Jocelyn Munroe
Member since
6/17/2009 10:55:34 PM |
 Liverator's Virginia's Journal
6/23/2009 3:18:09 PM
Liverators’ Crew Chief Virginia Nunez-Brock called in about 11:30 AM PST today.
“We’re 45 miles into TS 22, in Elkhart, KS. When we were in Flagstaff, Terry Box’s and Steven Thompson’s bikes needed some repair. This wonderful bike shop stayed open so that they could take care of it – not only that - they only charged $8 to fix it!,” which was ridiculous she says since it took quite a bit of time. The store is Single Track in Flagstaff AZ, 575 West Riordan Rd., http://singletrackbikes.com/ and go give them some support if you’re in Flagstaff.
Then “We were in Chama, NM, TS 16. We couldn’t stay, we wanted to move forward but the riders needed a shower. These two owners, Wendy and Ray Baca, of River Bend Lodge graciously offered to let the riders shower for free; I thought that was kinda of cool."
[the riders "didn’t want to get their massages when they were all yucky."]
Virginia has been on shift for 24 hours. ““I haven’t been able to download [pictures from her camera]. 24 hours on, 12 off. The crew is tired. We have to drive 5 hours of the 12 hour shift just to get there [next transition].” So Nunez-Brock switched the schedules around a bit to make things more fair. “Now we’re on 12 hours off 12 hours. Right now we’ve got everybody well-rested. It’s just from experience; it’s just learning what’s working,” she says.
Meanwhile, watching the Liverators ride has been thrilling she said.
“Lorenzo just flew down the Rockies. [And] Stephen Thompson’s descent into Sedona - it was just spectacular to watch – it was fun.”
“It’s been made easy because of all the people doing what they got to do. You got [crew members] Charlie Humphrey and Neville Hansen that are so perfect at doing the transitions, they‘re so good at taking the riders on and off, they study the map and figure out who should do what pull - maximizing the potential of all the riders. That helped tremendously going over the Rockies last night.”
Nunez-Brock is also grateful for the support they’ve received from her company, Roche Pharmaceuticals, as they pedal across the US. Roche is a major supporter for the Liverators, and many of the team members are affiliated with Roche as employees or providers who treat patients with Roche products.
“Roche reps across the country have tried to be as supportive as possible,” she said. The best part? There’s going to be a big party at the finish, hosted by one of the Roche reps closest to Annapolis. “He’s hosting a crab, hamburger and hot dog barbecue at his home right on the water for both teams. He one of the reps that sell Pegasus, for hepatitis C – that’s the connection between the providers on the team – they’re people that treat hepatitis C.”
The crew chief also appreciates the camaraderie between the two TDL teams, something she finds great, considering that they’re competitors!
“Last night Lee Smith [Give Hope crew member] called me on my cell. When you go through this TS [he told her] ‘I want you to be really careful, there’s tons of deer in the TS’. That was just really great.” [she said they saw tons of deer in the time station but didn't hit any!].
Nunez-Brock mentioned that Geoff McIntosh who had been injured a few days ago in a mishap is doing great. “Geoff – he showed me his bandages. What’s wonderful is that we’ve got Lorenzo [Rossaro, MD] changing his bandages during transitions.”
I asked the busy and tired crew chief whether she had gotten a massage of her OWN yet, from team masseuse Cynthia Wilson. She kind of ignored me, instead giving lavish praise to Wilson. “It has really been helpful to have the masseuse along,” she said, of Wilson who comes from New Hampshire. And no, Nunez-Brock hasn’t gotten a massage yet although Wilson offered. “I might get one during the next transition,” she said before she went off to her next task.
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Chris Bowlus
Member since
6/17/2009 10:55:34 PM |
Liverator's Virginia's Journal
6/19/2009 8:45:06 PM
Hi Virginia,
Have a great time - and keep Lorenzo out of trouble, especially over the RR tracks.
Chris Bowlus
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Doug Newbold
Member since
6/17/2009 10:55:34 PM |
Liverator's Virginia's Journal
6/18/2009 4:02:58 PM
Hi Virginia
I dropped off Geoff at the airport (John Martin came in a separate car) so they are on their way - take good care of them, we'll need them back in Boston after it is all over!!
Doug Newbold
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Virginia NunezBrock
Member since
6/17/2009 10:55:34 PM |
Liverator's Virginia's Journal
6/17/2009 10:55:34 PM
Well...cars are packed with lots of stuff we hope not to use...jumper cables, Tamiflu, Advil, extra tires and spokes and of course many things we will use, calculator, GPS, water, sweatshirts for the rockies and tank tops for the plains. We have great CD's to listen to thanks to Randy Lewis and I couldn't ask for a better crew and riding team!
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