Cycling Legends to Lead Team Across America
- Pete and Jim Penseyres
Back in the day before ESPN dominated television, Saturday night was big for sports fans. That's when millions tuned in to ABC's Wide World of Sports for an inside look at a variety of athletic arenas. In the early to mid-80s, one of the competitions gaining a lot of press was the ground-breaking "Race Across America." Cameras followed the world�s greatest endurance cyclists across America's heartland non-stop for 10 days, chronicling the battle against the searing desert heat, painful elevation gains, unending flatlands, and pure exhaustion; a phenomenal feat for the human body.
Today, over 25 years later, athletes come from across the globe to participate in what Competitor Magazine recently named "the world's toughest endurance competition." And they all do it to raise money for the charity of their choice!
"The RAAM is to cycling what the Super Bowl is to football, the World Series is to baseball, and the Boston Marathon is to running," says 2007 RAAM participant and North Coast Church attendee Joe Torres. "I grew up watching these people on TV, so I understand what legends some of these racers are!"
The word "legend" is quite fitting for two of the race's biggest names─ brothers Pete and Jim Penseyres. This duo happen to be North Coast attendees and are leading an eight-person team of North Coast cyclists in the race for the second year in a row. In 2007, the team raised over $10,000 for North Coast Community Service, helping fund the Weekend of Service that ultimately poured over $1 million in labor and materials right back into our local community.
The team is hard at work training again for the June start, with a few returning racers (20something/Canvas pastor Jeff Holmes and the Penseyreses) and several newcomers: Frank Peters, Karla and Nick Bokhoven, Mike Bennett (2007 crew member) and Dave Rideout. The goal this year is to beat last year's time of 6 days, 9 hours and 20 minutes. Not an easy feat!
- Pete setting the solo speed record in 1986
The Men Behind the Legend
The name Pete Penseyres garners plenty of attention in the endurance competition world. It all started back in 1983, when the Fallbrook native first made his mark on the famous race. His wife Joanne had encouraged him to try cycling as a more affordable alternative to his favorite hobby--car racing. His inaugural trek cross-country was a sign of things to come, beginning with a modest start in the desert, eventually picking up speed and passing his competitors one-by-one─ and ultimately finishing in a strong second place in Atlantic City. Out of a field of 12, he was one of just six competitors to actually finish the race. He went on to capture the RAAM solo record in 1986 at age 43 for the fastest crossing of the continental U.S. at 15.4 miles per hour, a record that--despite today's cutting-edge cycling technology-- will most likely never be broken.
Pete is a three-time solo finisher, two-time grand champion, and a four-time team finisher with two team records. This June will mark his ninth RAAM. "We didn't really have the choice to do the race as a team back in the 80s," he says. "They just had the solo ride, but I think if there had been an option, we would have done the team race. Having people help you ride is a lot more fun."
Pete and Jim spend a lot of time on the road together and have become famous for their grueling 24-hour training rides, leaving San Onofre on Friday after work, cycling around the Salton Sea, up to Julian, and back home by the next evening.
"Younger riders see how they handle their legacy and see how they give the glory to God," adds Torres. "That's why they're so eager to learn from them. They cause young men to want to be around them, because they exemplify what it means to be an example for Christ by their actions."
Jim is a legend in his own right. A Purple Heart recipient of the Vietnam War, Jim lost his lower leg in a land mine explosion and severely injured his other leg. He is the definition of an overcomer-- holding the fastest time in a solo RAAM for a cyclist with a prosthesis and co-holding the four-man HPV (Human Powered Vehicle) record set in 1989. He has completed the race as a rider seven times in both the solo and corporate divisions.
But ultimately, this race isn�t just an athletic achievement. The brothers have turned it into a ministry by mentoring younger riders. "These guys are soft spoken, but have a strong faith, and inspire others through their actions," says Torres. "They ultimately set the example. They're incredibly godly men, and what they do causes people to say, "That's how I want to live my life."
Jim and Pete break the team into two teams of four, and rotate in 12-hour shifts. They'll also put two people on the road at the same time a little more this year.
"Drafting behind another person can create a lot more speed and power, making it possible to go harder for a couple minutes, then switch places," says Pete. "The pair stays on the road longer, but can cover much more ground. This is especially efficient on flat places, like Kansas."
And while speeding across the country at 19 miles per hour provides ample time to enjoy the scenery, according to Jim, that isn't the most memorable part of the race. "The terrain is really neat, but you really remember the people you meet on your crew and the people you're riding with. Getting to the East Coast becomes secondary."
- Monday Night Training Sessions
Spring Training
Every Monday night, the North Coast Cycling Team feels like they're going nowhere--because they aren't! Propping their bikes on rollers in Pete's driveway, the team generates enough power during their night practice to power electricity for a four bedroom home. That's a lot of wattage!
"We call them Puke-a-thons," states Torres, who still trains with the team. "We complete two-minute intervals at our max heart rate to test our lactate threshold. Most people would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars for this kind of training from this caliber of coaches, but we get it for free just for being on the team and showing up."
On Saturday mornings, the team completes 10-minute hill repeats at a hard effort, gradually building each week for four weeks and gradually coming back down. "When we come down, we're stronger than where we were before," says Jim.
"The people we have on the team really like to ride their bikes, which is good since it's a long-term goal," he adds. "When you have a goal, you work towards it gradually. One of the issues we started out with in our team meetings is talking about the fact that we want everyone to have a safe ride, obeying the road rules, secondary, we want to be friends when we get there, and third, we want to go as fast as we can. And that's the order of importance."
- The 2008 Team (not pictured: Jim Penseyres)
The Purpose
Raising funds for the Weekend of Service was the main purpose of the 2007 race. Last year, the team raised over $10,000 that went directly into the service projects. "It's a great thing to do personally, but even greater to know we've raised money for North Coast Community Service," says Pete. "We even served together during the Weekend of Service at several projects including Washington Middle School."
How You Can Help!
First and foremost, please pray for the team's health and safety as they train over the next few months. Also, pray that they find corporate sponsors to cover the cost of the event ($3,000 per rider) so that all funds raised by the riders go directly to our community service program.
If you missed the entire RAAM team this weekend at the Melrose campus, you can meet them next weekend at Fallbrook, or March 30 at Madison. Don't miss out on this great opportunity!
Support the 2008 RAAM Team>>>
North Coast Cycling Team Web site>>>