Thanks to Point to Point Communication

Team Racer Sportif had a fantastic group of sponsors that supported Paul Millar and Mark Herbst successful 6 day 23 hours and 21 minute victory across the USA. I would like to personally pay my gratitude on behalf of Team Racer Sportif to Point to Point Communication for supplying us with the radios that kept everyone in vital contact with one another. Cam, once again a BIG thank you.
Jamie/

Paul's knee

When you cycle 4800 km, there is always a chance that a cyclist will take a spill. Paul's front tire hit some rough road work repair and took him down. Paul got right back up and kept cycling. He ask me to take this photo of his knee.

Back in the Saddle (again).

For RAAM cyclists there are many hurdles. Sleep deprivation. Lack of proper nutrition. Keeping hydrated. However, probably the most uncomfortable is where the skin meets the saddle. No matter how well you prepare and maintain & apply creams eventually when two objects rub against one another, friction takes over.

How does an Experienced Cyclist remain calm before a big Event ?

For Mark Herbst of Horseshoe Valley, he absorbs everything. Processes all the information he can from competitors and Race Officials. He looks cool & relaxed, but that brain of his (like Peyton Manning) is continually evaluating data. I think this picture of Mark sums it up pretty well. This if the Friday before the commencement of the race. Mark is thinking :
[a] how many bananas have i eaten this morning ?
[b]"I'm suntanning my legs from the knees down, while i have the opportunity".
[c] Jeez, the Crew is working pretty hard.
[d] "Let me know if you guys need the back of the van for anything?"

Chatting with Team 202

Mark Herbst & Paul Millar finished well under 8 Days. In fact they were ten hours under their personal goal. The second place team from Indiana know as Team 202 were tough & fast and at times worried our Team especially when we found out they had made up gobs of time after the climbs in Colorado. In this photo Mark & Paul share their congratulations with their rivals.
for more immediate phots of Racer Sportif ; go to FB Racer Sportif - Race Across America.

6 days 23 hours 21minutes

Mark & Paul have crossed the finish line with a new record in their age category for a two man team. Exhausted, sleepy and hungry. The last night in the mountains of West Virgina, Maryland were tough. §ignage was tough to spot plus the climbs were not easy even for thesr two strong hil climbets. More stories to come

in West Virgina

Racer sportif is about & 374 miles to the finish line. Hanging in there.

Ohio tonite

About a hour ago we left Greensburg Indiana. Now on our way to Oxford Ohio. Paul is on the bike right now. Mark is being worked on by Jason the Chiropractor.

What a ride.

Its thursday almost noon. We are just inside illinos.mark & paul are doing incredible. Both have very tender backsides. Dlast nite we had to manage a unexpected route change. Talk about hairy.both riders are eating well. Last nite mark ate a gallon of pasta @ paul had a big mac & chocolate milkshake. We are apparently about 11 hrs ahead of 2 man record. I got 3 hrs sleep lasy nite which is about avg for a 24 hr period. Looking forward to a shower. Yeah.
We have been passing some of the soloist now. They are brave people & maybe just a liitle eccentric. Mark says shoot me if i ever say i want to do raam solo. Some of the 4 & 8 man teams just look in disbelief when they see the racer sportif two man team. More to come.

new update in missouri

We are about 55 mi ahead of team 202. Yes!

47 km per hr

Yesterday paul & mark with a viscious tail wind were averaging plus 40 speeds thro kansas.

new update20

In Colardo. Team ra er sportif and team.202 are neck neck.

doing well

Update. In flagstaff. Covered 535 mi & 2453 mi to go. Mark & paul are currently breaking the two man record by 4 hours.

it all starts today

Breakfast is at 8am. Some last minute grocery shopping and then Paul and Mark will set off. Their strategy go easy fo the first twenty miles and then giv'er. Justkidding of course. They plan to play it cool and conserve energy.

in oceanside, CA

Race check in is tomorrow riders and crew are tired.

Team Racer Sportif

At YYZ waitint for flight to San Diego.

Paul & Mark say 'thanks'.

With little less than a few days before we start the race, we thought we would say a few things about our final preparation.

Firstly, a big thanks goes out to all our core sponsors that have helped get us to this point. Mattamy Homes has been instrumental in providing us with vehicle support in the form of an RV for the race and the use of one of their vans as a support vehicle. Thank you very much to Peter Gilgan for providing us with this and a special thanks to Ken of Mattamy Homes that got everything prepped for us. Thanks also goes to Telus, the Euromart Group, Gracious Living, Cenit, Skylark Mortgages, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Thor Motors, York London Holdings(Mark to include other names...!!) for providing both financial support and materials that will help us during this race. We would not be at the start line without all your help. An additional thanks goes to all the staff at Racer Sportif that have kept us on the road during the training months and worked tirelessly to put "Pedal for Prostate" together. Finally, both Mark and I want to extend a special thank you to all our volunteers for donating their time and energy in helping us stage this race. Currently, we have Mike Carter and Michelle Lydon driving from Toronto to San Diego with all our equipment and this is a long and arduous journey and we wouldn't be able to get things going without their help! In addition thanks to Point to Point Communications (Cam) & Brad McConnell for the loan of the radio communications.

