parking spot. My team is particularly indebted to Tim, Alex, Frank, Richard and Jim W who worked like a well drilled F1 pit crew. I know Steve’s team feel the same about Dan, Stuart, Tom, Jim R, Reman and Clare.

While thanking people I’d also like to say a big thank you to Serena who fed us fantastically well, (though I still can’t face another bowl of porridge), in incredibly challenging conditions, while keeping her RV tidy and facing it all with wit and humour that every one of us appreciated. Plus of course our Crew Chief Justin who performed miracles in incredibly challenging circumstances and who has some hair raising stories that are still emerging! Finally of course we owe a lot to Marie whose planning, common sense and incredible driving while pregnant and hot was inspirational.

What then are my highlights of this adventure:

• Meeting the Red Bull girls before the race and blagging the elixir, without whom John would never have made it.
• The emotional feeling of trepidation before hitting the road on day 1 and seeing numerous teams race past Nev and I, only to meet them at the first set of traffic lights.
• The unbelievable view of the vast desert plain from the top of the Sierra Nevada mountains, as Nev raced down the first big descent known as the Glass Elevator.
• The surprise of overtaking teams while climbing up the Rockies and knowing that we wouldn’t see them again.
• Whooping like a banshee as I rode into Utah then seeing the sunrise in the last miles of Monument Valley while Alex practised his cricket strokes at the changeover.
• Knowing exactly where the rest rooms were going to be in every Wall Mart.
• Laughing about how a bend in the road would be appreciated in Kansas, after 130 miles without one.
• The double rainbows by the side of the road, though I have no idea where we were, possibly Colorado.
• The sound of Indian drums early in the morning that turned out to be water pumps in the desert.
• Nick having his heels snapped at by dogs.
• The unexpected beauty of the hills in Ohio
• Watching Joff’s huge descent and having no idea where we were
• Seeing the remarkable courage and effort of all the solo riders. Theirs is a much harder and more brutal challenge than ours, one that evokes a vast amount of admiration. Whenever we passed a solo we made sure to give them a huge cheer and round of applause.
• Crossing the half way point at 1500 miles with all four of us out on the road.
• Getting off the ground and being bandaged by Nev having come a cropper on railroad tracks shortly after the halfway point, determined to carry on.
• The giant donuts that revived our energy one day, thanks Tim.
• Seeing Frank dive the LD4 in and out of huge ditches without a care in the world.
• Cycling at 25mph through the unbelievable Gettysburg battlefield site on the last day, loving the best road of the race and shooing tourists out of the way.
• The rolling countryside of Maryland and West Virginia, just like the Chiltern’s but with more churches.
• Meeting the challenge of the Appalachians for 10 hours in 30 degree heat, out of contact with the rest of the team and loving every minute.

This was followed soon after by the low light of the race. We eventually handed over to Steve’s group somewhere between Keyser, WV and Cumberland, MD, and after quickly eating we started to travel in the RV. Coming around a corner only about ½ an hour after we had changed over we saw ambulances, police cars and a fire engine in the middle of the road. John and Francis were there as was Reman, but no sign of Steve. He was still lying on the ground, blood covered his face, his index finger was pointing the wrong way and he wasn’t saying much. It transpired that he had a puncture in his front wheel while descending a hill and met the ground with hand, arm, chest and face. 19 stone at speed creates quite an impact and the upshot was a two night stay in hospital, concussion, 3 broken ribs, dislocated finger, broken wrist and fractured cheekbone.

Steve’s crash changed everything. The whole team was already tired, the crew more so than the riders. In fact that morning unknown to my team who were out on the road, half the crew had gone on ahead to get some rest, unable to drive safely any more. Emotions were very close to the surface and we took our time to make a decision about what to do next.

From my point of view I was torn. Part of me was exhausted and wanted to make sure Steve was OK, but having just put in a marathon effort in the steepest section of the whole route, I was loath to see other teams come past again. I personally decided to go with the group, decision, but there is part of me that wonders what would have happened if the remaining racers had carried on with only 230 miles remaining.

So at this point we took the night off for the first and only time. We ended up camping in a car park, the only time we got the tents out, and a welcome opportunity to get 6 hours sleep.

