Day 2/3 Update

The ride through Arizona, Utah and Colorado was gorgeous. Red rocks, sandstone cliffs and good light made for some fun photos--check out the albums on facebook. Riders were having fun and keeping a steady pace through Sunday night and into Monday morning. Kevin and Larry motored through the night, and then handed off to Jeremy and Andrew who carried Team ViaSat into the San Juan Mountains and over Wolf Creek pass at 10,857 feet. Meanwhile, Tobias was attempting to get some energy back after a long night of severe gastrointestinal distress. With two 9,000-foot summits looming ahead he wasn't quite ready to take the reins, but he suited up and did what he was out there to do--he pedaled anyway. Luckily Ryan was feeling good and stepped up to the challenge, taking longer turns in the climb over 9,413-foot La Veta pass and 9,941-foot Cuchara Pass.

A big decent brought the riders into La Veta where they handed off to Larry and Kevin who finally got to see a little bit of daylight on their shift. Leaving the mountains behind Kevin and Larry headed into the flat lands of eastern Colorado and Kansas, and yet again into the night.

How it Works

So how does a team of eight riders get all the way across the country while giving themselves enough time to rest and eat? Of course the terms "rest" and "eat" are relative. Every team has a different strategy; this is how Team ViaSat does it.

Team ViaSat splits into four cars with two riders and one driver in each car. Each car takes a five-hour shift on the course while the other cars drive ahead to eat, sleep, etc. The car that is on the course has two riders that take turns sprinting three- to six-mile segments. When these guys are riding, they are giving it everything they've got.

Here are the groups of two (and their drivers)...I listed them in the order that they rotate:

Jeremy and Andrew (with Ed Danly driving)
Ryan and Tobias (with Dave Casterton driving)
Larry and Kevin (with Austin Bice driving)
Brad and John (with Matt Butler driving)

Additionally, there are "follow" vehicles that take turns helping out with the crew that is racing. They literally follow the rider to make sure he doesn't run into any trouble. At night, the follow vehicle must keep the rider in their headlights. During the day, the follow vehicle is not required to follow right behind the rider unless he deems the rider is in an unsafe situation. The follow vehicles have their own rotation similar to the rotation of the rider vehicles.

What is RAAM?

RAAM, or Race Across America, is a 3,000-mile bike race starting in Oceanside, California, and ending in Annapolis, Maryland. RAAM is one of cycling's toughest tests. Team ViaSat will cross 14 states in less than 6 days, climb 100,000 feet of elevation, and check in at 53 time stations along the way. They will battle wind, rain, heat, cold, altitude, sleep deprivation, nutritional deficiencies, and more in an all out sprint to the East Coast.