Team Type 1 Leads – Race Across America, Day One Report
On June 12th at 2 pm PDT Race Across America (RAAM) began its 3,000-mile journey east from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. In the first 24 hours, Team Type 1 and Team Type 2 powered their way east through California and the highlands of Arizona before heading into the mountains of Utah and Colorado early next week.
After departing Oceanside, California at 2 pm PDT/5 pm EDT on June 12, Team Type 2, represented by eight riders with Type 2 diabetes, checked into the time station at Cottonwood, Arizona, at 7:47 pm EDT on June 13. This represented 482.88 miles of racing in 26 hours and 47 minutes of racing, leaving 2,522 miles of racing to be completed.
Meanwhile, seeking a new course record, Team Type 1’s eight-man team leads the eight-man division of Race Across America by 41 minutes over 536 miles over 19 hours and 44 minutes of racing. This leaves 2,469 miles of racing to complete before the conclusion of the race in Annapolis.
All went according to plan, not only for the riders, but also for the crew who kept both teams in contention without incident. Often overlooked in races, crews consist of mechanics, drivers, navigators, chefs, nutritionists, massage therapists and physicians. Leading the crews for both Team Type 1 and Team Type 2 is Dave Eldridge, father of Team Type 1 co-founder, Joe Eldridge. Know for his organization and passion behind the wheel of the follow vehicle, the elder Eldridge is know for his inspiring shouts of “Are you a bike rider or a bike racer” to the athletes throughout the days and nights of racing.
As Team Type 1 competes in its fifth RAAM and Team Type 2 competes in its second RAAM, Founder and CEO Phil Southerland continues to be inspired. “For five years Team Type 1 has had athletes with Type 1 diabetes prove that diabetes should not hold anyone back from achieving their dreams. And for Team Type 2, which is competing in their second RAAM, we have even more reason to be inspired about what is possible.”
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