Some bits and pieces….

We might write a book  - “5 minutes”

Rusty…”It doesn’t get any better than this”….”And we don’t want that”….

Stan….”Mickey said…”…..”Mickey wants…”

Roger and Stan’s mystery bus tour. Roger and Stan caught a shuttle bus thinking it would take them to the finish line, only to find it was the tourist shuttle showing them the sights of Annapolis.

Dave learned to try on jeans and look at the length, he now has jeans that come halfway up his shins….

Mickey stating….”Everest will be easy compared to this”

Instead of taking his turn to pump out the RV after the ride (like everyone else has had to do), Mickey takes the lazy option and pays $50 instead!

Yes Vera, we looked after your Rusty.

We did a good thing and gave all our leftover and unwanted items to local charities  - well done team!

A Happy Ending

Well, at 8:12am this morning, The Mickroo Crew touched-down in Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport. There was tears, laughs and an overwhelming number of bear-hugs as Greg, Stan, Russel and Dave arrived. Tension filled the air as we awaited The Flying Sctsman's arrival-and then Mickey rounded the corner and into a frenzy of activity. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mickey The Great has landed. There were even more tears this time; 4828 kilometers across America, enduring chest infection, tiredness, pain and mental breakdowns. But the positives far out-weighed the negatives. There was light-hearted mocking that went as far as this blog, the sights were beyond anything The Man had seen before and the fact that he had successfully cycled across America and won the RAAM citizenship award made everything a blur. But most importantly was the support. Both Mickey and The Mickroo Crew couldn't have done it without your support. All of your blog posts, texts and donations mean more than a gigantic lump of gold to Mickey. And even better, all of this has totalled up to $25,375 for the CPA (Cerebal Palsey Alliance)! Thankyou so much for your donations, all of you.
And now, a light breakfast at a little cafe...

RAAM 2011!

The Final Blog...

Hey Everyone, for the last time. Well, what a roller coaster it's been! For those of you who weren't aware, last night and earlier today was nail-biting material. Yesterday, every follower of "The Nutter" and the MickRooCrew were handed a seed of doubt when we were told Mickey might not make the cut-off time for the end of the race, meaning none of his RAAM achievements would be recognised. But we all had faith in Mickey's abilities, feeling that he had beaten the odds before so why not again? Messages of support and motivation flooded in, in a last desperate attempt to spur Mickey on. My message told him to channel Pat Farmer but instead of one foot in front of the other, one pedal in front of the other. The sense of worry that I felt for Mickey as I travelled to Acer Arena to see Miley Cyrus was almost overwhelming. Today I didn't go to school as I was too wrecked from the night before and I was in bed until after 9:00. I was quite sleepy and had trouble getting my brain to function. Suddenly in my state of sleepiness, one thought was crystal clear - what was the story with Mickey? Yelling for my mum to come upstairs and help  me out of bed, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. My mum's face was grave as she entered the room having just got off the phone with member of the ShaCrew (Julie Wallace). With a sinking feeling in my stomach and fearing the worst, I asked the inevitable question - "What happened" My mum then informed me that Mickey had missed the cutoff time by a mere 5 minutes. It felt as if a weight had been hurled at my chest as I tried to absorb what had happened. Tears were ready to fall when I realised Mickey's online status was DNF (Did Not Finish) but those tears turned to cries of joy as  we received news that his status had changed to Unofficially Finished due to a successful appeal made by the crew. To  top it all off Mickey and the gang won "Sportsmanship Award for RAAM 2011 because of their honesty. All in all a sensational and inspirational effort by the MickRooCrew and my hero Mickey Campbell.
Hannah

The Final Days Blur Part 3 – Rouzerville to the Finish Line – 131.5 miles and 5 minutes.

Mickey was not in a good way after Rouzerville, requiring frequent stops. The pressure was on and Mickey appeared to be fighting his own internal demons. A phone call to Sharon sparked him up and gave him the will to go on.  At his next stop Celine put the hard word on him – stop fecking around  - shape up and finish or go home now.  Within minutes the zombie was gone and an angry Scotsman was on his way to the next stage. Mentally Mickey was switched on and his pace kept lifting as the roads became flatter and better surfaced.

Going through Gettysburg was a highlight of the trip, with a number of memorials by the roadside and in fields at specific points, most probably the scenes of particular battles or gallantry. The roads were lined with log fences from the civil war period.  Gettysburg was a very moving place, a very solemn quiet place.

As Mickey left Gettysburg and steamed on at a good pace, we calculated, re-calculated and re-calculated the speed he need to get to the finish line on time. When we least expected it, another rider, the Indian rider came from behind and went past Mickey and out of sight.  This was timely as he became a target for Mickey to reel in, just like Mickey needed to reel in the miles to the finish. It now became a time trial as Mickey went past the remaining time stations.

Just as our confidence was building Mickey started to flag and began making a number of stops, complaining of “Dertigo”. The support car decided on tough love, vowing not to stop the next time Mickey did, in order to push him along. Our tactic failed as he stopped, the support car sped past, and then Mickey laid down – the bugger! We went back for him and after a quick rest and some ice he came good – thankfully! Mickey realised it was just fatigue and the Flying Scotsman was back for the second time today, and now really lifted for the final few miles home to the finish.

The final 20-30 miles was electrifying as Mickey raced the clock, raced traffic and raced the Indian rider.  The support car had hurled messages of support, abuse and love all morning but then took it to another level on the run home. You’ve never heard so many fecks, up your kilts, go go go etc in your life.  Celine was even able to patch Sharon, Molly and Paddy over the loud speaker to spur him on further.

Frank Fumich surprised Mickey by the side of the road and helped out with lots of local knowledge of the best way to stop and beat the traffic lights and even fire engines, sending Stan and Roger into apoplexy in the process! Mickey got caught as the lights changed and unfortunately went through a red light. This was spotted by officials, but thankfully the penalty would not be applied.

Mickey’s average speed to the finish was the fastest of the trip, despite being sleep deprived and exhausted. It just shows what the man, and the mind and body is capable of. Mickey steamed to the finish, with the clock eventually beating him by 5 minutes…..and the rest is history.

The Final Days Blur Part 2 – Ellenboro to Rouzerville – 248.1 miles.

Ellenboro was a whistle stop  - well a little more than that. It was cold and foggy but we all knew we had to keep at it. Dave nearly “picked up” at the service station when we went in search of food.  The lady behind the counter found Dave pretty attractive in his school PE outfit when he did a little dance to keep warm. She offered to keep him warm and dance with him. Dave was playing along until she offered to lend Dave her bodysuit at home to keep him warm. Only problem was it was covered in deer-blood and was in the wash. Alarm bells rang for Dave and he sprinted to the safety of the RV – we’ve never seen him move so fast! Roger drove us onwards to Grafton as the sun came up.