On the day following Steve’s crash we carried on, but with 5 of us rotating.  Malc had stayed with Steve, while Francis deputised for some of the day as a driver as we still had to meet the second RV and support crew. This was a strange day, I felt we had had the stuffing knocked out of us and while we raced the first 100+ miles we then slowed right down with all of us out on the road in order to meet Malc,(who had hired a car and driven the 200 miles from Cumberland), in a car park just before the last few miles.

Riding into Annapolis that evening I was torn between what could have been and what we had achieved. However the welcome from the people of the town and supporters down at the harbour was phenomenal. It is always a great experience to be clapped and cheered for any endeavour, and this was most unexpected and very welcome. I think all 7 of us on the stage and everyone in the crew at the end were elated but thinking of Steve who I know was upset and disappointed not to be there.

The good news is that Steve is improving rapidly. He had an operation on his damaged cheek last Wednesday and will have a neat scar behind his right ear, but he certainly looks much better than he did a week earlier. He has also achieved part of his objective and lost some weight!

Would I do it again? Oh yes! With the knowledge gained from doing it once, the second time could be an even better experience. Don’t tell my wife but you may see the Redgrave Crew back in the Race Across America in a couple of years.

Well it’s finally over. This phenomonal race across the breadth the of the United States takes a heavy emotional and physical toll. Lack of sleep and intense pressure to go ever faster mount as the days merge into one long blur of Time Stations and racer changes, steep hills and battered bodies.

This is the most intense experience any of us has ever been through, packed full of amazing highs and deep lows, but worth the effort. That is apart from the dreadful accident Steve had on Friday. His 4 man crew had just taken over from Nev, Pete, Joff and Nick who had put in a 9 hour stretch through the steep Appalachian Mountains. Steve flying down a highway hit sometheing, we dont know what, and went over the handlebars landing face first. He has 2 broken ribs, broken cheek bone and wrist.

Steve spent 2 nights in hospital, with Malcolm and team Dr. Reman keeping watch and updating the team on progress. Our prime concern at that time was Steve. The race didn’t matter any more.

As you can imagine we were all devastated. With only 300 odd miles to go, having put in huge efforts, riders and crew alike this was an absolute body blow. However even lying on his stretcher Steve urged the team on. We had to make the right decision then, for the safety and health of everyone on the team, emotionally it was going to be very difficult to carry on there and then. So we shut down, took the night off, stopped racing and handed over our 4th place.

Here is Steve’s version of events:
“Support crew really struggling from tiredness. We’ve had to come up with a new strategy for us to complete the race in safety. A lot of frustration but the right thing to do. My group of 4 started our session a little late due to getting lost on the way to the rendezvous point. I started first in the rotation, nice roads good speed but very hot. At times touching 32 miles an hour, which I don’t do too often. Handing over to John back in the support vehicle, frustration again as we’ve gone the wrong way back, into the vehicles to the last point when we were on the course and John sets off again and successfully hands over to Francis. Only a short leg for Francis as he’s using Malcolm’s bike and shoes as Francis’s shoes have been mislaid.

Now I’m back on the road, was told to turn right after 0.7 mile marker, the turn off doesn’t seem right and I don’t think I have gone far enough. Support Vehicle follows around the corner tooting all the time, quick change of direction by all, not much time lost. Coming back onto the Course at speed as coming down a short hill into traffic, have to keep very close to the kerb and I lost control and fell off landing on the grass verge. Jump up quickly, back on the bike and off I go again, right hand brake is slightly knocked and not in its correct position but I continue ahead. Also the saddle is twisted and pointing to the left slightly. Both are not worth stopping for.
Coming up to the next set of traffic lights, just over the brow of a hill, line of traffic turning left, we cut into the right hand lane to turn right. Support vehicle leads the way and turns right, I follow and as I’m turning the front wheel punctures, s**t I am going down and this is going to hurt. Next thing I can remember was sitting on the side of the road with very blurred vision. 4th finger on right hand is pointing in a funny direction, ribs hurting, feel there is quite a lot of blood coming from my face, crew and bystanders rush to the rescue very quickly soon followed by Ambulance and Firemen – no idea who called them but they were all very prompt. Seem to be mentally in tune with what happened but realising that my Race is over.

