The fifth Adirondack 540 RAAM Qualifier and fundraiser for The Adirondack Council was run on September 17-19, 2004. The race is a 136-mile loop which begins and ends in Ticonderoga, NY, which is about 260 miles north of New York City. The RAAM Qualifier consists of four laps; run concurrently are 3, 2, and 1 lap races allowing newcomers to the sport to race less intimidating distances.

The course has very little distance that I would consider flat. Officially there are 7,100 feet of climbing per lap. Most of the course is within the Adirondack State Park. Road surface is excellent with most of the route having a good shoulder. The exception is a 10-mile stretch between North Hudson and Serverance. I dreaded this stretch for the pounding I received from the broken concrete surface.

What you will read is a biased rendition of the race, as I was only privy to the race as it unfolded around me. I have peppered the rest of the report with comments from Sarah Davis, Jim Melville, and Michael Lau.

Pre-race
I arrived in Ticonderoga mid afternoon on Thursday with my crew of Michael Lau (crew chief), Jim Morris and Trevor Stocki from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. After some last minute shopping, we prepared the support vehicle, checked the bicycles and went to the riders meeting at the Hot Biscuit. There was no pasta on the menu, so my crew chief sent me and the rest of my crew off to find some Italian food, while he stayed at the information session. We found an Italian Restaurant and Trevor and I order Ziti with Meatballs for supper. Why would you care what I had for supper? Well it turned out that that Ziti and Meatballs would be the fuel which powered me around the course. Just like Pavlov's dog I knew that upon the completion of a lap and at the discretion of the support crew I would be awarded with a half portion of Ziti and one Meatball. The "Meatball" was my carrot for this event.

"Upon the completion of a lap and at the discretion of the support crew I would be awarded with a half portion of Ziti and one Meatball."

Sixteen riders assembled Friday morning in the parking lot to hear race director John Ceceri's last instructions. I took my usual start position at the back of the pack. Traffic was halted by crew members and volunteers and we were off. I could hear Mike Lau yelling "Take it easy and warm up . . . " Somehow I ended up the fifth or sixth rider on the course. As we gradually climbed out of Ticonderoga I kept telling myself take it easy!

Lap One
Sarah Davis beautifully summarized the first lap: "The first lap was great. I rode mostly with the riders who were only doing one lap. The course seemed to only have three or four major climbs, some great down hills, it was sunny, warm, and the landscape was beautiful. I really enjoyed seeing the fall colors, the waterfalls and beautiful vistas."

My only encounter with Sarah was after Elisabethtown where she caught up to me after her stop. After a few minutes of chatter she briskly disappeared up Mount Hurricane never to be seen again. She did instill in me some envy for her climbing abilities. As I approached Lake Placid half-way around the 136-mile loop I started to see a rider up ahead as the road zigged and zagged. It was Ken Silvestri; he was the second of three riders I meet while on course. We traded off positions for the last half of that lap. Ken, being a lot brighter then I. stopped after completing the one lap event. Lap one completed with no noticeable aches or pains. Success!

"Ken, being a lot brighter then I, stopped after successfully completing the one lap event."

Lap Two
While my crew reported my lap time I started the second lap. Traffic was heavier on the leg along Lake Champlain as commuters headed home for the weekend. I was also anticipating my first substantial meal. My crew asked when I would like supper, I controlled myself and suggested at the shoreline park in Newport, which was still about 45 minutes up the road. Arriving in Newport I dropped my bike and sat in the sag to devour my half portion of Ziti and Meatball. I was informed I would get the other half upon completing the second lap.

As I rode on light sprinkles started around Saint Hubert. Undaunted I carried on for a while before putting on my rain jacket. It rained from there to Ticonderoga; fortunately I managed to stay warm and mentally upbeat. Entering Ticonderoga I made a beeline for the motel for a shower and the rest of my pasta reward. Mike Lau woke me after 90 minutes and I ate breakfast to the sounds of rain pelting on the motel's roof.

Sarah later recalled the second lap: "The last half of the second lap was miserable. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of getting hypothermia if I stopped and having a nice hot shower in Ticonderoga if I kept going. I started to dread the downhill-truck signs because I could not work hard enough on the down hills to stay warm."

