 WE DID IT! Team Xtreme4 dominated the Race Across America! We finished first in the 4-person mixed team division with a time of 6 days, 4 hours and 18 minutes, setting a new speed record of 20.33 mph. We smashed the old record, which was 19.5 mph! The next mixed 4-person team finished nearly a full day behind us! And, if all that wasn't enough, we placed 3rd overall for 4-person teams, beating 7 out of 9 all-male teams!!! Click here for full results What happened in the last 24 hours? Mostly a total dogfight with the all male, 4-person Irish Avon Navanmore team. They're not even in our division, but we were out to beat as many 4-person teams as we could, no matter how many women or men they had. It's hard to remember all the details, but for the last 24 hours, we were basically between 10 minutes ahead and 30 minutes behind, switching back and forth from West Viriginia all the way to the finish. We knew the terrain since we had practiced these last 24 hours twice before, and so all aboard knew the gruelling, super-steep hills to expect. Several RAAM media followed both teams for the last 200 miles as we chased each other all over WV, PA and MD, ending with an ALL OUT 11 mile sprint to the finish. At the last time station we discovered that we were exactly tied! It was amazing!! Who would have thought that 3,008 miles would be raced so closely with so many teams and that it would finally end in a legitimate full sprint to the finish line with all Xtreme4 crew on edge trying to make sure the riders had every fair advantage, motivating us through the radios and filling us with Red Bull and Coke to prevent the inevitable bonk!? No one could have crafted a more exciting finish. In the end, the Irish finished 1-minute ahead. But with 6-days of excitement and adventure, a comanding #1 finish in our division, a new division record, no accidents, no time penalties, no rain (!) and one of the most idyllic, nail-biting, adrenaline-filled finishes ever possible, it hardly mattered. There was already enough to celebrate and we all felt fortunate to share our success with the Irish team when we pulled into Annapolis. They sure know how to celebrate! It's hard to boil down 8 months of planning, preparing, training, organizing and fundraising along with 6 fast days of racing into a brief email. Many of you followed our progress via our website, blogs and RAAM's official website. In fact you probably know better than we did where we were relative to the competition along the way. All we were doing out there was what we know best-riding fast and hard and making sure that everything we did moved the team forward as fast as possible. The results show that our strategy and planning worked, but what they don't show is how much we depended on people like you to get there. Yes, not only did we want to send this email to brag about our results a bit, but we also wanted to take a moment to thank you for everything each of you did for us. Some of you donated money, others donated equipment, still others donated time. Everyone on this email list (and it's really big!) helped us along the way. We could feel your support throughout the process and the race itself, and many of the messages you sent to cheer us along the way were shared with the entire team, sometimes over the vehicle radios, as they came in. It's hard to describe how much energy it sent to the entire team to know that you were following our every move. It was incredible motivation and comforting to know you were there with us. So, to you, a heartfelt and sincere thank you from all the members of Team Xtreme4, riders and crew. What's next? Well, tonight we are attending the official RAAM banquet for finishers. We'll be given a plaque for winning-which we'd like to dedicate to all our supporters, friends, and families- we couldn't have done it without you. We also would like to dedicate it to carbon-neutral transportation. We set out to promote carbon-neutral transportation choices, and through our press coverage, those of you who pledged to go carbon-neutral during the week that we were on the road, and our zero-carbon race footprint, we think we achieved that goal. Again, we couldn't have done it without you. We urge you to continue to think about your transportation choices and their impact on the environment. Remember: if Team Xtreme4 can cycle non-stop at 20.33 mph for 6 days and 4 hours, maybe that ride to work isn't so difficult after all... We'll have photo galleries (we have over 6,000 to choose from) and video galleries ready soon and will send you an email when they are ready. In the meantime, here are a few in this email. With that, thank you so much for all you did for us, and we hoped you enjoyed the journey as much as we did! 
From RAAM Live blog: "5:49 EDT - Annapolis, MD The first 4 person mixed Team Xtreme4 finished on Tuesday evening with a time of 6:04:18 and set a new speed record of 20.33 mph smashing the old record of 19.5 mph. They were the 3rd overall 4 person team to finish. From Washington, DC, they were motivated to get home as soon as possible. They drew a big crowd at the finish area in Annapolis, MD." More details after a deserved rest I'm sure. Congratulations Xtreme4 team and crew!!!!