Spoke to Malcolm saying its the teams choice but I hoped they would continue and finish the Race. Being loaded up on a back board into the back of the Ambulance, we have 2800 miles completed. Of all the things that possibly could have stopped me – tiredness, fatigue, diabetes, a simple blow out on the front wheel of a bike going around a corner can cause such pain.”

We would have finished the 3005.1 miles in approx. 6 days 10 hours at an average speed of just under 20mph. As it was we completed on Saturday in 7 days, 3 hours, 42 mins with an average speed of 17.4 mph. Bearing in mind our original objective to complete the race in under 8 days we are all enormously proud of this achievement.

I will have some reflections on the race in a few days once I can put some perspective on it. It takes a huge toll, much more than any of us ever thought. On behalf of the riders Steve, Malc, John, Francis, Joff, Nick, Nev and Pete I would like to thank our brilliant support crew, you are amazing and we love you all.

Pete McConnell

Frank Dauerer Land Rover Product Manager North America, has been a driver of the lead support car provided by Land Rover. See his blog from day 2 & 3 on the road – Franks Blog

You can follow the team live thanks to Land Rovers satellite link up – Live Race

Well we made our first target of getting to Durango, approx 800 miles, in under 60 hours. In fact it looks closer to 45 so a great effort by the whole team. An especial thankyou to everyone on the crew who are doing a brilliant job of helping the riders. It’s pretty thankless and pretty intense but it is making a difference.

Looking at the leader board we are lying 5th out of the 12 eight man teams, which is much better than we expected. The leader board is updated everytime we pass a Time Station and can be found on the RAAM site using the button on the right of the page.

Our strategy seems to be paying off. Starting steadily at our pace and then reeling in some of the crews that flew past at the start. When Ian and Pete set off at the official start after the parade ride 3 or 4 teams raced past them, it looks like most of these are now behind again as we enter the Rockies.

There has been some awesome sights on the way, Monument Valley at dawn, the Arizona desert from the top of the hill known as the Glass Elevator, the first sighting of the Rockies. But now as we start to suffer from sleep deprivation and sore legs become the norm we are having to dig deep.

We have seperated the 8 riders into 2 teams of 4 and are then riding 6 hour shifts, broken down into short pulls with multiple changeovers and it seems to be this approach that has helped us do so well so far. Steve is showing real leadership and his 4 riders have the dubious honour of the first sety of climbs into the mountains. As I write this bouncing around in the back of one of the RV’swe have seen Steve take over from Malcolm wi

All the preperations are done, vehicles are set up, food has been purchased and the riders have shaved their legs one last time. This time tomorrow, approx 9.30pm, we will be 7 hours into the race. The first team of 4 will have finished their initial stint and the second team which contains Steve, John, Malc and Francis will have taken over and ride into the early hours.

Having ridden the first 20 miles this afternoon we have a pretty good idea of what to expect for the first hour and, after the cycle path, which lasts for 8 miles it very quickly becomes hilly. From the start all 8 members of the team will ride out in procession with all the other teams. At mile 7.8 everyone apart from Ian and Pete will drop out. This next section is unsupported, hence the ride this afternoon to check it out. A very good idea as it turned, as we took the wrong turning pretty soon after we left the cycle path. So now we at least know where to go, even if it is for just a tiny percentage of the total distance.

Earlier in the day we spent some time at Land Rover USA in San Diego. They have provided the Redgrave Crew with a support vehicle and driver, Frank, who will be a great asset to the team. He will also be blogging and will provide a very different perspective to ours. Land Rover will also be tracking Frank and the vehicle so you should be able to follow us via the Land Rover site, http://www.interactivelandrover.com

Clare Lee has taken some great photos that we are hoping to upload in the next 12 hours, as has our San Diego friend K Karunaratne and the guys at Land Rover. Touch wood we will get these up for people to see. There are also some photos of the team and all the other teams on the official RAAM site http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/raam2.php?N_webcat_id=246&tblextraPage=4 scroll down to the guys in the red T shirts.

Finally a big thankyou to Taittinger Champagne who will have some fizz waiting for us in Annapolis at the finish.