We waited in the KFC carpark for Mickey to come in. We stocked up on ice, ice and ice! Mickey arrived for breakfast and a massage before heading back out onto the next timestage about an hour later. The intervening time gave us a chance to sort his washing out, and chat to a couple of the officials in the car-park. The KFC was full of senior citizens, all having lunch on their way home from church.

The afternoon leg to Keyser went through the rolling mountains of the Appalachians. Unfortunately on one downhill leg Mickey came upon a motorcyclist that had just crashed and was in a bad way, and this may have effected him later that night.  We went through some interesting country, with lots of little shacks tucked in the bush just off the road. We thought we could hear the strains of Duelling Banjoes….. it sure made Rusty nervous. We also saw a giant truck motor-wreckers, although the trucks were mostly in good condition. Rusty was curious what happened to all their owners…..Just before Keyser we went past the “Honeymooners Gun Shop”. It made Rusty even more nervous. Rusty won’t be going back to the Appalachians!

Keyser was our last Walmart stop for the trip and if we’d known this we may have had a celebration! As darkness fell Mickey headed off to Cumberland, with undulating road with a lot more traffic.  Cumberland was great as we had mobile coverage for the first time in quite a while…and our phones went nuts! It gave us the chance to call Australia, and thanks to Marg and Sharon, re-organise our flights and travel home.

Cumberland also gave Mickey the chance to mentally prep for the stage to Hancock. This stage had 3 steep climbs, the steepest of the Race. They weren’t long but they were steep with the last hill recognised as “A Walker” where it’s common for the racers to walk this hill.  After the first climb Mickey had a 5 minute nap – he’s good at these – and recouped for the next climbs. He kept changing clothes every 5 mins – rug up then de robe, rug up, then derobe. Mickey couldn’t seem to control his body temperature.  He made the second climb and whilst stating the third climb, a butterfly floated past us – at night – quite prophetic for Mickey. He nailed the climb – no walking for Mickey Campbell.  It was quite cold as we made the descent into Hancock.

We rotated teams at Hancock and tried to solve Mickey’s temperature issues with some help from home,  and get him out quickly and on the way to Rouzerville. This next leg was extremely challenging as Mickey had a number of hallucinations. He went past a graveyard where the gravestones were playing chess – perhaps a subconscious impact of the motorbike accident he saw earlier. Mickey also asked why all the Chinese people were out lining the streets for him. No-one had any idea what he was on about as there was just Mickey and us at 3am on the streets!

Mickey eventually hit Rouzerville just after dawn, he was tired but ready to plow on. We fed him again, fuelled up with sweet coffee, ice and water and started the final day into the finish.

The Final Days Blur Part 1 – Greensburg to Ellenboro – 284 miles.

The last 3 days of the Race (plus 5 minutes) really were a blur after the call was made to go around the clock for 24 hours and then assess where we were relative to the finish line after each 24hours.  It seemed like a succession of small towns, checkpoints, Wal-Marts and service stations, with the only differentiator being whether it was daylight, or whether it was dark.

The Mickey Campbell juggernaut rolled on stopping only for nature calls, an occasional check of directions, and of course for more ice and food. We were singlehandedly keeping the North American ice industry afloat going through a dozen or more bags a day. How much ice can one cyclist eat??? At each servo, the call was fill-up with ice and water  and  oh better check the petrol.

We left Greensburg in darkness, just like we arrived – like thieves in the night even though we didn’t take anything – except ice! Navigation challenges hit us early as we hit the back roads, and were a feature of each stage of the day, the only day we had issues with directions. Still in darkness we had to go through a town that has street signs in German with English subtitles – strange days indeed in Indiana.

As the sun rose we found ourselves in farmlands as we crossed into Ohio. Roger was disappointed as the CD player in the RV had jammed and instead of cranking out Charley Pride and “Banks of the Ohio”, he had to settle for the Beach Boys on repeat at 6am in rural Ohio, as we passed pick-up trucks, cowboy hats and flannelette shirts galore!

Mickey made good progress and hit the Oxford time-station in good form. A quick break and we were on our way again, passing through Miami University in Oxford (yes  - Miami – in Oxford).  The buildings and frat houses (Delta, Gamma, Pi) were classic movie material, really pretty but almost too neat and orderly.  The town made a big mark on Rusty whom marked it on the map as a “must see again”.

Mickey made good pace on the roads and seemed great, getting stronger as the morning wore on, wolfing down lots of bacon sandwiches and condensed milk – the breakfast of champions! Mickey’s beard was now looking pretty good. Any efficiency savings he was getting from shaved legs were now being lost due to the Grizzly Adams beard. Roger was also on fire, showing his ability to multi-task, being able to eat pretzels, take photo’s out the side window, and drive – all at the same time!

Dave had his best shoes back on after finally getting around to cleaning the coyote poo out that he walked in days before. He’d hoped the team might clean them for him given his status of Crew Chief – he was dreaming.

We were quickly through Blanchester and hit Chillicothe in stifling heart. Yes more ice and more water! Greg and Roger made the mistake of falling asleep in the car and running the risk of being photographed with unusual  objects about their person. Celine visited the nearby Choir of Hard Knocks Church and generated a fair bit of interest from the homeless blokes at the church when she did her calisthenics on the front lawn! Celine’s second close escape was when she parked the RV under the powerlines – literally - with Dave later finding out as he drove off that the powerlines were actually on the RV and hanging down to the ground. Thankfully no blackouts, sparks or fried MickRooCrew members as we headed out of town and into the woods.

We made Athens by nightfall after being through Londonderry and every other European Union town on the way.  Athens also has quite a pretty town centre with some cobblestone areas. Surprisingly the time station was at a Wal-Mart – it was like seeing an old friend.

As we went later into the cold night, Mickey then got the chance to ride on a big long stretch of freeway as we headed towards West Virginia.  We were itching to stop in Guysville, and Coolsville (especially Dave) as they had to be great places for a bunch of blokes in an RV – even in the middle of the night. The road was good with little traffic and this gave Mickey the chance to make 1-2 calls home for the first time in a while. There continued to be lots of wildlife, and it was still surreal to see deer close by looking at us as Mickey answered the call of nature.

As we rounded out the 24hrs at Ellenboro, Mickey had knocked over about 284 miles of solid riding, with the 24hour clock about to start again.



Parts 2 and 3 of the Final Days Blur coming soon.......

Estimated Time of Completion for a big bottle of wine!

