If the hourglass on Chris Stauffer's cycling jersey doesn't give you a clue, the words written above it do: “Peddl'n til the sand runs out.”
Stauffer, 77, participated in his fifth Race Across America (RAAM) in June. He and his three teammates may not have had the fastest time, but they were the oldest team to ever do the race, finishing the 3,021-mile course in a record time of eight days, 14 hours, 49 minutes, with an average speed of 14.61 mph.
The RAAM is almost 50 percent longer than the Tour de France, and has been compared to climbing Mount Everest. Cyclists race against a clock, riding 24 hours a day in two-man, four-hour shifts starting at Oceanside, Calif., and ending in Annapolis, Md.
The race, which started in 1982, is held in June, as close to the summer solstice as possible to take advantage of more hours of sunlight. This year's race started June 17, and for The Great Grand PAC Masters, who started June 20, ended eight days later.
Besides Stauffer, the team was made up of veteran riders Lee Mitchell, 73, of Woodland Calif.; Lew Meyer, 75, of Philadelphia; and Bob Cash, 75, of Cincinnati.
Stauffer, a Fort Wayne home builder, said this year's race was especially inspirational for him. Over the past few years the downward turn in the economy has hurt his business. As the stress climbed, his health declined from an excruciating attack of arthritis. “It was a vicious cycle - the worse the stress got from the business, the worse the arthritis got.”
When Mitchell first approached Stauffer about participating in the race, he wasn't sure if he could afford it. Normally each racer pays $10,000 for entry fees and taking care of the support crew. Mitchell was eventually able to find an anonymous team sponsor. “ I don't know who it was, it might have been Mitchell, he's that kind of a guy,” said Stauffer.
The race provided Stauffer with a sense of euphoria and well-being that has outlasted the eight days of the race. He said even after returning home, he had dreams he was still in the race. He would get out of bed in the middle of the night, get a drink of water and return to bed, still believing he was merely resting between stages.
The veteran team was treated like celebrities. At the beginning of the event, when riders are introduced, their team got a standing ovation and fans asked for autographs.
“People were telling us what an inspiration we are; it was an amazing experience,” said Stauffer.
Stauffer says his arthritis is better since the race, and although the economy is still taking a toll on his business, “If you have faith, family, friends and health, you are wealthy. I see the glass as half full now.”
He and his team have plans for racing as the first 80-year-old team in 2012. When he contacted Fred Boethling President/CEO of RAAM, about the teams' plan for 2012 Boethling wrote back, “Go for it! You guys are setting the benchmark for what I hope will be others … that is, those of us in the boomer generation … to follow.”
