Epilogue

It's been four days since Cassie had to withdraw from the competition.  I am still humbled by the experience and the profoundly life changing events of the previous ten days.  I am also still trying to catch up on sleep.  I can only imagine the adjustment that Cassie is trying to make.

We talked on the phone yesterday.  "I'm frigging angry!", she exclaimed time and again.  In some ways I understood.  Cassie had worked extremely hard for this race.  It's not just the physical aspect but the financial aspect.  She had to raise a ton of money just to make it work.  For the better part of two years, her life consisted primarily of working out and begging for money.

Cassie is proud and dedicated.  I can only imagine how hard it is for her to meet with her contributors, large and small, and let them know that their investment didn't pay off.  How wrong she is!  Their investment paid off in spades!  All over the country there were people pulling for Cassie.  Her main goal was to raise awareness for the plight of many veterans.  I believe that she did that.  The crew firmly believes that she gave her all.  There is no more that a person could give.

For a brief period in all our lives, Cassie elevated us and made us better than we were before.  There are no words that accurately convey the level of indebtedness that we all owe to Cassie.

It's because of the above reasons that I don't fully understand her anger.  Maybe it's me.  Maybe it's the aftereffects of a week of sleep deprivation on some old guy whose sleep patterns could normally be used to set the atomic clock.

It really doesn't matter how I feel.  It only matters how Cassie feels.  My wife and I are having dinner with her tomorrow.  I'm planning  on talking about baseball.  How does baseball fit in I hear you whine?

It's simple.  The first baseball game I ever saw was at Ebbett's Field watching the Brooklyn Dodgers.  My Uncle Charlie was a huge fan.  He even bought some of the seats when they were about to tear this beautiful monument to the national pastime down.  In those early years of my life, I heard the same phrase declared time and again:

"Wait 'til next year!"

Onward To The River That Made Samuel Clemens Famous

We let Cassie sleep until almost 4AM.  Except for her sick day in the desert, it was the longest time that Cassie had spent off her bike.  It wasn't easy trying to get her going.  She was sore all over, especially around her butt and adjacent areas.

 Cassie downing breakfast drink.

Cassie applying protective cream before heading out.

We headed out on the first leg of the day.  It became apparent that it was going to be a difficult day from the get go.  After several minutes on her bike, she radioed for a saddle change.  We stopped and Tommy hopped out to change the seat.  Kat became alarmed, mentioning riders in the past who had similar difficulties.

We moved forward and had a late shift change.  Mike and Kat2 took over direct follow while Tommy, Kat, and I met Rachel and Kristy at a motel room that had been used by them and Mike and Kat2 before them.  Talk about hot bunking!

Kat set up a new crew rotation while there and I now became paired with Kristy.  When crew change occurred, Kristy and I moved to #2 and headed to Fort Scott with the dirty laundry, the concept being that the crew and especially Cassie would have something not-too-stinky to wear for a few days.  After the laundry was finished, we parked at the Fort Scott Visitor's Center.  I went in for a chat with a local Rotarian and Chamber of Commerce head while Kristy opted for some shut eye.  After a quick walking tour of the fort, I returned to the van and found Kristy ready to go. We positioned ourselves to cheer Cassie on as she passed by the time station in Fort Scott.

We then went into leapfrog mode, passing our heroine up, finding a parking spot, and then cheering her on as she rode by.  I also called ahead to a motel in Camdenton, MO, reserving a room for the night.  Kristy and I were going to have clean sheets instead of used sheets!

Cassie was struggling at crew change but we felt that she should make Camdenton by morning or at least be nearing it.  Kristy and I left for the 75 mile ride to Camdenton feeling pretty good.  Cassie had done some amazing things, including overcoming sickness in the desert and then pushing forward to make the Durango cut-off with time to spare.

We were gratefully asleep by 1AM and woke up to the 3:30AM alarm.  Kristy checked on the progress and we were shocked to find out that she was just then approaching Weaubleau, nowhere near her time schedule necessary to meet the Mississippi cut-off time.

