What we learned

Well, we made it. It wasn't easy. It was definitely stressful for all of us, but it was an adventure of a lifetime. We learned a lot. Here are some of my thoughts.

Crew harmony is pretty important. It's not easy to find 8 or 10 folks, willing and able to take 2 or more weeks of vacation to indulge a friend who wants to ride a bike across the country while they cater to his or her every need. Greg Pressler gave a little analogy at the start. It takes a good friend to help you move house. It takes a really good friend to help you move a dead body. It takes someone special to crew on RAAM.

It's also pretty important to stress to potential crew that this isn't a cushy vacation. There will be sleep deprivation. Facilities will be cramped and shared. Toilets and showers won't always be available. Beds may be shared with former strangers. Clothes may not get washed for days, and food may come from gas stations and convenience stores.

It's also important that everyone make an effort to get along, and know that the most important priority is to get riders and crew to the finish line. This comes before crew comfort, showers, and sit down meals. They should be considerate of each other, so that all crew get an equal shot at comfort or discomfort. Shift changes should happen as scheduled.

Having a group of folks who know and like each other, and are able to get together a few times before the race would be ideal, but is highly unlikely. Our crew, as I mentioned earlier came from all over. It took a while, but we did come together for our common goal by the end.

We used two pace vehicles and a 15 passenger van. In retrospect, a motorhome would have made life easier for rider sleep breaks. But a large motorhome had many added complications. They are prone to break down and a challenge to drive. Many folks are not comfortable driving a large motorhome. They aren't fully self contained either. They need access to sewer dumping facilities and water, especially if used by lots of folks. Given that, I'd actually go with a small conversion van, to be used exclusively by the riders. Crew would still use motels for sleep and showers.

We had a crew of 9, with 8 after the first half. This worked well with our three vehicles. Two crew in each pace van worked a 12 hour (or so shift). The four (or five) off duty folks drove the big passenger van up the road for sleep. They were also supposed to do shopping and laundry, but it often worked out that the pace van could do a fair amount of shopping when their rider was off the bike. In the end, this worked out much better than waiting for crew changes to see the big van and get supplies. The big van also had the massage table - which often wasn't around when riders got massages. It had a bike stand, but again wasn't available all the time.

We also found that the mechanic and massage therapist needed to be on call more than others, and often needed to work during their sleep breaks. So my recommendation for a two person team who can get 10 crew is to go with a small conversion van (with sleep, shower and small cooking facilities). This would be manned by the mechanic and massage therapist, who could trade off getting sleep in it, when the riders aren't. It would stay close to the riders all the time. It would have a complete toolkit and a place for massage. (A table is nice, but not critical)

The other 8 crew, would have 4 on and 4 off. The off duty folks would have a comfortable fuel efficient car, who's sole purpose is to drive up the road to get sleep, food and showers for the crew. Ideally motels are situated along the route near shift change locations, and both crew can use the same motel. We found this difficult at times, but with a bit more effort might work better. With this setup, the crew should get reasonable, undisturbed sleep. If trying to have crew sleep in a large RV, sleep may be disturbed by rider sleeps, cooking, cleaning etc. Many on our crew seemed to need peace and quiet, and I just can't see that happening much in an RV shared by everyone. They also wanted showers, and you'll quickly run through the capacity of even a large RV's water and sewer with 10 or 12 folks using the facilities. All crew should have earplugs, eyecovers and neck pillows (for getting sleep sitting up)

The riders can get sleep and showers in the small motorhome. Once the massage therapist has put the rider to sleep, the motorhome is driven gently up the road. This eliminates the extra hour of driving time we had for rider sleep breaks, and enables them to happen, not just when motels are available, but when the riders need or want them. Everyone should drive like a granny, no jerky stops and starts.

If there are mechanical issues on the bikes, the mechanic is nearby and can get access to the bikes and tools. Of course the massage therapist and mechanic need to be of the temperament to catch sleep when they can. Our massage therapist was also a nurse, so we would have medical expertise at hand as well with this setup.

We actually had 2 nurses, a doctor and a PT, so we were covered on all shifts with medical expertise. What we were a bit thin in was bicycle experience. Ideally one person in each pace car has basic bicycle knowledge - how to make minor adjustments and fix flats.

There really shouldn't be major mechanicals along the way. Riders should bring bikes in excellent working order, with new, but tested parts, cables, tires, etc. The KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle is a good one to follow. Tried and true, working equipment, that most folks are familiar with always beats broken down tricked out parts.

Each pace vehicle should have a good toolkit and spares. We have seen that a rider can get by with a Park folding tool, but it's probably better to have a bit more complete toolkit!

Rider laundry was an interesting challenge. One of our riders only brought two pairs of shorts, so his laundry could really only be done during his sleep breaks. On a two person team, you will likely have 6 two-hour pulls a day, where you might want fresh clothes. Plan accordingly. (We were usually able to do rider laundry during their motel sleep breaks, either at the motel or nearby.)

Crew laundry was also interesting. Personally I can live in a pair of jeans for two weeks, and just change underwear. With a pair of long pants and a couple pairs of shorts, a few T-shirts and enough underwear for the duration, crew laundry should not be an issue.

Navigation: We had no trouble following the route when with our rider. It is arrowed the whole way and we were going slow enough to see them. On a couple of occasions, off duty crew got terribly lost. A GPS couple really help here - especially since it would mean that you don't need a wide awake crew member as navigator. Car based units can give verbal directions, and alert you when off course.

Communication: As I mentioned earlier, we had lots of issues with cell phone coverage and lack of radio contact. Ham radios work much better across long distances.

Rider preparation: One thing that cannot be criticized is our rider's preparation. These guys had trained their bodies to do what needed to be done, and they proved it by finishing.