That’s it for now I am off to have the last decent sleep for 8 days ready to hit the road at 2.30pm Eastern Standard Time, 10.30pm UK time. Check the Twitter site on a regular basis using the button at the top of this page for the most regular updates.

Pete McConnell

A long couple of days preperation for riders and crew, mainly in the car park of the hotel in San Diego. All the bikes bar 3 are built, and those will be done in a couple of hours now all the riders are here. The vehicles are kitted out and logo’d up though we’ve had a few issues with bike racks and the state of the rented RV’s (that’s Recreational Vehicle for the uninformed).

Both the RV’s are smelly with  chemicles from the onboard loo’s. We are also worried they have fleas so we fumigated them last night. The last thing we want for tired riders and crew is to be bitten and to be itching, so touch wood its done the job.

Today, Thursday, is a day of inspections for vehicles, bikes and kit. All 4 vehicles have to have appropriate team numbers, working bike racks etc. While the vehicle that follows the riders has to have a lighting bar, PA etc. The bikes have to have so much hi-vis, reflective tape on them that you can barely see the frame  while helmets are inspected for safety and shirts checked that they carry the race logo.

The shopping teams have done a great job on stocking up in the RV’s so we wont starve, though cooking facilities are limited. In the meanwhile the carbo loading has been high in the hotel bar, not unfortunately beer, but pizza’s and burgers.

All of us in good humour but ready to get on with it now.

Listen to a great interview with Steve about the race from Expats Radio: http://bit.ly/c8khZs 

The last team training ride is over, on a beautiful June morning. Riding around the hills and valleys and through the small villages in the hinterland above Henley on Thames, all 8 of us enjoying the morning sun, feeling good and ready to race.

Bike bags are now packed so the next group ride will be in San Diego, with the reality that in a week from now we will just about be on the start line, having been geed up by England’s miraculous performance in holding the US to a 0-0 draw in the World Cup.

We should say thanks to the amazing group of individuals in the support crew who have come togeter over the last fw months to give the team an edge of confidence and professionalism. It has been mighty hard work and we havent even left the UK yet, so on behalf of the riders I’d like to say thanks.

We also appreciate the support from sponsors either financially or with kit, I am especially keen on the Sportique cool down cream that makes a real difference to muscles after a long ride. A special mention too for Pearson’s cycle shop in Sutton who have given great help and advice.

Another piece of great news is that Land Rover USA are providing a car and driver for us across the whole country. The extra car will be a real benefit, giving us many more options for stocking up on food, taking photos, doing washing or following the cyclists.

All we need do now is hope that BA play their part and actually allow us to fly to California and to thank Ann & Sophie Redgrave for providing such a great send off yesterday evening.

The next update will be from san Diego before we start but we will be Tweeting so keep an eye on the right hand column of the site.

Pete McConnell

Sitting in the Land Rover at 11.30pm, waiting to go back out on the road, we are speeding ahead of the rider that has just been dropped off. Eyes peeled, looking for a suitable place to pull off the road and drop the next man, and pick up the incoming rider.

We’ve been doing this for 3 hours now in this stint, as part of the 36 hour training session, and have become slicker with the changeovers, making sure we conform to the RAAM rules, riders changing in front of the headlights of both support and following vehicles.

It was good to practice, having spent some time trying to get the theory right, the practice makes a huge amount of difference. We could gain valuable time like this. Perhaps more importantly if we get the change overs wrong we could be awarded significant time penalties, setting us back in the race, affecting our overall time and in the worst case meaning we miss crucial check points, jeopordising our participation.

The sun has been down for nearly 3 hours but its warm still, for the first time on a night ride. It’s making riding a pleasure, there’s little traffic and we are going out on short steady pulls of between 3-5 miles. This allows us to keep our average speed up and to practice those changeovers.

When we finish the other group of 4 riders are to take over, riding in a relay from Long Crendon, just outside Thame to Burford in the Cotswolds and back again. This is the team containing Sir Steve, John, Malcolm and Francis. While they are out our group Pete, Nick, Joff and Tim will get some sleep ready to go out at first light.