Jen here with an update from the road. My brother Hamilton and I met up with the team in the middle of the night in WV somewhere and it was SO great to see them all! We brought food and supplies, and both the riders and the crew seemed strong and definitely ready to push it on home! Needless to say, the close quarters of the RV were taking their toll on everyone, as were the multiple sleepless nights in a row, but, overall, I was pleasantly surprised to find Xtreme4 in much better shape than I thought they might be! We hung out with them through two rider and crew changes, and it was amazing how smooth the transitions were between riders and crew. This might be everyone's first time competing in RAAM, but you would never know it from watching them. What this team has achieved over the past 6 days is truly remarkable! Although there have been some hiccups along the way, as is to be expected, the riders and crew have taken them all in stride and keep on plugging away. The hills of WV were brutal, but the riders and crew remained optimistically focused on the finish and kept pounding the road, ignoring their muscle pain, saddle sores, and intense fatigue. At the time of writing this, they only have 93 miles to go and have just recently overtaken the Irish 4 person male team they have been neck and neck with for days....Awesome! So, keep it up Xtreme4! Finish strong and we will be in Annapolis with cold beer and champagne to toast your amazing accomplishments, and with open arms to welcome you home after a long, epic, and amazing journey!! Xtremely well done, team, and see you at the finish!
For those of you wondering what the heck is going on--we had Team Ireland within 5 minutes last night and then it happened...we made a wrong turn. For those of you who don't understand how this works, a wrong turn can cost you dearly. Luckily, after having sprinted all across downtown Clarksburg, WV (I think that's where we were) I finally got them back on course--but down an additional ten minutes. By the time we got to the RV to make a switch our deficit was big. Thankfully, Eric and Patrick picked it up and stomped all over the course. By the end of their shift, we were back only 3:51. But this game has it's up's and down's and after a 2:30 hour nap for me and the boys, the deficit had grown again. This time to 28:51. But we're on the attack again and as of the last time station we crossed at 8:16 and Ireland 8:01------only 15 minutes. We are killing these hills. And if you look at the actually racing time, we're only down 6 minutes due to the staggered start. Unbelievable! We're all excited to see everyone in Annapolis. And Patrick's wife Jen and her brother along with Sean Ward have already greeted us in the mountains. Great to see you guys! You have no idea how much that helps the riders. Cheers!
Hey everyone, Chad here again.
A group of us are going to be welcoming home the RAAM team tomorrow evening. Right now they are due to arrive around 7:00-8:30pm based on their current pace. I imagine their arrival time will only fluctuate within a couple hours either way at most. Also, don't plan on getting directly down there as the streets may be blocked off or have limited access. They get a police/parade escort from the Annapolis Mall down to Dock St, so plan accordingly! I imagine we will try to be somewhere near Dock St. as much as possible and if you plan on coming just ask around for Xtreme4!!! The more the merrier and it would be good to see the champagne dousing we are going to give them when they cross the finish line!!! BRING IT HOME XTREME4, YOU ARE ALMOST ON HOME TURF NOW!
So apparently we're only 8 minutes back of Team Ireland at the last time station! Unbelievable! We're stunned at the recent developments. We didn't think they would be in our radar until West Virginia---we're in OHIO! What's going on? Even more astounding is when we changed rider teams a few miles after the TS, the RV said that Ireland passed only four minutes ago. $#%#^#!!! This is exciting! By the time the rider made it up the hill and we did our mandatory one minute exchange wait (it must be done after stopping the vehicle for safety reasons) we were down ten minutes. We lost two minutes, but we didn't even know we were that close. Time to step it up a notch and be vigilant about making sure we don't break any rules. I'm suppose to sleep after this pull, but if we don't catch them this shift---I might just stay on to watch it all unfold. Less than 24 hours to go---WHO NEEDS SLEEP?????
If it's not one thing it's another. First low blood sugar, then no air-conditioning and now we're under attack. This is coming to you from the Leap Frog Vehicle (a.k.a. a Large White Van) and if you can hear...read this---SEND HELP!!! We are under attack from a foreign object pounding on the roof. At the start of our pull everything was under control: smooth transition from Crew A to Crew B, excellent terrain, slight tailwind...and then it happened. The beast awakened. First it began pound ever so slightly on the roof, the sound of a branch fall off a tree and landing on a roof. But it began to grow in strength. The rapidity of the beast was unparalleled. It was certainly no human sound or movement. We stopped the car and checked to see unsightly gaze of a monster-but none could be found. We continued on, but the noise persisted. And then it hit us. It wasn't the lights on top of the car that I had already duct taped down, it was the solar panels being ripped off the roof. I jump out climb on top of the van and batten down the hatches while they make an exchange. We tell Patrick all about it and thinks nothing of it and only a couple pulls later he jumps out of his seat. They've come apart again. Once more into solar panels, dear friends, once more! Crisis averted. They say it wouldn't be RAAM without things going wrong.
