Day 12 Finishes

An exciting  day on the road as they coursed through a sobering Gettysburg.  We met up with Tony O'Keefe, still riding strongly and with a big smile on his face.  He gutted out the Appalachians to finish an impressive fourth place.

Thomas Strebel overcame a knee injury he developed before the Appalachians to finish fifth.  Kevin Kaiser also finished strong to bring his 2010 RAAM campaign to an end.

As the clock winds down to the official finish this evening in Annapolis, you can find the individual finish results here and the team results here.  We hope to see Rob Morlock, Dr. Michael Nehls, Ferenc Szonyi, and Julian Sanz finish before the cut today. 

Dex Tooke is still plugging along with quite a ways yet to ride.  Sabrina Bianchi and Michele Santilhano are still legging out their assault on the 2010 RAAM solo.  The majority of the teams have completed their races as well, but a few remain out on the roads.

We had the pleasure of sharing the elation Team Arndt shared as they checked into the final time station before the three-mile ceremonial run-in to the dock in Annapolis.  These were some happy guys, after just completing the race under the seven day goal they'd set for themselves (by a scant four minutes)!

Media 2 signed off, hoisted a few drinks in celebration and headed back to their respective homes.  The 2010 Race Across America is in the books.  It is good to be home and it's fantastic not to have miles to cover today.  Thanks for reading and I look forward to bringing you more information about Jake North Photography in the future.

12 Miles to Go

It's going to feel REALLY good to get out of this car!

Coming Home

We are looking forward to bringing it in today.  We are approximately 180 miles from Annapolis and look forward to the bike shop in Mt. Airy and the finish in Annapolis.  It's going to feel good to settle into the seat of a purple 737 rather than our silver Kia Sedona.

Savage Course Profile in WV and MD

To say the course along the scenic highway in West Virginia and Maryland was hilly would be to sell it well short.  To say the course profile looked like a saw blade would be a further injustice, to describe the course as a two-person bucksaw or a Wildcat the Swamp Loggers might use is probably appropriate.

The thick part of the RAAM field encountered some of the most savage roads we've seen so far this year.  The course never relented on heavy asphalt, broken pavement and drop-off shoulders.  When there was a bike lane, it was usually covered in cinder the highway department throws down in the winter months.  This makes for treacherous riding because one venture into the bike lane often results in a crash, or at the very least a cut tire.

Team JDRF rolled through the hills of West Virginia and Maryland today in terrain that doesn't favor the heavier two-man rig.  Nevertheless, the duos extended their lead in their division over Team 4 Austrian Musketeers.

Tony O'Keefe "Feeling Great"

Canada's Tony O'Keefe, fourth in the solo male race said he is "feeling great."  He looks very comfortable on the climbs, jumping out of the saddle for the steep sections.  His pedaling action looks smooth and powerful at this late stage in the race.

When told friends Steve King and Rick Kent said hi, he told us to return the greeting.

Buatois, Allegiant Travelers, Icebreaker Rolling Through WV

Women's solo leader Barbara Buatois looked confident and comfortable climbing a hill in West Virginia.  She's out to a very comfortable lead and should finish sometime tomorrow evening.

Team Icebreaker and Allegiant Travelers were working the downhills in the Appalachians.  Allegiant Travelers is having a great race, with no major problems so far and switching riders every 10 miles.

Commerzbank Confident

Germany's Team Commerbank Hamburg, currently 5th in the 4-person team under 50 is climbing well.  Rider Thilo Bock was nearly giddy and very confident they would reach Annapolis.  He kissed his wedding ring and asked us to tell his wife he loves her very much.

Strebel Injured

We just came upon Thomas Strebel, solo men's fifth place.  He is soft-pedaling the WV hills and sporting multi-colored Kinesio-tape injuring his knee in a crash yesterday.  He looked to be in a great deal of pain and having trouble pedaling.  Kevin Kaiser and Rob Morlock are charging from behind and may overtake him.  Thomas has ridden consistently for the last 10 days and it's disappointing to see him ceding ground now.

The 4 Austrian Musketeers Take the Race to the Hills

The 4 Austrian Musketeers, lying second in the 4-person team event are in a close race with team JDRF.  The advantage could swing back to the Austrian team as we enter the Appalachians and West Virginia. 

