Interview by Wayne Pedranti

Wayne Pedranti interviewed Cat Berge:

On the Road to RAAM: My Journey to Race Across America

Organic Pastures Kits Are In

Organic Pastures in Fresno where the best Raw Milk comes from. Lori Cherry is wearing our new kits (jersey and shorts) hot off the press. Lori is consuming Organic Pastures Raw Milk as fast as she can to fuel up and get going on her bike!

Marc Pro Electro Stimulation Device

Marc Pro is on board as our newest sponsor! More to follow. Check them out at: www.marcpro.com

Following us During RAAM

I have been getting emails asking when we will arrive at certain cities on our way to Annapolis. If you go to www.raceacrossamerica.org once the race starts on June 18th at 2:00 PM (Pacific Time) you will be able to follow us as we check into Time Stations. Click on "Results". Then click on "Leaderboard". Find 4RawMilkCats. Click on us. You will be able to see arrival times for all the time stations we have been through. Also you can click on "Arrival Predictions" and see when we will get to the city and state near you. Several people will be driving to Time Stations to cheer us on.

Of course Mavis and others in our fabulous crew of 12 will be posting on this site and Facebook and Twitter.

Please come out and see us and cheer us on if possible. It is an enormous inspiration. Funny how the cadence increases with a smile ... a cheer ... and a vote of confidence.

Isabelle Drake

Hammer Nutrition

Thank you Steve Born/Hammer Nutrition for sponsoring us for the Race Across America. I have been using Hammer products since 2004 exclusively. The Sustained Energy is my favorite and was the only thing I could consume towards the end on my solo Furnace Creek 508 ride. I encourage anyone who hasn't tried Hammer products to get some Heed, Sustained Energy, Perpetuem or any of the supplements and try it out. No stomach issues with Hammer products!

Thanks also for putting me in the Hammer Nutrition Endurance Fuels & Supplements 2011 Product Catalog page 6 riding my leg for the Hammer Frogs 1st place finish October 2010 and course record for 4 women 50+. I am on the page with the new product Fizz ... just drop it into your water bottle. It is great ... easy way to get the electrolytes in.

Thanks again Steve!!

Isabelle Drake

RAAM Food Plan

Our team’s three main food goals are:

1) Having no leftovers at finish line.

2) Try to limit food prep to 1-2 people (namely Alan and Anne), since hygiene may not be optimal. This would limit any potential exposure to pathogens.

3) Avoid being fueled on simple sugar and caffeine mainly because this can affect our moods.

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Alan Stokes collated the team’s comments and drafted a shopping list for a day before start of RAAM (apart from mini marts at gas stations, we likely won't get chances to shop during RAAM):

The basics are:

1) Milk, milk, milk!

2) A little bit of chocolate cake. (Not much!)

3) Meat and cheese or peanut butter sandwiches.

4) Cereals, oatmeal.

5) Fresh fruits and produces.

6) Instant coffee.

Furthermore, while everybody know they can survive on turkey and oatmeal, Alan plans to spice up the meals with possibly:

- black bean / rice / chicken - burritos
- grocery store roasted chicken - a number of different type of meals can be made from them
- microwaveable bacon - everything is better with bacon.
- pasta with marinara –

Unnecessary to say, a few expressed concern that they would gain weight during the race.

Training Tips

Training tip #1: Drink plenty of Raw Milk!

Milk is as good as or even better than sports drinks for serious athletes.

Muscles get damaged after aerobic exercise such as running, soccer, or cycling. Milk's two proteins proven to aid in rebuilding muscles, casein and whey, provides the building blocks for recovering and building new muscles.

Furthermore, milk contains carbohydrates, electrolytes, calcium, and vitamin D.

(Most sports drinks replace the lost carbohydrates and electrolytes, but usually don't have the proteins for aiding the regenerating of muscles.)

For best results, a pint of milk is recommended within 30 minutes after a workout.

See more of Sara Bean's art!

More Training tips:

(Click here for viewing all training tips on one webpage.)

