Outside Taos, N.M. – Catching up with Team Type 1 just got a little more difficult for the team in second place in the eight-person division of the Race Across America (RAAM).
Team ViaSat, which appears to be the most viable contender to Team Type 1 a little less than halfway through the 3,021-mile (4,861) race, was hit with a 15-minute penalty for “unsafe action by (the) media crew.”
The penalty only adds to Team Type 1’s lead, which stood at nearly two hours at Time Station No. 17 in Antonito, Colo.
Team Type 1 RAAM Coach Nate Keck, who is traveling in the rider follow car, said the team has shifted its strategy to trading off riders on the road every 10 minutes, rather than the 15-minute shifts that were utilized earlier in the race.
“With the wind conditions – we’ve had some strong headwinds – it was best to shorten up and get through the windy parts as quick as they could. The great thing is they’ve maintained that fast pace.”
The two four-person squads are trading off shifts every 7.5 hours, Keck said.
With crew member Joe Noonan driving and Team Type 1 General Manager navigating, Matt Brooks was cruising down the road Monday afternoon at more than 27 mph – a pace that even Keck could not have anticipated.
“It’s a totally different ball game this year,” he said. “We’re setting a faster pace than we’ve ever done. Spirits are high and the guys realize it’s their goal to get up the road as quickly as possible.”
“From a diabetes standpoint, some of the guys have had to increase their basal rates. I don’t know if they’ve double their traditional rate, but they have definitely elevated.”
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