RAAM's 8 man Teams
Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/26/2009 6:01:44 PM 6/26/09 Daily Wrap-up RAAM 8-Person Five hours after Dani Wyss crossed the line, Team Type 1 were next to finish the 2009 RAAM. Not only are they champions, but they have set a new average speed record, taking five days, nine hours and five minutes for the 3,021-mile race (23.41mph). This beats last year’s Norwegian winners BMC, who managed 23.2mph. Seven hours down on that octet, Team ViaSat also crossed the line to take a commendable second place, averaing 22.23mph. It says a lot that it took a record-breaking performance to beat them. Team Donate Life – Give Hope should cross the line, safe in third, in the coming day. However, there is a big scrap for fourth going on behind, with Team Donate Life – Liverators a mere six minutes behind Bike M.A.D, who have staged a strong comeback over the last 400 miles. As a result, it’s all to play for in the last day and a half. 1st Team Type 1 (Usa) 3021.30 miles - TS #53 – 5d 9h 5m (23.41mph) 2nd Team ViaSat (Usa) 3021.30 mles – 5d 15h 53m (22.23mph) 3. Team Donate Life – Give Hope (Usa) 2841.00 miles – TS #48 – 5d 19h 37m (20.35mph) 4. Team Donate Life – Liverators (Usa) 2642.00 miles – TS #44 – 5d 18h 49m (19.03mph) 5. Bike M.A.D. (Gbr) 2642.00 miles – 5d 18h 55m (19.02mph) 6. Team Vera Bradley (Usa) 2516.30 miles – TS #42 – 5d 18h 37m (18.15mph) 7. Team Type 2 (Usa) 2458.20 miles – TS #41 – 5d 19h 22m (17.64mph) 8. The Caledonian Chain Gang (Gbr) 2295.30 miles – TS #38 – 5d 20h 03m (16.39mph)
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/26/2009 12:44:45 PM 11:51:59 am, by ChrisG Team ViaSat - CONGRATULATIONS & WELL DONE! Team ViaSat finished RAAM in 5 days, 15 hours and 53 minutes. They averaged 22.23mph over 3021 miles of racing. They got into Annapolis at 9:29am. Larry Bice, Andrew Danly, Ryan Denner, Jeremy Gustin, Ralph Lambert, Ken Larson, Greg Musser and Tobias Panek all shared a hard, tough race. Their race strategy going in would be to group all riders together in pairs. Each group would spend 5 hours on the road with a 15 hour rest. Team ViaSat helped raise funds for USO San Diego. For those who are not familiar with this organization, USO San Diego, aims to enhance the quality of life in the US armed forces personnel and their families worldwide. As well as create a cooperative relationship between U.S. military communities and involved or supporting civilian communities. Through donations, USO San Diego is able to provide programs and services including free weekly homemade dinners, access to books, games and movies, computer labs, family events and military homecomings. Throughout the race, Team ViaSat like any other team had their shares of ups and downs. But everyone got through it well. They dealt with freeway traffic, speeding semi-trucks, off roading excursions and rising temperatures all while keeping their spirits up and a smile on their faces. Team ViaSat also had some video problems and had to fix it “MacGyver” style. Every rider in this race has done an absolutely amazing job and has so much to be proud of.