To all those individuals and corporations that have gone on line and supported Pedal for Prostate and our ride at www.teamprostatecancer.ca, a thank you for your generosity. This ride is about raising awareness for the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer. We can save lives by getting the message out. Our fellow rider, Dennis Mizerski is battling this disease and our efforts are dedicated toward his speedy recovery!

A special thank you goes to my morning training partners that have gotten up at 6 am in all kinds of weather to make this happen when i am sure they would have preferred to stay in bed! Thank you to both Michael McKee and Robert Wilson for the many miles and loops up Sydenham Hill! Additionally, Jody Boyton at Extreme Fitness has been a great help in designing a fitness programme that is tailored to endurance.(Mark to add his thank you's in here!)

Finally, to our families, thank you for the love and support and patience in this endeavour. I would like to say this is the last of this type of event, but if you know us, then you know that we are probably planning something new down the line!

Best Regards

Paul Millar & Mark Herbst

The Road Crew

For 4800 km from San Diego to Baltimore, Maryland the Racer Sportif Team has a great Support Crew. They are starting with Crew Chief, Jackie Herbst, Paul Herbst, Peter Joksimovic, Gord Walklate, Heather Friesen, Jason Porr and yours truly, Jamie Nielsen.
The logistics and rules are far beyond my original thoughts. The Crew must be alert and pay attention to detail all the time as penalties will cause a competitive team to lose. In reading throught the 45 page RAAM rule book, I was somewhat taken by surprise that the RAAM committee found it necessary to actually have to type into the official rule book item #12 on pg.25.
Push on Finish Strong.

Five days until "8 Days"

Heart beats are beginning to rise. The race crew is reading through their 48 page rule book. Bags are being packed. The caravan of equipment departed last Saturday. We have five days until the gun sounds. For those who are interested there will be an athlete tracker. Go to www.myathletetracker.com and enter Racer Sportif.

Paul Millar 900 Km per Week

Training in the Millar camp has been going well. We participated in the Pedal for Prostate last week and ensured that the tempo was raised enough to have all the participants focused on the finish line! The last 50 k was up and down over a gruelling route near Beeton. Two things you quickly figure out about early Canadian settlement, 1. The pioneers were definitely "God-Fearing" and 2. They placed their churches on the top of hills to be as close to heaven as possible! Suffice it to say, the Pedal for Prostate was multi-denominational!

In terms of my own training, I discarded many of the "long distance cycling manuals" right from the start because they seemed to leaving out the two most salient points: (1)Working and (2) Meeting family obligations! I am of course grateful to Ontario for throwing in my most consistent training partner, the weather! I would therefore like to term the past months more as one of survival against the elements, than a measured incremental increase in endurance and distance! In short, i have been averaging between 800-1000k per week based on a 60/40 rule where 60% is long endurance at a low to moderate heart rate and an average speed in the low 30's and the balance of 40%, race-pace, speed work and hill repeats to build endurance and strength.

The body has been following along with my usual weight of 177lbs dropping to about 170-172lbs and an increase in lean body mass. I have completely avoided alcohol, as I figured that this would only exacerbate the training and could lead to getting run down. On the positive side, my clients claim to have saved a fortune in wine-bills and are stepping up in the donation department!

We are sponsored by SIS in terms of fluid additives and I absolutely am sold on the NOCTE recovery product that really helps in terms of training hard day after day. Their recovery drink is equally good and stops the lingering fatigue that accompanies the heavy load of mileage.

A shout out to my Toronto training partner, Mike McKee, who has been getting up at 5 am for both long rides, hills and speed work! The people at the local Starbuck's on Royal York think we are certifiable and cannot seem to see how we find any of this remotely enjoyable.

Looking forward to starting the race and riding through some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet!

15 days until 8 days

Paul & Mark have been training like ten men. Mark did 432 km two saturdays ago. i believe he told me from 6am til 10pm. I haven't seen Paul for awhile, but i have never seen Mark look so lean. These boys are ready. Equipment is being packed. Rules, regulations, routes are being reviewed & processed. 8 Days is around the corner.

Herbst makes it Hurt (for the rest of us).

