RAAM Solo

VIC’S RAAMIFICATIONS
A CLOSE RACE IN THE 50+
Taos, New Mexico
June 21, 2009

By Vic Armijo

Ask a caricature artist to draw a French bicycle racer and he’ll likely produce something that looks much like Dominique Briand, our current age 50+ solo leader. Just 40 or so miles separate Briand from second place rider Hermann Bachmann. While that distance is huge in a traditional cycling event, in RAAM that kind of deficit can be erased by a long sleep or a minor mistake.

The jovial Briand speaks no English, but through very comical gestures he made it clear that he is experiencing some problems in the nether regions. He showed me his saddle that his crew has customized—fashioning extra cushion by layering on a cut-up piece of yoga mat.

“He is feeling good,” one of his crew said. “He is the last French rider on course and he is happy about this, and I think that he will finish.”