If you are a wine drinker (or not) you may want to consider laying a bet of $20 to estimate Mickey's finish time for RAAM? Place your bid in Days, Hours & Mins; eg. 11 Days, 2 hours, and 2 Minutes.
Please note that the cut of time to qualify in in the race is exactly 12 days so no bids beyond will have any chance of winnning! The closest bid will win this boxed signed magnum (1.5ltr) of Draytons Maxwell Shiraz, kindly dinated by Sue and Grant who have one of the finest wine cellars in the Hunter! This offer is only open to Aussie residents although courier to England can be made available in October! So, come on, raise your glasses and lay your bets to raise money for CerebraL Palsy at http://www.gofundraise.com.au/page/RideAcrossAmerica
All bids close at the penultimate time station......good luck!

RAAM Late Day 8 and Day 9 – Mississippi River to Greensburg– 298.5 Miles

Mickey successfully made the cut-off at the Mississippi River by almost 2 hours after a huge 24 hour 381 mile ride.  Everyone was exhausted and Mickey wanted to freshen up, and enable the team to have some quality rest so we checked into a basic hotel for 7 hours. It’s the first time Greg’s had to ask “How much is it for a room for a few hours”, but apparently not the first time for others in the crew.

We unpacked the RV, showered in a real shower, and went to the toilet in a real toilet.  This is important as Celine has been feeding us Prunes and Raisins ad nauseum, but hadn’t allowed for the fact that there’s no toilets for us to go…….

 Meanwhile Mickey was blissfully in a very deep sleep, needing rest after a hard day. He worked really hard during the day, and demonstrated a new level of mental toughness and resilience – even for Mickey.

We then crashed for a priceless 4 hours sleep. Clean clothes are running at a premium and Greg accidently put on Stan’s shirt as it was the cleanest item of clothing around. Dave had a go at Greg for wearing other men’s clothes, which was pretty ironic as Dave had borrowed Roger’s undies, and reckoned they were a bit tight!

We all felt clean and fresh and ready to tackle the rest of the race, even though we woke up at night (which felt like morning) and were ready for Mickey to rejoin the race at 10pm. He looked great and in the best shape of the whole race. We headed off in the dark with a long night ahead. Mickey rode to Greenville and then onto Effingham, arriving in the dawn light after a quick nap in the van whilst stopped on the side of the rode enroute. He looked good – really good.

 We all had breakfast together before splitting into our roster crews for the day. We also got to talk to our loved ones (the ShaCrew) whom were at race central at the Wallaces in Oatley. It was a bit hard to hear on the phone, but we thought we heard that the ladies have bought some new outfits for when the boys get home. The MickRooCrew don’t mind as we’re all desperate for new clean clothes, any clean clothes.

 To get Mickey warmed up again we had a quick team chat and an impromptu run, albeit only about 100m long.  It was a bit of fun, and the most exercise most of us have had for a while.

The countryside and farms in Illinois and Indiana were really pretty, and very green. We still can’t work out why so many people have statues of animals on their lawns, rather than having real animals. More than once Celine mistook real dogs for fake ones, and vice versa.  Now she studies them carefully looking for signs of movement before making a call on “real or fake”. It’s a bit like being in L.A.

There were lots of rolling hills through the farmland, however the narrow roads made it quite frustrating as Mickey needed to pull over very regularly to let traffic through. It was very scenic with lots of creeks, river and woods – and lots of pushy drivers with big pick-ups. Celine hit the caffeine hard to stay awake, whilst Rusty moved from his lounge-room in the Chrysler van to his bedroom in the Chrysler Van (both rooms are the same seat) to get some well deserved rest. We drove past a plethora of churches, allowing Mickey to connect with his deeply spiritual self. There seemed to be more churches than houses in some towns. The towns themselves were great and many of us would easily feel at home there.

We made Bloomington by late afternoon after Mickey had chalked up approx. 235 miles already for the day. Mickey continues to look strong and relatively fresh, and after a quick stop to refuel with food and change crews, he was on his way. He went hard in the leg to Greensburg to get ahead of another competitor, and it was probably a bridge too far as it sapped his strength for the day. He needed rest to recuperate and focus on completing the remaining miles of the race. Mickey is in good spirits but tired.

Also the RV was renamed Glen today, after the boys took a big detour to find somewhere to pump out the RV, meeting Glen whom helped get the RV sorted – enough apparently the have the RV christened after him.

Thanks again for all the messages of support Mickey and the MickRooCrew continue to receive.   Please also support the Cerebral Palsy Alliance whom Mickey is supporting in this race. To donate, go to gofundraise.com.au/page/RideAcrossAmerica. Over $19,000 dollars has now been raised by Mickey including $1,000 in the last 24 hours, and he really is working hard for every dollar.  Your support is fantastic and greatly appreciated.

The tough life of an ambassador

TGIF Everyone, (Thank God it's Friday)
Today was an interesting day for me with an early start at 6:05 a.m. I quickly got ready and was bundled into a car set for Terry Hills. From there I had to head to the CPA's head office for a photo shoot. Since my dad works at North Ryde, my mum thought it would be easier for my dad to drop me off at the shoot while she helped the girls get ready for school. Everything went smoothly until Dad got out the Ipod and started playing Owen Diviney! I got there at 8:00 but it didn't start until 9:30. I filled my 90 minutes of spare time by playing with dogs, talking to people and trying to get somewhere on my 767 page book which is full of the complete Mary Poppins series but alas it wasn't meant to be. The reason i had the shoot in the first place is because I'm an ambassador for the CP challenge. What you do is you use a pedometer to calculate the certain number of steps you take each day and you enter them online which then helps you to complete a climb of a virtual mountain peak. The shoot was fun overall, although a little awkward when you have to pretend people you've just met are friends & family that you've known all your life. More on the challenge coming soon.
That's it for now
Hannah

RAAM Day 8 – Yates Centre to Mississippi River – 381 Miles

Mickey awoke in Yates Centre the worse for wear suffering from chest congestion, and the effect of working his body so hard for so long. He opted for a longer sleep to help recovery, with the downside being huge pressure on making the next cut-off deadline at the Mississippi River, some 381 miles away and with only 27 hours to do it in.

Mickey calmly said “lads, we’ll approach this like the 24hour National Park training ride, where we covered a greater distance in only 24 hours”. This actually made the target quite doable, especially as the extra rest period enabled a shortly longer sleep for the crew. The benefits of the extra sleep for both Mickey and the crew were pretty obvious early, with all having slightly more spring in their step.

Mickey rode off as soon as possible, with the crew in hot pursuit.  He started his progress towards the target well, with 23miles per hour knocked over in each of the first two hours. The longer he went on, the lower the speed required to hit Mississippi became. The initial target required Mickey to ride approx.  16mph, or approx. 25kmh per hour for up to 27 hours. As he ate up the miles in the heat, this target gradually softened with dawn the next day requiring only 12mph or 19 kmh.