Mayday! Mayday! Blood Sugar is going down and FAST! It's insane!!! We can't keep up with demand! In our effort to push to the "Silver" in the 4 "person" division we've all kicked it up a gear, yet with that you pay a price. Our riders need food and fast. And clean jerseys are a hot commodity. We can't keep our shelves stocked and with the amount of calories these riders are going through 5 bottles of Infinit an hour isn't going to cut it. We need REAL food. So what do you do? You make an emergency stop anywhere you can---i.e. Chubby's pizzeria somewhere in God country's, Indiana. Now you may think, well just stop anywhere, but on the roads we're traveling sometimes you don't anything for miles. !@#%##!---THE AIR CONDITIONER IN THE RV JUST WENT OUT!!! Yes, as I'm typing this, the ship is going down fast! We're gonna try to fix it, but we're racing DAMN IT!
It's not a joke. Over 2,400 miles into the race and we're still battling it out. None of us expected this. We all thought there would be stretches where we wouldn't see anyone (and there have been), but it's been more of a game of cat and mouse with the 2nd place 4-man team from Ireland. At one point in the lead, Team Ireland now has been relegated to 2nd---and put up a strong fight to battle 1st place Team Yamaha. But what may have happened (we hope) is that those two teams have continued to beat each other up and we'll just creep in behind them in West Virginia. We've been crunching the numbers and dotting the "i's" and we think there might be something special that will happen in the next 24 hours. To wet your palate with the taste of an upset. Not only have we gained ground on Ireland in the last few stations, but our RV caught up with them in Bloomington, IN. 
Hi all, Jen here agin with another update from the road...Just talked with Patrick for a while and they were all enjoying McDonald's in Ohio as the riders and crew geared up for their next ride or sleep shift. Things are going well and they all sound pretty peppy, sleep deprivation aside! Xtreme 4 is trying to stay alert and posied to pounce on the Irish and Utah teams in 1st and 2nd place in the male 4 person category as they near the finish, and they are all now more than 2/3 of the way finished with the race. Sweet! Xtreme4 maintains a huge lead in the mixed 4 person team category, more than 200 miles ahead at the time we spoke. Patrick reports that his muscles "hurt a lot, but it is manageable", and that Raquel continues to make a huge difference with her miracle massages after each shift. He also reports that not only did Patrick and Eric log the fastest split of any team on the race for one of the legs in AZ, but that Phil and Andrea just achieved the same feat on one of the recent shifts. Not too shabby Xtreme4! The crew is a well oiled machine at this point, and the riders are continually impressed with their positive professionalism as they plug away. Patrick reports that "The vehicle set-up is awesome and Andy really did a great job with this! The riders all have radios with earbuds so we are able to talk to both vehicles, and there is also a loudspeaker that blares music and cuts off when someone in the cars wants to talk with us. It makes the shifts go by fast, although we are only riding for 10 minutes at a time since we decided to switch to shorter rider shifts and more switch offs between the two riders on duty, and that helps as well!" The team has passed some amazing scenery along the way and one of Patrick's highlights was biking through Red Rock National Park in AZ. He also reports loving the downhills where some of the riders have been clocked at over 60 mph (staying within the speed limits of course)....Yikes! Some of the more bizarre encounters included a wild dog chasing him on the bike in KS at over 22mph trying to attack him, and having two wild horses run along him as he biked one of his shifts in NM. Beautiful, but nerveracking at the same time! The riders all report that one of the highlights is passing the solo riders on the course, which Xtreme4 did a lot of today. They all slow down to chat a bit and the solo riders seem to be much more laid back as they singlehandedly cross the USA. Patrick reports that "it is amazing how fresh they look as they reach up to give us and the other teams high five as they pass and chat about the course. They are completely disel and I have so much respect for them all!" All in all, things are going well and the riders and crew are having fun and staying focused as they go. So far, so good! We will keep you posted, and stay tuned for more to come...Annapolis is only a day and 1/2 away! Go Xtreme4!!!!!
We have internet (for 18 minutes when the computer battery dies, it's always something)! The RV just passed through St. Louis and passed the big arch en route to the exchange point to start our official night shifts. The riders looked really strong today and are posting some great averages (check the RAAM website for live updates). Now, we're making a much needed stop at McDonald's. I never thought I'd actually look forward to this place, but after the free food at TS 23 (or somewhere around there) we're hooked. It's a great morale boost. I'm off to food!
