Racing Across America

On June 12, 2010, eight cyclists (five with Trinity connections) will start the Race Across America, a bike race where individuals and teams see how fast they can pedal 3000 miles (http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/raam2.php?N_webcat_id=7). This will be the 29 ^thRAAM event, and Durham Cares founder and Trinity parent Henry Kaestner has organized an eight-person team to ride, relay-style, over the Rockies, through the plains, past the Appalachians, to end up in Annapolis, MD.

Our goal is to complete this race in about seven days and to bring lots of good attention to Durham and to the many great non-profits and organizations under its umbrella. Durham Cares exists to promote volunteerism and charitable giving in our community, and we're hoping this race will lead more people to give of their time, talents, and treasures.

Check out the team's webpage at www.durhamcares.org/RAAM, where there are bios of the eight team members and information on the race.

The team consists of Henry Kaestner, founder of Durham Cares and Executive Chairman of Bandwidth.com (and Trinity School parent); Lance Condray, Vice President at Bandwidth (and new Trinity parent for the fall of 2010); George Linney, Duke Divinity graduate and pastor; Dave Hofmann, Associate Dean at Kenan-Flagler Business School; Henry McKoy, Chairman and CEO of Fourth-Sector Financial Corporation; Jenny Denton, Duke sophomore (and Trinity alum--and my daughter); Christopher Gergen, Founder of New Mountain Ventures and Bull City Forward; and myself. The team is anchored by crew chief, John Simonds, former Trinity parent and son of Trinity's former Business Manager, Jack Simonds.

Here's the way the race works: One rider rides at all times. The rest of the crew trails or leads in vehicles, and the riders take shifts to maximize speed. The team's goal is to make it to Annapolis by 1 pm on Saturday, June 19. A tall order. We have to average just under 18 miles an hour, and that includes the Rockies and the mountains in West Virginia.