Mickey was simply superb, and the MickRooCrew worked hard to make pit-stops as quick as possible and have Mickey back on the road as early as possible. To keep him cool we used a water gun to spray him with water which was a bit of fun as well. We relayed some messages to him when we were allowed, and it was obvious a large number of family and friends were tracking his progress as the day and night wore on. Every time our mobiles came into coverage areas, the text messages or calls came through thick and fast – messages of support, messages telling Mickey to pull his finger out, and lots of really positive messages in general.  We can only be alongside Mickey 4 times per hour, so there is limited chance for contact.

Rusty kept the support crew in the car entertained  by sharing his theories on physiotherapy, podiatry and thoracic surgery, including a number of hypotheses about western culture. As the night wore on and dawn approached, Mickey went on and on, with a high cadence and the ability to clearly focus  - he was in the big cog and being a real machine. Greg pumped up the music and was thankful his kids had downloaded doof doof music to keep Mickey pumping along.  Once morning hit (after 18 hours of solid riding) the support crew struggled with fatigue and needed driver changes after only short distances.  It was special crossing the Missouri river, and then the Mississippi.

The last time station before Mississippi which was at Washington Missouri, couldn’t come quick enough for the support crew and it was a boon McDonalds was close by for a power breakfast of pancakes. Mickey hardly seemed tired at all after 18 hours of hard riding, and after a couple of bowls of cereal and the McDonalds pancakes he was keen for the next stage.

Mickey powered away on the final stage to Mississippi, and nailed it making the cutoff-time with 1 hour and 50mins to spare. Unbelievable! 380miles injust over 25 hours.  And he was in much better shape than the support crew whom struggled to put two words together. He looked like he could turn around and do it again.

The team worked well under pressure, and special thanks to Roger for driving the RV for two days solid – no mean feat either!

The race is two-thirds over and the man is doing well. Thanks for all the messages of support.   In addition to supporting us, also support the Cerebral Palsy Alliance whom Mickey is supporting in this race. To donate, go to http://gofundraise.com.au/page/RideAcrossAmerica. Over $18,000 dollars has already been raised and your support is appreciated.

Note although we have been racing across 8 calendar days so far, the race clock runs off the time the race started. Each new day starts for Mickey at 3.35pm. So today is actually Day 7 of the race.

The MickRooCrew

Day 7 – Greensburg to Yates Centre – 207 miles

We left Greensburg after our morning rituals and headed towards Wichita to the constant strains of “I am a lineman for the County….”,  the only words anyone knew from “Wichita Lineman”. First stop was Maize, famous for – you guessed it lots of Maize crops. 

Enroute to Maize we went through Kingman where Mickey had McDonalds – the breakfast of champions. The local sheriff stopped at McDonalds, channelling his inner Chief Wiggum, then started calling for an ambulance  when he saw Celine working on Mickey on the front lawn of McDonalds. After being reassured all was kosher, he had a good chat to us, posing for photo’s in his giant pick-up truck with “Dare” number plates. Rusty spotted a big building across the road with “China” in bold letters on the front, and was thrilled to finally discover where all his clothes and plastic stuff comes from.

No-one dared fall asleep in the support vehicle as quick as a wink, you would be photographed with strange objects or in interesting poses, with the images going viral on the internet before you woke up! Rusty, Greg and Celine all paid the penalty for sleeping even though it was their allocated rest period.

Mickey powered on with relentless cadence and drive in the hot sun. At Maize we received censure for not having our headlights on for one section of the course, but there was no time penalty to our knowledge. It was a reminder to all of us of the need to be spot on in all we do.

In the afternoon we headed for El Dorado and then onto Yates Centre. Mickey struggled in the afternoon and night time, taking more breaks and riding at a much slower pace than expected. The day ended at Yates Centre at 3am, with lower mileage than expected and Mickey quite fatigued. Stan bartered to secure a room for a few hours for $10 at the town motel, meaning Mickey could have an ice-bath or hot shower, and a reasonably good nights sleep in a comfy bed.

We noticed a small mark on the RV, and discovered that earlier in the day Roger had attempted to demonstrate his precision driving skills at speed by pinpointing a narrow gap between two wheelie bins. We’re not sure what happened, but the final result was Wheelie Bins 1 – Roger 0.

We are having a good time, seeing the US albeit slowly and often at night. We are also learning about others in our team, as well as learning a few things about ourselves. The MickRooCrew team are also really starting to work well as a team, supporting each other and working to ensure we give Mickey the best chance of success – which is the sole purpose of the trip.

The MickRooCrew

RAAM Day 6 – Trinidad to Greensburg – 310 Miles

The omens for Day 6 were not good, with overcast skies and a forecast of rain, Gary taking ill and needing to return home from the trip, and Mickey’s puffy eyes making him reminiscent of a badger.

Surprisingly the MickRooCrew hit the supermarket for free toilets, and to purchase water, ice, coffee and Gatorade. By now all of these were morning rituals. Supermarket staff thought we were after the specials like Pensioners on pension day, but we only wanted their clean toilets.

The rain started just prior to Mickey’s departure and soon set in with temperatures dropping and ice forming on the edge of the road in some sections.1-2 buildings had ice on their roofs, and Stan took a lot of convincing that the white stuff on the roof wasn’t paint. Every 5 miles we needed to change Mickey’s socks and gloves, no mean feat in the cramped support vehicle, now a muddied and damp support vehicle with the heater maxed out. Mickey worked hard through rolling hills to a place called Kim, with little there except or a general store aptly named the “Kim General Store”. Mickey finished the stage and took refuge in the vehicle. Sage Rusty suggested Mickey wait 30mins and ride out the storm which proved a masterstroke as 30mins later the rain stopped, the sun started to break through and the wind whistled up to a strong tailwind.

Mickey had a grin from ear to ear and had never been so fast on a bike. He was doing 30mph without really touching the pedals.  It was great to see him really enjoying himself and having a ball, even asking to be videod to be able to make smart alec comments eg “Mickey Campbell seeking permission to land” and videoing for Billy what real speed was like. Turning corners into crosswinds was like hitting a wall, but once he got the wind behind him again he flew, catching a racer whom had started this stage an hour before him.

We passed through Pritchett, a town with a bigger population in the cemetery than living in the town itself. Some of the team availed themselves of the local store toilets, with Dave now known as “no-flush Dave”, and Roger gobsmacked  to see the little old lady whom owned the store online looking at lewd images on the internet! Roger was speechless, but we’re not sure at which bit. Rusty stated his intention to buy a number of investment properties at Pritchett given the unbridled development opportunities.

