Race Across America
Legends of the Road Update 06/21/17: 96 hours
The 2017 Legends of the Road- David Bailey, Doug Henry, Micky Dymond, and Jeff Ward Race Across America
With Kansas in the rear view the Legends are quickly approaching Missouri and are expected to make it there by Thursday morning. The pass through the beautiful state of Kansas was quick and without much stress on our riders. Other than a couple of flat tiers on Micky’s bike, that was handled by our dedicated crew like a NASCAR pit stop; the ride was without incident. One of the coolest parts so far is seeing all the fan support as they ride by. This fan, (Jamy Akins) drove over 50 miles from his home just to see the Legends. Of course Jeff and Doug made it a priority to stop and take a picture with Jamy. Once shift changed happened, they even had a chance to monkey around a bit, keeping the environment fun and lighthearted is very important for moral on this grueling race.
Legends of the Road Update 06/20/17: 72 hours
Heat, hail, & crazy elevation, Colorado it’s been fun. The terrain might be brutal but the scenery is spectacular! Night rides are in the low 40’s and the Milky Way is keeping our legends company as they exceed speeds in the 50 MPH rage. Kansas here we come!
Legends of the Road Update 06/19/17: 48 hours
It has been a full 48 hours since the legends left Oceanside Ca. They have traveled 913 miles, traversing the brutal Arizona desert heat and officially made it safely through 3 states. With a top speed of over 30 MPH, fighting oppressing temperatures of over 114 degrees, this was no easy feet for them to accomplish. While it has not been a seamless ride; there were some learning curves that the crew had to master including transfers of the hand cycles, all in all it has been a successful few days. Nothing that these Legends can’t handle. On to the beautiful landscapes of Colorado and devastating elevation changes that will be sure to bring interesting stories.
Legends of the Road Update 06/18/17- 24 hours
The Legends made their inaugural debut to the start line of the Race Across America (RAAM) on Saturday to much deserved fanfare. Family, friends, fans, crew members and R2R partners gather around the Oceanside Pier to show their support as David Bailey, Micky Dymond, Doug Henry, and Jeff Ward took their places in RAAM history as the first hand-cycle team. These Legends along with a stacked group of knowledgeable and dedicated crew members; John Perry, Rick Tillery, John May, Kurt Levy, Carl Leguia, David Greene, Jacob Hunter, David Nevins, Chris Ridgeway, and Kristal Katmann departed on one groundbreaking journey.
Road 2 Recovery along with the Legends of the Road could not have made this event possible without the support of our families and loyal partners. We would like to thank all of the Legends family members for lending us their legends along with, 100%, All American Racers, Monster Energy, Celluma, Maggiore, Mobilities, Jimmie Johnson Foundation, Eliel, Shimano, Specialized, Hammer Nutrition, Park Tools, AP Designs, Surface Sun, Chasing The Cool, Initial Friends, One11 Ink, Lisa Jabara, Jimmy Riccitello, Mitchell Bailey, Malcolm McCassy, and Tyler Pierce for all you have done to make this dream a possibility.
Updated posts on the Legends progress will be posted daily or you can follow them on Instagram @legendsoftheroad.
These four legends are embarking on a journey that will challenge their physical and mental limits beyond anything they have ever done before. On June 17th, starting off in Oceanside, California they will ride a little over 3000 miles, climb 175,000 feet, and cross 12 states to reach the finish line in Annapolis, Maryland. RAAM is not your normal bicycle race and this team built from legends is definitely not your typical team. They will be faced with not only the grueling daily distance that is physically demanding but their route will traverse major climate changes as they pass three major mountain ranges (Sierra, Rocky and Appalachian), cross four of America’s longest rivers (Colorado, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio), and pass through the Mojave Desert, Sonoran Deserts, Monument Valley, and the Great Plains. RAAM is truly a test of mental, physical, and stamina strength of the likes we can only imagine.
David Bailey (55), Doug Henry (48), Micky Dymond (52), and Jeff Ward (55), The Legends of the Road are not your typical competitors. Their team is comprised of multiple AMA Supercross / Motocross champion titles, World Champion titles, and Motorcycle Hall of Fame members. But their accolades as athletes are not what sets this team apart; its the fact that half of the team will be competing on hand-cycles.
David Bailey and Doug Henry both suffered spinal cord injuries while doing what they loved. David was injured in January of 1987 while practicing for the upcoming Supercross season, at a track in Lake Huron, California. There was significant spinal cord damage, and Bailey became paralyzed from the chest down. Almost 20 years later in March of 2007, Doug Henry broke his back while racing in a Supermoto race. He now suffers partial paralysis from the waist down. While this might break the spirits of some, these two strong competitors and athletes at heart have used their injuries to inspire others. In 1997 Bailey started training for the Hawaii Ironman triathlon. In his first two attempts, he finished 3rd, then 2nd, and finally in 2000 he became Ironman World Champion in his division, 13 years after his accident. Seven years after Doug Henry’s injury he competed and won 3rd place at Winter X-Games 14, in the “Adaptive Snowmobile” class.
After watching Micky Dymond and his team of four race RAAM back in 2014, David became inspired to do the same. He wanted to put together a team of athletes and his goal was much larger than winning. “My hope is both to inspire and raise additional money for athletes who need a boost to get going again. Road2Recovery helped me back in 2007 when I was in bad shape physically and financially. It’s the least I can do to demonstrate how much it helps when you have that extra boost and motivation to be at your best”.
The team chooses to carry on the tradition of the name “The Legends of the Road” in tribute to Micky’s first RAAM team that raced in 2014 and won the four-person team category. That 2014 team was comprised of Micky Dymond, Dave Mirra, Ben Bostrom, and Dave Zabriskie. The late Dave Mirra coined the team name and this new group of legends hopes to do it justice this year and carry on the name for many years to come.
If you would like to participate and help make sure the Legends of the Road get to their goal, please donate to their cause here. You can also stay up to date on their progress from training to racing by following their social pages at and Road2Recovery.com.
It is such a different world now for the handicapped. My dad had polio losing most of the use of his legs. Back in the mid 50’s, a physical life was never even thought of as a possibility. So, in his honor, I passed on a small donation. Good for the work they are doing.
Inspiration…thanks David Bailey.
Hope to see you guys in Camdenton, MO Time Stop 32. You guys are riding across America, the least I can do is make a donation for an awesome cause. See you in Camdenton!
Hey, How can you tell where they are going to stop? It shows they are going to be in Oxfor Ohio but not sure if they are stopping there or close by. Thanks
Hi Jim-
They never fully stop. They work in teams of 2 switching on and off. There are check points and those are highlighted on the tracking map, that would be your best bet for a stop. Shift change is another stopping point for them but only 3 of them will be together and those are picked my the crew chief. All other stops or movement is decided by the crew based on the riders needs. I’m sorry we don’t have a better answer for you. Thank you for your support.
Just caught them east of Wichita, KS. Got to watch David come in and Mickey ride out. Thanks for the decals, guys! Hope I could inspire you guys a fraction of what you’re inspiring others. Hammer down! :)
Correction! Make that WEST of Wichita! lol The heat’s getting to me. :P
Try to stay cool! Thanks for the support.
Just saw David ride by, near the Warren County Airport in Ohio. Very cool! Really appreciate what you guys are doing! Stay strong!
Just saw you on us route 50 in wood county wv! Your an inspiration.