Check out Team 4Mil Crew Chief Ian Newcomb’s recap of his 12 hour race in the 2012 Calvin’s Challenge:

“Well (as Jim knows) I’m a dragster, not a diesel.

So my guys (Shayne, Mark and Mike) had some explaining to do when I found out the “200M” stood for miles not meters.

We went out hard with the TT relay guys. We started the first 50-mile lap with around 60 folks out of about 270 starters. 2:01 and 50 miles later and we had 10 left.

We rolled through the pit area, grabbed some bottles and snacks and we were on the road again. Two solo 12-hour guys got up the road (we caught them within 20 miles) and some of the TT relay guys went off ahead of us. But for the majority of the second 50 miles it was the four of us.

We clocked our first 100 in 4:16.

We hit the pit for food and out again we go. Now it was just us four. One guy latched on for the next lap and we kept the pace pretty steady for an average of 21.4 for 150-miles.

At this point, sprinter boy’s legs were protesting pretty bad. Maybe because the four of us were still going for town/county lines and road kill primes…or maybe because I’m not built for distance. The endurance guys just looked at us like we were nuts. Who the hell sprints for town lines at 150 miles?!?! Um…we do.

So when we rolled in after 150 I hit up Wendy, our team massage therapist and Mike’s girlfriend for some quick IT and quad work. The guys rolled out, I got some fresh legs and set off to get the double century. I rolled solo for the majority of the next lap except for about 15 miles with a 57-year old RAAM finisher (1990). He did it in 10 days and change. Really cool guy. We traded some pulls then he stopped at a mid-way checkpoint.

Clocked my 200 in 9:29:45. I rolled in for another “tune-up” and pondered whether or not I wanted to hit the 7-mile loop at all.

I ended up going out but the wind was picking up pretty good. Did my first 7-miles solo and then came in for a new bottle. Mike came through and said, ”come on Ian, let’s go!” So I went out with him for a faster loop. Doing 23mph and trading pulls in the wind after 200 miles was enough for me to call it a day. So I climbed back on the massage table and told Wendy to go to the bone marrow.

The hard part of an event like this is that you have no idea who you’re racing or where you stand. The competitor in me probably needed that. The winner in my category logged 234. Mark and Shayne logged 247 and Mike hit 249. Had I just stayed with the guys I would have easily won my age bracket. Hindsight is 20/20 and you always feel better in retrospect. I don’t regret anything…the double century was my real goal, the podium was
just a nice surprise. I actually got 2nd but when I reported my mileage (because the timing system malfunctioned) I reported a 50-mile loop–it was 50.5. So bottom line is that I had 216 (which is what my computer said). The guy who got second had 215. Oh well. Live and learn.

More importantly, I have a whole new respect for RAAM solo riders. I can’t begin to imagine doing that AND MORE, then doing it again, and again, and again. Truly remarkable.

- Ian”

Each morning, crew and riders met in the lobby of the very nice Courtyard Marriott for free breakfast and a slide presentation led by Crew Chiefs, Ian Newcomb and Richard Wolak.  Topics included: RAAM Rules, Team 4Mil Operations Plans, Safety, Day Procedures, Mechanical issues, Navigation, Communications, and Contingency Planning.

The team and crew also received much of the sponsor provided gear including Rudy Project Helmets and Glasses, Exposure bike lights, Under Armour Bags, polo’s, and warm-up suits, Clean Bottle water bottles, and our Champion System training Kits.  The actual racing kits will be debuted in mid-May.  Riders got to experience “real RAAM” pacing for transition drills and also had the opportunity to test their climbing skills on the massive Mt. Mitchell climb.

On the last day of camp, riders and crew travelled to Charlotte, NC to race in the NODA Grand Prix criterium race.  Wounded Warriors, Mason Poe and John Fairbanks finished 1st and 2nd, respectively.  The weekend was a huge success, riders had the opportunity to bond with each other and their crews.