We dressed hurriedly and set off in the direction of Weaubleau, hoping to meet up along the way.  Sadly, we had to drive all the way to Weaubleau.  We found her sobbing and surrounded by the rest of the crew.  Some were trying to talk her into continuing.  A relative of hers who actually lives in Weableau looked at me and just shook his head.  

I moved next to her, looked her in the eyes and asked her if she was done.  She nodded, sobbing the whole time.  I then asked her if she felt that she had done the best she could.  She nodded again, telling me how sorry she was for letting everyone down.

How wrong she was!  She let no one down!  Those who were with her had the amazing honor of watching one miracle after another take place!  Many male riders never made it through the desert, let alone do it while sick!

We put her bike on the rack and Rachel called race HQ, letting them know that she was done.  Knowing the type of person that Cassie is, they insisted on hearing it from her.  She could barely squeak the words out.  Tears were streaming down her face to match those pouring from the rest of us.

We drove to Camdenton where I took an extra room and we let her shower and then sleep.  We were ready to do whatever Cassie would ask of us when she woke up.

It was the absolute very least that we could do for a woman who changed our lives.

Next up:  The Epilogue

The Halfway Point!

We had changed shifts a little earlier so when we pulled into the timé station on Ulysses, Tommy, Kat,  and I were in the support vehicle with Mike and Kat-2 in the direct follow vehicle.  Rachel and Kristy were on sleep shift and had checked into a motel down the road.

Waiting for Cassie can be boring.  I kept myself awake by alternately walking around the vehicles and chatting with some wonderful ladies who had volunteered their time and forfeited their comfort to make sure that racers and crews passing tbrough their fine town were properly tended to.

Cassie woke up about thé same time that Rachel and Kristy arrived.  We knew that this was going to be a big day and so made preparations to get underway as soon as possible.

Cassie had a hard time getting going.  She was unsteady on her feet and needed to be walked to a restroom.  Soon her breakfast began to kick in and she was ready to ride.  She took off and Tommy, Kat, and I went to the same motel room that Rachel and Kristy used and we hot bunked.

Later that day, we caught up with the rest of the crew in Pratt, Kansas and made the switch but not before Kat purchased a bunch of party poppérs for the halfway point celebration.

By now there was an horrific crosswind, slowing Cassie down and sometimes almost pushing her into the adjacent lane.

Three hours later, we approached the halfway point and shot ahead so that we could position ourselves for the momentous occasion. 

Cassie flew by as we set off the poppers and cheered.  To her credit, she just kept on pedaling.  We continued to move forward and opted to delay crew change until the next time station in Maize, Kansas. 

Cassie received a makeshift shower behind a Pizza Hut and we put together her cot and bedded her down under the stars.

A couple hours later, Kat and I were sitting on a curb chatting when Cassie woke up SCREAMING!

She began writhing in pain.  Kat got to her first.  Her knees and legs were causing extreme agony.  Kat began massaging while I ran to #1 van for the medical supplies.

We realized that she needed to be in #2 van.  Kat cleared the way and I picked her up and carried over, placing her on the floor just as my arms were losing control.

Because of her long hours cycling, her legs had become very swollen, causing all the pain.  We rigged up a makeshift traction device and Kat began gently massaging her legs.

We soon had her calmed down and let her go back to sleep.  After all, Kat DID promise her three hours of sleep! 

We needed to make sure that she was rested for the big  push to the Mississippi.

Next up:  Onward to the river that made Samuel Clemens famous.

The Continental Divide

After checking in with RAAM HQ Durango around 5AM,, the three vehicles caravaned to the nearest motel. 

June is a busy month for tourism in Durango and beside it being selected as a major check point for  RAAM,  it's also the finish line for the Race Across The West, which runs concurrently with RAAM.

