dekindy
06-16-2008, 07:40 PM
I went down there early this morning since it is only an hour drive from my house. I missed David Haase by a couple of hours but got to see the next two solo riders and some teams come through.
I did not realize that the majority of time stations are not manned and there is no required stopping at any time station. So it was pretty boring. The first solo rider came by and I almost missed him. He was earlier than predicted and just happened to see him when I looked up from reading the official RAAM program which is the May-June issue of Ultra Cycling. A van with two officials just happened to be stopped at the time station intersection when I got there and they gave me the program before they left. Apparently there are several minivans driven by officials grouped in pairs driving along the route monitoring the race.
I was just leaving when another cyclist from Indianapolis approached me. He saw my RAIN t-shirt and figured that I was there to watch riders also. He had volunteered (was actually wearing his RAAM volunteer t-shirt) in a prior year when the route was still going through Indianapolis and manned the Southport, IN (southern suburb of Indianapolis) time station located in a Wal-mart parking lot. He had ridden RAIN and the Hilly Hundred several times so we talked and passed the time while we waited for a few more teams that were coming through in the next hour. I was keenly interested in his insights into RAIN since this will be my second time and I am intent on finishing in the top 50% instead of the bottom 15% placing on my initial attempt last year. I then returned to my home in Fishers (norhteast suburb of Indianapolis) and he headed over to the manned, Bloomington, IN time station driving the route backwards on state road 46.
Since there was no manned time station or signage anywhere in Greensburg and the riders came through without fanfare, I doubt if the citizens of Greensburg had any idea that they were part of the route of the toughest bicycle ride on the planet!
I did not realize that the majority of time stations are not manned and there is no required stopping at any time station. So it was pretty boring. The first solo rider came by and I almost missed him. He was earlier than predicted and just happened to see him when I looked up from reading the official RAAM program which is the May-June issue of Ultra Cycling. A van with two officials just happened to be stopped at the time station intersection when I got there and they gave me the program before they left. Apparently there are several minivans driven by officials grouped in pairs driving along the route monitoring the race.
I was just leaving when another cyclist from Indianapolis approached me. He saw my RAIN t-shirt and figured that I was there to watch riders also. He had volunteered (was actually wearing his RAAM volunteer t-shirt) in a prior year when the route was still going through Indianapolis and manned the Southport, IN (southern suburb of Indianapolis) time station located in a Wal-mart parking lot. He had ridden RAIN and the Hilly Hundred several times so we talked and passed the time while we waited for a few more teams that were coming through in the next hour. I was keenly interested in his insights into RAIN since this will be my second time and I am intent on finishing in the top 50% instead of the bottom 15% placing on my initial attempt last year. I then returned to my home in Fishers (norhteast suburb of Indianapolis) and he headed over to the manned, Bloomington, IN time station driving the route backwards on state road 46.
Since there was no manned time station or signage anywhere in Greensburg and the riders came through without fanfare, I doubt if the citizens of Greensburg had any idea that they were part of the route of the toughest bicycle ride on the planet!