Introducing Some of the RAAM Crew

The Cycling for Cameron Team has an incredible crew of 13 people - yes, THIRTEEN - who are managing the logistics of the cross country trip. We’d like to introduce you to a few of them, in their own words: 

John Rennison: I got involved because my crazy friend Monica Scholz called and said she got asked to be on a crew and they were looking for more people. Was I interested? Well, I haven't done anything crazy in a while and have been known to follow Monica off a cliff before.

Monica and I have known each other for more than a dozen years through ultra running. I crewed for her at the Badwater Ultramarathon one year. The following year she was my crew chief as I ran the race.  Since then I was back several times for other runners as crew chief.  So crewing is not new to me.

 

Watching the incredible amount of work that has gone into organizing a team of this size for an event of this size has astounded me. At Badwater, I could basically set everything up and tell people to show up. This is like launching a rocket into orbit while trying to herd 3,000 kittens all at once.

I have run long distances but this will out-distance any of those!

Stephen Jones: I really didn’t know anything about Cycling for Cameron when Sharon approached me to join the crew. I’ve been riding long distances through Randonneuring for a while now, and knew about RAAM, so when Sharon asked, I jumped at the chance to be involved in one of the toughest cycling challenges in the world.

 

Naively, I thought my involvement would be a weekend on the training ride, then just over a week for the actual event. That didn’t last long as we started dealing with all the little details from bike lights to bike racks.

The geographic reality of our team, spread across four countries and three continents, has presented some unique challenges. The entire team has never all been together in one place. As the start date approaches, I’m eager to see all our planning come to fruition. I’m also looking forward to finally meeting everyone in person. Can’t wait.

Rodger Meadows: My brother-in-law Stuart Baldwin - one of the cyclists - approached me around Christmas and first broached the idea. I took a look at the Cameron Bespolka Trust and RAAM websites and decided right away it was it was a chance-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I have been astounded by the sheer scale of organization behind this event. I’m looking forward to meeting the other support crew and the cyclists and also having the opportunity to see and experience many parts of the United States of America that I wouldn’t normally have thought about seeing.

Jim Zavorski: I like to experience new things. Cycling for Cameron is a great way to preserve the memory of Cameron, help contribute to his foundation and participate in a great bicycle race.

The amount of planning required to pull off a race like this is incredible. We are fortunate to have some great people who are adept at planning and coordination.  I am looking forward to making new friends while on the road and seeing the country up close.

I am honored to be selected as a crew member and I look forward to helping the racers and other crew members race across America!

 


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