Mickey made it to the following town earlier than the RV, meaning the support vehicle crew had to take care of all business. Rusty showed his dapper hand at physio and sorted out Mickey’s feet.  “If this works I’m going to set myself up as a physio – it can’t be that  %^&*@#   hard!!!!” The tailwind meant Mickey ate up the miles and it was a pretty obvious call to go as far as possible across the flat plains whilst the wind held.

Soon after we left Colorado and entered Kansas with Mickey excited to be out of Colorado and even waited and wanted a picture taken at the Welcome to Kansas sign.  Ironically he was wearing Red! The race officials at the checkpoint at the following town gave Mickey a compliment stating he was in the best shape of any rider they’d seen. Mickey took it as an affront – he mustn’t be putting in hard enough.

He rode on through the night, skirting Dodge City and Boot Hill, much to the disappointment of Stan whom was hoping to go there (that gun thing again) and heading towards the Greensburg checkpoint. It had been a long 22 hour day for the team when we called it quits at Greensburg at daybreak. We had to call it quits as Celine hallucinated about vintage cars and horses coming down the road towards her when she was driving, and Roger in the other vehicle mistook trees on the roadside for skyscrapers.

We were all in bed faster than you could say “RAAM”.

The hills are behind him...............

Mickey and the crew have endured a torturous couple of days rising to the challenge presented by the steep climbs and altitude of Colorado. Nothing could have prepared them for difficulty of this stage, which at it's peak was at an altitude similar to that of Cusco in Peru!

The only way to acclimatize is to ascend slowly; in parts Mickey and the crew had no choice but to do just that as almost every mile he had to stop to be warmed up as the sweat began to freeze on his body and he was at real risk of getting too cold. He did suffer the disorientation associated with altitude sickness and at times thought he was cycling downhill when in fact he was cycling uphill. To a novice this sounds great, as surely downhill is easier than uphill, but to the seasoned cyclist (and I guess he can refer to himself as that now) it creates confusion and can present a real danger, especially as Mickey would look back for the support vehicle to orientate himself. A few wise words from his Coach, Tim, sorted him out and kept him focusing on the road ahead, whilst his attentive crew kept a very close eye on him. He was very low in mood but remained strong in mind; he had the sense to listen to the advice of his crew and it served him well. Good on you MicRooCrew!

He needed some time out and took a short break to walk out into a field to take in some air and gain some perspective. From nowhere appeared a herd of deer who were not  at all startled by his presence,  but strangely inquisitive. For Mickey it was quite a surreal moment (or a Man versus Wild moment for fans of Bear Grylls) and gave him some inspiration....he was flying again in no time! 

Mickey left Colorado mid morning (Australia) and was pleased to cross the border to Kansas where the terrain is much friendlier!! He has renewed energy and has upped the pace hoping make up some ground and reports are he has his mind set on catching the Irishman! 

The crew are now working like clockwork; when he is woken after three hours sleep he has an hour to eat breakfast, shower, have accupuncture, physio, and the daily team brief before setting off. He has a 10 minute power-nap every 70 miles to re-energise and this seems to be working well.

Although it is tough going for the crew and sleep deprivation has become the norm there is no shortage of laughter. Roger has found his voice and starts every morning with the rendition of "Me & Bobby Mc Gee" to the point it has now become the tour song and the MicRooCrew are all well versed in singing a bar or two!! Dave has been getting close to nature choosing to bare all on the highway to make sure that Mickey didn't miss the turn off!!  What next?!!!

SELECT Photos!!!

Keeping warm on the ascent....

Altitude did his looks no favours!

the luxury cabin and the not so luxury cabin....



Rusty dreaming of a lay...



Rusty is now nicknamed Crusty due to the 5 star showers!



A good cause

Greetings, guys
We all know that there are so many good charities out there to support and that it's hard to pick out what to say yes to and what to say, "Sorry, not this time" to. Some of you who haven't read earlier entries wouldn't know that Mickey has picked to support a charity very close to my heart; The Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Formerly known as the Spastic Centre, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance aims to support families of children with a disability through therapy and counselling. Another aspect of the CPA is the Research Department and it is this that the "Nutter" has chosen to help fund. Before 5 years ago, hardly any research was going into CP even though it affects more kids than childhood cancer. I'm really grateful that Mickey has decided to support a charity that will help kids like me.
Thanks,
Hannah
* If after reading this you would like to donate follow the link below:
https://sydneyicebear.gofundraise.com.au/page/RideAcrossAmerica

Day 5 – Pagosa Springs to Trinidad – 217.7 miles

What a huge day for the Flying Scotsman! He nailed 3 huge mountain climbs, including Wolf Creek, an  8 mile vertical monster. Mickey worked very hard, and was very rugged up given the climb finished well above the snowline in the thin air at altitude. We were very proud of him - he is a real tough sod!

The team was really pumped with the effort he put in, and Greg could claim he did hill reps at altitude by running a number of short sections with Mickey to keep him company and supply food, drinks, and great motivational speeches! We were all in awe of the stunning scenery and snakelike road with snow, switchbacks ascending rapidly from the mountain floor.

Mickey seemed to enjoy the rapid descent, rugging up further to protect against the cold wind at speed and with tyres pumped up to within an inch of their life. The road flattened out at the Rio Grande river and town of Southfork, and we all agreed we’d love to come back. Stan’s thinking of getting an investment property at South Fork, but will re-do his sums when we said we will all come and camp on his floor with all of our friends, for free, for big chunks of the year!

Ripley’s Believe it or Not have also been called after Dave, Mickey and Greg needed to visit nature well away from the road and as the last person to visit nature, Greg discovered one of Dave or Mickey passed a banana skin doing a “No.1”.  Hmmmm.

The big mountains opened out into highland plains and big wide ranges. We passed through a number of small towns at speed as Mickey enjoyed a great tailwind as a reward for the tough climb at Wolf Creek. We even passed a hotel where the rooms had giant windows, which all faced a giant outdoor screen – yes a Hotel Movie Theatre! You stay in your room and watch the big screen out your window. We also passed Boogies Café, with take-out or dine in. We all passed on that one!

As we approached alongside the Great Sand Dunes National Park, Celine thought she’d test the sand out by parking the car in the sand and getting it bogged. Perhaps best stick to your hairdresser car Celine!

Mickey took on another big climb and it really took it out of him and he needed a good rest with food and a quick 30min sleep. He was a little disoriented but after rest and working through any concerns the team had, decided to push onto the next climb, the last of the day. Mickey work very hard and was smart in tackling the mountain in sections at a time, resting when he needed to and taking on board plenty of food and drink from the MicRooCrew whom were always only metres away. He was simply fantastic.

There was a quick descent into Trinidad, a town in the mid-west of the USA -  famous for it’s steel drums, great beaches and fast bowlers???? On the descent  Dave had a bear run across the road in front of the RV, and saw a skunk, as well as claiming a bob-cat sighting. Mr Wildlife!