Training tip #2: Supply the body with necessary dietary supplements

Training tip #3: Cross-training (especially during wintertime then definitely get warm with WoodCoal!)

Training tip #4: Rest hard as training hard

Training tip #5: Stretching

Training tip #6: Weight lifting

Training tip #7: Train with a buddy

Training tip #8: Visit friends

Training tip #9: Make sure the equipments are in working order

Training tip #10: Have fun!

Training tip #11: Refine the balancing

Training tip #12: Stay hydrated!!

VO2 Maximum Check

Lori Cherry checking her VO2 maximum to precisely know her own physiology capability.

Knowing how our bodies react to the ranges of spinning resistances can surely be helpful for races like RAAM. We do want to ride fast as possible, but the riders need to have ideas what their individual moderate, hard, and maximum zones are for effective, speedy pacing. Overworking our bodies, especially over 7-8 days in a row, can have consequences.

Recommended list of stuff to bring

E-mail from our crew chief, Lee. (Who loves to use exclamation marks!!!!)

The following is a recommended [list of stuff to bring.] We will be getting a team T shirt--distributed in Oceanside.

Please don't over load the RV. There will be 16 of us living out of the RV and using the space to store stuff.

Alarm clock, wrist watch ones OK.
Drivers license and health insurance card, both in your possession.
Camera/film/chips. New batteries!
Cap/hat--sun or rain.
Glasses, sun glasses, spares, clip ons?
One pair long pants/tights
One long sleeve shirt
Plastic bag to segregate clean clothes from dirty clothes
Prescription medicines of any kind, you will be away from home 16 days or so. Plan.
Fun drugs
Raincoat
Personal stuff--soap,shampoo, shave kit, DEODORANT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tooth brush, paste, dental floss, etc.
Sanitary supplies
Shoes you are wearing, no sandals
2 pair shorts
4 pairs socks
Small pack to carry between vehicles upon crew changes
Sunscreen, lip stuff, drool catcher
4 T shirts, plus team T shirt
Underwear/bra--maybe 4?? Wear the same stuff for a couple of days, why change clothes when we don't get many showers???
Unique water bottle-labeled with your name/logo.
Lots of money, small bills

Travel light, space is the problem with 16 of us living out of the RV.

Crew laundry should be done Friday, June 17, the day before the race
" " " " " Wednesday, June 22.
" " " " " Monday, June 27, before we come home.

Lee will bring laundry bags for all crew and riders.

Riders will have laundry done Friday, June 17
Monday, June 20
Wednesday, June 22
Friday, June 24
Monday, June 27

When in doubt, leave stuff home!!! We will all smell the same, for sure!!!! Plan to take long showers at the finish motel--they know we are coming!!!! The groundwater may be depleted for a few days, you betcha!!!!!!

Change in crew roster

Bill Phillips has had to withdraw from the crew. Lee and Bill were looking forward to "giving each others a bad time again."

However the good news is that Bob Kash is able to join the crew! He has crewed 8 RAAMs, especially for the PAC Masters and ridden a couple of the PAC Masters Team RAAMs. Bob will take over Bill's position and primary duties.

Cat Berge stated that she is very happy to see him onboard. This is because he was originally going to crew for Cat's solo RAAM in 2005, but had to withdraw before RAAM. Even so, Bob did come out to the course to greet Cat.

Passion, Dedication and Quality

Our assistant crew chief, Joe Smith, shared some wonderful words of advice with us in a hand written letter that I recieved today-

'PASSION - Nothing was ever achieved without it and nothing can take its place. No matter what you face in life, if your PASSION is great enough you will find the strength to succeed. Without PASSION life has no meaning. So put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts.... This is the essence of PASSION. This is the secret of life.

DEDICATION - The quality with which CHAMPIONS are made.

QUALITY - countless unseen details are often the only difference between mediocre and magnificent.

Note that the first three letters in each word stands for

PDQ - PRETTY DARN QUICK.

