Following Team Switchback

Hi all,

Couple days before Team Switchback heads out to California for the 2010 Race Across the West.

6 crew, 2 racers, couple of tough days on the bike. Ain't no thang. :)

Well, since Eric and I are going to be racing in a very compressed format (think about 860 miles in 66 hours or less), the updates are probably going to be far and few between. We have a media guy on board (my brother, Kevin) who is going to take a bunch of pictures and video that we'll get loaded piecemeal.

Besides the pics and video, we'll get periodic updates to our Facebook page (search: Team Switchback) and I'll be writing up a race report at the end of the event.

We take off at noon West Coast time on Wednesday, June 9.

In the meantime, you can check out www.raceacrossthewest.org for race stats and updates from the official RAW website, and like I said, we'll get some intermediate updates on our blog and Facebook page.

We are locked and loaded and we feel very blessed to have an incredible charity to race for and an incredible show of support from our family and friends to make this whole crazy thing possible.

Thanks again!

Tim and Eric

P.S. - Following the craziness of RAW, Tim is going to be hanging out in Durango and jumping on board with the UK based Team Velocity Bikes two-man RAAM team as a crew member all the way to Annapolis, Maryland. No rest for the weary!

Friends

Hey all,

With the final few weeks of preparations coming to fruition, I just wanted to send a special shout out to all of our friends and family who have made this effort possible.

The past three or so years have really stirred my life in a new direction and I want to thank everyone from Team Strong Heart for bringing myself and Eric to this point.

Team Switchback was founded with the "simple" mission of engaging in humanitarian efforts while participating in ultra-distance athletic events. By land, air or sea, we are raising funding and awareness for all of the charities we are and will be supporting in the future.

The audacity of a group of cyclists coming together and making a mark on the world is amazing and wonderful and I am proud to be a part of Team Switchback and continue to support the mission and people who are actively making Team Strong Heart thrive and grow.

This year will bring some new faces to the race course and to the support staff of our teams, but the original mission stays strong and vibrant in those of use who were there from the beginning.

Good luck to all and we'll see you in Oceanside!

TC

The Heart of a Champion

Every year about this time I really begin to reflect (see also: stress) on my life as a bike racer and as an individual, and try to position these realities in the context of "what comes next." Of course, since 2007, what comes next is usually a ridiculously long bicycle race in June that I'll never shy away from, the Race Across America and the Race Across the West.

The audacity of an individual or a group of individuals racing their bikes across our great country comes to a head this time of year. Just getting to the starting line is a major act of faith, both on the part of those who race their bikes and those who support those brave women and men, echoing out from the follow vehicle in the middle of the night and out across the world, really.

World Champion Graeme Obree writes, "Despite the fact that I had been gifted with an almost arrogant belief that I could do anything I set out to do, I would feel like a cornered animal that had to fight tooth and claw to survive...I had stumbled upon the most powerful of training aids: the intertwined emotions of total belief and total fear."

Eric and I would add that because of your support, love, friendship and patience, we will be able to show you something wonderful in June and fulfill our promise that individuals can effect a real, positive and lasting change in our world.

It starts with us. We are Team Switchback.

All Hail Crew Chief Jeff Magnuson!

Eric and I want to introduce our 2010 Team Switchback Race Across the West Crew Chief (say that ten times), Jeff Magnuson.

Jeff was an integral part of Team Strongheart's championship RAAM effort in 2009 and we are psyched to have him on board this year.

Jeff has integrity, is extremely intelligent and has an intuitive sense of what the racers and crew need. He's a great guy and we couldn't think of someone better to be our Chief.

Hasta!

TC

Order your Team Kits and Tees!

We are placing a special order for extra Team Switchback kits and also tech t-shirts from Mt. Borah. The order will go in on or about May 15th and we need payment ahead of time to make this happen. Mt. Borah is giving us good pricing and we are using this as a means to fundraise for the Southern Exposure Foundation.

Team Switchback 2010 Pricing:

Full Zip Jersey Men/Women: $75.00

Classic Shorts: $70.00

Classic Bib Shorts: $75.00

Pro Bib Shorts (better chamois): $90.00

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Tech T-Shirt: $30.00

Send your order by May 15th to:

Tim Case

PO Box 270671

Louisville, CO 80027

Party tonight in Westminster...

10557 West 107th Avenue

Wesminster, CO 80021

NEW TEAM SWITCHBACK KITS!!!