Trinidad was a welcome relief after a long hard day for Mickey and the MicRooCrew. Mickey had taken the mountains of Colorado,  done extremely well and could now relax at lower altitudes. He bounded into the RV after midnight with a “Hi Ho Mr Wallace”, demonstrating he was in good spirits.  We now have a routine at the end of the day where we write on a small whiteboard a selection of messages of support and motivation from home and leave it in Mickey’s room for him to read as he collapses into bed.  He went to bed exhausted but with a big smile, with increasingly less soreness on his bum, less soreness on his feet and all-over.  We were really happy for him and it lifted the whole team.

Aerial View of RAAM by Molly Campbell

...a drawing by Molly of us travelling through the Mojave Desert, showing the support vehicle behind the rider as always...

Day 4 – Mexican Hat to Pagosa Springs

After 3 hours rest including 2 hours sleep on the Shell Service Station forecourt, we headed off from Mexican Hat at first light. Mexican hat is in a dry dusty river valley, which is on one hand ugly and barren, and on the other hand quite beautiful although we wouldn’t want to live there. After about 3 miles we found how the town got its name, with a rock formation of balancing rocks in the shape of a  Mexican Hat!

The sunrise was spectacular as we passed alongside the Valley of the Gods, which was truly beautiful with elements of Monument Valley and elements of the Grand Canyon.  Mickey was moving well in the cool morning air as we moved quickly to Bluff, which seems straight out of the movie “Cars”. The road then roughened with a tough 5-10mile section of gravel road making Mickey work very hard.

The team in the support car used some of the time waiting ahead of Mickey for an impromptu calisthenics session lead by Celine, causing the occasional passing vehicle to stop and ask “What ARE you doing??” – 4 people in yellow shirts doing roadside exercises on a back road in the middle of nowhere. At least no-one pulled a gun on us!

The RV team used clever navigational skills to take a “long-cut”, finding a place to shower and clean up. Stan felt great negotiating a $28 deal for showers for 4 people at a local motel, although the maintenance man joined them to take the shifting spanner off the shower tap.  The boys were new men. Stan was no longer Stain, Roger was no longer the Artful Dodger, and Rusty was no longer Crusty!

Mickey pedalled on through gradually bigger rolling hills until we caught our first glimpse of the big snow capped mountains in Colorado as we entered Cortez. The first two stores in Cortez were a pawn shop which also sold beer and liquor,  on the left hand side of the road , whilst there was a gun shop and gun range on the right hand side of the road. Probably best to steer clear on a Friday night!

The mountain backdrop was lovely and Mickey downed hamburgers and chips to celebrate a hard mornings ride. He impressed a European rider whom commented at a stop about Mickey’s speed on the hills – “zat Mickey, he is very good on ze hills! Celine, Greg, Gary and Dave then beat Stans’s $28 deal paying only $10 at a pretty good motel.

We pushed on to Durango the first cut-off point for the race. Mickey made it with a number of hours to spare, then pushed onto Pedrosa Springs, a real mountain town. Mickey arrived around 10pm, and decided to call it quits for the day rather than tackling the 10,000ft climb which started just out of town.  Although it was quite cold, Mickey had an ice-bath in our Wal-Mart blow up pool. Roger dangled his feet to keep Mickey company and also to be on hand to supply him with a big hug and lots of bodyheat to keep Mickey warm – it makes for interesting photo’s.  We celebrated Mickey  making the Durango cut-off time with fish and chips!

Celine and Dave did a great job to create a sense of order in the RV, and actually turn it into a place that felt like home. We also had a Truth session, where the MickRooCrew (without Mickey) shared a few home truths about our processes and each other to improve our performance. Both events have been pivotal in improving our teamwork, our changeovers and dynamics.

Given it was cold we went to bed early for an early start. Greg got a promotion from sleeping under the table at Oceanside, to sleeping on the table in the RV. We were all very cosy and Rusty and Gary showed their toughness by opting to sleep under the stars, under 500 layers of clothing – perhaps that was to keep the bears at bay. Roger also showed he’s trendy by demonstrating planking across the front seats of the RV!

Day 3 – Sedona to Mexican Hat – 225.5 miles

The day started with a stark reminder of the conditions we are under when Greg asked “can anyone top 3 days in the same clothes including undies and socks?”, and almost everyone put their hand up.  Roger lead a quick prayer session with the hymn “Me and Bobby McGee” to get Mickey underway, whilst Rusty (now quickly becoming Crusty) tried to patch up a deflated Calax to no avail.

Mickey lead the way through Sedoma, an amazing town of red rock moonscapes – a place we all agreed we’d like to come back to. Mickey tackled the 20 or so miles to Flagstaff on a narrow climbing route, whilst the RV was diverted to the freeway  due to the narrow roads.  This gave Gary, Dave and Greg who were in the RV the chance to pump out the RV, and freshen themselves up  with fresh clothes, a shower and shave - an absolute delight. This also lightened their bags as underclothes were unceremoniously  dumped in the bins. The clothes would have been burnt but for an Extreme Fire Danger in Flagstaff.

Mickey hit headwinds and uneven surfaces, testing him  on the undulating roads towards Tuba City – a very small city of a few petrol stations and a couple of houses in the desert. Celine worked on Mickey’s sore backside – no-one else wanted to go there, and his other aches and pains with quite a few grimaces and expletives from Mickey. The “rough treatment” Celine gave him worked wonders as by nightfall the blisters on his bum were less of an issue, and his feet and legs were all feeling ok.

After Mickey took off post lunch, Dave gave Celine a “Dummies Guide to emptying the RV” – a video tutorial in how to pump out the toilet and wastewater. Watch out for the Limited Edition Video  - a great Father’s Day Gift.  I hear the Convey’s have already already ordered one for Paul!

Mickey continued on through the barren conditions, pedalling like a demon and reaching Kayenta by nightfall. Kayenta is a desert town of service stations, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and little else. We attracted interest from a number of locals whom also wanted to take our stuff (well at least Dave’s stuff), and also kept asking us for cash.

Dave is struggling with the term “Miles” and keeps using “Kilometres” even when Mickey corrects him by responding with “Miles”. Dave says he’s testing Mickey’s mental faculties to make sure Mickey’s alert, but truth is Dave can’t help himself. We have a 20c fine for each time Dave uses “Km” – he now owes $1,068.40, but that’s nothing compared to the gazillions in Roger’s swear box!

We got to pass through Monument Valley, but there we couldn’t see it at it’s best as it was at night. Mickey had some issues with lights, and after a quick repair and re-start, a coyote took interest and started to chase him down the road, then backed off, then chased hard again to get within 2-3 metres of Mickey whilst the MickRooCrew gave chase rapidly to scare it off. It would have been really interesting if we reported into Race Headquarters our rider had been taken by a coyote!

