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!

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...

Team Bandwidth.com

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We 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 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.

Ulysses, KS Hosts the 2010 RAAM

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!

A Downhill Kind of Day

The 2010 Race Across America continued today, the sixth day for the women soloists and the fifth for the solo men.  It's also day two for the RAAM teams which left Oceanside in teams of two, four, and eight yesterday and are rocketing across the West, likely to catch the first solo racers tomorrow.  After climbing from the coast to the top of the Rockies, the solo racers have the opportunity for a little payback as the Time Stations from Kim, CO to Maize, KS are overwhelmingly downhill.  A total of about 350 miles of steady decline greet the riders, and not surprisingly the riders we caught up with were in a relatively good mood.

We first spotted Thomas Strebel as he rolled out of Trinidad time station with a smile and a wave. 
We caught up with Sabrina Bianchi next and she gave us her usual smile and told us things were going "pretty well" [translation from her Italian may be a little off]. 

Next up the road was the team of Julian Sanz.  He appeared to be moving along well and we exchanged a little rough Spanish that revealed he was feeling OK. 

Kevin Kaiser rolled along and gave us a quick roadside interview.  He told us he's feeling a lot better now that he was past the mountains.  When asked how he liked the cool weather, he told us that he was now "in my wheelhouse," and enjoying it immensely.  Kevin's had just a scant 5 hours of sleep since we left Oceanside, but it is definitely in his race strategy. 

Kaiser lost a spot overnight to Georg Payer of Extrem Sport Kohlbach, who looked cool and stoic as we passed.  The Austrian has looked solid and business-like the entire race.

We caught up with Rob Morlock who, if you'll recall yesterday's photo of the day, was seen powering through the mighty dust storm on the road to Alamosa, kitted out with a surgical mask.  In his moving interview, he told us he was happy to be out of that dust storm and the fog, rain, and wet roads he faced yesterday after the headwind killed his anticipated mileage.  As he gnoshed a banana, a rare departure from his usually liquid diet, he told us he'd wanted a shave, but his crew talked him out of it.

Rob indicated that he slept a little longer than he'd intended (still a scant 90 minutes) as a result of the tough conditions, but was feeling good again.  Morlock was outfitted in tights and arm warmers and when asked whether he was liking the unseasonably cool temps said he was, and that what he was wearing was usual Connecticut-weather garb for cycling. 

Rob also shared some interesting tales of the fatigue-induced hallucinations he's starting to experience, ranging from moving roadside plants to "elf shoes" on the side of the road.  He asked us to tell him what was happening at the front of the race and the battle that was developing.  He was all smiles as moved on in search of more interviews and photos.

We were fortunate enough to pull up to Matthew Warner-Smith and team with the RV and chase vehicle pulled off the road after a quick fuel and rest stop.  Warner-Smith was just heading out on the road again.  He looked extremely comfortable and confident as he rolled away, joking with his team over his shoulder as he pulled out onto the tarmac.  We talked a little bit with his crew and they were very impressed with how well their rider was faring so far.  We said our goodbyes and pushed hard to catch back up to him. 

Warner-Smith was flying along on a nice-looking Cervelo R4 standard road bike with carbon fiber wheels.  His mechanic keeps his machine looking and sounding great and his crew keeps him in all-white kit that never seems to look dingy.  If I could get a grip on his collar, I'd be willing to bet it's neatly starched…

Matthew was kind enough to grant us an interview in transit and besides looking strong he comes across as extremely comfortable and confident.  When asked about the appalling conditions yesterday, he replied that yesterday was "pretty ordinary."  His crew told us that he was talking about a big steak in Annapolis, but when asked what he was craving, his response was a more focused ask for "a stronger tailwind."  Despite riding strongly to this point, he related to us the same wisdom that many veterans share: this race doesn't even start until we get to the Mississippi.  We look forward to seeing him uncork it; as it should be impressive.

Cloudy skies and cool temps gave way to broken clouds and warm temperatures as Warner-Smith rolled through Pritchitt, CO.  The storm that has been dogging the lead riders as they moved across Kansas revealed itself on the horizon in Walsh, KS, where we found some local cycling talent.  By Manter, KS, light drizzle and fog obscured the road and cooled the air once again.  The rain appeared patchy at best with bright white grain elevators bathed in sunlight dominating the otherwise gray skies.

Michelle Santilhano was not looking completely comfortable when we caught her on the run-in to Ulysses, KS.  Her team car was up ahead and she was riding alone.  She gave us a wave, but was not in the mood to talk with us.  I later spotted her passing out hotel just past TS 23 in Ulysses, KS as I was unloading gear and she gave me a wave, indicating that she is still very much mentally sharp and in the race.  I was quite a way from the road and was impressed that she even recognized me at that distance, but I guess a 420mm lens is probably the dead ringer...

As we rolled into TS23 in Ulysses, KS Mark Pattinson's (third place overall male RAAM solo) RV and part of his crew were awaiting his arrival.  However, the railroad construction on the route force Mark and follow vehicle around the time station at the McDonald's.  We raced ahead to capture some images and an interview as he charged ahead, making a run on Gerhard Gulewicz's second place.  The usually enigmatic Pattinson was in a good mood, though wrapped in a Balaclava against the unseasonably cool weather and rains that dotted the route through Kansas.

