RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

RV driver / operative - in charge of all important RV infrastructure

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

The start was the best moment for me.  When we went down to the start area in Oceanside there was a real buzz and the adrenaline started racing.  I could feel all the preparation coming to be in that moment.

I also loved knowing my teammates were definitely there when help was needed, even though we didn’t know each other before the race.  We all had the same goal and the camaraderie was there from the start.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Cheering Rich on at the halfway stage - my pigtails were beautiful

Playing Bond and Bond with Chris when we were spying.

Working with ladies who had ‘blonde’ moments!

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Seeing Rich at the end.  I thought I might lose my promise to my daughter to get him across safely.  I wanted to do it for him at that moment.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

I learned to be more tolerant with others and I found strengths I didn’t know I had such as coping in extreme conditions of sleep deprivation.  I know I can cope now in unexpected situations. 

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Never

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

“Exciting, rewarding, sad, emotional and a complete adrenaline rush.”

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Preparing and maintaining the electronics and computers - general tech geek

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

My best moment was the feeling I had coming out of the mountains into Northern New Mexico.  I worked there for 5 years and love it there.  I want my ashes to be spread there.

I also enjoyed talking about Spiritual Psychology with Amanda.  It was interesting to see the similarities it has with my ideas about life.  Everyone here is well educated, thinks deeply, is intelligent and gratifying to be with.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

When I woke up one morning and looked down to see Lisa and Amanda snuggled up together on the sofa in the RV, both dead to the world.

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

There were two moments - the first was having to tell Sue, the crew chief about the penalties we received and the second was the times Richard was threatened by passing traffic.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

I learned some tech stuff - Patio speakers suck!!  They are designed to be waterproof but when we put them on the top of the car so we could speak to Richard when he was riding, the vibrations from the car killed them.  My message to the world, “Don’t use patio speakers for automotive applications”.

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Yes, after I injured my shoulder I became worried I would become a liability on the project.  The mornings were the most difficult for me.

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

“The white line is our friend” 

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Nutritionist

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

Helping someone to achieve their goal.

When we started racing.  With 2 days to go Richard started racing others and everything changed, there was a real buzz about the place.  Everything was slick by that time.  Plus we started spying on other riders

Before RAAM started, getting the ‘ok’ from Rich to be in the team was a great moment too.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

There are many:

-   Barrie’s non-stop banter

-   Quizzes in the follow car with two strange but lovely women (no names)

-   Standing at the side of the road in Kansas in broad daylight, holding up a blanket and looking the other way whilst one of the women (who shall remain nameless) went to the toilet.  By the way, although I had her covered in my direction, she forgot about shielding herself from traffic going in the opposite direction!  The sudden screeching going on in the middle of things was the first I knew of it. 

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

When Rich didn’t pee for a period of 6 hours - I had nothing to do

Also, there wasn’t enough food for me

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

Anything is achievable - and no matter how small someone’s role is, it’s importance cannot be underestimated.   An analogy comes to mind of a wheel - Richard is the hub and the crew and their tasks are the spokes.  What I’ve learned is that there are loads of spokes, not just the obvious crew jobs like nutrition and massage and bike mechanics.  The less apparent roles are just as vital, like making Rich laugh, keeping his spirits up, talking to him to keep him awake. 

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Never.

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

“Hot, sweaty, sticky and infectious - must do again.”

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Team Gel - logistics.  When I saw Richard’s presentation about RAAM a while ago it seemed like he was trying to do everything so I offered to help out with logistics so that he could concentrate on training for the race.  I did the website, the financing, ordering kit etc and once the team had started, I was the contact for everyone getting information between those in the UK and the USA.

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

7th June when most of us got together in the UK and I could see it all coming together.

Being in Annapolis waiting for Rich to come in and seeing the others finish as well.  Some didn’t get on with their rider and it felt good to know our team was working well.

The moment USE Exposure donated $2000 worth of lights to support us.

When BBC Surrey asked to interview Rich.  He thought it was a prank at first, but the interview was great.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Sue Moore (Barrie’s wife) and Julie (Richard’s wife) getting upset whilst waiting for the team to arrive in Annapolis.  They thought I didn’t like them being so emotional and described me as, “Just a Man”.

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

I felt there wasn’t enough support before the race so some great opportunities were missed, but once it started we got a great deal of support.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

I saw other teams coming in at the end and thought some of their equipment would have been really handy.  Also, I think we could have stressed the enormity of what Richard was doing more before the race - ‘an ordinary guy doing extraordinary things.’  We could have raised more awareness if we had done that.

