POSTED BY RICK BEITELSPACHER

If it works for you, good. And if it sounds over the top,
maybe it is.

This will be the third time our team has done STP in a day. One thing that
has evolved with our team is the idea of roles. Russ is our strongest
rider so he will take longer pulls from the front as well as help
struggling riders keep up. If one of our guys falls way back, we send
Russ to go help him catch up. Craig writes on the blog. Scott keeps
track of time as we take our turns in front of the line. Scott also
makes sure we don't spend all day at a food stop - eating forever. Craig
writes in the newspaper. Kenny helps another guy keep track of water
consumption and eating on the ride. Kenny is also the truth-teller if
something is going wrong or needs addressing; he will bring it up. Craig
goes to Moab mountain biking then he writes about it on the blog and in
the newspaper. I am part coach, part encourager and the biggest smart
aleck (Trust me though all of them have shut me up more than once). I
try to keep track of how guys are feeling and making sure everyone keeps
track of each other. When guys are hurting, I remind them that EVERYONE makes
it to Portland no matter how long it takes for us to get there. I remind
guys that it is a team, not a collection of guys, but a group of people
working together to reach our goal (Finish in one piece).

Cycling can be such an individual sport that I love the team aspect. I
have the privilege to hang out with some great friends once or twice a
week as we get after our training or just riding and ribbing each other.

Have fun riding and be safe * Rick Beitelspacher