Mark Thul, Denny Voorhees, John Anderson, Pete Cowley, Bob Chaisson, Bob Avritt, Larry Cleveland, Bill Arnold - Finish!
And the crew....
Chaisson's foot- 7 stitches
Note the laughing, and the sleeping...
Julie from Arizona
Amanda, Kelsey, and Jen
Jess, tuning bikes in Colorado...
Chris, well, being Chris...
Late night navigating, Denny, Dave, and Tom...
Dave, a most energetic fella...
Jess, from North Carolina...
Chris, a Type1 Diabetic...
Kevin, the cruise director...
Tommy, rode his 'Bent from San Francisco to the start!
RAAM as an unconditional act of service; a subject I have been working on for a few days. I can tell you, that more than a few drafts have met the fate of the delete key. But, I have recalled the smart advice from my friend (and builder of the Fast Red Bike), Bill Cook. Keep it short, keep it simple, and only express one or two ideas. Smart man. Thanks, Bill.
My thoughts about this article seem to center around a basic premise; acts of service. From my view from the cheap seats, everyone that was on TeamType2 whether it was a rider, driver, navigator, nutritionist, manager, or utility crew; were givers of service.
The riders gave of their whole selves. They gave up better part of the year training, and then doing all the real work in riding 3020 miles in 7 days. They managed their diabetes, spread the word to the public about their disease, along with the everyday riding, racing, progressing across the country. It sure sounds simple from here in the back row. But when you see it up close, on the road, it becomes more amazing every day.
The crew; selfless, anonymous; hard working; sleep deprived, a truly great group. Remember, there are no finisher’s medals or jerseys for the crew. No special recognition on the RAAM web page. Of course, none of the 14 crew members ever expected any of those tributes. They were on the team to help the eight riders reach Annapolis in 7 days. It was a crystal clear act of service; as pure and simple as that.
Along with the total TeamType2 RAAM experience, there was one more benefit to this adventure that I wasn’t expecting. I managed to learn a few things about people, too. Specifically I would like to mention the young people. When I say young, I mean the under-thirty crowd. They were amazing! They could sleep anywhere, work harder, longer, and all the time with a smile. Also, they reassured my faith that the world is not going to heck in a hand basket. They were energetic, selfless, articulate, intelligent, and more than anything else, servants to their team and their communities. They reenergized me! For this, I thank them.
Please enjoy the photographs. I am sure I probably missed someone along the way, so forgive me in advance.
That’s it for me. One month later, it still amazes me. 3020 miles in 7 days, 7 hours, 23 minutes; enough said.
Jim
PS: I’ll be home next week. Soon, I’ll publish pictures of our new home and of finding good roads to ride in Palmdale.
My thoughts about this article seem to center around a basic premise; acts of service. From my view from the cheap seats, everyone that was on TeamType2 whether it was a rider, driver, navigator, nutritionist, manager, or utility crew; were givers of service.
The riders gave of their whole selves. They gave up better part of the year training, and then doing all the real work in riding 3020 miles in 7 days. They managed their diabetes, spread the word to the public about their disease, along with the everyday riding, racing, progressing across the country. It sure sounds simple from here in the back row. But when you see it up close, on the road, it becomes more amazing every day.
The crew; selfless, anonymous; hard working; sleep deprived, a truly great group. Remember, there are no finisher’s medals or jerseys for the crew. No special recognition on the RAAM web page. Of course, none of the 14 crew members ever expected any of those tributes. They were on the team to help the eight riders reach Annapolis in 7 days. It was a crystal clear act of service; as pure and simple as that.
Along with the total TeamType2 RAAM experience, there was one more benefit to this adventure that I wasn’t expecting. I managed to learn a few things about people, too. Specifically I would like to mention the young people. When I say young, I mean the under-thirty crowd. They were amazing! They could sleep anywhere, work harder, longer, and all the time with a smile. Also, they reassured my faith that the world is not going to heck in a hand basket. They were energetic, selfless, articulate, intelligent, and more than anything else, servants to their team and their communities. They reenergized me! For this, I thank them.
Please enjoy the photographs. I am sure I probably missed someone along the way, so forgive me in advance.
That’s it for me. One month later, it still amazes me. 3020 miles in 7 days, 7 hours, 23 minutes; enough said.
Jim
PS: I’ll be home next week. Soon, I’ll publish pictures of our new home and of finding good roads to ride in Palmdale.
1 comment:
Truly an amazing experience, Jim. The more I read and think about it, the more amazing it seems! Thanks for giving all of us some idea of what it was like.
Hope you're having a special first-day-home with Kathy on her birthday.
Love,
Nan
Post a Comment