Our plan is to stay put tomorrow at this nice hotel to take advantage of the power availability, wicked-fast internet connection, and proximit to the time station to stream video and let some of the riders farther back in the pack to pass us.  Lasted RAAM 2010 individual standings and team standings are updated in real time as the riders pass the various checkpoints.  More coming to you soon!

Awaking to a Cold and Rainy Day in Trinidad

We got what seemed to be the the only hotel room left in Trinidad last night.  Smoking was all they had.  The hotel had a sign in the lobby (where the clerk was behind bullet-proof glass) that read "If you spent the entire night in the room, no refund can be issued."  The really sweet part was the part penciled in after the comma was "or are in the room for at least 20 minutes".

Yes, this place was nice!  We also met up with Media HQ in Trinidad and the three of them piled into our tiny, smoky room as well.  It's a tight fit, but it was nice to get together and plan next steps.

It's a cold and rainy day and the storm system touching us here looks to stick with us through Kansas.  However, it will still be shorts weather!

A Shootout is Shaping Up

A very exciting, yet brutal day in the RAAM today. After covering the RAW single-speed (fixie) winner in Durango, Media 2 set out to catch up with a number of riders who set out early. We saw very few initially, but the crowd quickly bunched up and the day would be the most exciting I've seen so far.
First on the menu: a thousand foot ascent into Pagosa Springs, CO. Main course: the climb up Wolf Creek Pass with a side of chilly descent into South Fork, CO.Dessert was a sweet dose of 41 mph SSW sustained winds with 50+ mph gusts, with a light dusting of Alamosa dirt, that saw many crews diving into the follow vehicles in search of surgical masks or bandanas to cover their rider's mouth and nose. The after-dinner run-in to La Veta, CO through thick fog and drizzle on the descent. Altogether the most punishing day we've witnessed in the RAAM so far and one in which the riders faced an almost complete range of weather extremes.

To start the day, many riders who had rested a little overnight in Durango after riding through some substantial rains on the ascent emerged from their RVs or hotel rooms. Julian Sanz of Spain headed out at daybreak to tackle the adventure, with the morning portending rain. The rain would stay away until the racers crested the La Veta Pass.

We caught up to Ferenc Szonyi at the base of the climb to Wolf Creek pass and he looked strong despite the high, thin air.We stopped at a roadside waterfall to take in the scenery and catch a roadside shot of Szonyi. We also caught up with Julian Sanz, Tony O'Keefe, and Dr. Michael Nehls along with his enthusiastic and sizable support crew.

We topped the climb and waited as each of the riders donned more clothing for the chilly descent down the back side of Wolf Creek Pass from an altitude of more than 10,600 feet. Down the road a mile at the ski resort we captured a couple images and seconds of footage of the riders plunging down the decent before heading on.Some other riders spotted after the descent were Kevin Kaiser, Ross Muecke, and Georg Payer, the latter receiving a bottle and a little spray-on sunscreen from his support team at a stop light on the outskirts of Alamosa. The big story of the day were the punishing winds between South Fork and Alamosa. The wind picked up dust from the many farms in the area and blew punishing salvos at the riders. Rob Morlock, working to improve upon his current position, donned a surgical mask and leaned hard into the crosswind, but still powered on.The conditions shuffled the standings of the women's race as Sabrina Bianchi caught and passed Amy Xu for fourth place. Third place Sandy Earl stopped at the roadside as Bianchi continued to charge ahead, buffeted and leaning heavily against the crosswind. The next update to the standings may show more changes to the women's leaderboard. Bianchi looked to be in fine spirits despite the tough conditions, even managing a pleasant smile as she passed. Her crew appeared to share her good mood, offering a wave and a cheerful thumbs up.Men's third place rider Mark Pattinson had made it through the storm in Alamosa but looked battered and battle-tossed. Typically focused and quiet, he offered no commentary on the conditions as we passed. He still had the ascent to La Veta Pass before the foggy decline toward quaint La Veta.

Conditions improved quite a bit in the town, but the 65 miles that separate it from the next time station in Trinidad, CO offered the riders a mix of thick fog, drizzle, darkness, sunshine, downpours and even pea-size hail heavy enough to pile two inches deep at the roadside.

It was in this little valley that we happened upon Michelle Santilhano pushing through the fog and drizzle. Her team was in good spirits, and told us that she'd plugged along through the wind on the way to Alamosa and continued to motor along like a diesel. She said hi to us as she passed, and as we left her and exited the valley, the clouds opened to reveal bright sunshine and a rainbow. It must have been a leprechaun's trick because all I found at the end of this rainbow was a Media 2 van containing two other grumpy, poorly rested, and slightly smelly photo journalists…Trinidad's as far as we go tonight, as we've all but caught the leaders and need to hand coverage to Media 1 and Media HQ. It will be nice to settle in some place with a high-speed internet connection because the wireless coverage has been infuriatingly inconsistent the last two days. We'll get plugged in and caught up soon.