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Photo by Jim Kendrick, support crew member and OCN reporter

Web site exclusive

Morgan’s Team Cyclonauts crosses county by bicycle in 8 days

By Jim Kendrick

Monument Sanitation District Board Chairman and Monument Planning Commissioner Lowell Morgan successfully completed the arduous ultra-marathon challenge of the 3,052 mile Race Across America, called “the world’s toughest bicycle race,” in a little over 8 days. Morgan was a member of the four-man “Team Cyclonauts” and specialized in performing long and difficult climbs. He was accompanied by Monument residents Valerie Josephson and Jim Kendrick, who were part of the 11-person support crew. Morgan’s team finished in 8 days, 10 hours, 43 minutes overcoming several serious and painful rider accidents by Barge and Baldino. 

The team races started at Oceanside, California on June 13 and ended on the boardwalk at Atlantic City in front of Boardwalk Hall, traversing 15 states. The spires of the world famous Monument Valley, historic Durango, Colorado and challenging heights of Wolf Creek Pass combined to inspire and challenge riders and crews alike. 

Unlike le Tour de France, RAAM has no stages. There is no drafting and the race is live to the very end, a battle against the vast environmental conditions encountered and the participants’ own mental and physical capacities. Crews average no more than 3 hours of sleep per day. Only 164 solo and tandem riders have officially finished solo RAAM at least once, compared with over 1,300 individuals who have climbed Mt. Everest. For most riders and crewmembers, finishing the race is the competitive accomplishment of a lifetime. Riders from 15 countries included: 35 solo racers, 126 team competitors, and 27 24-hour racers. The total climb for this race was 108,600 feet. 

For more info see: http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/ and http://www.teamcyclonauts.com

Below: (L to R) Monument resident Lowell Morgan and his three "Team Cyclonauts" teammates Larry Brenize, Robert Baldino, and Bernie Barge on the Municipal Pier at Oceanside, CA, moments before the start of the team Race Across America on June 13. 

Below: Morgan approaching the finish line in Atlantic City, NJ.


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