Memorial Service for Earl Johnston

My apologies for the somber post immediately following the tour this year, but I wanted to make sure to share the information about the memorial services for Earl Johnston for those of you who may be interested in attending.

Earl Ryan Johnston, 51, of Surprise, AZ passed away on June 21st, 2009 as a result of a bicycle accident. Earl was born September 13th,1957 in California, PA. Earl and Sally Johnston lived in Olathe, KS for 27 years and moved to Surprise, AZ in 2005. Earl was an active member of Horizon Church in Surprise, AZ. Earl was a senior manager in the aerospace division of Honeywell and had been employed there since 1978. He was an avid cyclist and had ridden his bicycle across Kansas, Arizona, and several other states. Surviving family members include his wife Sally and son Ryan Johnston of Surprise, AZ; daughter Amy Johnston of Olathe, KS; parents Harry and Nancy Johnston; sister Carol Tymoczko of Washington, PA; sister Cathy Runyan of San Jose, CA; four nephews and two nieces. He was preceded in death by his brother Paul Johnston of San Francisco, CA.

• VISITATION:
  Thursday, July 2, 2009 / 6:00 - 8:00 pm / Porter Funeral Homes & Crematory, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS, (913) 438-6444)


• FUNERAL SERVICE:
  Friday, July 3, 2009 / 10:00 am / Mill Creek Community Church


• CONDOLENCES:
  Please visit PorterFuneralHome.com

The cross memorial shown above was constructed by Micah Bicker who runs the Hiawatha Cyclist blog.

June 15th it is almost Raider Time......

Many of you may be getting excited and ready to leave for Lawrence, Kansas for the RAID....... Paul and I will be at Free State High School at High Noon to 8 pm for early registration and check in. Feel free to sleep in the school or camp outside....

One note about adult beverages, we have nothing against them personally, but WE CAN NOT have them on ANY School Campus.
All 4 states have a no tolerance policy for drugs, alcohol and firearms, so please abide by this rule for the entire week.

We are all excited too, and I have the weather under control, for now. So air up those tires and we will see you soon.
Keep the rubber side down.
Jim

A few updates...

If you're having trouble viewing and downloading the 2009 Get Ready Guide through the links in the previous post, CLICK HERE for a good old fashioned PDF.

Also, we've received a few requests for the addresses of the overnight facilities. Here they are for your records:

• Free State High School
  4700 Overland Dr, Lawrence, KS 66049
  Friday, June 19, 2009


• Atchison Middle School
  215 N 8th St, Atchison, KS 66002
  Saturday, June 20, 2009


• Falls City High School
  1400 Fulton St, Falls City, NE 68355
  Sunday, June 21, 2009


• Kimmel AG Expo Center
  PO Box 385, Syracuse, NE 68446
  Monday, June 22, 2009


• Marnie Simons Elementary
  309 S Street, Hamburg, IA 51640
  Tuesday, June 23, 2009


• Maryville Senior High
  1503 S Munn Ave, Maryville, MO 64468
  Wednesday, June 24, 2009


• Savannah Middle School
  701 W Chestnut St, Savannah, MO 64485
  Thursday, June 25, 2009


• Weston High School
  931 Washington St, Weston, MO 64098
  Friday, June 26, 2009

2009 Get Ready Guide

The drill for the newsletter is the same as last year:

Instead of getting a newsletter in the mail, you can view the 2009 Border Raiders Get Ready Guide online right here! You can read it online, or download and print it out -- whatever you prefer. Either way, this guide will answer any last minute questions you may have -- but as always, feel free to holler at us anytime!

Click on the link below to flip through and view a readable version of the guide.

Open publication

Please Note: We will update you should any of this information change.

2009 Border Raiders Jersey

As you'll read in the get ready guide I'm about to post, we're trying something new with the jerseys this year. Typically we like to place the order and have them for you at registration. However, we always end up needing to re-order a few, but because we have to place a minimum order of at least ten, re-ordering can be a sticky situation that ends up taking considerably longer than we'd prefer. What this means is that if you've already ordered and paid for a jersey, you won't get it the week of the ride. Bummer, I know. But, the silver lining is that now you'll get a great, unexpected package reminding you of all the fun you had on Border Raiders some time after the ride. There's nothing wrong with surprises in the mail is there?

We made to make a few adjustments, but the overall design is shown below. You can click on the image to view a larger version of the design.

2009 Border Raiders Jersey (front)

2009 Border Raiders Jersey (back)

2009 Border Raiders + Long Riders T-shirts

Hey guys! Mary (a.k.a. Her Majesty the Queen of Awesomeness) here. I've been slaving away for the boys designing the gear for this year and can finally post it for you all to check out. Below are the T-shirt designs for both the tour as well as the Long Riders Century. You can click on each image to view a larger version.

Border Raiders Shirt (front) // Grass Green T-shirt

Border Raiders Shirt (back) // Grass Green T-shirt

Long Riders Shirt // Army Brown T-shirt

One new thing about the shirts: I'm really excited to let you guys know that this year the designs will be printed on T-shirts by American Apparel. For those who aren't familiar, AA shirts are super soft, breathable, American-made and overall about the nicest T-shirt you'll ever wear. OK, I may be a little bias, but all joking aside, they're great, and I really hope you enjoy them.

Saturday May 23, 2009

Hello Raiders that are flying in to Lawrence, check our transportation & services page on the website for info about Airport Shuttles and such. Two Airport Shuttle companies are listed, GTI and KC Roadrunner. In the past riders have sent their bicycles directly to Paul early so they are here ready to go when they arrive. Contact Paul by email or call to make this happen.

Touchwork of Weston (great massage therapists Kirk and Julie) will again be taking care of tired aching muscles and will have great coffee for sale first thing in the morning.... AND the Banquet in Weston is a direct result of their efforts,
PLUS this year an added benefit is the Cemetery Walk option with local actors performing as characters that once lived in Weston.
Raid Riders get a discount to this event, so take a nap after you get in that day and be ready to explore all that Weston has to offer.

If you want, check out the demographics for the Raid.... You will see I did not lie, we have a group of experienced cyclists many with lifetime BS degrees on board each year and no knuckleheads allowed except for the organizers.... My own personal nurse and medical advisor, Webster will again be with us. We have known each other forever and his medical knowledge continues to amaze me...... because neither one of us knew jack---- in High School.

Sadly, last year the day the Raid ended also ended the life of Lt. David Dillon while he rode his bicycle near Eudora which is outside Lawrence. Many of you may remember one of our bike mechanics, Larry H. from last year. He and David were related and a memorial for Lt. Dillon has been planned for this year in his memory the same week as the Border Raid. So Larry will not be with us this year.

Border Raid registration is still open and getting hits every day...... thank you thank you thank you This is crunch time and we are working feverishly to pull everything together to be ready for you to have a great time this year..... I personally have been working on the weather for this year, NO MONSOONS the week before the ride....

I hope you and your bicycle are all tuned up and ready to go ride in the best parts of 4 states in the bright sunshine while the birds are singing and the flowers are blooming and the hills seem to lay down in front of you as you fly over them......
See, I have my own BS degree, too. Keep the rubber side down.
Jim