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/25/2009 4:42:58 PM 06/25/09 Wrap-Up 05:59:28 pm, by Andy RAAM 8-Person Open All eyes may be on Robic and Wyss, but they might not be the first 2009 RAAM competitors across the line. No, barring a serious, unforeseen problem or sudden jelly legs, that honour could go to Team Type 1, who are 130 miles ahead of their closest eight-man rivals. They have given their challengers a lesson in how to ride an eight-up competition: from planning to nutrition provision and changeovers, they have been among the most efficient. The jewel in the crown would be the RAAM average speed record. Their average speed of 23.6mph is currently better than last year’s winning octet and record-holders BMC, who clocked 23.2mph over the 3,016 mile course. Elsewhere, there is no change in the standings. Team ViaSat look dead-set for second place, with Team Donate Life’s Give Hope squad still comfortably in front of their Liverators team in the fight for third place. 1. Team Type 1 (Usa) 2797.30 miles – TS #47 – 4d 22h 32m (23.60mph) 2. Team ViaSat (Usa) 2642.00 miles – TS #44 – 4d 20h 54m (22.60mph) 3. Team Donate Life – Give Hope (Usa) 2458.20 miles – TS #41 – 4d 23h 01m (20.65mph) 4. Team Donate Life – Liverators (Usa) 2295.30 miles – TS #38 – 4d 22h 33m (19.36mph) 5. Bike M.A.D (Gbr) 2230.20 miles – TS #37 – 4d 21h 52m (18.92mph) 6. Team Vera Bradley (Usa) 2156.10 miles – TS #36 – 4d 22h 12m (18.24mph) 7. Team Type 2 (Usa) 2059.80 miles – TS #34 – 4d 21h 22m (17.55mph) 8. The Caledonian Chain Gang (Gbr) 1911.70 miles – TS #32 – 4d 23h 06m (16.05mph)
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/25/2009 4:27:21 PM 06/24/09 (In case you did not see this story on the RAAM Blog) 08:28:35 pm, by Maya TEAM DONATE LIFE-GIVE HOPE: MOTORING IN 3RD VIC’S RAAMIFICATIOINS Pratt, Kansas June 23, 2009 I found third place 8-rider team Team Donate Life-Give hope in Plains, Kansas, and spoke with team member Jason Weckworth. Asked how their team is enjoying RAAM he replied, “Awesome! We’re having a great race. Our team of eight is divided into two teams of four and basically one team has the night shift, one team has the day shift, almost exactly twelve hours.” “We’ve had one rider, Tad Rogers, who’s been sick for two days. I think he got a flu bug. He made it the first half a day. He’s feeling better so we’re gonna put him back in.We did a three-man rotation going over the rockies. But we had strong climbers so we did great. I am concerned about our crew. They’re just wiped out! We’re going too fast I guess and they’re not getting enough sleep.” Before bidding Tad[Jason]good bye, I asked for his quick summation of what Team Donate Life is all about, “We exist to promote organ donation and transplantation. We have a few members who are organs donors and a transplant surgeon. We have some recipients that are with us—my wife gave a kidney to Stacy, a crew member who’s with us. We’re all about promoting organ donation.
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/24/2009 5:57:11 PM 06/24/09 04:16:09 pm, by Maya Extreme Weather for the Riders Team Donate Life was soldiering through a severe heat wave in Missouri. But, just when you thought that was bad they get hammered by severe thunderstorm rain and lightning! Of course, they rode it out and continued their fast journey to Annapolis, MD like the badass riders they are.
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/24/2009 2:20:44 PM 01:31:14 pm, by Vic , 192 words Categories: Uncategorized TEAM VIASAT: INTERVALS ACROSS AMERICA VIC’S RAAMIFICATIONS TEAM VIASAT: INTERVALS ACROSS AMERICA Camdenton, MO. June 24, 2009 By Vic Armijo Imagine what it must be like to jump on your bike, push your heart-rate up to somewhere within a few ticks of your maximum, hold it there for five or six minutes, then stop, jump into a car with two other hot, sweaty, panting riders, then jump back on your bike about fifteen minutes later and do it again. Now repeat this sequence for twelve hours. That’s how front running 8-rider teams do RAAM. Yesterday evening we found Team ViaSat on the eastern edge of Kansas as they enacted the above scenario. They’re in second behind Team Type 1, currently about a hundred miles ahead. I spoke with Team ViaSat member Greg Musser as he waited to transition to the next rider. Musser was glad to be on the night shift where temperatures were down to the 80’s after a day that hovered around 100—a humid 100. Musser had this to say of Team Type 1, “You just can’t keep up with them. We were on them earlier. Eventually they pulled away—it’s going to be tough.”