I am certain that our riders will be doing their best to ride Pretty Darn Quick an we the crew will be doing our best to support them as efficiently and quickly as possible.
This PASSION, DEDICATION and QUALITY will become our fuel, our energy and our reason to get to the finish line with great pride and accomplishment.

Meet the crew!

A RAAM team is nothing without the crew. Thus, let get to know a bit about the people who are in for a long week of hard work too! (We--the crew--are expected to have absoluately no trouble falling asleep the moment our heads hit the pillow by the 3rd day.)

Lee Mitchell, California.
Primary duties: Crew chief, California BikeVan driver/navigator
Sleep shift: 8 AM to 4 PM
Bio: Nicknamed Santa, Lee is a busy guy in red socks ("guy in red suit"). He is a grocery clerk for 26 years and full time community college teacher for 30 years. He also raised 6 kids. He even raced in a few RAAMs. Some people did think Lee's beard needed to be trimmed to reduce his wind drag, but each time a razor is out, no one could find Lee.

Joe Smith, New York.
Primary duties: Assistant Crew Chief, Nevada BikeVan driver/navigator
Sleep shift: 4 PM to midnight

Ron Bobb, California.
Primary duties: RV driver, Nevada BikeVan driver, Mechanic
Sleep shift: 8 AM to 4 PM

Leslie Bullock, Oregon.
Primary duties: RV navigator, Nevada BikeVan navigator
Sleep shift: 8 AM to 4 PM
Bio: During the winter, Leslie has become just an occasional bike rider. In an effort to get warm, she went to Vietnam the past winter.

Doug Goodwin, Nevada.
Primary duties: Nevada BikeVan driver, Mechanic
Sleep shift: Midnight to 8 AM
Bio: Doug took part in ultra events ever since the 1980's. He fell in love with Death Valley and when he retired in 2003, he decided to settle down in "the shadow of the valley of death". People who do Furnace Creek 508 usually would see him at the Shoshone Time Station, enjoying the sight of everybody suffering.

Mavis Irwin, Utah.
Primary duties: Communication with fans, Camerawoman, Mechanic
Sleep shift: 4 PM to midnight
Bio: Mavis is a 4-season cyclist who collects bones ever since she was seven years old, but she promised to not collect any roadkills during RAAM. She is currently a graduate student in a biology program.

William Medina, Puerto Rico.
Primary duties: Nevada BikeVan driver/navigator, Mechanic
Sleep shift: 4 PM to midnight
Bio: A proud slightly twisted genius of a cycling event called La Vuelta Puerto Rico. The Bicycling Magazine Online recommended La Vuelta Puerto Rico as one of the "Best Gift for Bicyclists 2009". Event website: www.vueltapr.com

Willy Nevin, California.
Primary duties: California BikeVan driver, RV navigator
Sleep shift: Midnight to 8 AM
Bio: Willy claimed that all of his three daughters look cuter than him. Here is his proof from a cyclocross event, where his daughter got all the cheering and he didn't: YouTube video

Anne Noone, Pennsylvania.
Primary duties: Food prep, California BikeVan navigator
Sleep shift: Midnight to 8 AM
Bio: Anne's car license plate has always been "LIV2BIK". Nothing more needed to be said!

Bill Phillips, Oregon.
Primary duties: California BikeVan driver/navigator, Mechanic
Sleep shift: 8 AM to 4 PM
Bio: Bill enjoyed his crewing experience with Lee. Claimed there is nothing as wonderful as smelling bad and driving around in a minivan with an old bearded man telling him what to do. If that wasn't "good" enough, he said he have to sleep with that old bearded man too.

Al Stokes, North Carolina.
Primary duties: Food prep, California BikeVan navigator, Nurse/massage, Mechanic
Sleep shift: 4 PM to midnight
Bio: Al gave up running for cycling 25 years ago because of the ability to get a nice workout in while eating and drinking at the same time.

Rich Wagar, Washington.
Primary duties: RV driver
Sleep shift: Midnight to 8 AM

Deciding on the safety colors for the team jerseys

The design to put on the jerseys is still in the works, but we surely want to use the type of colors that the drivers can easily see.

