Dongil You

The first time Dongil You set foot on American soil was when he departed DFW airport.  He was alone.  There was no family to greet him.  No friends.  He knew no one.  Imagine the courage he had to muster to spend his hard earned money and max out his credit card in order to come to the Texas Time Trials to pursue his dream of qualifying for RAAM.

He had no idea what to expect when he arrived Dallas.  He found there was no mass transit.  Not a railroad in sight.  He dipped into his plastic fund once more and paid $178.00 for a cab to his motel in Glen Rose.
When Dan Driscoll had sent out a message announcing there was a young man from Korea coming to the Texas Time Trials in need of some guidance and assistance, Joni and I didn't hesitate to raise our hands.  We got in touch with Dongil via email.  Although there was somewhat of a language barrier, we were able to communicate and set up plans to rendezvous with Dongil in Glen Rose.

I was in Chicago the week of the race on a business trip.  Joni took 3 days off work in order to meet him at the race site on Wednesday.
Joni and Dongil set up canopy, table, chairs, ice chest, shelves, supplies etc next to two other racing teams.  The Awesome Foursome have been doing TTTT since I can remember. 
The same is true for The Manly Bulge Bicycle Club.  Both teams were more than happy to offer assistance to Joni and her new friend.
Dongil, age 31, had read about RAAM online.  He was totally intrigued.  He didn't have a lot of ultra cycling experience.  Riding and training in Korea is very limited due to few roads and heavy traffic. His bike was an aluminum frame with well used generic components.  He had only been riding a few years and had not built up a huge mileage base.   The furtherest he had ever cycled was 300 km. to a friends house.  But never the less, he was at TTTT to give it a shot.

The race started at 6:00 pm on Thursday.  The course is a 26.5 mile loop on quiet roads with moderate hills and little traffic.  By the 4th  lap Dongil was experiencing pain in his left knee.  He continued to ride but his pain became worse.  By the time I arrived at camp at 3:30 am Friday, Dongil was sitting in a lawn chair resting.  He completed one more lap.  It very quickly became obvious that his dream of qualifying for RAAM was not going to happen this race.
We decided the best action was to treat his knee with ice, elevation and rest.  We also adjusted his seat post and cleat position.  We decided to withdraw him from the 500 mile race.  On Saturday afternoon he completed the 26.5 mile one lap Shoot Out.

Of course he was disappointed of not achieving his goal.  But don't think for a minute that Dongil's trip was wasted.  He gained valuable ultra knowledge and experience.  He easily made friends.  He enjoyed the camaraderie of being around some of the best ultra cyclists in the United States.
At the awards banquet his eyes were full of joy and excitement when he claimed his TTTT trophy.  The Awesome Foursome gave Dongil a club jersey which he will truly show off to his friends back home.   

You can't always measure the success of a race in hour and minutes or number of miles ridden.  Sometimes the measure of a good race is in the experience.  I for one know that for sure.

 

Around Town Conversations

I'm stopped to get water at the Exxon near my house on Hwy 90.  It is pre-dawn and my bike is rigged with my Dinotte head and tail lights.  A fit looking guy in his 40's is loading ice into his boat.  He has  a couple of friends with him. 
He turns to me and says, "Man, I can see your light for a mile!"
I reply, "That is what I like to hear."
He says, "I'm a rider too.  But I've been off for a couple of years due to a  knee injury."
I ask, "Where are you from?"
He replies, "Kerrville."
I comment, "You've got some great riding there."
His tone becomes boastful, "Yeah, it is tough up there.  Not like this flat stuff around here."
He continues, "I use to ride 200 miles a week.  I've done 15 Hotter-N-Hells and 5 M  150's."
I asked him, "Have you ever heard of RAAM?"
He answered, "Sure."
I said,  "I did solo RAAM this year."
Embarrassed, he replied, "Well, got to get these guys on the water.  C'ya."

