Team Bacchetta

Name: Phillip Plath
Sex: male
Age: 48
Location: Half Moon Bay, California

Riding Background:  4 Time California State Mountain Bike champion

How did you get into Recumbents?   Hung out with the wrong crowd

What Bacchetta do you ride? Ti Aero

2009 Race results: Race Across Oregon, 1st place

Personal Best Rides: RAAM two man 2007 record (18.01 MPH) with partner John Schlitter

Events planned to attend for the rest of 2010: RAO


Name: Sara Kay Carrell
Sex: Female
Age: 33 and only getting faster!
Location: Hays, Kansas

Riding Background:

I have always ridden a little bit of every kind of bike: mountain bike, road bike, cyclocross and recumbent.  As time moved on and the doctors visits for treating the ever so dreaded poison ivy rashes increase, I have shifted to staying out of the bushes during the prime poison ivy season and delving into the Ultra Cycling world on the Bacchetta...... and the road bikes have all been sold!!!!

When I moved to Hays in 1997, I started riding with “the guys”. It took quite a bit of persuading from my adviser at the college, but I finally decided to go for it. I just couldn’t imagine that “the guys” wanted a girl that only knew how to putt along at 14 mph and had never been in a pace line, to ride with them! With lots of SK styled determination and encouragement from the guys, I was pulled around mile after mile until I was turned into a better, faster rider that now fully appreciates the dynamics of group riding.
 
How did you get into Recumbents?
John Schlitter was an anchor and strong influence in the riding group.  Several of the group members already rode recumbents and more and more of them were switching to them. Soon, the idea was floating in my head that I needed one too! In 1999, John hooked me up with my first ‘bent, one of the original V-Rex Classic 24’s. After several weeks of John’s encouraging pushes from the back of my seat on the hills of Western Kansas, I was back up to speed with the group.
 
What Bacchetta do you ride?
The CA 2.0 is my newest racing rig. I am still in love with my TiAero for long rides and racing.  I also have the aluminum Corsa that is set up as a back-up race bike. My Giro 26 is set up for county road cruising, pulling around my 90 lb Labrador, Moonlight, and it also has mid-ship rack on it for hauling gear around.

Ultra Cycling Racing Experience:

October 1, 2006: UMCA record setting event, S-N Kansas Women’s record holder, 230 miles, 12hr 18min
 
October 26, 2006: Texas Time Trials, 12 Hour North American Champion, Women’s recumbent, 160 miles
 
February 17, 2007: 24 Hours of Sebring, drafting division, overall women’s drafting course record holder 367.7 miles and women’s recumbent record established
 
May 31, 2007: UMCA record setting event, S-N Kansas 2 person women’s record holder, 230 miles, 10hr 34min
 
July 19-20, 2007: Race Across Oregon, 2-person team, mixed recumbent, course record holder for division, 535 miles, 37hr 09min
 
September 1, 2007: Ultra-Midwest 6 Hour Women’s recumbent champion, 101.3 miles
 
September 7, 2007: Ring of Fire, 12 Hour North American Champion for women’s recumbent, 140 miles
 
October 5-6 2007: Furnace Creek 508, 2-person team, mixed recumbent, course record holder for division, 510 miles, 36hr 51min
 
October 2008: Furnace Creek 508, 2-person team, mixed recumbent, broke our own course record set in 2007, 510 miles, 35hr 59min
 
February 2009: 12 hours of Sebring, 201 miles, established new women recumbent course record
 
April 2009: Heart of the South 200, 197 miles, 15hr 24min, established new women recumbent course record
 
August 2009: Metamora 4 x 50, established new course record for women recumbent, 198 miles, 13hr 19min
 
February 6, 2010: 300K brevet at Melbourne FL, 193 miles, 12hr 59min
 
February 13, 2010: 24 Hours of Sebring RAAM Q division, 325 miles, established new women recumbent record.
 
February 20, 2010: 300K brevet at Gainesville FL, 188 miles, 11hr 12min
 
March 13, 2010: Texas Hill Country 600, Team Nuts N Honey Bee's. 377 miles, 20:39
 
March 15, 2010: 200k brevet, Fredericksburg, TX (ouch! This one hurt after the 600k!!)

April 10, 2010: Heart of the South 200, 197 miles, 16: 22, tried to beat my record of 2009
 
April 17, 2010: 600k brevet, Eustis, FL, 31:48
 
Personal Best Ride:
I will never forget my very first ultra cycling event, my 2006 record setting ride Kansas South to North.  My mind and body felt so good for that race.  I was so new to the ultra world and I learned so much from that one 230 mile race!  And I had the best crew ever!!! This one race sealed the deal that I did want to become an ultra racer!  And that same core group of crew members keeps coming back for more crewing, too!!  Did I say they are the best ever?!?

Proposed Races for Remainder of 2010:
Kansas solo cross state record attempt, West to East 425 miles, May 22
Nebraska South to North cross state record attempt, June
Oklahoma South to North cross state record attempt, July
400K brevet to fulfill criteria for “super randonneur” for the first time
1000k to better my chances for PBP entry
Calvin’s Challenge May 1
Xterra Triathlon, July 24, Milford KS
Metamora 4 x 50, August 7
Last Chance 1200K September 15
Texas Time Trials, Tejas 500 (if I do not get off the waiting list for Last Chance!)

Crewing Experience:
2005 RAAM Crew, 4 person Team Bacchetta/ALS
2006 24 Hours of Sebring, Florida
2006 RAAM Crew, Soloist Jim Kern, Team Bacchetta/Military Families Foundation
2006 Race Across Oregon, 2 person Team Bacchetta
2006 Texas Time Trials 24 hr race (before starting my 12 hour race!)
2007 RAAM Crew, 2 person Team Bacchetta/Military Families Foundation
2008 24 Hours of Sebring, Florida
2008 Crew Chief, Heart of the South 500, John Schlitter, Team Bacchetta
2008 RAAM Crew Chief, Soloist John Schlitter, Team Bacchetta/Military Families Foundation
2008 Official for Cross State record event of the 4-women recumbent Kansas State Crossing
 
Ultra-cycling Contributions:
Ever since I started racing, my goal is always to promote cycling for women and to be an inspiration for both men and women. Not just the men and women that go fast and far, but for men and women that also like to just go poke around the neighborhood to enjoy the cool evening breeze.  I like for people to admire the dedication to training in the ultra cycling world and realize that they can also learn how to apply the same kind of dedication to their real life situations.  And I always tell people “I am not fast, but I finish!”