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Meet the 2009 RAO Racers

Lots of new faces this year – many of whom I’m not familiar with. This one will be fun!

The SOLO RACERS

100 Peter Correy – Chase, British Columbia, CANADA – Serving as brother Ryan Correy’s crew chief during RAO 2007 and RAAM 2008 has give Peter the opportunity to nail the logistics of this sport down. Peter is a frequent participant in BC Randonneur events. The crew experience will be invaluable. He’s spent so many miles and hours following a rider we’re excited to see Peter leading the van this time around.

101 Laurence Kluck – Eureka, CA – The 60 year old Californian is going to be a tough competitor. Dick Weber’s 60+ record is going to get a serious challenge this year. Kluck is a rookie to RAO but one of the most experienced ultracyclists in our field with multiple 508s and THREE Paris-Brest-Paris finishes under his lycra.

102 Ross Muecke – Kennewick, WA – Muecke (pronounce it “Mickey” or face the wrath!) avenged his 2007 DNF with a solid third place finish in 2008. Ross rode an impressive race last year – he was consistent throughout and steadily moved through the field for his podium finish. Ross has put in mega miles since then and posted strong finishes at (to name a few) DRVTT, Davis 24 and the Lewis & Clark 24. Ross also holds the Washington border to border record and gained the ever important crew experience at last year’s Race Across the West. Muecke should do well on the new route and I will not be surprised at all to see him pedaling with the leaders.

103 Christopher OKeefe – Mountain View, WA – I found O’Keefe listed among finishers of the California Doubles. These events are GREAT stepping stones for those wanting to attempt the 500 milers. Riders who have done well there have generally done well at RAO. With rides such as The Terrible Two on Chris’ resume I expect him to make the transition nicely to racing an RQ. And he’s proven he can do these just fine with an official finish at The 508 and a 6th place finish at the Hoodoo 500.

104 John Pearch – Olympia, WA – Amazing ride at RAO last year. John was our male Rookie of the Year – doing so in his first bike race. Pearch’s background is in ultradistance running (Western States, etc) and he is tough. He has trained up this year by taking part in a number of Seattle Randonneur events and is following his plan from last year of spending time out on the route. Pearch knows he can finish now and this should help him through the inevitable low periods. I would say I expect him to finish faster than last year but (and I don’t mean this in any way as an insult!!!) I have no idea how fast this course will ride. Let’s just say I’m expecting a top finish from Pearch this year.

105 Kenneth Philbrick – Keizer, OR – Kenneth is one of the few people to win RAO his rookie year – and by rookie I mean complete newbie to ultracycling. The kilted one beat Gregg Geser’s 2 year old solo record by one minute in ’05, came back in ’06 to obliterate the then 2 person record. He placed 7th at The 508 and last year, after bowing out of RAO prior to the start due to flu, took first place at Ring of Fire and at The Hoodoo 500. Kenneth had signed up to race RAO in ’04 but pulled out prior to the start due to a knee injury. Will history repeat itself in ’09?

108 Brian Martin – Kelowna, Canada – Brian Martin is a rookie to the solo event but did a fantastic job racing as part of the 2 Man Relay Team Grime and Punishment in RAO 2004. Brian should find the weather MUCH different this go round. Brian is looking for an official finish this year and I will not be surprised at all to see him find one.

109 Nelson Snyder – Hood River, OR – Local racer Nelson Snyder is a man of many talents and he excels at all of them. Snyder has a strong reputation around here and he’s earned it. I look for him to do exceedingly well in his first RAAM Qualifier.

110 David Rowe – Lake Oswego, OR – David is another rookie who brings miles of experience with him to RAO. Rowe runs the Ready to Ride website (check it out at www.readytoride.biz) He was thinking of entering RoF last year but his training didn’t go quite as planned. He is ready for RAO and I think he will put in a strong performance.

111 James Cox – Portland, OR – Top Chef is my favorite show on television and Chef James is an acquaintance of the season three winner. I’m looking forward to hearing more about this… Like John Pearch, Cox has been participating in the NW randonneur rides this spring. After a PAC Tour or one of our Training Camp weekends I think the local randonneuring rides are some of the best things a racer can do to prepare for an ultra. The last weekend Terri and I were out on course the Seattle Randos were having a 600k on a portion of the RAO route. James name came up (in a good way) among a number of the riders we spoke with. I think he will be a rookie to watch!

112 Chad Swanson – The Dalles, OR – Swanson has a strong background racing OBRA events. Another racer who I’ve heard a number of good things about from other riders making him yet another rookie who I’m expecting to do very well.

114 Michael Maughan – Moscow, ID – Until the Lewis & Clark Ultra on Memorial Day Weekend, Maughan’s farthest ride had been 140 miles. He went over 300 on the mountainous LaC route and from all accounts rode well. How will Michael hold up for another 16 – 20 hours of racing on top of that 24? I look forward to finding out!

115 Ian Fillinger – Kamloops, CANADA
116 Kelly Hegar – Portland, OR
118 Fabio Biasiolo – Italy
120 Pat Layton, Corvallis, OR
154 Bruce Carroll – Oakland, CA
155 Gregg Gesser – Sisters, OR

With Guest Introduction Specialist, Sandy Earl filling in for the women’s field while George is away at RAW and RAAM:

Women’s Solo
140 Karen Armstrong – Spokane, WA
Karen is one strong rider! I watched her closely at Furnace Creek in 2007, when she won the womens’ division with a time of 36:58 – until she got away from the rider I was crewing for, that is…Coached by ultramarathon cycling superstar Michael Emde, she is tough and disciplined. If she brings her “A” game – and I can’t imagine she won’t – she’s the odds-on favorite to take the division. Good news for everyone else is that she’s already RAAM-qualified.

141 Sandy Earl (Solo Recupright) – Hillsboro, OR – If experience counts for anything…Well, this is Sandy’s 10th appearance at RAO – 5 behind the windshield, and now 5 in front – without a DNF. Don’t expect that to change this year – she’s on a bit of a roll, with 2 strong finishes at 24-hour races in the month of May, taking on the womens’ field at Davis with 351 miles, and establishing a womens’ (and recumbent!) record of 302 miles at Lewis & Clark. Recupright??? Woo-hoo! It’s a BIKE!

142 Erin Beresini – Hermosa Beach, CA – Move over, Shanna Banana – there’s a new kid on the block, ready to take the ultra distance cycling world by storm! It would be TOO easy to pass Erin off as another Malibu Barbie, garden-variety triathlete. My advice? Don’t. She’s young, sure, and she’s enthusiastic…She’s also smart and focused, and she’s recently completed a sub 12:00 Ironman (Coeur D’Alene, 2008). In short, she’s got legs – and she knows how to use ‘em.

143 Joan Grant – Sunnyvale, CA – Joan has had a very strong early season, washing down her sub-13-hour finish at Ironman New Zealand with strong finishes at the Devil Mountain Double AND the Davis 24 in rapid succession. Joan also had a strong finish at Furnace Creek last year, and as a past California Triple Crown winner she’s definitely got the base miles in. Expect a strong finish here.

Men’s Solo Recumbent
106 Keith Kohan – Salem, OR
107 Alex Kohan (Solo Recupright) – Salem, OR
117 Dennis Johnson – Houston, TX

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