I'm stopped at the Stripes near HEB.  Again, it is a pre-dawn ride so I'm geared for the night time.  A girl is fueling her car and she begins  to walk toward the front door of the store.  I notice her looking at me and I return a smile.  She keeps looking and  I know she recognizes the orange glasses. 
As she gets closer she asks, "You're that guy, aren't you?"
I said, "Yep."

I'm  in Walmart doing some shopping.  I'm pushing my basket down the cereal isle.   Up the isle I notice a kid about 6 or 7 years old bashfully checking me out.  I don't pay too much attention and then I notice he is a little closer, turning his head as if to get a better look at me.  I then see his Mom with her basket at the front of the isle.  The kid looks at Mom and I see Mom smiling at me and she mouths the words "Ask  him" to her son.  The boy is very shy.  He turns to his Mom again.  She mouths "Go ahead, ask him."  I push my basket toward the boy to meet him halfway.  He then gets up enough courage and asks, "Are you Dex?'.  I said,  "I sure am and I am very happy to meet you."   His Mom then told me how they had both followed me throughout RAAM.  I didn't recognize either one of  them.  I wish I had had a photo with me that I could have autographed and given to the boy.

My Light Switch

Unfortunately I have nerve damage in both hands since completing RAAM.  This damage results in numbness and tingling in all 10 digits and also a loss of strength and function of my thumbs and index fingers.  While I am sure the damage is temporary, it is very frustrating for the time being.

It is amazing the simple everyday things we use our thumbs for that we take for granted.  For example, with no sensation in the tips of my fingers, I smear shave cream on my face and do good not to get it in my eyes or in my ears.  Buttoning a shirt is totally impossible.  No way I’m able push that little white round object through that elliptical slit.  Thank goodness for Velcro on shorts.  When I try to start my car, I have to put one hand on the key and take the other hand to turn it on.  I won’t even mention some of the more personal ways my loss of thumbs is affected.  Of course I’ve figured out a way to ride my bike by shifting gears with my palms.  I mean, after all, you do have to take care of your priorities.

Anyway, I have this light switch at my house.  To turn the light on, you have to grab the little knob with your finger and thumb.  You then turn it for one click and nothing happens but you turn it another click and the light turns on.  And every since RAAM, no matter how hard I try, I have not been able to click it even once.  My light switch has become my measure of progress or lack of.  I awaken every morning and the first thing I do is go to the light switch and try to turn on the light. 

Well, this morning I stood courageously in front of my light switch and grabbed it with my finger and thumb.  I strained and struggled with all my might and the switch clicked once.  I refused to give up and I continued my effort until it clicked the second time and the light came on.  I was elated.  I felt like I just made it up Wolf Creek Pass again.  I was so happy.

BUT!  I got ready to leave my house for the day and I went to turn the light off.  I strained and struggled with all I had, but I could not turn the light off to save my life.  I ended up getting a towel and unscrewing the light bulb with my palm. 

Oh well, there is always tomorrow!!

Why I Nearly Lost RAAM

I’ve been going over the route book, 12 hour time sheets, sleep breaks, etc. trying to figure out why I was so close on the bubble of finishing RAAM.   It didn’t take long to discover where it happened.   The worse leg of RAAM for me was around Parker AZ.   As I neared Parker in early afternoon, the temps were already in the 100’s.  I was weak, dehydrated and very tired.  I had lost 14 lbs since starting RAAM due to dehydration, emesis and diarrhea. 

I had 5 episodes of diarrhea in Bessie while at Parker.  Conice injected an IV.   I actually couldn’t tell much immediate relief.  Even though I didn’t get to sleep, this break still cost me about 90 minutes

By the time I left Parker, the air temp was 112 – 115.  I have no idea how hot it was coming off the pavement.  I just know I could feel the heat baking my legs as I rode.  I was genuinely concerned about heat stroke.  I would only ride for a couple of miles at a time.  Then I would get in the a/c of the car, put cold towels around my neck and do anything else I could do to try to keep my core temp down.  Of course I was still sick and weak during all of this.  We decided to try to sleep during the heat.  I went down for an hour. 