We could see elements and silhouettes of the large mesa’s as we passed through the valley bathed in bright moonlight, including the mesa that looked like it was from Close Encounters. We continued on and called camp for the night at the tiny village of Mexican Hat (da da da da de da, de da da de da da de da) – and yes some of us did an impromptu dance albeit a tired one.

Stuff Back Home

Fáilte romhat chuig an bhlag seo (Gaelic for “Welcome to this blog”) In case you haven’t been regularly checking the updates by the MickRooCrew (Mickey’s support crew) the mad Scotsman is now halfway across America with only 5 days left. Over the course of the race Mickey is only having 3 hours sleep per day. So last weekend I went out in sympathy whilst at respite in Dee Why. Being awake until 1 am, then 11 pm the next night I now have an understanding of how hard it is to get out of bed the next day. Although I probably should mention that those usual hours of rest were taken up munching on popcorn and chatting so I’m not quite sure whether it’s the same thing. Today has been beyond the best word for cold I could use, so cold in fact, that it is snowing in Orange! Today Mum downloaded the app for Dragon Dictation onto her iPhone. For those of you who haven’t heard of the power of this computer program, Dragon enables you to speak into a headset and the computer types what you say!!!* It must understand Dad really well because according to it, we should send Mickey from Scotland recycling across America. So make sure you guys out there have a green thumb – Dragon’s watching you!

I hope you’ve been entertained by this blog

Ciao Hannah

* Practice makes perfect

YAY! Well kinda....

Sorry folks, you may have thought, since the title said YAY! that Mick has finished. Well... no. :-( But he is close! He has pasted the twenty fifth checkpiont.
Here is something that happened thoe while they were driving.
Well, Celine well knowen as Docter Crocter, No Knickers or Galvo, was driving the Winnibago and acidently drove in to quick-sand and got bogged while Greg had a heart-attack but musted the courage to find planks of wood, (where exactly did they find it?) to drive them out. They were stuck for half an hour and finally got out.
The other thing was that Mick got surrounded by deers and said it was very sprital, while Stan was taking a nice pic!
So that is all for now and keep reading whats happening from Hannah and I.
Thanks. Molly. xx

I hope Mickey isn't expecting the same attention when he gets home...

The Lone Rider......

Dr Crocter's Fizzio Class for MicRooCrew!

Day 5 - Celine starts Ice Therapy....sounds like torture!!

Celine working her Irish magic on Mickey's muscles................

Hot of the press from Celine who reports that breakfast for the crew entails cooking 25 eggs, 20 bacon, 1 litre of porridge and prunes (phew!) and 8 cups of very strong tea. I am sure they could all do with a glass of something stronger though!

Thanks for all your messages of support, it is keeping them going, so please keep them coming.....

Hi!

Hey guys, I know I just talked to you but this is good luck from The Campbell Kids (and Dog)

Keep peddaling and chew up those hills, well, clearly mountains.
Love Molly xx Paddy xx  and your favourite little dog in the whole wide world, Rosie, xx and of course Mummy.
xx

Colorado!

Mick is doing VERY well! He is riding through Colorado (The largest state in RAAM) and can't WAIT to get out of it! It's got mountains that are bigger than any that can be found in Australia, and he is actully riding in altitude, hopefuly the mountain climbs that he has done will help him. This afternoon, he went up a mountain (again) and thought he was going down hill because of all the wind, he didn't even notice! (Which is good!) Although he says it messes with your mind....
He is now having a three hours sleep, which will do him good as he has been riding for a VERY long time!
The MickRooCrew is doing hard work and is putting all the effort they have got in for Mick, (reports Mickey) and reckons he should owe them a nice long holiday.
Well, Good luck Mick!
Molly xx

RAAM – Day 2

We awoke after what seemed like less than 2 hours sleep (and it was) to the hot dusty scrub plains adjacent to the Colorado River.  Although there didn’t appear to be much wildlife around we heard lots of bird noises whenever someone walked more than 10m away from the Mother Ship RV.

 Mickey had passed a large number of riders during the night and we wondered how many had soldiered on past us before calling it a night. Mickey was keen to get going and kitted up and took off by 7.30am after food, a good stretch from Celine, and fresh gear.

The route in the morning took us to Parker where we got some help with the RV from a friendly guy named Jimmy, and then onto places like Wendon and Salome, one horse towns with literally 1-2 houses and a general store, and an RV/Trailer park – which seemed illogical. Roger was pretty rapt that he was the first MickRooCrew member to successfully do a U-turn in the RV.

Mickey was moving at speed early but really had to work very hard into strong headwinds and 40 degree temperatures on long flat roads offering nothing. He was a tired boy at lunch at the Salome time station and some changes in the wind direction offered some help for the afternoon.

The route went through flat country and some native Indian reservations and towns before rearing up off the plain with a very big climb over a number of miles. The view of the rocky plains filled with cacti was spectacular, but came at a cost of hard work on the legs. Mickey appreciated getting his teeth into the climbs and seemed to enjoy them, being keen to ride on as dusk approached. The climbs continued past 4,000, 5000, 6000 and 7,000 feet (max 7,036) and he kept eating them up, being out of the saddle, doing lots of stretching and requesting Coldplay from DJ Dave to help drive him up the range late into the night.

He looked very strong, and to the delight of the support crew decided to take the 10 mile rapid descent easy which was a wise decision as the road surface deteriorated and he got a flat near the bottom of the descent.  The town of Jerome on the descent was a highlight and looked and felt like a little Italian village, and a bit surreal given the rest of America.  Mickey made the Cottonwood time station but was tiring and with a 40mile climb awaiting,  soon after decided to call it a night, with the RV still a little further up the road.

A bed was made in the Chrysler for Mickey, whilst Gary won the chair and Dave and Greg opted for the sealy Posturepedic Bitumen. Mickey was out like a light while we waited for the RV. Later whilst we were nearby waiting to direct the RV, we saw a Coyote near our gear. Greg chased it off into the bush then afterwards thinking…”was that really a good idea???”

Day 2 was a long hot day, with the conditions testing Mickey (who was coming 4^th overall at Parker), testing our teamwork and testing our patience. The MickRooCrew made some good decisions without Mickey, which were smart moves in the end.

We look forward to Day 3 and some of the great scenery Arizona has to offer!

At last - Race Day, and what a day

Wow! A great first day – Tough, hot, fun, tense and exhilarating all at the same time. And another $1000 has been raised during the day for Cerebral Palsy.