Hi all! We will hopefully post more later tonight with a race update, but wanted to take a quick minute to thank all of our fathers and to wish them all a very HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!! Wish we could all be with you, but you are all in our thoughts as we pound the course, Annapolis-bound! Happy Fathers Day! Love, The Xtreme4 Team
Laurel and I are currently driving the chase car behind Eric andPatrick, both of whom look like they're on day 1 of riding with fresh legs instead of on day 3 (or is it 4?).
2) Paul and I were chasing Phil early this morning through Oklahoma 3) Laurel can't sing. I'd heard rumors after last winter's Christmas
Hey all, Chad here again, thanks to Julie for the update as it is much needed for all you out there in internet land!
Got off the phone with Paul a little bit ago and all he wanted to know was "Where are we in relation to the other 4 person teams....OVERALL!" Xtreme 4 is really rocking it as they came into Time Station #21 about 7 hours and 43 minutes ahead of Team Theraplay, the 2nd place team in their division. As a bunch of rookie riders and crew they are absolutely CRUSHING the RAAM course. Very impressive to see the countless hours of meetings, race prep, and 24 hour race simulations paying such huge dividends. Between Time Stations 23 and 24 they only lost 10 minutes to the 2nd place 4 Person Male Team, and 1 minute to the 1st Place 4 Person Male Team. They have also increased their lead over the 3rd place 4 Person Male Team to over 1 hour and 3 minutes at Time Station #23. Impressive stuff for Rookie RAAM riders! Paul relays some thoughts as they push on through Kansas: "Everyone is doing extremely well. We are all still completly pumped up and just think it is so awesome to be doing so well and have so much support from you guys back home. Andrea and Phil were doing awesome on the last shift and Eric and Patrick are on their bikes ready to make the transition to the next shift. I am about to start an 8 hour shift and the crew and riders are all pretty smelly and gross at this point. We are pushing through Kansas which is pretty flat and WINDY!. We are pretty much in the middle of Kansas and it is HOT. The riders are pretty pampered by us crew members honestly. We wait at the front of the vehicle for the rider, grab their bikes, makes sure their hydrated, relay information to them about how we are doing to keep them motivated, and try to keep their spirits up. We pretty much grab all their gear from the vehicles during shift changes so they don't have to do anything but ride. Pretty top notch and it makes our crew jobs tough...but it is all worth it. It is amazing to see all of the Xtreme4 riders getting stronger as the day goes on. It was a getting a little rough for them going through the last part of the Mountains, but they seem to be getting into a serious groove as they push through Kansas and are only looking stronger, I gotta go get Patrick now, Talk to you later!" By the looks of how they are moving and grooving hopefully they can increase their lead and take some time out of the 1st and 2nd place 4 person male teams...only time will tell! Thanks for the update Paul!
It's been a couple days, I think, since I last posted. I know we've(me and andrea) have ridden utah, new mexico, colorado, oklahoma, and kansas. Obviously we've just done segments of those states, but I have seen some spectacular scenery (and missed a bunch (nighttime)). Tops was a stop where we exchanged in new mexico in the mountains. Beautiful. Low point was (scenery_wise) was the first half of kansas - flat, hot and dusty. We're in 3rd place right now of all the 4-person teams (all male and Anyway, we're in a groove. Which for me consists of riding, eating, Next shift will be from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. which can be a little brutal, Next 'stop' Missouri.