They have already started building the kindergarten in Ghana but need more money.  Our target was £10,000 and we have raised £6,500 so far.

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

No, I’m too stubborn.  I don’t believe in giving up.

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

“Disappointed I couldn’t be part of the crew in the USA but it was an unbelievable experience to be involved.”

Writing the blog / Reiki

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

- Laughing with other members of the team. 

-   Waiting in the bushes for Daniel Rudge to pass by when we were spying   

  on him.  I was wearing my hat and sunglasses and giggling loudly.  Very

  incognito.

- Messing around and trying to amuse Richard when he was riding at night.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

This is difficult to say as there were so many moments I was doubled over laughing.  One has to be that ‘girls’ night in the follow car.  And I remember taking the mickey out of Richard because we caught him admiring his shadow as he cycled.  We got a lot of mileage out of that.

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

I have several. The sleep deprivation was hard.  I was living on coffee and monster drinks. I felt increasingly distanced from the world as the days went on. 

Opening the RV fridge door - always a scary game of chance as you never knew what was going to be launched at you.  It was usually a couple of cans of coke.

The last night when Rich rode through a really bad area where they were shouting abuse at him, throwing things and people on quad bikes were swerving all around him.  It felt so unsafe and was so difficult to see Rich out there on his own and not be able to do anything to help.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

-   I learned that sleep deprivation aids hysterical laughter and hinders blog

writing.

-   I learned that RV’s hide electrical cords and chargers until you are about

  to leave, when they blurt them all out in a big mangled pile so that you

  can’t find which one is yours.

-   I also learned how privileged I felt to be part of such a great team of

  people.   At night, riding behind Richard I would sometimes get in touch

  with an incredible feeling of connectedness.  I had never experienced

  wanting someone else’s goal so completely.  I would have done anything

  to get him there.  I know other members of the team felt the same and that

  contributed to that expansive connectedness.

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Chiropractor

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

When we did the 7,000 ft climb at the end of the desert, looking back at the desert was so beautiful.  The rolling sand dunes were covered in pink and crimson so bright you couldn’t even capture it on film.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Laughing so much was great.  There were lots of fun moments.

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Sitting in the car park one night, freezing cold with no-where to sleep because Mike was trying to fix the speakers in the car.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

A good team is what counts.  It gives you the ability to keep going.  Working together, dedicated to getting one person towards his goal is wonderful.

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Yes, that night I was freezing cold in the car park and had no bed.

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

“Empowerment.”

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Cook / Bike mechanic - putting tubs on (not easy)

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

One moment that stands out was the half-way mark when we dressed up to cheer Richard on.  I felt so relieved that he was ok and he was now on the home stretch. 

Another moment was travelling in the follow car one night during an incredible thunderstorm.  There were fireflies flickering in the forest alongside the road and the sky would periodically light up in the storm.   It was magical.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

The girly night in the follow car - the first night Sue, Amanda and I worked following Richard and we were singing to him, playing quizzes with him and trying to make him laugh.  It was funny

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

The moment we thought we might have to put a neck brace on Richard.  Once you put it on the rider you can’t take it off for the rest of the race.  It would have jeopodised his safety as he wouldn’t have been able to turn his head at all.  We would have had to be his eyes and ears totally on the bike.   Scary.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

I learned to take time to get to know people.  If you make judgments first and don’t get to know them you can really miss out.  There is often an amazing person underneath. 

I also learned that a sense of humour is very important, it goes a long way.

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Never.

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

“When people work together as a team anything is possible.”

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Bike Mechanic / RV driver

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

Watching Richard climbing through the Rockies, he was awesome.  The task didn’t seem to phase him at all, it was as if he was dancing on the pedals.  Unbelievable.  I had a lump in my throat when I was watching him.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Playing Bond and Bond with Barrie when we were on stakeout one night checking other rider’s positions and times.

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Definitely the lack of sleep.  It was difficult to perform my jobs because of that.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

I learned that I am more than I thought I was.  I am more resourceful and stronger emotionally than I ever realised.  For example, at one point the RV battery died and I had to refit it very quickly as Richard was coming in for a pit stop and we had no power.  I’m no car mechanic, but suddenly things I’d learned as a teenager came back to me right when I needed them - and I did it!  And minutes before Richard came in too!  I would never have believed I could.  It felt amazing and gave me a real high to know that I could do something like that.

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Yes, there was one point in the middle when the team morale got low, I thought we weren’t good enough and I wanted to give up then.  I’m so happy I didn’t.

