Team Webcor 5th place finish in Atlantic City - Richard Bravo rode his Bilenky pink Ultralite in the 4 man team; Simon Firth and Pat Gaffney on race support.
Webcor Builders Endurance Team
Team Profile
Richard Bravo
New York, NY - USA
Age: 30
E-mail Address: Richard.bravo@incisivemedia.com
Occupation: Magazine editor
Family status:
Name(s) of senior educational facilities attended:
Master/s degree in Journalism from Columbia University; undergraduate degree from St. John's College (Annapolis).
What originally attracted you to athletic endurance events?
Just riding my bike with good friends
Why RAAM? Because it's the ultimate ultra-marathon cycling event.
What sacrifices have you made to enable you to compete in RAAM?
The time sacrifice is probably the most important but least quantifiable
Race History (recent events participation and results): Paris-Brest-Paris
Other sports (spectator or participant) of interest: Croquet
Your personal most cherished athletic feat: PBP because it involved a lot of suffering
Why:
Considering all sports, what were the events or outcomes that most impacted your life in both negative and positive manners?
It was pretty tough to watch the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the World Series last year.
Who, above all is your greatest sporting inspiration?
Enjoying what I'm doing is my greatest inspiration.
What is the largest "life" obstacle you have overcome to compete in RAAM?
Can you consider "NYC" to be an obstacle? Dodging cars, taxis, ped just to get out of the city to put in the proper training miles.
When you first heard of RAAM did you ever think you would one day enter the race? Absolutely not-I thought they were nuts!
What were your first thoughts when learning of RAAM?
What preparation have you employed to prepare for RAAM (in general terms):
Lots of bike riding
Ultimate Athletic Goal: I hope to never have just one, ultimate goal.
Obstacle to reaching your ultimate athletic goal:
What intimidates you most about RAAM? The part about riding 3,000 miles
What attracts you the most about RAAM? Riding my bike 3,000 miles
What special talents or do you possess outside of ultra marathon cycling? (i.e., concert pianist, stand up comedian, artist, other extreme sports, expert chef, hostage negotiator, etc. anything welcome) I was a collegiate national croquet champion
Please list all languages that you speak. English - Spanish
Do you feel your ultra marathon abilities have peaked or the best is yet to come?
Favorite quote, either famous or not, that fuels your ambition:
What would you like most to express to the world?
Are you willing and able to be interviewed by various media representatives regarding RAAM? Yes
It’s funny. You have those rare experiences on a ride when everything seems to be perfect. The sun is shining but it isn’t too hot; your favorite cycling clothes are clean, so you know that you are looking sharp; you feel just rested enough that your legs and lungs can handle anything that you throw at them; in short, these are the days when a collusion of events seem to create the perfect ride. Since I picked up my Bilenky two weeks – and several hundred miles – ago, every ride, every pedal stroke, has fit into this category.
I had considered myself an experienced cyclist, but riding a Bilenky has profoundly changed the way I approach cycling and the fundamental enjoyment I illicit from riding my bike. I never realized that you could feel so comfortable on a bicycle, that the ride quality could have such an aesthetic quality to it and that the bike could still be ridiculously fast. A new chapter has begun in my cycling career and I’ve already forgotten how I got by before I had a Bilenky.
Cheers,
Rich ( May 05)
Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup
Richard Bravo with his Bilenky Signature Single Speed Nor’Easter