The JDRF team is riding tandems and will have to work hard to keep the momentum hauling the heavier equipment over the hills.  Nevertheless, if they can maintain speed on the rollers, they might be able to hang on until the declines toward Annapolis

Connor's Hope in Athens

Team Connor's Hope is cruising into the brick-lined streets of Athen's OH.  Quite a few fans on the main street should help push the riders over these "cobbles".  Temperatures and humidity are making life tough on the riders.  Jared Ellison just came off a shift dripping sweat before making a handoff.

An Overnight Crash for Biking Vikings

Team Biking Vikings of Denmark leads the under-50 two-man race by a whopping 7 time stations and appears to be gaining momentum, even after an overnight fall.  We caught up with Hans Anton Nygaard in the rolling hills of eastern Ohio who went down hard in the early morning hours of last night on the poor roads in Ohio.  He was back in the game, but sported a Telfa bandage on his right elbow.  Nygaard explained that he caught his front wheel between a gap in the concrete. 

We followed team JDRF through the twisting hillside last night and it would definitely have been an easy thing to do.  The roads were constantly up and down, narrow, with no shoulder, and numerous wheel-swallowing gaps in the pavement.

Nygaard was still moving along well in the morning humidity.  They've been taking relatively long two-hour shifts, but Hans told us they would shorten the interval to one hour as they close out their assault on Annapolis.

Racers Course through Indiana to Ohio

The bulk of the race made it to Ohio.  The racers, officials, and teams (media included) can smell the barn now that we are in the triple digits in mileage to go.  Team JDRF pressed on toward TS42 into the failing light towards 9:00 p.m. EST.  Team car headlights continue to provide illumination for them, but the numerous twists and turns make it pretty sporty out here.  The road condition is also pretty rough, slowing the riders furrther as they excercise caution over speed.

The contrast in spirits and speed continue to be apparent between the individual racers and the teams.

The smiles and conversation come a little easier from the team riders the soloists now.  Not surprising, but a finish line awaits all in Annapolis.

Connor's Hope on Course

Media 2 stopped by TS37 in Effingham once again to thank TS Manager Mike for working tirelessly and acting as a fantastic ambassador for the town.  He's been sleeping around two hours a night while keeping things cranking.  The great volunteers ensured every rider felt like a hero and greeted them with a chorus of about fifteen cowbells.


The media covering the media

Team RAF Survitec Epic's team RV was pulled up to the TS and Erin grabbed a quick interview.  The team currently occupies sixth place in this year's RAAM, but is in a four-way knife fight with Team Sharp4Prostate, Team Commerzbank, and Team Icebreaker for possession of fourth place in the under 50 4-male team race.

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The first team we encountered on the road was a very business-like team Austrian Musketeers.  Adam Denton looked over only briefly and then got back to business.  Next up in the 8-man team event was Andy Bestwick for Allegiant Travelers.  Andy was cranking through the Illinois corn fields en route to Indiana.

We bumped into Team Connor's hope just as Connor was taking over to start a short shift at the front.  We stopped roadside and put Brendan in their chase vehicle for an embedded interview and next swapped Erin out (they wouldn't bite on just keeping Brenden until they hit Annapolis) for a quick interview.  Look for more on the RAAM Facebook page and on the video blogs coming soon.

Road construction brought the team to a halt and one rider got to practice her track standing joking that it's "good for your core."  She was back on her way quickly. 

Michele Santilhano continued to soldier on through the oppressive heat and humidity on her way through IL.  Her cadence and speed have slowed significantly and the juxtaposition with the tempo set by the team riders just down the road is striking.  Santilhano is still holding down second place against a surging Sabrina Bianchi.  She's been distanced by France's Barbara Buatois, who has opened up a staggering lead of more than 175 miles.

We just crossed the Indiana state line, into Eastern time.  We are now on RAAM official time!

A Hot Racing Day on the Mississippi

We rolled into Weaubleau, MO last night around 10:30 after a long day of chasing racers.  We covered a total of 450 miles and got countless great interviews (a couple of which were the last given by the riders before abandoning the race.  No restaurants or convenience stores open, so we split an apple, a Clif bar, and some beef jerky for dinner.  The sole motel in town was a real adventure.  There was a slug in the bathroom and the rest of the joint was just about at the same level.  However, the phrase any port in a storm prevailed.

Team and individual riders have started dropping like flies in the Missouri heat and humidity.  Paul Carpenter dropped from the race this morning, along with Spanish Team COANFI Desafin ASPANOA.  As the race enters the Ozarks, things are heating up and the humidity will continue to take a toll on the riders.

