So the consensus pretty much is that our custom-painted bikes are the best-looking bikes at RAAM, as evidenced both by certain race officials explicitly stating as much and by the stares of other riders. We are sitting in race headquarters, located right on the beach, waiting to be interviewed, looking out through floor-to-ceiling one-way mirrored windows against the outside of which our bikes are leaning. We are amusedly watching people stop to stare and even take pictures of the bikes (which is not half as good as the homeless guy who is now standing at the window right in front of me giving all he's got against his beard with a disposable razor).

We have been meeting other riders. One euro dude with a full fun-manchu thing going on, after a very long, silent, behind-mirrored-shades stare at my bike (or perhaps at my uniquely unshaven legs), looks up at me and asks, "You guys want to win?" "We want to finish." I responded cheerfully. "To finish" he repeated, contemplating my response with a mix of incomprehension and disdain before turning away. End of that conversation.

This is definitely the most aggressive-vibed pre-race environment that I have ever been in. I have certainly been in tenser pre-race situations (take, for example, any high school track finals with a bunch of wigged-out teenagers) but this feels like the prelude to wrestlemania. Not a lot of brothers-in-arms lovin going on.

In addition to the bikes, I should also note that Mel and Lissy earned us the title of most organized team a the official check-in this morning - quite the feat considering the byzantine rule and requirement hurdles you have to jump to get the official OK to start this race (and considering the fact that, as Christopher put it, we were thinking we were the Bad News Bears in terms of organization).

Also should mention that BabyZ has declared us to have won the whose-camera-crew has the sickest camera - apparently his high-definition cam is full cadillac.