Racing Bikes and Saving Lives – RAAM, Team Type 1 & Team Type 2 Day Two Report
In the past 24 hours of the epic Race Across America, Team Type 1 has ridden 421 miles from Mexican Hat, Utah to Trinidad, Colorado, at an average speed of 23 miles per hour. Over 1,145 miles of the race are completed for the team, which leaves 1,859 more miles to race.
Meanwhile, Team Type 2 has logged 321 miles from Flagstaff, Arizona to Durango, Colorado in the past 24 hours at an average speed of 17.5 miles per hour. This puts 857 miles behind Team Type 2 with 2,147 miles yet to complete. The good news is that the climbs and elevation of the Rocky Mountains will be complete in less than 24 hours and the rolling hills and crosswinds of Kansas and Missouri await.
According to Rob Coburn of Team Type 2, “sleep is hard to come by, coming in shifts of three or so hours in the RV. The upside is that the Milky Way is an incredible sight at night and Monument Valley just after sun up is truly breathtaking.”
For the most part, the Race Across America has been mostly absent of mishaps and breakdowns. For the riders and crew, the biggest challenge has been a bout with stomach flu which seems to have made its way through the crew and riders of Team Type 1. No one is sure whether it is the elevation, a virus or some tainted food eaten along the way. What is for sure is that stomach flu and bike racing are not exactly a match made in heaven.
Despite this minor set back, the crew and riders, according to Dave Eldridge, “have had exceptional attitudes with exemplary work ethics. Everyone is stepping in and getting the jobs done! We are optimistic and looking forward to what the race holds next for us!”
This morning at approximately 4 am EDT saw Team Type 1 power through a cold night in the Rockies. Low temperatures dropped to 38°F with a light rain at 10,000 feet above sea level at Durango Pass, Colorado, the highest point in Race Across America. Jeff Banninck fought his way up the climb and then bombed the 13-mile descent hitting up to 60 miles per hour with the light of his CatEye SingleShot illuminating the road in front of him.
But not everything was going well for a citizen of Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado. Just after a sunrise descent into Wolf Creek Pass at 9,941 feet, Team Type 1’s crew van and support vehicle were traveling eastbound on Highway 160. The plan was to assist in a rider exchange and prepare for the next transition point.
Team Type 1 crew members Kelsey Kelly and Jack Bannink saw a pick-up truck traveling eastbound suddenly veer off the highway and hit a culvert, which sent the vehicle sailing for approximately 90 feet through the air—without rolling over—before coming to a stop.
Team Type 1 endocrinologist, Dr. Bill Russell, was one of the first people on the scene. “I was sleeping in the van at the time, but was woken immediately by Kelsey and Jack. I ran to the vehicle and found a young man approximately 17-years-old slumped over in the driver’s seat. He was unconscious, unresponsive and bleeding heavily from several facial lacerations.”
Dr. Russell immediately administered aid in this life threatening incident. “I asked the young man what his name was, what day it was and his birthday. Within minutes, he was more responsive, but still in bad shape. Paramedics arrived within minutes and took him to the hospital.”
“It is impressive that even under these conditions, the crew of Team Type 1 and Team Type 2 has the reflexes and ability to respond and help one another as well as others on the road,” said Team Type 1 Founder and CEO, Phil Southerland. “We a a great team of dedicated athletes, but more importantly we are a group of people out to make a difference, whether it’s on the bike or the side of the road.”
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