Crew had the opportunity to meet each other and to learn the RAAM Operations
plans, and ultimately, the Crew Chiefs and Rider Captains were able to size up their staff for the big race, now just about 50 days away!  Team 4Mil is ready for the mission ahead!

Team 4Mil Rider, Shawn Olin, spent the weekend volunteering with a group of injured Veterans and Military Members.  Adaptive cycling clinics are a cornerstone of the Team 4Mil Mission.  Shawn recounts the experience below:

“This weekend, I had the pleasure of volunteering with a group of Military members and Vets who all suffered from various debilitating injuries.  On Saturday, our little camp sponsored by the US Military Paracycling program, helped two different groups of recumbent, hand and impaired upright cyclists, position themselves on their bikes and learn how to race and pace a 20km time trial.  That afternoon, I was introduced to my stoker, Jason Murray.  Jason was a Marine who, while in Iraq, was blown up by an IED and suffered the loss of one eye and lost his vision completely in the other.  He also was the proud recipient of a titanium plate in his forehead.  Jason wants to do something big and when he found out about the Military Paracycling program, he decided to try and make the qualifying standards for the team.  After intros, Jason and I jumped on the tandem.  I found out that he had started riding a stationary bike 2 weeks prior, and had not been on an actual moving bike in over 14 years!!  But luckily, we were able to get a good feel for the bike and were soon flying around Fiesta Island in San Diego.

On Sunday, I had my hands full. As soon as I arrived at the island for the TT race, I was scrambling around prepping the bike, myself and my stoker.  As so often does in a new situation, we stumbled a bit and missed our start by about 90 seconds, and didn’t even get to warm up!  Oh well, we just struck out onto the course and settled into a rhythm.  I learned that Jason had some pretty good power for a bigger guy, but it was short-fused due to his lack of condition and experience.  We faded pretty badly on the third lap, but I was lucky enough to have a motivated and dedicated Marine on the bike with me, and that Devil Dog gave me everything he had, crossing the finish line completely exhausted from his first race experience.  We finished in third place of the tandems that raced the island Sunday (I went on to win the category with my “regular” stoker later in the morning after my ride with Jason). The official time placed him squarely in the Military qualification standards, but just outside the “emerging” standard that we were shooting for.   I take the blame for that one, as we missed our start, and he was about 90 some second outside the “emerging” standard.   Grrr…

Regardless of the Paracycling standard, we both had an AWESOME time!  He hopes to make it back out to San Diego again (from his home in Colorado) to give it another shot.

Jason is an inspiration and his attitude and passion are contagious.  I am grateful to the opportunity that the Military Paracycling program and the Wounded Warriors gave me this past weekend that allowed me to share my gift of cycling.  I look forward to working with the Olympic Paracycling program in the future!”

Below, Alan recaps his experience at the Soldier Ride:

I went to the Soldier Ride in Tampa this weekend, and it was a fantastic! I met up with the wounded warriors and staff (about 30 people in total) for dinner on Friday night, which was a nice way to meet some of the guys before the ride. On Saturday morning we went for a 27mi ride. A standard TMP-style 12-passenger van wrapped in WWP vinyl led the way with about a dozen hand-bikes and recumbents right behind. The rest of us on road bikes and mountain bikes followed, and the U-Haul policed up the rear. We also had about 6 Manatee County Sheriffs on motorcycles closing the course and blocking intersections. It took us about 4.5 hours to complete the course, which meant lots of time to move around and talk to many different warriors and staffers. After the ride, we had lunch, and I parted ways with them.

The warriors had a full range of injuries from broken bones to paralysis from the chest down. What was really great about meeting them in this kind of closed forum is the ability to look at a guy in a wheelchair or point at someone’s gnarly scars and ask what happened. They were all happy to talk about their service, their old buddies, their injuries, and their recovery. Many of them were really excited to hear that I’m still in active service, as many of them have been separated for several years, and I think they like still feeling ties to soldiers.