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/24/2009 1:59:25 PM RAAM 8-Person Open Team Type 1 are hammering all the way to Annapolis. Their average speed barely dropped today, as they continue to increase their lead over rivals, much helped by a huge support network. Team ViaSat are no slouches with their 22.75mph average, but it appears there’s little they can do to pull back time on TT1 in the race’s final third. The whole field is spaced out, with no team within three hours of another. 1. Team Type 1 (Usa) 2105.80 miles – TS #35 – 3d 16h 15m (23.86mph) 2. Team ViaSat (Usa) 1987.30 miles – TS #33 – 3d 15h 22m (22.75mph) 3. Team Donate Life – Give Hope (Usa) 1853.30 miles – TS #31 – 3d 17h 15m (20.77mph) 4. Team Donate Life – Liverators (Usa) 1738.00 miles – TS #29 – 3d 16h 34m (19.62mph) 5. Bike M.A.D (Gbr) 1679.00 miles – TS #28 – 3d 16h 37m (18.95mph) 6. Team Vera Bradley (Usa) 1614.50 miles – TS #27 – 3d 16h 20m (18.28mph) 7. Team Type 2 (Usa) 1503.40 miles – TS #25 – 3d 15h 08m (17.25mph) 8. The Caledonian Chain Gang (Gbr) 1393.80 miles – TS #23 – 3d 14h 41m (16.08mph)
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/24/2009 9:29:52 AM RAAM Teams as reported at 9 am today... RAAM 8-Person Open Team Type 1 are continuing to put time into their fellow competitors. They rocked through the Rockies, seemingly oblivious to the long climbs and steep gradients, maintaining an average of over 24mph. They could well beat the record which BMC set in 2008. Team ViaSat have dropped to four hours behind, with Team Donate Life – Give Hope holding on to third. At this rate, nobody is going to beat the impeccably-drilled TT1 in 2009. Down the order, things are spaced out across several time stations, although Bike M.A.D and Team Donate Life – Liverators are trading blows for fourth place. All these teams are riding like proverbial express trains as they cross the Midwest. 1. Team Type 1 (Usa) 1393.80 miles – TS #23 – 2d 10h 03m (24.01mph average) 2. Team ViaSat (Usa) 1311.50 miles – TS #22 – 2d 09h 37m (22.76mph) 3. Team Donate Life – Give Hope (Usa) 1229.30 miles – TS #21 – 2d 10h 50m (20.89mph) 4. Team Donate Life – Liverators (Usa) 1140.40 miles – TS #20 – 2d 10h 12m (19.59mph) 5. Bike M.A.D (Gbr) 1140.40 miles – 2d 12h 39m (18.80mph) 6. Team Vera Bradley (Usa) 1044.10 miles – TS #18 – 2d 09h 38m (18.12mph) 7. Team Type 2 (Usa) 983.20 miles – TS #17 - 2d 10h 29m (16.81mph) 8. The Caledonian Chain Gang (Gbr) 934.20 miles – TS #16 – 2d 08h 52m (16.43mph)
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/23/2009 4:35:11 AM 06/23/09 01:35:48 am, by ChrisG Team Type 1 - Update Here's an update on Team Type 1's RV situation, following the complete break-down Sunday morning in Utah: Eastbound on I-40, East of Flagstaff, Ariz. – Team Type 1 RAAM Manager Dave Eldridge has a new race on his hands to manage. The fourth-year crew chief for the team's Race Across America squad is jamming down Interstate 40 out of Arizona in an attempt to catch a new RV up to the eight-rider team that is setting new standards for a non-stop, transcontinental crossing. If everything goes according to plan, Eldridge will catch up to the team about midday Tuesday, somewhere in eastern Kansas. Eldridge spent much of Monday locating a replacement RV for the one that dropped its transmission Sunday morning near Mexican Hat, Utah. Unable to find a dealership close-by, he rented a U-Haul, loaded it with the belongings from the broken-down RV and drove to a dealership in Flagstaff, Ariz. Never did he imagine so many logistical headaches – particularly one in which he would have to deal with having only one RV for 20 crew members and eight riders. "This just doesn’t fit in the plan," Eldridge said Monday night. "But it’s certainly something we have to plan for in the future." Despite the RV problems, as well as a fire that destroyed one of the team's minivans Sunday – and a crew car that ran out of gas Monday morning, Team Type 1 remains in the lead. At Time Station No. 19 in Eagles Nest, N.M., Team Type 1 lead Team ViaSat by two hours and 19 minutes.