This commonly means bright orange like a road cone, bright green, or pink.

It is however a concern for about 5% of males who are color blind because the common colors listed above can easily match the background colors. And it always can take just one driver to hit a rider.

The most common type of color blindness is red-green blindness. It varies a lot between people, depending if they are missing the red cones, missing the green cones, or have cones with an altered sensitivity to red or green light. It is believed that Mavis's father's colorblindness is due to a complete lack of red-sensitive cones, because he usually sees red as black and can’t see at all when in a darkroom with a red safe light as the only light source. He can see a red traffic light by its position in the signal and the fact that it looks lighter than the other two when it is on, probably because it is not pure red. (He also don't really know what green actually is. Sometimes he called something green, sometimes not. He also called most tan colors "green".) About 1% of males are colorblind for this reason, which leaves the other ~4% with other reasons, so Mavis's father's answers may be different from others’. Still, his answers are possibly a good guide when it comes to picking out really “bright” colors.

There is a reason why we usually see white/bright orange being used at road constructions instead of plain bright orange: Mavis's father sees muddy brownish cones!

According to Mavis's father, the other common safety colors looks like:

Bright green--the very bright greenish yellow sometimes look yellow to him and is visible. Other kinds of bright to medium greens may look brownish.
Red--he said bright to medium red is black. If it’s a dull red, it may look brown.
Pink--He usually thinks it is gray, sometimes blue if the pink has a blue cast to it as cactus blossoms do.

The safety colors believed to work for 99.5% of people:

White
Yellow
Blue (light blue may work) (0.5% can't see blue)
Neon Yellowish-green
Light gray (but not around light gray backgrounds!)

12 is the magic number

Whether we are rookies or veterans of RAAM, preparing months in advance of our next adventure is mandatory. No one knows it like Lee Mitchell, who has crewed or ridden 24 RAAMs before this year.

He started by getting the racers to find volunteers for the crew during the month of October, 2010. It must have been an easy step this year because within two weeks Lee was begging the racers to stop finding crew!

Lee explained that we should have 12 crew and three vehicles (an RV and two follow vans). The cost estimate is about $35,000. Considering the costs and space available for a safe 4-person team race across the country, 12 on the crew is the magic number.

Reason #1: Sleep shifts

Many of the accidents during RAAM are caused by sleep-deprived crew trying to drive 14 feet behind a racer.

The racers will be somewhat sleep-deprived, but it is not the time or place for crew to join in the sleep-deprivation fun. Thus, at any one time, the RV will be carrying a driver and a navigator, one food prep crew, two sleeping crew in the top bunk over the cab, two sleeping crew in the breakdown sofa in the middle, and two sleeping racers in the back bedroom. The sleeping shifts for the crew will be 8AM-4PM, 4PM-midnight, and midnight-8AM. Of course, there are no "off" shifts.

Reason #2: Rotating.

We have two red follow vans, called "California BikeVan" and "Nevada BikeVan" (see picture.) A pair of racers will be assigned to one of the two vans for the entire race. This is partly so the racers don't need to worry about whether something they want is in the other van. A racer never knows when she will need her personal shoe covers, arm warmers, raincoat, clean pair of shorts, or whatever. Furthermore, making space for all four racers' needs in both vans is not as easy as just putting two racers' gear in each van.

We will have two crew in each van. Each racer of a riding pair will be taken care of and followed by separate vans. They will change racers and vans at the same time about every 40-60 minutes for four hours. Meanwhile the other pair of racers will be showering, eating, and sleeping in the RV. We change the RV pair for the on-the-road pair every four hours. Each racer should get 2 to 2 1/2 hours sleep each time they rest in the RV. This will be about 7 hours total per 24 hours. With efficient exchanges, there will always be at least one racer riding her bicycle eastward.

Reason #3: The 8th awake crew is a backup, if needed.

We want a driver and a navigator in each vehicle and the food prep person in the RV (very busy job). The 8th crew can be in any vehicle at any time, but is expected to do regular crew duties, if needed.