I was able to acquire only  one room.  Cassie got it.  Kat had decided that we should let her take a real shower and then give her tbree hours of sleep. 

We all found nooks and crannies.  I went out to #1 van and got almost a whole hour's rest  in my position seat.

Cassie was roused at 8:30 and we had her out the door by 9:00.  Since we were now #3, the three of us scooted up to the room.  Mike hit the couch, Kristy jumped into the bed, and I curled up on the floor like a puppy.

We were on the road about 2 hours later and caught up with the rest of the crew and Cassie at the bottom of THE climb.  The continental divide separates east and west in the U.S.

The route over this section in the Rocky Mountains took us over 10,000 feet to the summit.  It's a killer if you're a cyclist.

We reached the summit around 4PM and 12 hours later, still riding, Cassie ran out of steam trying to climb one last summit and fell from her bike.  We had to shut her down.

We're in Kansas now.  I'm sitting with some very nice ladies manning a welcome wagon.  It's 4AM and they are demonstrating the kind of volunteer spirit that has made America great.

If only there were more of them in this country.

Next up:  The halfway point!

The Push To Durango

We arrived in Tuba City during the early morning hours.  We changed crews and I start my hotel finding app to find a room.

I was becoming increasingly frustrated because nothing was showing up.  After more attempts I realized that instead of Tuba City, I was searching for hotels in the town of Music Box! 

Kristy, Mike, and myself settled in for some sleep and a shower.  Three hours later, the desk clerk was surprised to see me again and even more surprised to find out that we were checking out.

Cassie had advanced so far that we were not able to catch up to and relieve the direct follow team until after the scheduled shift change!

She was pedaling hard and with determination.  We traversed Utah and entered Colorado, arriving in Cortez around 11PM. 

The push was now on to Durango.  We swtiched to #2 and Tommy and Kat-2 took over direct follow.  We were driving ahead, getting out of the van to shout encouragement, and after she rode by, we would hop back in and repeat the process.

We kept it up all night until we made it to........Durango!

Next up:  The continental divide.

Journey To Prescott

We woke up after a scant few hours' sleep to discover the Cassie was still working her way in.

The struggles through the desert had taken their toll and left Cassie tired and vulnerable.  The route took Cassie on a mountain road complete with bodacious climbs and descents with sharp hairpin turns and "S" curves.

She had broken down several times along the way and there were instances of her walking her bike along the road, unable to pedal anymore.

By the time she arrived at the rendezvous point for crew change, she was in a funk and wanted to rest.  We let her rest but as she approached the maximum limit, she still wasn't ready to go and we had to call race HQ to advise them of the situation.

She finally pulled herself together and we began to move forward at a good pace.  That lasted until the next mountain.  Lots of switchbacks and steep grades.

During one of Cassie's stops, we met two men who were cycling from the opposite direction.  They were from the Tampa area and were cycling to Alaska!  We topped off their water and bade them a safe farewell.

After the descent, we were back into oppressive heat.  The route to Sedona was a sheer struggle with Cassie needing cooling multiple times.  As we approached, however, she perked up and we pushed on to Flagstaff and then Tuba City.

She needs to get to Durango in time to keep on the journey.

If she doesn't, we go home.

Next up:  The Push To Durango

To Brawley And Beyond

When we arrived in Brawley, Cassie had plenty of steam and pressed onward to Blythe.  At the time station there, we had a crew change and my crew switched to #3 vehicle.

We began to move about 75 miles up the  course to our next crew change location and tried to find a motel and get some sleep.  Unfortunately, when we arrived at our new position, there was no nearby motel to be found.  We slept (or attempted to) sitting up in our seats.

When morning arrived, we began to wait for the arrival of Cassie and the support vehicles.  None were to be seen.  Cell phone service was spotty.  We decided that we had found the exact epicenter of nowhere.