Honestly, I feel like I got much more out of this ride than I contributed. It was such an honor to just sit and listen to these warriors and hear their stories, I can’t even tell you. Of course, to call watching these guys get out and ride motivation is an understatement. I will definitely do everything I can to be involved in as many Soldier Rides as possible, and recommend you do the same!”



Fitness and physical exercise are instrumental components of any warrior’s military life. Cycling, when integrated with a comprehensive rehabilitation program, has proven an effective means for Wounded Warriors to achieve the best possible recovery. Team 4Mil is available for service members at every point in the process. It’s members actively engage wounded soldiers back from the battlefield who find that cycling provides enhanced mobility and rewarding physical challenges, and with those further along in their recovery as they conquer elite level challenges like extreme distance bike racing.

By competing in Race Across America, Team 4Mil will fulfill its mission by both raising coast-to-coast awareness of wounded veteran issues, and providing complete coaching, crew, and logistics support for its team of veterans who’ll be racing against their British counterparts in the 3,000-mile bicycle race.

On behalf of the military community, the veterans, crew, and racers of Team 4Mil we thank SIG for playing such an important role in keeping the warrior spirit alive!

The US Military Wounded Warrior Team is led by LtCol Mike Matney, USA.  His teammates include Mason Poe, Nieves Rodriguez, Brett Miller, John Fairbanks, Tom Murphy, Tim Conner, and Jeff Palenske.  Crew Chief Richard Wolak, USMA ‘66, has organized an effective race plan to compete successfully and safely neutralize the forces of nature that are encountered during each RAAM event.

Team 4Mil has announced CPO Wayne Dowd, USN (ret) as its 2012 Ride Captain.  His teammates include RAAM veteran’s Jim Weinstein, Kyle Pitman, and Jimmy Colgary, and new members Jason Peterson, Chad Connor, Alan Fischer, and Shawn Olin.

With a proud heritage of military service, these service members have experienced more than 40 deployments, hundreds of military missions, and led countless hours of mission planning.  Combined with their years of cycling experience and a tenacious interest in racing, they are prepared for the many unpredictable challenges that RAAM 2012 will present.

Team 4Mil is an IRS registered 501C3 organization.  As an all-volunteer team, our participation in veteran rehabilitation programs, National Soldier Ride support, and participation in RAAM are subject to voluntary charitable contributions.  To  make a tax-deducible donation via PayPal, please visit our website, www.team4mil.org or contact dan@team4mil.org for more info.

On Thursday December 8, Team 4Mil hosted a sold-out screening of Stephen Auerbach’s film, “Bicycle Dreams” (www.bicycledreamsmovie.com) at Arlington, VA’s Cinema ‘n Draft House (www.arlingtondrafthouse.com).

The film’s promoter, Garry Harrington sensed a strong passion for cycling in the National Capital Region and wanted to create an event, rather than just showcase an award winning film. Members of Team 4Mil and special guest Fred Boethling, President and CEO of Race Across America (RAAM), enjoyed the show and fielded audience questions afterward.

In addition, Team 4Mil pre-announced its partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project (R) to field a team of wounded veterans in the 2012 RAAM. They will join a representative team from the United Kingdom’s Battleback Battalion to form a keen competitive challenge in the world’s most challenging endurance event.

Also at the event, Joe Zuramski, President of ReliaSource, a Baltimore-based defense contractor, presented executives from the Wounded Warrior Project with a check reflecting their successful fund activities during the Baltimore Grand Prix.

Bicycle Dreams portrayal of RAAM as a transcendental experience fueled by the drama of endurance racing resonated throughout the evening by the many exciting activities coordinated throughout the evening.

Tax-deductible donations can be made via the Paypal link at www.team4mil.org or by sending your Paypal donation to info@team4mil.org.  

Thank you for your support!