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

Yes, with a Bob Dylan quote: 

“We’re going all the way till the wheels fall off and burn”

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Crew Chief / Massage Therapist

WHAT WERE YOUR BEST MOMENTS DURING RAAM?

After we finished!  When Rich was smiling again, in one piece and the crew were chatting and laughing about the funny things that happened.  I felt my job was done.

WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Spying on Daniel Rudge was fun.

The girly night in the follow car when we were messing around and making Rich laugh

Playing quizzes with Rich

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

Arriving at the end when Rich wasn’t well.  I was driving behind him as we came in the last 11 miles and I thought the rush hour traffic was going to run him over.  He was veering all over the road, then when we shouted at him he veered into a tree.  I thought he was going to faint on the bike.  He was shaking, no longer pedalling and his bike was wobbling everywhere. His body seemed to be shutting down.  It was the longest 11 miles of my life.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

I learned so much: 

-   Assumptions are deadly.

-   Dealing with a group of people, you can’t let things fester, you have to deal with situations head on.

-   Trust my instincts - at times I made decisions because it ‘felt’ right.  It is hard when there are so many different opinions around you.

-   You don’t know how strong you are until you do something like this.  When you are sleep deprived, everything comes to the surface.  It is very challenging.

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Not give up, but there were a few times I wished I was a million miles away from the situation.

CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

“It was blessed and I loved every minute of it, good and bad.”

RAAM CREW PRIMARY JOB:

Rider

 WHAT WAS YOUR BEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

 There are so many:

-   Monument Valley, the beauty of the place and what it symbolises.

-   The start when everything we had worked for came down to that moment.  It was all pedaling from there.

-   Racing Daniel Rudge and Ben Popp felt like real racing.  I felt that on some of the last days the way I raced, I must have been the strongest and fastest at times.

-   Feeling so looked after and knowing people cared and were doing whatever they could.  I felt very humble, I was at my lowest ebb and the team was behind me.  We operated as a team so well, there were a few things that we needed to sort out at first but we did and then we moved on.

 But:

- Seeing how we were as a team and how some of the team flourished remains and will always be the best bit for me

 WHAT WAS YOUR FUNNIEST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

 The evening the girls were in the follow car messing around and trying to make me laugh. 

 WHAT WAS YOUR WORST MOMENT DURING RAAM?

-   When I was run off the road by the lorry driver.  It felt like he was prepared to kill me.  It was scary, but you just deal with it.

-   The stone-throwing incident, where the truck came past several times throwing things at me.  It affected me psychologically.  It is strange to feel so cared for and then face this, a real shock.

-   Numerous times when I was out there on the bike at 2, 3, 4 in the morning having been on the bike for 20 hours, tired, whacked.  It was sometimes windy and so hard to keep going.  That last 10 miles or so each night when I was exhausted, I was digging so deep physically, mentally, everything. 

-   The whole experience was tougher than I expected.  It was lonely as much as anything.  I was out there on my own, the car behind me seemed miles away sometimes, I had no idea what was going on in it, the miles ticking by and I was glued to the road. I felt very emotional at times, wondering why people in the car weren’t talking.  I often felt like I was going downhill when I was really going uphill.  This meant I thought it should be easy but it wasn’t so it was so tough psychologically.  I was hallucinating at times too.

 WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

 -   I really found where my boundaries were, certainly at the end it just demonstrated how reliant I was on the team to help me through.

 -   I learnt to let go and really trust other people – I had total emotional dependence on certain members of the team at times.

 -   The sum of the parts is greater than the individuals was so true for us and reflects the beauty of the race. My goals became the team goals - how we quite achieved that I am not quite sure on though I think the key was passion and positivity; we had little negativity throughout all our time in America.

 -   We seemed to be able to galvanise and inspire people both within Davis Langdon and friends and families. The analogy of the wheel with hub and spokes that Tom used is so apt though I do not feel I should be at the centre. In time people will forget what time I achieved – the centre of the wheel is the achievement of dreams for individuals in the team, inspiring  others and, I hope, the difference this makes to some of the children’s lives in Ghana.

DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP?

Never.  I had to dig much deeper than I had expected, it was much harder than I had anticipated, but I never wanted to give up.

 CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR RAAM EXPERIENCE IN ONE SENTENCE?

 A physical and emotional rollercoaster, tactical racing, flying up the climbs, toiling through the long nights, tears of suffering for so long alone in the saddle versus the deep warmth of seeing the team flourish and have the time of their lives.