Team Doc2Doc and Convicts of the road cranked through the rolling hills leading into Jefferson City.  Team Doc2Doc lost one of their bikes when it fell from the rack at the back of the team car and the crew lead told us that carbon fiber doesn't bounce well.  Two riders on the team are sharing a bike and they are hot-swapping saddles in order to accommodate both riders.  Their mechanic is working overtime trying to keep the machines in good condition, fighting derailleur adjustment issues, and swapping chains as they stretch.

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Team Doc2Doc's Garth Smith was hammering through the hills and twists & turns through Jefferson, MO.  Despite my best efforts to get the money-shot of Garth in front of the State Capitol, things didn't work out with traffic and lights.  We left Garth and Team Doc2Doc as they crossed the Missouri River.

Dex Tooke rode through the night and was disappointed to not have had the opportunity to see the lakes and other beautiful scenery.  He continues to be incredibly upbeat, joking with the media team about how he's very used to the heat and humidity.  Dex plans to keep cruising along until he hits the Mississippi. 

A half mile up the road we encountered Sabrina Bianchi whom we saw come in for a rest in Weaubleau last night around 2300 race time.  She was still smiling along and putting up with our bad Italian.  When we asked her how her saddle was treating her, she responded with a wave of her hand that it was "medio…"  She's also sporting some multi-colored kinesio tape on her right knee.

Team All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia pressed their advantage in their division (4-person mixed) through Missouri.  We last saw them coursing for the Mississippi.  They are currently the second 4-man team on the road behind the powerful Bandwidth.com team. 

Amy Xu was comfortably cruising along in fourth place in the women's solo race, although it looked like the bunch of flowers her team manager had picked and attached to her head tube yesterday for a little inspiration had been removed.  Michele Santilhano looked comfortable on her way to the Mississippi milestone.  We were unable to talk with her today because of heavy traffic conditions on the narrow and winding roads, although she has not thusfar not been very effusive with us, instead giving us a wave and staying focused on the task at hand.

Spain's Julian Sanz described the Missouri countryside as "calor," or hot.  He resorted to spraying down his head an neck with a bottle of water but said he was otherwise feeling fine.  We spotted the team RV of Dr. Michael Nehls at the bridge over the Mississippi, but didn't catch a glimpse of his junta of supports or the good doctor himself.  I suspect he is resting, having made a major milestone in the race.  His strategy of resting 6 hours each 24 is working well for him.

We spotted Ferenc Szonyi's team at and around TS36 in Greenville, IL, but no sight of the Italian.  Szonyi currently resides in eighth place in the solo male division. 

As the sun set on another day of racing, we charged towards Effingham, IL in search of the Rob Morlock and the Bandwidth.com team.  They left TS36 in Greenville 45 minutes ahead of us and were tearing up the tarmac on the rolling hills.  I was hoping to catch them at or before sunset.  It's a little challenging to get good shots with the long lens in the evening.  The light quality is fantastic, but since the riders are generally eastbound, there's very little light on their faces with a ton of light behind them.  The lens I'm using is so long that flash can't reach the riders, so the roadside shots with the big dog were usually silhouettes.

The Whole Story

I realized I may not have shared all the photos I've taken.  Aside from the select photos you on this blog, I'm also posting photos on the Jake North Photography Facebook page, on the Media 2 blog, and posting all my photos along with the other three photographers to a common repository.  My files have either JWN or JNP in the filenames. 

I'm also in a few of the video blogs either in the background or conducting rider interviews on the road, so you can see me there as well.

Paul Carpenter and Team COANFI Out

Team and individual riders have started dropping like flies in the Missouri heat and humidity.  Paul Carpenter dropped from the race this morning, along with Spanish Team COANFI Desafin ASPANOA after an unforunate incident.  As the race enters the Ozarks, things are heating up and the humidity will continue to take a toll on the riders.

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Earl and Payer Abandon Overnight

Overnight near our location Sandy Earl in the women's solo race has abandoned.  Georg Payer, one of your 2010 RAAM male soloists who'd been struggling with a patellar tendonitis problem has wisely elected to end his campaign as well.  Both had been riding strongly and we will miss them.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery and we hope to see them again soon.

The Night Shift in Missouri

The field spread out quite a bit and we had the opportunity to catch up with the race as we left Kansas and drilled into Missouri.  Holger Rothig has recovered well since his stomach problems of night one.

Some interesting developments in the womens' racese as Sabrina Bianchi, Sandra Earl, and Amy Xu fight it out.

