Our plan to lag the field a little in Ulysses, KS worked well. The back of the solo field slipped past us overnight, along with the first of the RAAM teams. Another night in the wonderful Corporate East hotel and a great steak with our friends in Moscow, KS. Internet access for the entire town went out so we were unable to push content last night and we drove home in some of the hardest rain I've ever seen in my life. Our steady driver Chuck got us home safe and sound once again.
We saw very few riders yesterday, as the field was split into two groups, with the majority of the under 50 males 4-8 time stops ahead of the rest of the solo pack. Ross Muecke pushed past us around 9:30 a.m. local time.
We caught up with 50-50 male leader Timothy Woudenberg and crew on the roads outside Ulysses. The wheat fields stretch out for miles ahead of us as we race to catch the entirety of the 2010 RAAM solo field as well as the lead teams as they scorch across the country. They'd had a little team car trouble in Durango, but are still rolling; I'm glad I don't have to have this conversation with the rental car agency.
I would be willing to bet the teams catch the lead soloists by this evening. Team Type I has already covered 1500 miles since the Saturday start, averaging better than 23 mph. That's almost 10 mph faster than our individual leader Jure Robic of Slovenia. The teams have the advantage over the individual riders because they never sleep. The 8-man teams are able to rotate the riders frequently and even place specialists on the road for different types of terrain, for example putting their climber on the front of the race for the climb up Wolf Creek pass, or their heavy-hitting time trialist on the flatter roads of Kansas.
We're eager to catch up to the race, but we'll miss all the great volunteers and fans manning the time station in Ulysses, KS. The injection of the fresh blood into the race as the teams catch the soloists has added a little excitement and enthusiasm. More from the road soon!
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