Team Battle Back RAAM 2012

Team Battle Back RAAM 2012 Help For Heroes Cyclefit UK

'It's All About The Blokes'

Cyclefit UK - 30th May 2012 - Twelve days to go to the start of the 2012 RAAM (Race Across America) and Cyclefit UK are adding the final calibration touches to Team Battle Back's positions.

Team Battle Back is part of Help for Heroes. Each member of the eight man squad was injured when serving in the armed forces, most of then in Afghanistan.

Over 3,000 Miles and 100,000ft of Climbing!

The squad aims to ride the Race Across America (RAAM) 2012 with support from Help for Heroes.

The RAAM is one of the worlds longest running endurance cycling events, beginning in Oceanside, CA and ending in Annapolis, MD. Competitors climb well over 100,000 feet while passing through 12 states and covering a total distance of 3,000 miles.

Over The Rockies by Hand

Four of the team will be riding specially modified hand-propelled bicycles. Hard enough on the flat but must be pure hell on any kind of incline, like the err, Rockies?

The riders will work in a relay, probably riding around twenty miles each before passing over to a team-mate. Their is strong unofficial rivalry with a team of injured American servicemen, even though the USA squad only has one hand-powered bicycle, which are inherently slower.

Meet The Blokes

Team Battle Back are: Sgt Harmer, SSgt Arnold, Don Maclean, Jamie Hull, Joe Townsend, Sgt Mark Allen (pictured above and right working with Tony and Morgan) Captain Rab Smedley and Private Steven Richardson.

To date, H4H has funded a variety of projects including the £8m Rehabilitation Complex at Headley Court, a new £3.5m treatment centre for Combat Stress, adaptive adventure training through the Battle Back programme and the creation of a £6m Quick Reaction Fund to support individuals in need. Cyclefit friend and colleague Dr Dave Hulse is one of the resident docs at Headley Court.