Legends of the Road
It was 3 years ago that Shimano first supported the “Legends of the Road” team which was a 4 man team made up of a mix of truly legendary athletes. The team of 4 included Motocross and Supercross Champion Micky Dymond, Multi-time X-Games BMX Vert Ramp Gold medal winner Dave Mirra, Tour De France Stage winner David Zabriskie and Motorcycle Road Racing World Superbike race winner Ben Bostrum. The team rode hard and won the overall team title, just missing a course record in the process.
The 2015 Shimano RAAM team - L to R: Ben Bostrum, Micky Dymond, David Zabriskie, Dave Mirra
Now 3 years later the team is back, but with a very different look. This time it would be a mixed team of 4 that included 2 riders on bikes and 2 riders on hand bikes! The new team is made up of 4 Motocross and Supercross Legends.
Micky Dymond returns and brings along Multi-National Motorcross Champion and 2nd place Indy 500 race car driver Jeff Ward, Multi-Time National and Supercross Champion David Bailey and Doug Henry who in addition to motocross titles also has X-Games Snow Mobile titles! Both Bailey and Henry are in wheel chairs from previous racing accidents, but the loss of mobility has barely slowed these guys down!
The team will compete in a competition of a lifetime; racing more than 3,000 miles across the United States from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland over the course of 6 to 8 days starting on June 17th.
Several months ago Bailey came to Shimano to discuss the possibilities of putting together a new and improved hand cycle. With the advent of many new exciting Shimano technologies and options Shimano was able to piece together the ultimate mix of components to make truly the badest hand cycle every produced.
In conjunction with the passionate crew at Dan Gurney’s All American Racers shop the custom handmade 3 wheeler that Doug and David are riding in today came to life. The hand cycle includes a mix of DURA-ACE Road parts and XTR Mountain bike Di2 parts that enable a giant gear range and a smooth running system.
Adding Di2 and a XTR clutch derailleur with a wide range rear cassette really opened the doors for such a project to happen. Due to the time limitations to get this project going not every idea was able to come to light, but with more time even more trick features can be added to make the Ultimate hand cycle.
The race got underway earlier last week for the solo riders while all the team started on Saturday June 17th. You can follow along their journey with live tracking. Check out the route and if you have the opportunity go out a cheer them on as they pass through. The Legends of the Road team number is 421 and can be tracked here. See all teams in progress here.
Dave Bailey and Doug Henry keeping up the speed in their custom built "little Formula 1 cars"
About Road2Recovery
The Road2Recovery Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2000, and is dedicated to helping AMA licensed Professional Motocross/Supercross riders and Action Sports Athletes with financial assistance if they sustain career-ending injuries as well as providing motivational, emotional, and spiritual support to these individuals and their families. To make a donation click here. For more information on Road2Recovery, upcoming events and sponsorships, visi www.road2recovery.com or contact Lori Amstutz at 619-339-5671.
To learn more about the Legends of the Road, RAAM, and to support the team, please click here. You can also stay up to date on the team’s progress – from training to racing – by following their social pages @davidbaileymx @jeffward3x, @mickydymond and @doug19henry, by following @road2recovery or by visiting www.Road2Recovery.com.
About RAAM:
RAAM / Race Across America, has been challenging ultracyclists for 36 years and may be considered the toughest bicycle race in the world. Starting in Oceanside, California, RAAM spans 3000 miles, climbs 175,000 feet, crosses 12 states and finishes in Annapolis, Maryland. Open to amateur and professional racers, in solo, 2-, 4- and 8-person relay teams, there is no other race in the world comparable to RAAM. The Race has become a global icon, having had over 35 countries represented. Not only has RAAM proved to be one of the most challenging races in the world, but has become a huge platform for racers to raise awareness and money for charities of their choice. Racers have raised over $2 million per year over the past 5 years.
Click here to follow along with live timing for the team