Hi everyone! Jen here with an update from Patrick and Julie on the road. Internet access has been tough and the team has had a hard time updating the blog as often as they would like to. At the time of this update, Xtreme4 had passed time station #22, more than 1311 miles into the race, and were almost to station #23 with average overall speeds of more than 20 mph, including their last shift which averaged over 25 mph! Xtreme4 has a solid lead in their category and are close behind the second place 4 person mens team. As we talked, Patrick was about to overtake a rider from team #607, an eight person team, who had just passed them on the last shift. When I talked to them, Xtreme4 had just hit the cornfields of Kansas and was looking forward to the gradual decline in elevation facing them for the next few time stops. A welcome change after the 10,000+ foot peak they faced yesterday! Last night's shift was a bit hectic with the biggest climb of the race and tough riding. Both Eric and Patrick were feeling tired, but they kept on trucking and really pounded up the mountain. They had serious burrito and burger cravings after their shift, and combined with malt milkshakes, it seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. They have both perked up a bit today, and are looking forward to many more mikshakes to come! Julie and Andy have been playing Eric and Patrick's favorite tunes over the loudspeakers as they ride, and they downloaded fun movie clips to play for the riders to give them a laugh or two along the way. Temperatures have been fluctuating between the high 30s at night and high 80s during the day, which makes biker wardrobe planning difficult! Raquel, the team masseuse and helper extraorinaire, and Lee, the bike mechanic, have been great, and both the biker's muscles and the bikes themselves are in great shape as a result. The entire crew has been doing a wonderful job! They are all a bit tired and have found the RV to be hard to sleep in, but they are all hanging in there. They team is doing rider shifts measured by both time and distance at this point, and are being flexible and changing their strategy frequently depending on how the riders are feeling. The crew has found that there is not as much time with the RV stopped as they thought there might be, so cooking is a definite challenge. The few hot meals they have had have really hit the spot, and they have all eaten enough turkey sandwiches to last a lifetime! Next up is a long stint through Kansas and Missouri all the way to the Mississippi River. Fingers crossed for a strong tailwind and lot of crew and rider rest (and milkshakes :-) )! More updates to come soon...Stay tuned! Go Xtreme 4!
Hey everyone! Chad here posting under Paul's name since internet is next to non-existent for our Xtreme4 crew out on the road. Just got off the phone with him and he provided an update on how things are going and the current status of the crew and riders.
From Paul via phone on the road at TS#15: "We are in Colorado right now and I just got off my shift an hour or so ago. We had the 2am to about 5-6am shift with Andrea and Phil as the riders, and it was myself and Marianna (didn't get the other names) crewing. That shift brought us from Utah into Colorado where we experienced a 25 degree temperature change from about high 50's to about 35 degrees. The riders were constantly changing clothes to adapt to the changing temperatures. Andrea and Phil are back on again and Eric and Patrick are resting. Crewing right now is absolutely intense as you are always on. Even when you are on the 'off" shift you are always doing something; making sure the riders are eating, setting up their stuff for the next shift, rider prep. I have gotten about 4 total hours of sleep since the race started on Wednesday and that is the case for almost the entire crew right now. Despite a couple problems like getting stuck in the sand in Arizona (luckily it was only the leap vehicle and not the RV!), which by a stroke of luck we were helped get unstuck by a couple off duty police officers coming home from their shift, everything is going really really well. Everyone's spirits are high and we are all really pumped about how well we are doing. Hearing about everyone rooting for us and tracking us back home is the icing on the cake! It is going to be a great feeling rolling into our home town area for the finish and I am sure we will be even more pumped as it draws near. We are looking forward to a kick butt welcome home Chad...no pressure on you though!" Thanks Paul, no pressure taken! Everything is going great and the whole team is absolutely amazed at how well they are doing! While they came into it with expectations and goals, they wanted to finish first and had no idea that after only 24 hours and change that they would be in such a position. They have been bouncing in and out of 2nd and 3rd place out of ALL the 4 person teams and are leading their division by 2 time stations and only making up more ground as they trek on! Good luck you guys and we are all thinking about you! Here's hoping to better internet access as well! 
Andrea and I took over for our first shift in borrego springs. Ericand patrick had put in a super solid first segment and we were right in the mix. It was difficult riding, mostly because it was so unbelievably hot but also because there were so many teams on the same segment of road. We had some trouble with teams who didn't want to be passed but we handled that by passing them and leaving them in the dust. We finished up and I had to do some icing to get my core temperature down- I was that hot. We slept and later that night took our next shift. We rode across some arizona valley floor and then up the side of a mountain. It was a much more manageable shift but we were very sleep deprived. We chased a team all the way up the mountain, narrowing the gap significantly, and then turned it over to eric and patrick. Our next shift took us up another mountain- which was very enjoyable really. I got a screaming descent down through jerome arizona and down to cottonwood (??). As I was going down I had to ask cars to get out of my way- and they did. Our last shift took us from flagstaff through TUBA CITY and the navajo nation. Now we should be sleeping in preparation for our shift tonight. 
As all the others are saying, race day is here. In a few short hours we'll do a parade start and then the real race begins.