Finally, we were able to receive a communication that she was having fits of vomiting and diarrhea.  It's hard to ride a bike like that.  We headed back down the route and caught up with them.  Cassie was a mess.  All vital signs, however were good and after some extra rest time, she announced that she was ready to continue.  An hour later, she vomited again.  She was just plain miserable.

Another costly rest and she had another go at it with the same results.  This time, we made her rest for three hours.  It was a good decision.  This time she was able to kick back into a good rhythm  and we made a crew change halfway between Parker and Salome for her next leg of the race.

She breezed through Salome and continued to Congress, where she took a short nap while the next crew change took place.  The desert flora actually takes on a certain beauty at night.

We were now in #3 vehicle again and so headed to Prescott to find a motel and get a longed-for shower and a real pillow.  Now we just need to see Cassie in Prescott in the morning.

Next up:  Cassie's Battle To Prescott.

Annnnnnd They're Off!

Note:  This was written on Tuesday, June 12th but was unable to find a location in the desert to transmit.

Excitement was high this morning.  I showered at 5 and by the time I walked out, my room mate and vehicle partner, Mike, was already out of the room and getting ready.

By the time I finished fueling the main vehicles, most of the rest of the crew was moving about.  We ate breakfast and proceeded to the vehicles for a final briefing.

All of the electronics were reviewed one more time and we then went right into a review of the medical supplies and how to keep Cassie healthy.  One more review of eating and drinking necessities and a talk about checking the resultant output and we were ready to mount up!

The start area was buzzing with excitement and we were fortunate to be paid a visit by one of Cassie's nutrition experts who gave us some additional instructions.

The racers were introduced and they were off!

We are currently sitting in Christmas Circle in the middle of Borrego Springs, waiting for the arrival of Cassie so that we can change crews.

We're hoping that she has enough stuff to make it to Brawley before she needs to shut down.

I think she will.

Next up:  To Brawley and beyond!

The Final Preparations

It's now coming down to the wire.

I just returned to the motel after having had all kinds of stuff printed.  Some are logos to go on the vehicles so that our sponsors can be properly recognized.  Other docs include Cassie info for each crew member so that all will know what to do in an emergency and the dietary supplements that she will need, when she will need them, and in what quantity.

We will be relying, of course, on our trained medical professional to make decisions about Cassie's health and well being but we all need to keep an eye on her for signs of fatigue, dehydration, and exhaustion.

We passed the safety check this morning with flying colors!  After a celebratory Mexican lunch, we were back at race headquarters for our final safety meeting.  One more crew meeting at 5PM at HQ and Cassie will be cleared to race tomorrow.

The rest of the crew has been spit up into two scavenger teams, hunting down the last of the items that we will need as well as enough groceries to carry through for a couple of days or so.

Cassie is rip-roaring ready and it looks like everyone is confident and understands our single-mindedness of purpose.

After our 5PM meeting at HQ, we will have our last dinner in California and have our own last team meeting before race day.  Everyone needs to be on the same page.  There's no turning back.  It will be time to turn to our training.

We will learn tomorrow if our training has been good enough.

Next up:  Annnnnnd they're off!

Packing It All In

There's stuff.  There''s lots of stuff.  There's two weeks' worth of luggage for eight people that has to fit somewhere.  And that's just for starters.  The photo above is the inside of van #1.  It's Cassie's immediate direct support vehicle.

There's voltage inverters, coolers, PA and sound systems, tools, spare bike parts, bandages, vitamins, energy drinks, markers, and even socks that we're not going to wear.  We'll put ice in them, seal the ends with string, and drape them around Cassie's neck to help keep her cool while she's riding through the desert.

The crazy part is that we're not even done.  We still need to load up on groceries and other assorted sundries for the first leg of the race.

On the plus side, our entire team is now assembled and we are beginning to feel each other out.  We've come from all over the country, including Mike, a North Carolinian who answered a Facebook plea for an extra body.

I think that we're all going to work well together.  Kat has been the mainstay, as we pretty much figured she would be.  Cassie has been beaming all day.  Her greatest desire is about to come true!  She was just beaming up a storm earlier and we are getting closer and closer.