Lap Three
Before I knew what was happening I was on the bike heading north. Was it ever raining! There were rivers of water running down the hills. If it had been daylight I would have seen a wake behind my front wheel. Eventually the sun rose and the rain ceased.

The next goal was the Wilmington checkpoint for a rendezvous with my beloved wife Colleen and my fellow Randonneuse Patti Von Niessen. As usual I kept Colleen waiting. They backtracked along the course and found me about 15 miles from the checkpoint. When they stopped my crew to chat, paranoia was setting in -I knew that they were talking about me. At the checkpoint I changed into dry clothes and shoes. Colleen and Patti foraged two breakfast sandwiches and hash browns. Mike had trained me well. I only ate half of my ration and Mike cached the rest in the support vehicle. After bidding Adieu to the ladies I was off to finish the lap.

Even though my pace had dropped I was feeling well both physically and mentally. On this lap I briefly saw Kathy Ceceri who had suffered a flat tire. My crew helped get her back on the road. The weather was excellent when I reached to top of the ridge before plunging into Ticonderoga. I could see Killington on the spine of the Green Mountain in the distance. Pleasant and unpleasant thoughts from past BMB rides flooded in upon seeing the Green Mountains.

Lap Four
Not a cloud in the sky as I turn north towards Newport. I was alone again as the crew changed and reported my lap time. It was going to be a long ride up to Newport as I settled in to fight a very strong headwind. I have never seen three to four foot white caps on Lake Champlain before. I again was looking forward to Ziti and Meatball at Newport. When I suggested it to Mike I was told "No Meatball for you until dark. You will make better progress in daylight." he said. Why does he always have to be right?

"No Meatball for you until dark."

I toiled up Hurricane Mountain and started the long descent into Keene. All of a sudden I experienced a shimmy. Fortunately I was coherent enough to clamp my thighs on the crossbar thereby stopping the dance before anything serious happened. At the bottom of the descent, very awake, I figured out that the cause of the shimmy was not the bike, but my shivering! At Keene, as promised, I had supper at a convenience store.

After several clothing changes I finally arrive at Wilmington. John Ceceri was manning the checkpoint. Out of morbid curiosity I asked if the lead rider had finished. He informed me that I was the lead rider. Mike and Trevor also agreed with John that I was in the lead. Paranoia now really set in. Are they just saying that to keep me moving?

Remember the clear skies? Let me tell you did it ever get cold! According to Mike the temperatures got down as low as 35°F. This is where my suffering began; I thought I would never get to the finish line. Jim Melville told me that he switched to insulated hiking boots in a pair of toe clip pedals. After descending into Keene we stopped and I had a 10-minute nap while the crew prepared some hot noodles. After eating and warming up in the vehicle I added some additional clothing and continued towards Ticonderoga.

I was crawling. After a while I figured that shifting out of the 30-tooth granny chain ring was a wasted effort, as I was only able to spin the taller gears for very short periods of time. It took forever to reach North Hudson and then I suffered the indignity of bouncing through the potholes and cracks. What kept me going was the sight of my shadow cast by the support vehicle headlights. My shadow became my pacer as I tried to forge ahead. You cannot get DQed for drafting yourself? Can you?

Upon turning for the final leg of the race I stopped. Mike jumped out of the support vehicle and offered me a "PayDay" bar or banana. Before I could choose he shoved half a banana into my mouth. I had regressed into a child fed by my handlers. All semblance of dignity was gone. Eventually they announced from the support vehicle only 15 kilometers to the finish. Unfortunately most of that was uphill. Cresting the last ridge they gave me a plastic bag to shove underneath my jacket for the two-mile descent to the finish. A quick look back to see if anyone was gaining and off I went coasting, soaking in the scenery and the accomplishment of finishing a very hard ride. None of this would have been possible without the hard work my crew put in to insure that I made it to the end.

David George, Sarah Davis, and Jim Melville all finished the 548-mile four-lap event. Sarah was the first woman ever to finish! Sarah, Jim and I qualified for RAAM. I wonder how many meatballs it takes to get to Atlantic City?

A big thanks from all of us to all the organizers for putting on such a great event.