I head out for California tomorrow to start the final prep for Meurig's RAAM attempt. I'll be working the 12 hour night shift with Meurig's wife Kristie and a bike club friend Kevin the ex-seminarian psychologist. Should be good times between 7 and 7. There are 10 of us on the crew all told. 3 person night crew, 3 person day crew and 4 people running logistical support with an RV where we'll do cooking, some sleeping and some washing. Conveniently, Kristie's cousin is a massage therapist and will be on hand to pummel the cramps out of Meruig, and maybe the rest of us.
I'm kind of on the fence about how enjoyable I think the experience is going to be. I've seen Bicycle Dreams, and it looks like the majority of the trip will be pretty dull, interspersed with moments of panic or frustration. That said, I have absolute faith in Meurig's ability to get the job done. The guy is looking fantastic and has the constitution and mental strength to get across the country. As he put it "I'm just an engine, mate." You can check out the crazies that do this thing in the trailer here.
Despite the anticipated boredom, I'm actually a bit bummed that I won't be crewing the whole event. My Cadillac benefits package from the government is pretty crummy when it comes to vacation time and I was only able to take 5 days of vacation for this. I'll be bailing out in Wichita KS. The flights hopefully won't be too expensive and I'll take a moment to scrawl an image of the divine Flying Spaghetti Monster on the road before heading home. The cool thing is that we're going to try to give live updates as often as possible on our way across the country. I'll be twittering the shit out of the ride at 3 in the morning, so make sure your phone is set to silent mode if you follow along.
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