Hooked on the TA Bike Race

Currently there are two races crossing the country, the well established RAAM (Race Across America) and the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race. In both races recumbent cycling is represented. I enjoy tracking both races but I am hooked on the Trans Am Bike Race. It captures the spirit of not only adventure cycling but cycling in general.

The RAAM is comprised of racers who have qualified via other races and distant events. It requires a substantial investment and is heavily supported by team personal and follow vehicles. It represents the ultimate in long distance racing and is a fantastic event to follow.  It is a race pure and simple.

On the other hand the Trans Am Bike Race is a race but at it's core is adventure. It's an adventure that every cyclist can dream of participating in, all that's needed is the will and the legs. Anyone can race and the investment is small and the prize is huge...bragging rights. Support is prohibited, no help from friends or family. It's a lonely 4000 miles. The basic rules are simple you start and you finish and no support in between except for what any racer can commercially pick up along the way. Although the route is mapped out the official route is the shortest possible route between the start and finish.

The Trans Am Bike Race represents the true spirit of cycling. What cyclist hasn't felt the cool breeze in their face and wished they could ride on forever. I have and maybe someday I will, when my body stops breaking down on me. For now I'll ride vicariously with an eclectic group of cyclists racing across country with nothing but sky above and their thoughts to guide them.

Some of the Trans Am racers may not be the fastest and some not the youngest but they're all out racing for the adventure and the prize. 

Follow Johnny Williams "Rocketman" on the Trans Am Bike Race here (my post with links).

Trans Am Race Starts

The Trans Am Bike Race started early this morning. Bent rider Johnny Williams aka Rocketman started out strong on his Gold Rush. Check for updates and information by clicking on the Trans Am Bike Race poster in the right hand column of my blog or click here.

GO "ROCKETMAN"!!

Some Catrike Expedition Tweaks

In addition to some earlier modifications I made on my Expedition (Expedition Upgrades) I recently lightened up the Beast, installed a new Tubus Logo Evo rear rack and tweaked the front derailleur mast. I also run 1.35 inch Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on all three wheels (front 35-406 and rear 35-559). They make a noticeable difference in the handling and speed compared with the old 1.75 inch Marathon Plus tires I had on before. These are nice tires and I'm not sacrificing puncture protection for better performance.

I eliminated the trunk bag and now I put my daily ride stuff in the side bags with plenty of room to spare. I usually ride with the Ortlieb panniers so I can stop and pick up some groceries or whatever while on my leisurely rides with the Expedition. I also eliminated the boom bag. It was just a place to put junk I didn't need on a day ride.

Rear view of the Tubus Logo Evo (link to Bike Bag Shop) rack. The side rails of the rack lean inward at the top bringing the load (in my case groceries) closer the center line of the trike for better stability. With my old rack the panniers would lean out at the top when loaded. The panniers are mounted low on a secondary bar. The lower mounting position allows for the load to be carried lower and more stable. The top platform of the Evo is narrow and doesn't work well with most trunk bags. Most trunk bags may wobble a bit. I solved that problem by simply realizing I don't need a trunk bag. Now's there room to lash down another bag or two like an Ortlieb Rack Pack (link to Bike Bag Shop) on top of the rack. The Evo is rated to carry 88 pounds (40kg).

The Tubus installation is easy. The attachment bars can be ordered in different sizes. The clamps on the seat bar are from the Hostel Shoppe.

Not only have I reduced the weight of the Beast I think it looks better.

My view from the picnic table at the park. On the post is a barn owl nesting box.

I also tweaked the derailleur mast to better accommodate the MTB crank I use on the Beast. I had to grind off the cable stop to allow the derailleur to slide down the mast to line up better with the smaller size of the MTB chain rings. I added a "clamp on" cable stop lower down on the mast. The "clamp on" cable stop needed a little machining to get it to line up better with the derailleur. It's not perfect but it works well, for now.
I use a MTB crank to get lower gears for climbing without using a mechanical drive such as a Schlumph Mountain Drive. 

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BTW - This is how to fully load a Tubus Logo Evo rack. Just throw stuff on it.

RAAM 2014

SOLO Riders Start June 10th.

Jacquie Schlitter will racing in the RAAM with four different recumbent brands. It "may sound unusual but perhaps it’s not as risky as I first thought.  According to Team Jac Attack, Jacquie is wickedly fast on all of them.  Having four different bike choices will give her a lot of latitude if any comfort issues come into play.    That’s my theory anyway.  It will be fun to watch how the four-bike option plays out."

