June 3rd, 2005

Boston, MA, June 3rd, 2005

Hello everyone,

As you can see on the homepage, there is only 15 days left before the Big Day. No need to tell you that I’m a little anxious. After all, I’m about to participate in the Toughest Race in the World. You could tell me: “OK, but you wanted it so badly, Dude!” And I would tell you: “Yes, but still !” But, if I believe in what RAAM veterans used to say, the hardest part is almost done! Indeed, the preparation for RAAM has little to do with biking, and a lot with finding sponsorship, logistics, finding crew members, and in addition to that, in my case the fundraising. The race itself would be a “piece of cake”. Well, I have some doubts! Anyway, being at the starting line fit and ready to go is already a big victory.

My training over the last 2 months went very well, despite an awful weather in Boston, MA. I rode between 180 and 400 miles per week, with one big ride during the weekend, from 60 Miles at the beginning to 220 Miles 2 weeks ago. My average speed for this last ride was 17.5 mph. I have good sensations, and most of all, I’m not hurt. The bikes from Decathlon are just perfect. I will get 2 bikes (9.3) for RAAM : one set up for the mountain (triple cranks, light wheels) for the beginning of the race (Rockies) and the end (Appalachians), and one setup for the plains (competition wheels, aerobars). Joël, bike mechanic and an avid rider, will be in charge of the maintenance of the bikes. As of now, I’m tapering, and do only 2 to 3 hours of riding. One of my fear is the heat. Until now, we’ve had no hot days in Boston (even not warm!), and so I couldn’t get used to those conditions during my training. The problem is that the first day of the race, we’ll be riding through the Mojave desert, where the temperature is usually 110F. I will have to be very careful, and not ride too fast. However, in the case of dehydration, Rob, the Team doctor, planned everything. He will bring in his luggage 18 liters of I.V fluid, just in case!

This entire project wouldn’t have been without the help of the sponsors. Today, I’d like to present 2 of them: Decathlon, all the French know this company, provided me with 2 bikes, equipment and clothes for the race. The company came in U.S 4 years ago, more precisely around Boston, MA. After a difficult start, Decathlon begins to get very good feedback, and plans extension in the near future. Philippe Uzan, CEO of Decathlon USA, didn’t hesitate one second (literally!) when I asked him his help. I’m looking forward to riding across the country with his superb bikes, and above all arriving in Atlantic City, because he promised me he would be there to welcome me. John Mc Clellan, a rider and very good friend of mine, introduced me to Mike Milligan, President and CEO of Axel Johnson Inc. He too gave me his OK for a sponsorship. Axel Johnson Inc. is a family-owned corporation created in 1873 in Stockholm (Sweden) by Axel Johnson. With revenues of $7 Billions and more than 15,000 employees worldwide, the group has interests in the energy, environment, food retailer and communications technology sectors. The owner of the Group, Antonia Ax:son Johnson and her daughter Caroline Berg, are actively involved in a number of charities in Sweden, especially those fighting against sexually transmitted diseases. That’s why this sponsorship makes sense and is very important for them.

How is the fundraising doing? As of now, we have raised about $15,000. It is of course very far from my goal of $2 millions. Does that mean that it was not worth doing this project? NO. Does that mean that this project is a failure? NO. There is no small donation, and every opportunity to raise awareness about the need of an HIV Vaccine has to be taken. Every single day, as Kofi Annan pointed out, 8,000 people die because of AIDS. And the worst thing would be that they die in silence. The goal of this project, as small as it is, is to fight against this silence, and also raise money. I consider myself, probably like most of you, a very lucky person. I have a fantastic family, all I need to live a good life. And sometimes, I ask myself this question: What if I were born in Uganda? Well, I would probably be dead by now (see life expectancy and AIDS), and my children would be orphans. This idea motivated me to do this project, to convince people to help me, and not give up when things get tough. For us, every day is another day in paradise, but somewhere, lots of people live in hell.

Help them.

Patrick

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Latest Update, Sept 15th, 2007

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