La Jolla, CA
Well, this is it! I'm about to embark on my last RAAM solo journey across the USA. No need to tell you that I'm quite nervous right now. However, as soon as we'll hit the road tomorrow at 3:41PM EST, anxiety will be gone and there will be left ahead of us just... 3,023 miles of open road, fantastic scenery, lots of laughs, pain, doubt, tears, sometimes all of that within an hour, but most importantly 3,023 miles of complete unknown. Although I can call myself a RAAM veteran, having competed already 3 times, each year is different, and I have absolutely no idea what RAAM is going to throw at me this time. But that's the beauty of this race. It feels like being a "forty-niners" looking for gold, except that we're going East, and our gold is the finish line in Annapolis, MD. And I can't wait to start this unique journey of discovery.
Nothing would have been possible without the support of many people. I'd like to thank my sponsors, TV5 Monde, Cytek, Redbones, Spiz, Avis, RaceDayWheels, ATA Cyles, and the French Consulate in Boston. My crew members will help me through this journey and they are all at least as excited as I am. Before driving them crazy, I'd like to thank Rob, Jerome, Greg, Maite, Aude, Sylvie, Anne-Cecile and Camille. Although I will be the only one on the bike, RAAM is a team effort and I'm sure I have a great team this year. I also want to thank Amy and Pat for welcoming us in their beautiful house in La Jolla, facing the Pacific Ocean. Being there the last few days prior to the start has been really nice and stress-free for all of us.
This project is about challenges and dreams. I'm a lucky man and life has been very good so far for me. I have a great family, 2 fantastic children Estelle and Damien, a job, basically I couldn't ask for more. However, when I look outside my personal circle, life is tough for many people, and if through my dreams, I can help, even a little, these people who are less lucky than I am, I'd be a better man.
Please go to my website at www.patrickautissier.org and consider making a donation to Partners In Health or Nashoba Learning Group.
This is my last newsletter because I'll be kind of busy for the next 10 - 12 days. My crew members will try to post newsletters, photos, videos and data about my progress. I know that the links on my homepage don't work on the MAC, so here it is: go to www.patrickautissier.org
Newsletters: Click on the blog webpage
Photos: Click on the Photos webpage
RAAM Website: Click on the RAAM webpage and go to live coverage
Data table: Click on the graphs of the newsletter posted on the home page
Video: go to www.youtube.com/user/pautissi
Thank you for your support,
Patrick
Race Number # 302
1 comment:
On est tous derrière toi!
Catherine
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