We checked in at race headquarters today and received our packets.  Lots of stuff had to be placed on the three support vehicles.  Tomorrow we have to take them all down to headquarters for inspection.  All the signage has to meet specifications and all the safety equipment has to be in place and functioning.

It took the rest of the afternoon to put twenty-four mandated signs on the vehicles and we still have to get our sponsors on them tomorrow sometime.  Breakfast and meeting in the morning followed by inspection and crew briefing at headquarters.  Lots to do with little time until Cassie begins the race.

The excitement is building.  Tuesday can't come soon enough.

Next up:  The final preparations.

Putting It All Together

The purpose of our first organizational meeting last November was to create a fundraising event at local fitness centers with the proceeds benefiting a variety of local non-profits who specialized in helping vets with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The idea was to get folks to pedal stationary bikes (spin) 262 mnutes......one minute for every Ohioan killed in action since 9/11.  Getting people interested was easy.  Getting fitness centers involved was another story.  

Cassie was amazing.  She did the lion's share of promoting.  Life Center Plus in Hudson and it's kingpin, Jerry Lynch was driving us forward and wouldn't let up!  Jerry put his staff and his PR guru on it. It was all I could do to strap myself in and hang on.

The event took place on February 26th, the anniversary of Andy's death and was a huge success.  We had 12 fitness centers involved and raised over $14,000!  It just goes to show what can happen when a group of good people get together for an even better cause.  I was truly impressed and humbled.  Our website, Pedal For Heroes USA got a lot of traffic.  The Andy Nowacki Foundation's website was linking to the site as was others.

A month later Sheila, my wife, and I headed down to Tallmadge to be Cassie's keynote speakers at her fundraiser for RAAM.  It was a terrific event and, most importantly, raised lots of bucks for Cassie's quest.  You need lots of money to cover all the expenses in a race like this.

It was there that I met Kat.  Kat the crew chief.  Sometimes I think Cassie had us speak just so we could meet Kat and raise my comfort level.  Kat exceeded my expectations and I just knew that she was going to be able to put it all together and take us from Oceanside to Annapolis safely with care and efficiency.  

I'll be convening with most of my mates for this journey shortly.  Kat and Cassie put the team together with skill and a level of wisdom that belies their ages.

It's time to begin putting it all together.

Next up:  Packing it all in

Meeting Cassie

Even if you lost a finger in some bizarre accident, you'd still have enough digits left on one hand to count the number of women riding solo in RAAM this year.  Included in this unique and very elite RAAM 2012 group is Cassie Schumacher.

Right around a year ago, Bill and Jane Monreal invited me and my wife, Sheila, to a baseball game.  Among their invitees was an energetic lady named Cassie.  The meeting was not by chance.  Bill and Jane specifically wanted us to meet and interact with Cassie.  They knew of Cassie's ambition to ride and win RAAM 2012 and instinctively felt that we would be able to help her in her quest and take her desire to help veterans to a new level.

Today, Cassie speaks glowingly of that first meeting but back then I could tell right off the bat (we were, after all, at a baseball game) that she really didn't quite know what to make of me, especially after she watched me convince a police chief in attendance that she was going to ride across the country on a unicycle!

In spite of her initial reaction, the Monreals had read us both correctly and we bonded.  The fix, as they say, was in.  The bond was, at first, tenuous until the day that Cassie asked for help in taking to fruition an idea she had to raise money for vets.  The bond strengthened at our organizational meeting in November of 2011and has grown stronger ever since.

Several months later, she asked me to be part of her crew for RAAM 2012.  I knew how much this race meant to her and so promised her that I would make every effort to clear my schedule.  The schedule is now cleared and I will soon be on my way to participate in this great adventure.

Having been around the block hundreds, nay, thousands of times, little excites me.  I'm excited.

Next up:  Putting it all together