'It's pretty cool what they're doing'

SANDPOINT — Four Team Laughing Dog cyclists are cranking away 24 hours a day on the pedals this week, crossing through 12 states, climbing more than 170,000 feet and covering 3,000 miles in the annual Race Across America.

Impressive feat, to say the least.

But perhaps more impressive, at least according to the riders themselves, is the yeoman work of the racing crew, which makes the cross country race possible.

For the third consecutive year, a four-person team from Sandpoint is competing in the adventure race, this year raising money for local nonprofit 24 Hours For Hank. Local cycling enthusiasts Mel Dick, Al Lemire, Dean Kyriakos and Jacob Styer took off on Saturday from Oceanside, California, and will end the race later this week when they conquer mile No. 3,000 in Anapolis, Md.

For Dick, who was slated to ride in the RAAM in 2010 before a training run wreck derailed his chance, the 2013 race is especially meaningful. He injured his hip, neck, shoulder and rotator cuff, and is just now fully recovered from multiple surgeries.

“I’ve been training for this since 2009, and I finally get to do it,” said Dick, a fit-looking 59-year-old and senior member of the team. “It’s been a lifelong dream to ride in the Race Across America.”

Styer and Lemire were part of the first Team Laughing Dog to finish the race, and both know full well the rigors and demands, both mentally and physically, of riding 24 hours a day for more than a week.

“You get in a routine, six hour routines,” remembered Styer, the youngest rider at 35 years old. “I’m hoping it feels more natural earlier this year.”

Lemire, a 50-year-old photographer, said he’s not as nervous the second time around, armed with a better understanding of what he’s up against. Having been both a rider and a crew member in the last two years, he also has a keen appreciation of what the crew means.

Co-crew chiefs Dennis Luce and Kirk Johnson, along with another 10 crew members’ help, are entrusted with handling the myriad logistics and orchestration that come with getting four riders safely across the country.

“To the riders, it’s seamless, because the crew is doing so much work behind the scenes,” said Lemire. “We don’t have to think about anything, we just get on the bike. It’s almost like the riders are in a cocoon the whole race.”

Last year, a team of four Sandpoint women completed the RAAM, and many of this year’s team and crew have taken part in both previous races. The experience helps, but it’s still a round-the-clock endeavor to juggle the race logistics, which are many.

Suffice it to say, sleep is a priceless commodity, and there are nights when crew members are lucky to snag a couple hours of shut eye.

“It’s an exercise in sleep deprivation,” described Luce, a crew veteran. “Our biggest concern is safety, safety, safety, getting these guys across the country in one piece.”

Johnson, like Luce a part of the previous two crews, knows there are sure to be trying times, but realizes it’s all for fun and great cause.

“Making sure that everyone gets along as best they can,” said Johnson. “That we all like each other at the end of the race.”

All four riders have taken part in past 24 Hours for Hank skiing and biking fundraisers, and when they heard the bike portion of the cystinosis fundraiser was canceled this fall, they thought they’d try and raise money and awareness to make up for it.

“I’ve always been impressed by what the Sturgises have done; having a child that is ill, yet being able to put together fundraisers,” said Kyriakos of Brian and Tricia Sturgis, Hank’s parents. “We thought it was a great way to pick that up.”

Brian Sturgis said money being raised in Sandpoint is currently doing great things for cystinosis research, including a clinical study that 24 Hours for Hank helped fund.

He said his family is grateful to see Team Laughing Dog join in their cause.

“The word they’ve already spread is awesome, and they’ll be able to spread it across the country,” said Sturgis. “It’s pretty cool what they’re doing.”

For more on the race, visit “www.teamlaughingdog.com.”

To make a donation, visit “www.24hoursforhank.org.”

See the Bee for the rest of the week for “Meet Team Laughing Dog” profiles, and an update of where they are in the United States.