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/22/2009 1:07:50 PM Daily Wrap-up from this morning at 7:36 am RAAM 8-Person Teams A day and a half in and no other octet can live with the pace Team Type 1 are setting at the head of the race. Despite some crew vehicle breakdown problems, the cyclists themselves are still going strong. As they hit the race’s toughest part, they have knocked off 884.10 miles at an incredible 24.37mph. Second-placed Team ViaSat are doing their best to keep the diabetes-sufferers in touch, ninety minutes in arrears, knowing that they could turn the screw in the last third of the race. Team Donate Life – Give Hope sit third, several hours behind. 1. Team Type 1 (Usa) 884.10 miles – TS #15 - 1d 12h 17m (24.27mph) 2. Team ViaSat (Usa) 814.00 miles – TS #14 - 1d 10h 26m (23.64mph) 3. Team Donate Life – Give Hope (Usa) – 769.20 miles - TS #13 – 1d 11h 17m (21.80mph) 4. Team Donate Life – Liverators (Usa) – 719.10 miles – TS #12 – 1d 11h 14m (20.41mph) 5. Bike M.A.D. (Gbr) 719.10 miles – 1d 12h 51m (19.51mph) 6. Team Vera Bradley (Usa) 679.50 miles – TS #11 – 1d 12h 02m (18.86mph) 7. The Caledonian Chain Gang (Gbr) 634.80 miles – TS #10 – 1d 12h 10m (17.55mph) 8. Team Type 2 (Usa) 634.80 miles – 1d 12h 40m (17.31mph)
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/22/2009 12:37:55 PM We pray for these kinds of things not to happen... 08:43:16 am, by Vic TEAM BIKE M.A.D. NOW A 7-RIDER TEAM VIC'S RAAMIFICATIONS Team Bike M.A.D. rider Adam Phinney suffered one of cycling's worst night mares--a flat tire while on a fast descent, resulting in a fall. He was taken to a medical clinic in nearby Cortez, Colorado where he had his injured arm stitched. Doctors there said that although he's okay for the most part, his role as a rider is over for this year. He will continue with the team as a crew member. Too bad Adam. But choosing to stay on with your mates, that's the RAAM spirit!
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/22/2009 12:28:25 PM RAAM website has been experiencing some problems, probably due to all of us checking the site for new information! It's taking longer to get these stories up and there has been delays in getting stats to the Leaderboard. 09:41:41 am, by Brandon Good News, Bad News Start with the good news. Team Type 1 has raced all through the night STRONG! We caught up with them in Colorado and planned to get ahead of them for some of the climbing that would take place in the early sun rise. Right now we are perched on the highest section of the RAAM (10,000 ft) in Colorado, after seeing Type 1 blow through here in first place hours ago (just as the sun rose). We waited for Type 1 to come through TS #16 (Chama, NM) before following them along the scenic climb up to 10,000 ft. Their strategy is paying off, they have separated their team into 2 groups of 4 riders that take shifts out there on the road, while others rest for longer periods of time. The group of 4 that are out in the vehicle, on course, were exchanging riders every 10 minutes during the night which allowed them to open up well over a 2.5 hour lead (extended it an hour + overnight) over ViaSat. THATS THE GOOD NEWS The BAD news is that they are having many many problems outside of riding. Yesterday you know that their car caught on fire and is no longer around in the race, today they ran out of gas in their rider support van. It was lost for a bit.
