miscellaneous 1:00:00 [2]
(injured)
Mix of walking and light lifting. Picked up RAAM signs from Nashville IN to Brookville IN, then drove with helpers hopping out to pick up the signs (Kate R from Brookville to Oxford; Brennan from Oxford to Chillicothe). Unloaded signs in Oxford after each segment; packed up coolers, flags, chairs, garbage can, and other miscellany from Oxford time station. Long day, started for Nashville at 4 am, finished unloading back in Oxford a little before midnight.
Sign recovery rate this year was excellent. St Mary's Rd remains a perennial problem - with several signs tampered with (they were probably knocked down, but a ride crew or official had put them back up - I could tell they were not in original positions), and a few others were missing. Two signs just west of Oxford got run over (obviously intentional) between 4 am Sat and when I came back to get them after the last riders around 11 am, including the "Ohio" sign at the state line. But neither of those was actually damaged; just needed to be straighten the wire stands. Elsewhere, maybe 12-15 others were missing, and a half dozen others knocked over.
The time stations at Oxford and Blanchester sold a dozen or so signs for $10, and collected some additional donations totaling about $200 - enough to pay for about 50 signs and wire stands. I think this is the first year that sales and donations at time stations have exceeded the value of signs lost/stolen during the race.
Thanks to RAAM rider Ray Brown for his large donation last year! Hoping Ray has a speedy recovery after he crashed this year on a steep downhill early in the race, suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung. Hoping that next year Ray will make it all the way and get to see "his" signs.