I'm nervous and excited. It's hard to be really nervous--I really don't know what to expect. I'm pretty confident in our strategy. We have plans, back up plans and back up plans for the back up plans. It should be smooth. I spent much of yesterday helping Lee, our mechanic, fine tune all the bikes. Really I just stood there and asked questions. But I felt helpful. The bikes are running smooth. I just can't wait to get on one and start it up. We'll have a hot and hilly first 24 hours (well, really first few days), but we're rested and fairly relaxed so it shouldn't be too bad. I can't keep a train of thought here so I guess I'm going to sign off before this become even less coherent. More to come as we hit the road.
Yes, race start is FINALLY here! We've been crazy busy getting everything together and tweaking the final adjustments before 5pm EST today. Yesterday, we had the team photos by the pier (the photos came up awesome! kuddos to Kip!). Then it was time to get our bikes rechecked, eat and do whatever was missing before the offical racers' meeting at 5pm. It was surreal... to have a room packed up with 300+ people... the energy vibing in the room and everyone was psyched! A few last minute changes and info was given and we headed out for our last carboload and team dinner before hitting the road...
Team XTREME 4 is looking and feeling good! We can't wait to put the roads on fire! More from when the race starts! Andrea
Race day is here and about 7 hours away from rolling out from the Oceanside pier. I've not been able to sleep past 6am any day this week even though lack of sleep is fast approaching. But I'm feeling great and rested, anxious to start getting those miles in. The most tiring aspect right now has been waiting, planning, and plotting without being able to go Go GO! Soon enough. And now only hours to the launch of a week full of biking round the clock with my teammates and crew. How kick ass is that?
We have 2 bikes per rider all set up and ready to roll, a dozen extra wheels and more maps and elevation charts with scribbles and highlighted marks than you can imagine. Three route books with 200+ pages each marked and noted, 14 eager crew and 4 riders that are gonna push all the way to Annapolis. Yesterday we toured the first section of the course because there are even more strict rules (all with penalties). So we checked out the grades, allowed pullouts, turns and all that jazz. Having trained on the final 300+ miles of the course into Annapolis a couple times will definitely be a huge help as we make it back. The rest - well you gotta leave some surprises! There is still stuff to do but the list is short and sweet compared to those we had days, weeks and months ago. At this point we could roll out of here and be totally on track but a few more bells and whistles are still in the works. The planning stress is slowly- no, actually quite quickly- evaporating from my compulsive brain and leaving me more and more relaxed as the start approaches. It's an awesome feeling knowing we've put in the time and training that now even though we're newbies on the block (there are so many veteran RAAM riders) that we're poised to cruise through this in an organized logistical attack on the course. No doubt we're ready. And I can't wait! For all of our friends back home, here we come.
Well, we got "some" of the food purchased. It'll take at least 2 more grocery trips to get the provisions we'll need plus a few more stops along the way to get perishable items. While I'm meal planning, Andy is doing some sketchy things with a lighter and wires, continuing to prep our extensive communications system. We might not have a professional chef on board, but we do have a kickass speaker and radio system. Eat that other mixed 4 teams! 
Well, it's been a long time in the making. But after months of preparations, endless meetings and thousands of e-mails to each other, Team Xtreme4 gathered all together for the first time ever as a complete team. With everyone's crazy schedule back home, we were hard pressed to have 100% participation in all of our events. Whether it was a simulation ride, a date auction fundraiser or the never-ending meetings, there was always something going on. We've even had some crew additions in that span. But today was something special. With our new jerseys and sweet looking crew shirts, we're ready. Bring it on RAAM! (A special thanks should go out to everyone back home who's helped out along the way and continuing to help. You know who you are.) See you in 6 1/2 days. 
How do you feed 18 hungry people 3 times a day when you have a tiny fridge, a stove that rocks every time the RV makes a turn, and have to include enough carbs to fuel 4 people racing cross country? We still don't know, but Laurel and I are slowing figuring it out. We've been spending a lot of time the past week working and reworking menu plans that can accommodate an endless list of restrictions. Hopefully we'll have it figure out by Wednesday when we launch cross-country. Feel free to leave suggestions!! 
So I've always poo-poo'ed zipps and other high end wheels. I figured,
how could they honestly give you 2000 dollars worth of speed? I mean
that's a lot of money for a just little extra rim and such.
Our sponsor, race day wheels, gave us 5 pairs of Zipp 404s for the
race, and today we took them out for a test spin.
I knew something was different when on a light sprint Patrick turned
to me and said "we're going 32 mph."
Um, whoa nelly. I guess Zipps *are* worth it. I'm now a true believer.
And I'm scheming how I can get a set of my own. There is a casino just
down the road...
--
Philip Schmidt
http://xtreme4.com
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