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.