All posts by Amy White

Cycle Time

Surrounded by charged fans, Brian Toone clicked his cleats in to push his first pedal stroke in the 2017 Race Across America (RAAM) at 1:14 pm Pacific Standard Time on June the 13th.  In a nonstop race to the Maryland coast, time doesn’t fit quite so neatly into a 24-hour day-night paradigm.

If you know Brian Toone, you know he loves data!  Brian is no longer a RAAM rookie so his examination of 2015 data steered strategy for this 2017 Race Across AmericaRAAM finishes are calculated by total time start to finish but often referred to as days, like 10 days in Brian’s 2015 finish.  The plan was for Brian’s first ride cycle to be thirty (30) hours followed by a three (3) hour sleep.  With a 30:3 ratio, cycling and sleeping do not fall day or night necessarily.  Brian saw sundown and sunrise before the notion of a sleep stop was near.

At 8:05 pm PST on June the 14th, Brian stopped at Time Station 07 in Prescott, Arizona; 445.54 miles in the saddle from the Oceanside, California start!  Brian was shuttled by our follow van crew to SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Prescott where he was greeted by Gabe and Team R4G for an emotional reunion [click here to read more on this from Ride4Gabe].

Our incredible but slightly worn-out Team Toone crew was finally gathered in one location again.  For Brian, sleep was SO close…his bed within sight.

Simultaneously, Brian ate from a personalized buffet planned and prepared by our nutrition teammates, debriefed with Crew Chief Jeffrey White and conducted an interview with Ride4Gabe’s Media Crew.  Brian then provided quick blood and urine samples for a research study before showering and application of podium legs [see photo above] for forty-five minutes.  Finally, Brian welcomed the sandman for a tiny sliver of well-deserved rest!

Ride cycle one was complete and the worst thing that happened was Brian being stung by a bee as he descended the “Glass Elevator” in Borrego Springs, California.  Brian’s determination through the blistering desert heat and the remarkable collaboration between our Team Toone teammates made for an exceptional start to RAAM 2017!

Please know that your comments are read to Brian over the follow van’s P.A. system.  There is a definite increase in Brian’s speed and spirit as he hears each message!  Join us on this journey by following, liking, commenting, sharing, live-tracking and visiting Ride4Gabe to learn more about the Hope for Gabe Foundation while we “Race for Accelerated Access to Medicine” in RAAM 2017.

Written by Amy White


Please watch the following videos from our charity partner, the Hope for Gabe Foundation’s Ride4Gabe 2017, and consider a sponsorship of $12 a mile to help us make a difference.

Posted by Ride4Gabe on Monday, June 19, 2017

Ride4Gabe III — The Parallels

In 28 hours, Brian Toone demonstrated what Gabe and other kids with Duchenne muscular dystrophy experience from age 3 to 12. Thank you, Brian, for allowing Ride4Gabe to tell your story and Hope for Gabe to bring awareness to everyone across America. #ride4gabe #h4g #raam2017 #endduchenne #teamtoone

Posted by Ride4Gabe on Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Race Across America Eve

It is Race Across America (RAAM) eve.  The pre-race excitement here in Oceanside, California is infectious, our entire crew has come down with it.  The butterflies in my tummy started this afternoon as I contemplated Brian Toone peddling across this beautiful country with our Team Toone Crew, Hope for Gabe Foundation’s Ride4Gabe Crew, and cycling friends worldwide supporting Brian.

As we make our way to Annapolis, Maryland we are “Racing for Accelerated Access to Medicine”; spreading Hope for Gabe Foundation’s Ride4Gabe III campaign that affects so many with rare diseases, Hope for Gabe Foundation Races Across America to Bring Awareness to 11,599% Price Increase for Children’s Drug.

Please keep Brian and our team in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on this tremendous journey together.  Your encouragement and support means everything, especially when it seems as if the whole race is uphill.

Brian is scheduled to cross the start line at 1:14 pm Pacific time on June 13th, 2017.  Follow us, live track us, and join us as Brian cycles coast to coast one pedal stroke at a time in the world’s toughest bicycle race!

Written by Amy White

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Westbound

After months (and months) of planning for Race Across America 2017, our Hope For Gabe/Team Toone RV departed Hoover, Alabama heading westward Wednesday morning!

Jeffrey and I stopped at the Alabama Mississippi line for a quick selfie, meeting two truly amazing gentlemen also snapping memories at the state line.  They were from Florida, heading to Alaska by motorcycle for another adventure.  Flat Stanley was along for the ride from their local school.  Turns out, one of our new friends [see above, right] is also a bicycle enthusiast.  He knew instantly we were RAAM bound, sharing that he’d been invited multiple times to crew since he was friends with one of the RAAM owners.  We chatted about riding a bicycle over 3,000 miles, as if completely oblivious to the fact we were standing in the grass off Interstate 22.

There is something different about cyclists; we never meet a stranger, just another friend that shares the special perspective of seeing the world at a slower pace.  As Jeffrey and I walked back to the RV, we both marveled at the odds of running into fellow RAAM fans at such a random place.  We agreed coincidences aren’t really, then we trekked on feeling even more excited about our Race Across America journey.

Click here to find out more about the Hope for Gabe Foundation at www.h4g.us

Written by Amy White