Links

- RAAM Leader board here.

- Live tracking via Tractalis here.

Jacquie has many links. I'll put them all up in order of what seems relevant.

- Jacquie's RAAM Facebook page here. 

- Jacquie's news page here. 

- Jacquie's personal Facebook page here.

- Buy raffle tickets here. Jacquie is 

 raffling off five different recumbents.

- "3000 Miles to a Cure" Facebook here.

- Jacquie's "3000 Miles to the Cure" webpage here.

- Jacquie's Blog here.

Updates

6/20/14

Jacquie drops out race.

Reposted from RAAM Facebook page here.

From John Schlitter: 

"Jackie is ok. Mother Nature won this round. The winds in Kansas took too much out of her. She had to dig so deep to make the Mississippi cutoff. I screwed up the the recovery sleep plan and it left us in the hole. This make it difficult to to take advantage of the Illinois and Indiana friendly terrain where she could have let it rip. It came down to killing herself to get close or be smart and pull the plug. Life is too short to take too far. As for the bike drawing we will talk with Maria Parker tomorrow and let everyone know the plan. Jacquie is so grateful for everyones love and support."

6/14/14

RAAM race video. Jacquies segment starts at minute 1:30 and ends at 5:54. 

6/10/14

Jacquie is off. Watch her start.

6/9/14

- Jacquie Schlitter at the Race Across America Press Conference June 9, 2014

"I have just the most incredible group of caring and supporting individuals here, just very lucky. And we're here to support 3000 Miles to a Cure which is a brain cancer research charity that Maria Parker started last year during her RAAM. My goal is to continue to raise funds for this charity. It's very important and dear to my heart. My husband lost his sister earlier this year and Maria's sister is still struggling with brain cancer right now."  

6/5/14

Video interview

Trans Am Race 2014

RACE STARTS June 7th 5:00am Astoria, Oregon. 

Bent rider Johnny Williams aka Rocketman is riding his Gold Rush long wheel base recumbent bike in the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race. Unlike the RAAM (Race Across America) this is an non-supported race, every racer is on their own!

Links

- Track Johnny live here at Track Leaders via Spot.

- Johnny "Rocketman" Williams blog here.

- Trans Am Bike Race 2014 website  here.

- Trans Am Bike Race Facebook here.

- Follow the filming of the Trans Am Race    "Inspired to Ride" on their Facebook page here. 

- Bent Rider forum Trans Am thread here.

UPDATES 

6/17/14
Johnny was forced to drop out for medical reasons. Check Bent Rider here for details.
Well done Johnny!!
You.re still the Rocketman!!

6/14/14
Johnny checked in at his blog and updated his here.

6/13/14
Good update by CarbonBob at Bent Rider here.

6/12/14
Some serious climbing ahead. Checkout the "Elevation Plot" on the live tracker here.

6/8/14
Johnny is at Mile 397 as of 8:30 this morning. He is in the middle of the pack while the two leaders (half Johnny's age) are approaching the 700 mile mark. It looks like he is currently 17th place out of 43 riders. Checkout the live tracker here.

6/7/14
Trans Am Bike started this morning and Johnny is out with a strong start. His official start time is 05:00:33am (PDT) Now just a few thousand miles more to go!
Track Johnny here via Spot

6/6/14
Johnny "Rocketman" final preparation from Johnny's  blog post June 5th.

Australian International Pedal Prix

The 2014 Australian International Pedal Prix events started in early May and will continue through September for a total of five events at various locations. The first  four events are 6 hour races. The final event is a 24 hour race. All teams must represent a school and their vehicles must have three wheels and a recumbent style seat.

The Australian International Pedal Prix series provides "an environment in which young people can demonstrate:  Innovation, Risk taking, Collaborative learning, Confidence, Appreciation, Behavior appropriate to the spirit of the event."

Visit the Pedal Prix website here. Or even better visit their Facebook here for up to date information and pictures.

2014 AIPP Round 1 Loxton

Steve's Fully Loaded 700

I've never thought of the Catrike 700 as a touring trike but Steve over at the Trike Asylum makes it look pretty cool. I could see touring on a properly set up 700 along the lines of what Steve put together with the addition of a Schumpf mountain drive to go along with the big 700 wheel. I've become very comfortable with my 700's 25 degree seat angle. I feel I can get more power to the pedals and breath easier. I look forward to reading what Steve has to say when he takes his next tour. 

Visit Steve's Trike Asylum Catrike 700 page here and check all the pictures.