RAAM Rehersal

A close third on the list of great things that happened on the May 12-13 weekend with Mother's day and the Fishing Opener taking the 1 & 2 spot (although some may argue the order), our pre RAAM rehersal really impressed us all!

Left to right in the above photo: Greg Kostik, Timothy Case, Neil Eerdmanns, Bernie Kaeferlein, Jon Boshea, Mike Nelson, Bill Nicholson, Tessa Hart, Brendon Stefancic, Linda Bergstrom, Stephanie Wisnet and Angie Kostik [not pictured].


RAAM is not only physically demanding on the riders but is also physically and mentally demanding on the support crew. The logistics of getting 4 racers from coast to coast in the fastest time possible while ensuring the utmost safety is tremendous.


Our team will use an XL motor home for crew and rider rest, and two minivans that will serve as a rider follow vehicle and rider support vehicle (takes the next rider up the road for the hand off). This is the "light" version of what some teams will employ to get from coast to coast. Some teams will use two motorhomes and 3 support vehicles but that takes no less than 12 crew members. Our goal is to use a strong and energetic crew of 8 to minimize costs and environmental impact (although the environmental impact is already significant!).


I was really impressed how well all of us were getting along, working together and problem solving for just having met and being thrust into close quarters and stressful conditions. The weekend goal was to focus on the logistics of navigation, vehicle use and rider exchanges. Neil and Bill worked out a 110 mile loop in the rural farmlands northwest of the twin cities that were then loaded onto three laptop computers with GPS...one for each vehicle. The route was exceptionally hard with numerous turns and contained some new roads that were not accurately depicted on the GPS.

We kept the exchanges short to maximize this training opportunity. We switched riders every 15 to 30 minutes and exchanged with the RV riders and crew every 1.5 to 2 hours. Initially, this pushed up the stress level while the crew learned to navigate and exchange. The riders learned proper exchanges and night rules. It didn't take long before things were running smoothly in light of a challenging course and a frantic pace of rider exchanges.

The best part of the rehearsal was seeing the humor and compassion that the team demonstrated for one another. Mind blowing to consider that at the beginning of the day on Saturday, that was the first time most have met each other in person!

We'll be adding more photos and video of the rehersal over the next several days. Check out Team Strong Heart Photos and Videos.

24 Hours of Bernie's Basement

If practice makes perfect, then Neil and I just made a solid installment for the RAAM! Most of us have had a lot of experience with 24 hour mountain bike racing but nothing like it on the road side.

Since it's a little cold outside here in Minnesota this time of year, most of us get the majority of our training indoors (basements, bike shops and healthclubs) when the temps get into the single digits and below zero. Normally, that's not much of a problem unless you're training for the RAAM. So when we wanted to do a 24 hour RAAM team race simulation in order to get a feel for the schedule and how our bodies would react, we had one option which became the 24 Hours of Bernie's Basement!

If we had a nickle for every shaken head or bewildered look when describing the event, we'd be well beyond our $100,000 goal for Camp Odayin! Jay T. gave us a great laugh with his posting at the Trailhead Backdoor Blog. Thanks man!

The best part of the 24 Hours of BB was that our crew cheif, Bill Nicholson, joined us for most of the event and John Rotach joined us for the final 6 hour shift. Having their company and support was awesome!

Neil and I started out at 10pm for a 6 hour shift taking 30 minute ride and 30 minute rest intervals like we will likely do during the RAAM. We kept our intensity at around Anaerobic Threshold which is hard but sustainable. After the 6 hour shift we rested/slept for 6 hours (as we would during the race when Greg and Tim would take their turn). We kicked things off again from 10am to 1pm, rested from 1pm to 4pm and then finished the 24 hours with a 6 hour shift from 4pm to 10pm.

We celebrated the finish with surprise hamburgers that Laurel picked up, a couple of burritos and some hearty Belgian beer that Neil brought as a "just reward"!

Thanks everyone!!!