We've had some rumors of saddle sores, surges and an impending change in standings.  We look forward to a great finish.

Georg Payer Injury

We just spoke with Austria's George Payer of Extrem Sport Kohlbach and he is riding upright, unable to make a lot of power on the bike due to knee problems.  His team tells him that it's an infection of the patellar tendon.  He is determined to continue on to the Appalachians at least, but will continue to evaluate the situation and make a joint decision with his team (no pun intended).  He is otherwise feeling great and is understandably disappointed. 

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Pattinson Abandons at TS 31

2008 second place RAAM finisher Mark Pattinson and our third place rider until today has abandoned the race at time station 31.  He had dropped during the day from third place to sixth place.  Pattinson elected not to continue after reaching TS31 complaining of inability to hold his head up any longer because of neck problems.  Referred to in RAAM circles as Shermer's neck, named after Michael Shermer, the first person noted in RAAM history to have rigged a brace for his neck back in the 80s. 
Pattinson was in good spirits and is already talking about next year.




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Racing for the MO Border

We caught team All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia as Gernot Wolfram pushed the pace, hammering the flats of Kansas and passing RAAM soloist Valerio Zamboni.  Wolfram and team were in high spirits and made a rider exchange shortly after passing Zamboni and exchanging greetings.  In our rolling interview, Zamboni told us that he'd been having stomach problems earlier, but had since recovered, was feeling good, and hoped to cover about 350 miles today on the flats of Kansas.  We are once again looking at the tail end of the weather system that has brought torrential rains to the solo riders over the last three days.

We should cover a little more ground than Zamboni today as we catch up and get the stories and photos from the race that's heating up today.  Eric Dufour told us about a little knee trouble that has plagued him over the last couple of days.  He was still positive and told us he would soldier on and finish the race.

We happened upon a very interesting scene in Mullinville, KS.  A local farmer, sculptor, political satirist has lined his property with this artwork depicting various political figures, historical events, or just random statements.  It was truly astounding to think about the man-hours that went into this display.  We also happened upon another professional photographer taking some photos with an old full-format camera.  He was not very nice, ignoring me and only grunting in response to Brenden's queries.  Oh well, the teams on the roads are a lot more fun to hang out with.

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We next caught up with Team Bandwidth.com, Inc. in Kansas where David Morken was laying the smack down on the road, riding a really sharp looking Cervelo P4 with Zipp carbon fiber wheels, resplendent in the powder blue kit.  This is a really professional looking team with a delivery-type van, Provost RV, professional drivers, and a sharp crew.  We later caught up to the team at TS26 (the half-way point for the 2010 RAAM) and toured their Provost rolling HQ.  Really swanky digs!

We also stopped for a quick detour through Starvin' Marvin's BBQ and enjoyed the RAAM discount on some great BBQ.  We all piled back in and headed off in search of Team Bandwidth.com.  We stopped to get a roadside shot of David Morken hammering it.  However, I got back to the car and couldn't figure out why the picture came out soft looking.  I had inadvertently hit the stabilizer off button on the lens.  Good news is that I was confident we'd see them again.  The weather in Kansas was great, with temps in the low 80s, reasonable humidity, and tons of puffy clouds that make for great backgrounds.

Rick Carpenter of Team AFU-Rex Racing (currently lying second in the solo male 50-59 category) was next down the road, having been overtaken by a storming Bandwidth team.  He had fashioned what he'd termed a "neck bra" to hold his head up.  He told us as he stopped for a stop light that his kneck had been bothering him a little since the dust storm in Alamosa, and the brace was more a preventive measure. 

We rejoined Team Bandwidth.com as Sean Matt was wrapping up his shift.  He was enjoying the sunny day in Kansas and was happy with the team's progress as they lead the 4-person team competition by two time stations at this point.  He was quick to point out that this is a long race and there's plenty of road ahead.  We raced ahead to catch David Morken starting his next shift and looking really powerful and focused although he did give us a wave and a smile.  The fact that Morken was back on the bike just a couple hours after we last saw him illustrates the team is keeping turns at the front short and fast.  A crew member told me they are usually changing every 12.5 miles, although they were taking one-mile turns on Wolf Creek Pass and going flat out.

We reached the closest we'll come to my home town of Austin, TX today when the route crossed over I-35.  Tempting to just hop out and grab a Greyhound home, but from what I've heard about Greyhound, I'd probably get there about the same time as I would heading to Annapolis and flying back...