The Team Walker 2007 "Weapons of RAAM"

This is my road racing bike. It will be fitted with aero bars for RAAM and used as an "all-rounder", good in hilly and rolling terrain. It will also be the back-up to both the Fuji and the Trek.

I raced with this bike at the Adirondack 540.

Frame Material: Titanium
Components: Dura Ace/Ultegra (for race day)

This bike will be set up for climbing. Prior to the race, the aero bars will be removed and lighter wheels and components added. The gear ratio will also be reduced. The bike as shown in its current configuration, set up for training.

We are planning to use three vehicles; one recreational vehicle that was driven by relatives out to the west coast several weeks before the start of the event, and two rental vans that we will pick up in California. We will keep one vehicle, the "Follow Vehicle" (FV) with Brett at all times throughout the race. The other two vehicles will be another van which will be the "Auxiliary Vehicle" (AV) and a Recreational Vehicle (RV) that has sleeping space, a kitchen shower/bath.

Much discussion occurred among the team as to how many vehicles we needed for the race. In addition to all of the positive and negative aspects of the possible combinations of vehicles that could have been chosen, we also had to evaluate our decisions within the constraints of RAAM rules - many of which are meant to promote safety as paramount.

When all was deliberated we settled on the three-vehicle, eight-person crew that we have now.

Vans

Nothing fancy here - just a couple of rented family minivans. The "Follow Vehicle" stays with Brett for the entire race.

The AV will be tasked with running errands such as buying groceries, doing laundry, scouting the terrain ahead, providing crew sleeping space and helping to get off-duty crew members to a hotel or truck stop for rest and an occasional shower!

Although all of the minutia of the trip will be decided and executed on a minute-by-minute basis in the vans, we also have an RVthat will serve as Brett's home-away-from-home. As previously mentioned the RV will house both the cook and an assistant, and occasionally the lead mechanic. Crew meals will be prepared here and Brett will use it for his daily rest period.

So the RV serves as both hotel and "Jersey Diner"!

The idea is that the people in the RV will support the crew, and the crew supports the racer!

Last but not least is the crew. The crew for this event will consist of eight people. In the RV we will have two people who will be able to cook food for the crew, and generally maintain a comfortable environment for Brett to rest in for those short periods when he will be off the bike.

The RV crew have peculiar navigational goals as they need to position the RV each day up ahead of Brett, in a generally quiet but convenient area that is lose or on the race route, and is within about 5 miles of where Brett plans to stop for his daily rest period.

In each of the vans will be a crew of three; a driver, a navigator, and a third person to manage nutrition and hydration of the racer. The van crews will rotate roles somewhat, but the crew in the RV may not rotate too often with the van members. This is mostly due to the specialized nature of the crew in the RV - our head mechanic and cook.

As you will read below, the crew has a wide array of life experiences, and all share a love of cycling. Some of the crew members are accomplished cyclists themselves. However, for the race crew this is less of a cycling event and more of a logistics project.

The goal for this project then is to get the racer across the country safely, and as quickly as possible within the rules of the event. The objective is to adequately prepare for this event, to 'clear the way' for Brett so as to mitigate those inevitable time-robbing situations.

The focus of the crew during the actual race is the moment-by-moment needs of the racer.

Mechanics

The mechanics help keep the racer upright and the hardware tuned for optimum performance. Brian Rossignol, will be our head mechanic and will also help with driving the RV and cooking for the rest of the crew.

At 36, I am the youngest team member (currently single, with good credit rating, and a rich imagination).

Crew 'Chief' only in name - spotty employment record allowed me to be first to sign-on to Team Walker.  Same employment record and haircut have given rise to 'Peter Pan' moniker in some quarters of Salisbury, NH.

Lack of aptitude with a wrench means I will defer to the more qualified team members in matters that require mechanical competence (hopefully that doesn't mean I'll be 'chamois cleaning boy' for 24/7, but I'll do what it takes).

Completed solo cross-country bicycle ride in fall 06... and if I can do it in 60 days, you better believe Brett Walker is gonna do it in 10!

I'm really looking forward to this event! As a 49-year-old cycling enthusiast I'm happy to be part of this effort and to have the opportunity to assist with the challenges involved with a project of this scope. I'm also looking forward to working with the other team members to get Brett across the country to win this race.

My wife Dena (of 28 years) and I have three grown children and live in southern NH, where I get to ride the twisty, hilly back roads in the shadow of the beautiful White Mountains.

Although I live in New Hampshire, I work and travel nationally as a Principal Consultant for Windward Consulting Group, an IT operations management consulting firm based in Herndon, VA.

Oh yah... I'm also the guy that administers our Team Walker '07 web site!

Brad Cilley – Concord, NH (picture below, Brad on right)

At 52, I am the undisputed “old man” of the van crew for Teamwalker07.  I believe that I am also the only crew member to have T-boned a deer at 30mph while on a road bike.  I am proof that the old adage “that which does not kill me, only makes me stronger” rings true.  I am definitely a stronger rider since I scored an 11 on the Glasgow Coma Scale and I think I am still the same person I was before impact, but you will have to ask is wife of 28 years if this is really true.

I am married to Deborah and have two grown children.  I give Deborah thanks for the years of waiting for me to get back from a bike ride.

I have a job; really, I am Director of Marketing for a Medical Device manufacturer. Along with Brian, Dave (AKA "Pinky"), Terry (AKA "Chief"), Brian and Jim, I have been riding with Brett for a few years – 12 if I can still add.

Jim, Lisa and I crewed Brett’s destruction of the Adirondack 540 course record this past summer.  I was so awed by Brett’s power during the entire 32 hours 16 minutes and if you have been able to ride with him this winter or follow his training blog, it is clear that he will be ready to toe the line on June 10.  I am confident that the crew will be equally ready to keep Brett on the bike across the continent.

I am confident that the crew will be equally ready to keep Brett on the bike across the continent.

I have a vision of sitting in the Atlantic Ocean, with beer in hand and tears of jubilation for Brett’s accomplishment.  There’s plenty of room for company in my vision.

David Wentworth - Novato, CA.
(on left in picture)

At 43 I’m leaving Brad Cilley as the oldest and Terry as the youngest in the group.

Dave's Cycling History:

• Pre-2000

  • I would ride mountain bikes maybe 10 to 20 times a year on a good year.

• 2000

  • I bought a new bike and started mountain bike riding a few times a week.

  • I entered my first race at the end of 2000 and won by over 5 minutes. Later I moved up a division and took a second place finish.

• 2003

  • I continued to ride my mountain bike until I broke my frame. At this time I bought an entry level road bike.

  • it was time to move up to a used Trek 5900 Carbon. Now I'm finding myself riding road bikes more.

• 2004

  • I meet Brett the first time in September on the annual White Mountain ride, where I was left behind on the hills. It was fun however, after a flat I had, Brad Cilley and I flew by the waiting crew to make them chase us for better then 20 minutes going an average of 30mph.
    
    Some people did not finish the ride that year.