This is the way we will race in just 19 days time. Two teams, 4-6 hour sessions per team broken down into shorter rides, with multiple changeovers keeping the speed and distance up. It’s tough on the riders but it is equally as tough on the support crew, driving and navigating unknown roads, managing the transitions, having to prepare food, wash kit, massage riders and get important periods of sleep.

The most important lesson we have discovered is just how important the support crew is. As a rider I have been focused on my training, how my body feels, what the bike feels like, when I can eat, when I can sleep, how long until I’m on again. But without anyone to tell me what is happening I would be lost. So an especial thanks to Justin, Marie, Clare, Richard and Reman for the long stints they put in at the weekend. Thanks also to Jim W, Jim R and Alex for their help on Friday and Saturday.

Ian was missed on this training session, having been in Scotland for the Etape Caledonia, so Tim Brock, one of the support crew stepped in to make sure we had 8 riders, and what a great job he performed, uncomplaining, ever smiling…and a bit quicker than the rest of us!!

A great weekend with many lessons learned, covering around 650 miles.  All we need do now is repeat the process  for 192 hours, throw in a couple of mountain ranges and a desert, turn the temperature up to 40 degrees and set off for over 3,000 miles. Simple!

Pete McConnell

The Redgrave Crew are tackling their final big group training session this weekend. Starting Friday evening and literally rolling on to Sunday morning, the whole team, including support crew will be trying to replicate the strategy we aim to use during RAAM over a 36 hour period.

That will mean 2 nights and one day of cycling with interrupted sleep and eating patterns. Getting used to this routine and learning to cycle while aleady tired is essential if we are to meet our goals during the race itself.

Our strategy for the race has evolved o now we are looking at dividing into two teams of 4 riders, each team riding for a period of 6 hours with individual riders taking on 15-30 minute stints in the saddle. Once the first team has finished its 6 hours the second will take over while number Team A drives ahead in one of te RV’s to get rest and food.

From conversations with teams who hav competed in the pastthis souns like a god strategy, but one we know will evolve during the race. This weekend therefore is the chance to put it to the test. 

Other great news is that our sponsor TORQ have delivered all the nutritional supplements that we are shipping to LA for the race, while Land Rover USA have agreed to supply us with a much needed extar vehicle. We are extremely  grateful to both of them.

An updated blog to follow after the weekend and we will try and Twitter during the session.

Saturday

For cyclists knocking off 100 miles is regarded as a pretty easy option. For the majority of the members of the Redgrave crew it is, or at least was, an unexplored adventure. So Saturday 8^th May saw the team, minus Ian, the one person who does this sort of thing all the time, embark on a great pedal into the unknown.

Based at Nick’s warehouse in Long Crendon, Bucks the weekend objective was to get some miles into the legs and to make us tired so that when we did the session on Sunday we were replicating the feeling our bodies might be experiencing during RAAM.

Obviously this is pretty difficult, RAAM is a constant, 24/7 relay over 7-8 days. Constant bursts of exercise, little sleep, endless miles on unknown roads, plus the paraphernalia of support vehicles, rest stops, refueling and eating; is not something that can really be done over a weekend in the English countryside.

However, as with all training programmes we are gearing up to acclimatise our bodies and minds for the big challenge ahead. So a long ride followed by the sort of stints we expect to ride during RAAM, on the following day, becomes a piece of invaluable training.

Saturday 8.30am saw the 7 of us kicking off from Long Crendon heading off towards Bicester; 27 miles in pretty miserable conditions. Cold wind and drizzle making the first leg of the ride less than enjoyable, as we headed out around Waddesdon and the outskirts of Aylesbury, over some of the less potholed roads that Buckinghamshire has to offer, maintaining a pretty constant speed of 18mph.

Now you could argue that we should be going faster. Most cyclists would no doubt expect to be doing this type of terrain at around 20mph. However that isn’t what we are looking for. We are striving to reach a speed and tempo that can be maintained, hour after hour, day after day. So 18mph is actually faster than our target average speed, and a speed we all feel we can sustain over 8 days.

After a rest stop at the ever beautiful Bicester Village, the next leg took us further north via Finmore and Buckingham to Winslow, which if asked to pinpoint on a map I know I’d struggle with, as indeed would the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire (Steve) who claims much more familiarity with the south of the county. However Winslow possesses a wonderfully cyclist friendly tea room where for a mere £2.45 the world’s largest toasted tea cake and endless cups of tea are provided.