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/21/2009 9:49:51 PM 08:47:22 pm, by Brandon Into Monument Valley, UTAH Team ViaSat is sitting comfortably behind the Type 1 team, about an hour down. Both teams we caught up with as they were coming out of Monument Valley and into Mexican Hat, UTAH. Its night time now, the dark has settled in and the racers continue pushing hard. Only these two teams we have seen so far come through. I still can't believe Type 1 is doing 15 minute efforts each rider before switching up. Essentially, these riders are on the block for 15 hard minutes of pure speed and then they hand off to another. Movie clip will be up on the Video Blog shortly.
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/21/2009 2:59:14 PM This article was from the Daily Wrap-up by a RAAM reporter. RAAM Teams Yesterday, just after 1200 PDT in Oceanside, CA, the RAAM teams started their race. From philanthropist two-up riders to ultra-competive eight-man teams, they're all on the road to Annapolis. The eight-men will be hoping to average 22mph as they do rapdifire changeovers all the way; it should take the eight winners around five days for the 3,016-mile journey. RAAM - 8-Person Open The early pace-setters were Team Type 1. They were on fire, both metaphorically and literally: their main SUV’s catalytic converter set the car on fire as it stopped on dry grass in Arizona, miles after TS #5. Comprising of diabetics, the team narrowly finished second to BMC in 2008 and have come back, vowing to take victory AND break the average speed record. As they entered Prescott, AZ, their average was bang on 25.00mph. One clear challenger is emerging: Team ViaSat, who are 48 minutes in arrears. Though the race is still young, the other eight-up teams are already averaging 2mph less. The Donate Life teams of Give Hope and Liverators are currently vying for third spot. These stats were from earlier today... 1. Team Type 1 369.70 miles – TS #6 – 15h 52m (25.00mph) 2. Team ViaSat 369.70 miles – 16h 40m (23.80mph) 3. Team Donate Life – Give Hope 346.30 miles – TS #5 – 15h 14m (22.73mph) 4. Team Donate Life – Liverators 346.30 miles – 16h 38m (20.82mph) 5. Bike M.A.D 346.30 miles – 17h 19m (20.00mph) 6. Team Vera Bradley 293.70 miles – TS #4 – 15h 16m (19.24mph) 7. Team Type 2 293.70 miles – 15h 20m (19.15mph) 8. The Caledonian Chain Gang 293.70 miles – 15h 24m (19.07mph)
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Helena Weckworth Member since 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM	RAAM's 8 man Teams 6/21/2009 12:24:24 PM Though this was earlier this morning, I found this article by RAAM's reporter about Type 1's strategy and WHY they are so fast thus far. It will be interesting to see how they do in the Rocky Mountains. Our Teams have some really strong mountain climbers! GO TDL... 08:43:59 am, by Brandon Mile 343 -- sunrise Riders have come a long way through the night. We are at T#5 343 miles into the race in Congress, AZ. This time station is packed with volunteers from the BullShifters cycling club that have an absolute perfect spot to hang out along the route; with a pool, outdoor internet cafe and fresh picked grapefruits. Just as the sun was peaking, Type 1 blew through this checkpoint with a fresh pair of legs from an exchange a mile down the road. This team has taken a very aggressive strategy to start out their RAAM, with riders doing 1 mile efforts (pulls) then switching off. With a team of eight riders, this gives them each 7 miles to recover from their efforts. However, this may start to dwindle the team as it is only the beginning of RAAM and doing short, intense efforts can really wear you out fast. Not far behind is Team Viasat, who by the way have provided us the satellite coverage for our vehicle. These guys are looking good and for sure have some ground to make up as we come out of T#5. There is a big climb for 9 miles that could easily shake things up quickly. We'll check back, the sun is up and things are about to get hot for the riders.
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