It is 107 miles from Blythe, CA to Salome, AZ.  It took me nearly 13.5 hours.  That is only 7.92 mph.  Even being sick, I had averaged 12 mph from Oceanside to Blythe.   Parker is definitely where I nearly lost RAAM.

Another Side of RAAM

I think some of the crew members on Team Dex were anticipating a life changing moment in RAAM.  They had expectations that somewhere in the deep folds of RAAM, possibly somewhere between sleep deprivation, hallucinations and paranoia, there would be some kind of lightning strike or something and their eyes would be opened to such things as the solution to World Peace or the discovery of the Fountain of Youth.  While they may have been disappointed in those respects, perhaps there was a more subtle, yet just as meaningful side of RAAM.
While crewing in Besse, Michael, follow vehicle driver and MacGyver extraordinare, came up with the concept that maybe Team Dex RAAM wasn't all about Dex.  Quite possibly this pursuit of personal challenge could conceivably also be about the crew. 
Michael may have had some insight.  Before RAAM, Michael and Conice had not previously met.  While crewing RAAM, Conice and Michael were teamed up on Crew 2 along with Anika.   Anika was the ever devoted domestique.  Michael was the stalwart driver. Conice was the reliable navigator.  Conice and Michael quickly developed a rapport of friendship and camaraderie.  The seemingly endless hours in the follow vehicle following my slow butt around at 10 mph gave them time to get to know each other in a way that few acquaintances ever do.  And then while in Besse, they were constantly in a problem solving situation.  If it wasn't the brakes on Besse, it was the generator.  Conice and Michael worked together constantly.  Their crew acquaintance grew into a friendship.  Their friendship grew into a bond.
After RAAM, they continued their bond.  They have remained in touch with each other.  They are both fathers of young boys.  This weekend Michael and Conice made arrangements to take their boys to see the movie Cars.
So maybe there is another side to RAAM besides riding a bicycle 3000 miles across America.  While RAAM may not have solved World Peace or discovered the Fountain of Youth maybe RAAM did develop a friendship and a bond.  Two new friends are now joining to be two great fathers.

"Gosh Dang It"

Gosh Dang It!!!
I have no idea how many times I repeated that during RAAM.  But you can ask any member of my crew and they can probably tell you.  "Gosh Dang It" was my way of coping with everything from frustration, to exhaustion, to traffic, to hills, the wind, to debris in the road, to dosing off to sleep on the bike and anything else that irritated me.  This was my way of handling it all.  I know it wasn't a very positive way, but it seemed to work for me. 
I would be climbing.  I would have just topped the hill.  I would look ahead and there would be another climb even steeper than the last one.  "Gosh Dang It!"
I would be in heavy traffic.  A car would come buzzing by me way too close.  "Gosh Dang It!"
I would be riding on a debris littered shoulder.  My front tire would run over a huge rock.  "Gosh Dang It"
A wind gust would blow me sideways on the road.  "Gosh Dang It!"
I would be so exhausted that I couldn't get my leg warmers on.  "Gosh Dang It"
RAAM isn't always about fun or enjoyment or beautiful scenery.  Sometimes it is about  "Gosh Dang It" "Gosh Dang It" "Gosh Dang It" "Gosh Dang It" "Gosh Dang It" "Gosh Dang It" "Gosh Dang It"
Just my way of getting through the whole thing.

Orange Sunglasses

People always ask me about the orange sunshades   My orange glasses are my prescription progressive lens with transitions.  They became a craze during RAAM.  I guess it really started at the 'Evening With Dex' fund raising party.  People were making toasts to my glasses at the party.  Then during RAAM I started getting all kinds of comments on the orange glasses not only from fans in Del Rio but all across the nation and even in Europe.  Dexans would send photos of themselves wearing orange frames.  That is when Joni thought it would be cool to put orange shades on Besse, our RV.