Mark Herbst is a machine. 27 days to the start of RAAM in San Diego. Herbst is ready. I caught up with him last friday at the Second Cup in Georgian Mall. I suspose it had been 10 days since I last physically saw him. My first words were, "how much weight have you lost?". Mark replied, "incredibly, none, but many inches off my waist". In order for him not to be arrested for indecent exposure Mark wears two belts around his pants to prevent them slipping down to his ankles. I still can't believe he hasn;t dropped ten pounds or more for that matter. Mark insists he is at the same weight as he was for his Ironmans. The hours, days & nights of training have burned the fat right from his body. I'm sure his power to weight ratio is at an all time best. Mark has just returned from Lake Placid where he enjoyed cycling in the rain. This past Saturday he was knocking off 400 km, (no big deal) the equilvalent of 2.2 Ironman distances.
Mark, do me a favour take Victoria Day off and go have a milkshake.

Q & A with Paul Millar

This morning we feature Paul Millar of Team Racer Sportif. I had the opportunity to ask Paul a little about himself.
8Days Blog - Paul do you remember the very first bike you had?
Paul - My first bike that I purchased with the proceeds from delivering the Toronto Star was a black Peugeot 10 speed bike. The fact that I had worked so hard to find the money to buy it ensured that I looked after it meticulously. The bike had a black leather Brooks saddle and I use to take long rides up to Stouffville Ontario and back to my home in Toronto.

8Days Blog - Paul what is your all time favourite dish ?
Paul - Unquestionably, my favourite food is "veal Milanese" with a side of linguini and tomato sauce. I'm not sure that they know how to serve this up on "Death Row"!

8Days Blog - How did you first get into racing?
Paul - I was introduced to Racer Sportif when I first returned to Canada in 1997. The Sunday ride use to be up to King City and back at a reasonable pace. Over the years, the older we have all gotten, the longer and faster we have become.

8Days Blog - Paul, let's turn the subject to music. You mention you had recently seen Paul Simon at Massey Hall. What are your top three favourtie musical recordings & artists?
Paul - My three most prized albums would be: "My Song", by Keith Jarrett, "Crime of the Century" by Supertramp and "Graceland" by Paul Simon.

8Days Blog - What is your favourit spot in the world? The city you enjoy the most let'say?
Paul - I lived for over twenty years in London, England and several years in New York City. ideally, I would split my time between the two!

8Days Blog - Paul what is your next dream bike? [and i know you enjoy the Aquila but for this answer you cannot answer "Aquila"].
Paul - I love to mountain bike and therefore, would love to replace my Specialized EPIC that I use to own!

8Days Blog - Paul when you're not on your bike, what are your hobbies ?
Paul - My passion outside of riding, is reading: books, journals, magazines, newspapers! Nothing beats finishing a long ride and lying on the couch with the New York Times on a Sunday.

8Days Blog - Paul in your opinion what is Canada's most scenic & beautiful province/territory?
Paul - I have had the good fortune to have cycled through much of Canada and as awe inspiring as both the West Coast and the mountains of the Interior, I was absolutely floored by the scenery along Lake Superior near Rossport! The ride through Montreal River is one that every cyclist in Ontario should experience!

8Days Blog - Paul what is your hockey team? Predators? Ducks? Flyers?
Paul - I am a "die-hard" Habs fan. My mother immigrated to Canada in the Fifties and thought the then Canadiens were the best example of great sportsmanship! And sadly, I can remember when the Leafs last one the Cup!

8Days Blog - Do you remember one particular over the top celebrity and perhaps the circumstance surrounding that meeting?
Paul - I have sat next to so many over the years whilst traveling for business, no one really stands out, except that they snore as loudly as the rest of us!

8Days Blog - What is the motivating factor behind long distance cycling and competition?
Paul - Anyone that has ever trained and accomplished a sporting goal irrespective of placement, knows the satisfaction of this accomplishment. Why do I ride and train at Midnight in the dark? Because i actually enjoy both the 'ride" and the "finish".

8Days Blog - Thank you Paul. We are just over a month away to the start of the Race Across America. We will catch up with you soon.

drill on Canadian soil

Paul Millar had come from a Paul Simon Concert at Massey Hall, Mark Herbst was putting together the "safety sign" for the support vehicles. At the Herbst house in Horseshoe, we went over the 700 km, 12 hour practice drill. Paul and Mark are serious cyclists. Paul did RAAM a few years ago and has been doing 5 am runs to Oakville and back from his Toronto home each day before work in this cold & rainy spring weather. Mark, i have personaly trained with and can honestly say this man who has lived on this planet for 55 years has a body of a 30 year old. The mission today was to get the flavour of exchange, food, map reading, and everthing else that might come our way. My name is Jamie Nielsen and I'm one of support crew. I will be keeping you up to date on "8 Days" the time Mark and Paul hope to conquer this feat. and Win.