2008 saw my first RAAM experience crewing for a 4 man team. I could use so many words to describe the trip as it conjures up so many feelings and emotions. Suffice to say that when Richard asked whether I would crew for him again in a solo attempt I didn't think twice. The body and mind of both crew and rider is tested so much on this trip...it certainly isn't for the faint hearted!!! Being part of the fast pace of a team last year I didn't give much thought to the soloist going through the pain and solitude of the trip alone without the comfort of a team mate to sub when times got rough. The enormity of what the solo rider is doing and the demands they are putting on their bodies is remarkable and I want to help Richard achieve his goal of racing across America with all of the curve balls that will be thrown our way.   My role is crew chief and sports massage therapist this year and I am very much looking forward to getting both Richard and the crew across in one piece with smiles on their faces and stories to tell the grand kids in years to come.   Having left the corporate ladder some two years ago after 15 years I retrained as a sports massage therapist and I now have my own practice and also work for a chiropractor and osteopath. I get a real kick out of helping people, especially those in pain, and I am sure there will be a lot of call for it during RAAM.   "Live every day as if it’s your last"

Tom Love – Sports Nutritionist/Crew My interests in sport and food started from an early age as I ate, drank and slept football.  Since then cycling has been my sport of choice.  Surrounded by the hills of the North Downs I was spoilt for great riding but my time at university meant that I replaced mountain biking for the road.  At university I initially studied Sport & Exercise Science at The University of Birmingham and after a year out travelling I returned to Loughborough University to complete an MSc in Sports Nutrition which has since been furthered by the undertaking of a PhD in the same area.  As a result I have worked with numerous athletes covering a variety of sports.  Now in the final stages of my PhD I have returned home and in the process of setting up a Sports Nutrition Consultancy in Surrey.  Rather fortuitously this move back down South and a flick through the rider list for RAAM 2009 led to contacting Richard and the inclusion in this year’s team.  The challenge of such an event is a constant draw and so far this has brought me back to the RAAM website year after year.  Perhaps by going one step further and experiencing the event first hand I will get the bug and return year after year not just to the website but as crew or perhaps, just maybe, as a rider!Excel Nutrition - www.excel-nutrition.com

Barrie Moore - Crew   I am probably the oldest in the crew being 60, but I feel like a 40 year old!   I own and run a holiday centre with my wife Sue, for walkers, cyclists and climbers, in the mountains on the Costa Blanca in sunny Spain (Richards Spanish training camp).   In my previous life I owned my own constuction business. I then had a complete change of direction and worked for Social Services as the Day Care Manager, working with people with mental health problems. This could be an advantage as I think anyone who wants to cycle non-stop across America for ten days, must be crackers!   I was a crew member in a four man team last year so I hope to bring a little bit of experience to our team. As a member of his crew I have more than a vested interest in Richard as he is my son-in-law, and my daughter has made me promise to bring him back triumphant and in one piece.   I am looking forward to working with what I feel is going to be a great and succesful team. 

I am happily married to Martin and have a daughter Anna. I live in Bournemouth where we run our Upholstery business. In a previous life I was a chef in central London. I have many and varied interests, the two main being Belly Dancing and Napoleonic re-enactment. I am a close friend of Richard's long suffering wife Julie and I hope for her sake to get him successfully across America and for his sake in the fastest time possible !

"When Rich asked me to be on the crew for RAAM it took be about 3 seconds to decide.  The idea of biking across the USA in 10-12 days sounded like madness to me and I wanted to be part of it immediately.  What an experience!  My biking expertise consists of once having a go on the Raleigh Chopper my brother got in about 1978, but I didn’t let that put me off - after all, I'm not the one on the bike and I am very good at cheering, cooking stir fry and making tea. Having spent 4 years learning Jikiden Reiki in Kyoto, Japan, I now travel around the World teaching this wonderful healing technique in it’s original simplicity.  Reiki was originally used extensively for first aid and the healing of injuries among other things and this is something that I hope will benefit the team enormously should the need occur. I also write and contribute freelance articles to magazines and look forward to contributing to the website updates on the progress of the team. I am currently studying for an MA in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica in California."   

I have bike toured across the USA 3 times, along the Great Divide Mountain Bike route 3 times, and done several multi-state bike tours.  I am a TOURIST.  I’m slow and steady, not a racer.  Generally everybody passes me during the morning, but I pass most folks in the afternoon and evening hours.  I was John Spurgeon’s crew chief for RAAM 2007 (only person to finish solo RAAM on a single speed bike) and was on the RAAM crew for the 4 person Team Inspiration last year. Professionally, I have been a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology department of Purdue University for over 30 years.  I have written 5 text books and won the department, college, and university undergraduate teaching awards.

Chris Lewis-Smith The opportunity to crew as part of the team and support Richard on the RAAM is a challenge I can not back down from. I had a challenge of my own five years ago when I had a serious accident on my bike cycling to work. I had to fight for my life, so I need to live to the full now...Richards ride is so inspiring, such a gigantic task, I am privileged to be involved. I am married to Sheila and have two children, Alice, 19 and Tommy, 15. I would like to thank them for their support and letting me leave home, (hopefully they will miss me). I ride my bike as much as I can. I have toured in the UK, France and Belgium, time trialled, and used my bike to commute for many years...I just love riding a bike...

  I never set myself New Year resolutions but prefer to set myself goals to achieve within that year. However, RAAm was not one that I had ever expected to set for myself!  I am a chiropractor and run clinics in London and Surrey. When Richard asked me to join him on RAAm, it did not take much time to say YES. I am looking forward to the challenge of helping (and watching) Richard ride from one side of the USA to other side in one piece, to push myself and be pushed along the way. My aim is to try and to have some fun in the process with a great bunch of people who want to help Richard to end and raise some money for a good course along the way.   www.mctimoneychiropractic.uk.com