This 18 mile stretch taking just over the hour saw the team working well together. Our ability as cyclists and as team cyclists has progressed enormously over the last few months. As a group we all work for each other, taking the lead into the chilly headwind in turns, talking and signaling to each other, learning one another’s strengths and weaknesses and allowing the whole group to move at a constant speed.

The third leg of what certainly felt like an odyssey was a further 24 miles, down through Stoke Mandeville and Aylesbury once more to Princess Risborough and Chinnor. By this time the rain had stopped but every now and again the group turned a corner to encounter a nasty head wind. As various team members tired during the leg, Steve exerted his leadership, managing the crew so that  the strongest took turns at the front so the weaker guys were pulled along using less energy.

Near disaster in Chinnor, apart from John’s compulsory spell on his back, as the tea room was closing just as we arrived. Fortunately the community centre let us in where we shared tea and cake with the friendly gentry of the village.

At this stage we’d completed approximately 4 hours of cycling and aches, pains and fatigue were starting to set in but the team dynamic gives it strength, as does a rather good flapjack. So the last leg and home was in sight, 23 miles to Watlington, Stadhampton and Long Crendon. There is of course a much quicker way to Long Crendon from Chinnor and I for one was just a little disappointed as we went sailing past the Thame junction on the B4009, however on the plus side the road into Watlington has a slight descent so you can crack along at a good 22mph without too much effort.

The corollary to this is the turn onto the A329 after Stadhampton where an unforgiving wind blows down the road making the last 10 miles a real slog especially for Malc as he took a tumble when the group bunched going up a small incline. Fortunately the bike was OK, though Malc slightly bruised.

So 92 miles, 5 ½ hours of riding, some weary limbs, a couple of bruises, good team work and lots of tea in preparation for a completely different Sunday.

Sunday

In contrast to the long slog of Saturday, Sunday saw two teams of 4, a 5 mile loop, 6 turns round the loop per rider. Only 30 miles each, but 240 miles in total, over the course of 6 hours. This is much closer to how we now expect to ride the RAAM. Shorter turns that keep the average speed up and eat up the mileage. In actuality we would only have one 4 man team on the road in a 6 hour period, so only achieving 120 miles but multiply that by 24 hours and you end up with 480 miles per day.  If we can do that we are on for a record time which is at the bounds of all possibility, however once we add in slower days in the mountains where the average speed is liable to be closer to 12mph, on current form we should still be looking to finish within 8 days.

Though designed to be a non competitive exercise, all about consistency, it’s amazing how a group of ex rowers will quickly start to push themselves, just trying to gain that little edge over each other, and to improve personal bests on each ride.

With Ian back for the day we quickly knew who was quickest, and with nothing being made explicit each of the riders took their turn, down to the roundabout, past the driving range, round the Burger King roundabout, 2 miles on the straight, loop around the next roundabout avoiding careless drivers, hit the wind, slog back down the straight, think about stopping for a Little Chef breakfast, back up to the Cherry tree and driving range, avoid the broken bottle and speed back into the industrial estate to see the next man take off.

It was great to learn that even with the previous day’s 92 miles in our legs everyone was capable of getting through their spin’s, with some pretty quick times over the 6 hours. Luckily as I write this I don’t have any of the times in front of me so can’t say who was fastest or slowest. And actually it’s not important, what did come out was that everyone was pretty much consistent. Though it was noticeable that most people absolutely caned the last one!

I know all the riders appreciated all the tea and cake that everyone provided and it was very useful to have the support of crew members Marie, Serena, Clare, Jim, Tim, Justin and Reman with her camera crew.

So we only have to repeat that 6 hour session 32 times with poor quality sleep and we’ll be home and dry, RAAM done, time for a few beers. As you can imagine we’re starting to get nervous. Therefore a big weekend planned for 21-23 May, 2 nights of riding, 36 hours of replicating the race, one last big training effort to haul us across the States.

Look out for a video of Sunday’s training on the Medtronic site soon and hopefully we will be able to put it up here on the Redgrave Crew site.

Pete McConnell