All last minute preparations were locked away for ShowTime. Mickey started on time at 12.35pm, the only competitor to start in a kilt. The afternoon was hot, dry and windy with a mix of big climbs to 4000m, long descents to below sea level, no headwind, strong headwinds and strong tailwinds. Dave did the Initial driving stint with Rusty navigating and Celine and Stan backseat driving. Roger, Greg and Gary braved the RV after a last minute WalMart top up.

The desert country and scenery was great to see and passing through desert dunes just after dusk a real highlight. The boy Mickey had sore toes early but recovered after a few adjustments and help from Celine and is powering along strongly and often proving hard to catch for the support vehicles. He’s had stints sitting on 30 mph, and we’ve had him out of the saddle a lot to maintain flexibility and stretch those powderkeg muscles.

Whilst the day was a serious and important day for us all, we still had lots of fun. Mickey dancing out of the saddle to the Saw Doctors at 2am after 14 hours hard riding showed his spirit. Roger blasting Johnny Cash through the loudspeakers as we followed Mickey through the California desert at night was reminiscent of the Blues Brothers at their best. Later on after Celine’s chilli sausages, there really was cause to sing Burning Ring of Fire! We were able to briefly log onto Mickey’s GoFundRaise page and share with him over the loudspeakers the many messages of love, friendship, motivation and encouragement. Plus a few messages suggesting he’s a crazy bugger!  Please keep the  great messages, emails and texts all coming as they also act as mental fuel for Mickey.

The day finished past Blythe on the California/Arizona border alongside the Colorado river after approx. 250 miles and 15 and a half hours of long riding and supporting.  The Colorado gave Greg and Mickey the chance to discuss further possibilities for adventure! Mickey looks good, healthy and fit for the coming challenges ahead. He is a machine doing us all proud.

3 hours sleep, rest and food and we’ll do it all again!

Internet and electricity are hard to come by so bear with us and we’ll get more updates and photo’s to you soon.

He is Going Very Well!

Hello Blog Readers!
It is Friday morning Aus time and his poor dog Rosie's very much missing going to the sandunese!
Today we've got braking news! DA DA DA DA!!!! Mick has PAST the forth checkpoint! He had to get his  feet in his shoes cut out because his feet were swelling in the heat! Oh, oh!
Mick is in the desert cycling in a cool 35c (It must be like home after the Sahara!) Dr Croctor reports that he is strong in mind and body.  Mickey is coming a good place. It We think he's coming nineteenth or eighteenth in his age group out of forty. Imagine how TIRED he would be!! The mickroocrew are keeping his spirits high with loud speakers on the van behind playing his favourit music and reading out the blogs as he cruises through the desert. The Irish team are ahead but Mick is going to certainly catch up.... he is staying up all day cycling and all night cycling and only three hours to sleep!! CRAZY!
I hope you are OK now with all this crazy news going on and hope you don't faint!
Please stay tooned with more crazy news from Molly. xx

He's Off!!!

Mick Campbell the Nutter is off! He started his race at five thirty in the morning Australian time. The MickRooCrew is driving after him making sure he is okay. He was pumped and ready to race across America! He wore his kilt for the first part of the ride, CRAZY scotsman!

They made friends with the Irish team, but they are not going to win; Mick Campbell is!!!!!
With the Irish team, the MickRooCrews agreed to support them as well as Mick and vice verser.

The first part of the race, is a steep climb, luckey Mick likes the hills, because it will be pretty tough for a few people!
He wasn't feeling one hundred percent, as he had a cold/flew. Docter Crocter, as Celine is now knowen will sort him out! To bad we don't have Margret Booth on the team!

Good Luck Mick and the MickRooCrew, especially Docter Crocter!
Molly. xx

RAAM – 1 day to go to the RaceStart…..WIth Pics

What a difference a day makes. The focus on today was welcoming Celine, passing scrutiny at registration, and final preparations. 

We started early with Roger and Dave trekking north to LA Airport in the Chrysler Catholic Bus to pick up Celine – they refused to drive the RV – everyone seems scared to drive the RV!  Luckily Celine wrote her full name on the immigration papers (unlike Stan) and passed through quickly despite wearing a man’s kilt and carrying a tonne of medical supplies.

Roger was grateful for Celine’s urgent medical assistance, although the local Diner asked what the Irishwoman in the carpark was doing on the ground checking out the toes of the man in the yellow shirt. Roger was also grateful Celine brought a spare sleeping bag bigger than Paddy’s parka.

Registration went well and we were complimented on our state of readiness, with an additional late minor request from the organisers the only hiccup.   Christine from RAAM was also really helpful, and somehow after a quick chat with Christine we all walked away spending lots on RAAM t-shirts. Gary endeared himself to the locals by taking Calax, our blow-up kangaroo mascot for a walk along the Oceanside beachfront.  The locals know well  and truly we are from Australia, even though we have a Scotsman, an Irishwoman, a Kiwi and a Jordanian in the team.

Mickey was keen to have an i-pod experience without an i-pod, so Stan was able to get hold of a speakers and a sound system with the help of Sam.  Well Done Stan! Some guys of Mexican extraction helped rig it up to the Catholic Bus in record time, and jumped  6 feet in the air when Roger tested it out with “Click Go the Shears” a prized personal choice from his CD Dance Re-Mix collection.  When they found out we were from Australia, they even complimented us on our good English. With our pumping sound system, we are now the Doof  Doof boys of the race.

The RV continues to make some team members nervous. Greg refuelled it without knocking down the service station, although there was a near miss at the rail crossing when the boom gates lifted but started coming down again for a train coming the other way just as the RV was halfway across.

Celine and Stan now have the assistance of Personal Shoppers at WalMart given what they’ve bought. At one stage the living room floor was unpassable with the amount of shopping, and the MickRooCrew now have their own carbon tax due to the volume of plastic bags. Dave was excited as one store we visited allowed him to ride their Beer Cruiser – a pushbike with 6 beer can holders welded to it. He’s ordered one for his next triathlon.

Celine has worked like a tornado in the kitchen, with our final pre-race dinner being fit for a king. Thank you so much Celine!

The MickRooCrew are ready, with a couple of minor things to address tomorrow. The Flying Scotsman himself is now in the zone and has that look in his eye. He’ll be fine at the startline tomorrow. Mickey rides off at 12.35pm on Wedneday, which is approx. 5.35am on Thursday in Sydney. Think of him climbing the hills on Day 1 as you tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen…..Mickey’s thrilled with your support and generosity, and will have a real crack at this race.

Welcome Celine!

Roger our emergency reserve for Mickey imparts tips at Registration







Team MickRooCrew

Our food supply will keep us Regular

Christine from RAAM with Crew Chief Dave

Mickey’s 5000km journey

Hurry up Rusty, I need to get cash out!

Some of stage 1’s early climbs in the distance

Mickey’s sponsor Shamrock Electrical is everywhere