patrickautissier.org

SPONSORS 2005

San Diego, CA, Day 1

 

Hello,

 

This morning the RAAM 2005 began in beautiful downtown San Diego at 7 :00 AM (10 :AM EST).  With much fanfare, the riders paraded through the streets of San Diego escorted by a police caravan. This ceremonial parade ended at mile 13.4, where the riders congregated, role was taken, and the race restarted officially.

 

The race route wove through the beautiful western suburbs of San Diego, then began a long slow climb up the mountains of the Descanso National Forest. This exhausting climb culminate at 5780 above sea level in the tiny California town of Guatay. Following a dramatic winding decent through spectacular mountain and rock formations, the riders emerged into the blazing Southern California desert. The RAAM route passed only 300 feet from the Mexican border at it’s Southern-most point near the tiny town of Jacumba, CA.

 

At time station number two, Patrick was riding very well through the grueling 102 degree desert heat. We arrived in el Centro, CA at 2 :00 PM PDT, the hottest part of the day. He decided wisely to break for approximately 55 minutes to recover from the first 124 miles.

 

Between time stations two and three, the terrain became quite flat, but very hot ! As he pedaled through the arid farmland of the Imperial Valley, Patrick complained of boredom, prompting us to read from his email messages through the two-way radio he wears while he rides.

 

By the early evening, he completed a slow uphill climb through the Imperial Sandunes. The crew watched the magnificent sunset over the glowing pink sand, as Patrick rode into the first night of RAAM.

 

Overall, Patrick is riding well, has a positive attitude, and has been enjoying his ride. However he is not yet accustomed to the brutal heat. He plans to ride through the night until approximately 1:00 or 2:00 AM and sleep for 2-3 hours. Please continue to send your emails to Patrick to encourage him, we will be sure to read them to him over the radio.

 

Rob