Reason #4: The team wants somebody to focus on recording memories.

It is very difficult to juggle the camera, camcorder, and notebook while doing the high priority duties such as fixing bikes, prepping food, driving, or navigating.

We will need to be reminded of the recording crewperson's job.

That person's duties are to record as much as possible what is happening to the whole team. If needed, the recording crew member would jump into action and do whatever is needed to expedite the race. Then once back home, that person will spend hours arranging the tape/DVD for all to treasure.

Get to know Isabelle Drake!

Isabelle is the oldest racer on the team, but she is not a typical retired nurse at all.

The racers on the team were given 15 interview questions ranging from serious to silly. They are free to choice which ones they wanted to answer:

Bicyclists had been fighting for the rights to share the roads with other vehicles ever since the era of horse-drawn carriages--bicycles made some horses nervous. It is a never-ending battle, but what do you imagine will be the attitude toward bicycles if personal middle-class motorized vehicles are reduced to look very much like quadcycles in order to be able to effectively transport somebody using natural energy such as solar energy?

Smaller vehicles on the road would hopefully translate to greater understanding of how it is for a cyclist out there. Many people change when they get behind the wheel exhibiting behavior they would not normally do when not in their vehicle. The more vulnerable drivers feel would possibly create more of a commraderie with cyclists instead of the adversarial one that is present with so many drivers. Of course there is idiotic behavior with both cyclists and drivers.

What is the most bizarre thing you ever saw while out on a ride?

On my solo Furnace Creek 508 in 2008 I was heading up towards the Sheephole climb when I saw 4 riders in front of me. I could not change my distance from them. I noticed something very strange about them. They all were wearing capes like Darth Vader from Star Wars. Also their bikes had no wheels ... just the frames. They effortlessly stayed in front of me. I realized I was hallucinating from sleep deprivation.

Have you stopped and done any good deeds as a cyclist?

Many times I have stopped to help change a tire or give some random rider a tube of CO2 cartridge. What goes around comes around as so many people have helped me.

When riding in the "zone" do you feel like you are riding: a horse? dragon? broomstick? motorcycle? or just a bicycle? (any other answers are fine)

Just a bicycle.

If there is a 4-inch long plain brown snail crawling in your bicycle path, do you...steer around it? worry about slipping on the goo? stop to look at it and maybe take pictures? put it in jersey pocket as a pet? or move it to a safer place? (any other answers are fine)

I try to avoid running over any debris all the time. When I see small living creatures I avoid them if possible.

What is your opinion of painted bike lanes in some cities?

I am accustomed to painted bike lanes. I think it makes it safer down here in Southern California. However I was hit by a car in Atascadero as I rode over the painted line in the bike lane.

What do you usually tell (or want to tell) the bad-tempered drivers yelling at you to ride on the sidewalk?

I get harassed quite a bit because I live in a very populated area. Very seldom do I saw anything as I feel I am so vulnerable. I do think of some really nasty things to say but try not to stay in that state of mind long as it is a distraction.

If you were able to ride on any type of surface, anywhere on the earth, where would you love to ride? Why?

The tundra in Alaska. I backpacked through there when I was 17 and it is an amazing feeling to walk upon it.

Is there any kind of cycling part, material, or equipment that is not on the market that you dream of being available?

A seat that is like riding on air with no possibility of any saddle sores.

What things do you tend to think about while riding a century?

My mind goes so many places. I like to let the wheels do the thinking (John Lee Ellis phrase).

If Lee decides to grow a complete flower garden on top of his bikevan, what will you think of (or do about) that?

If Lee grows a garden on top of the bikevan I will request that he be tested for drugs ... or he may just be sleep deprived :-)

If any animals will surely be easy to transport, care, and even help with the crewing, what kind of animal will you like as a member of the crew team? Why?

A horse. I love horses and have been riding since I was a child. A horse cantering next to me breathing in and out would inspire and comfort me.

What kind of "party" will you like at RAAM's finish line?

One with a few shots of Don Julio Anejo.