June 22nd 2005

Aneth, UT, Day 4

Hello

Day three of the 2005 RAAM was truly memorable ! Yesterday, Patrick was exhausted, beaten down by the extreme heat and steep mountain climbs. With his morale at it’s lowest and the crew’ as well, Patrick rode his bike out of Prescott, AZ Time Station 7 with his ability to continue in serious doubt.

Patrick rode all last night to Time Station 9 in Flagstaff, AZ at an elevation of 7000 feet. The night mountain, air was cool, a nice break from the heat. He was able to put some good miles on the bike during the night to take advantage of the cooler air. He continued throughout the night to a point just shy of Time Station 10 in Tuba City, AZ. In the early morning, Patrick was again exhausted, in much need of sleep. The crew rallied to prepare him for a short nap, message and meal. The team’s biggest concern was large climb he needed to overcome between Time Stations 10 and 11. At this point, his pace was sufficiently slow to raise concern that he would not arrive at Time Station 13 before the mandatory cutoff of Wednesday morning at 10:30 AM and therefore be disqualified.

Patrick did not nap well near Tuba City, and all of the crew and Patrick were faced with the possibility that another day of severe heat, elevation change, and sleep deprivation would cause him to miss the deadline, or worse, dropout of the race. When he straddled his bike in the morning after a short, restless nap, he needed all of the encouragement the crew could muster.

He began to climb slowly up the gentle grade toward time station 11, 71 miles away and nearly 2500 feet up. The heat began to scorch the pavement and Patrick. He battled off the sun and the hill to keep up the pace. Through the first 40 miles, Patrick fought hard up the hill, standing from his saddle to gain speed. About half way to the top of the hill, the sun was blotted out by a mass of thick clouds, and a tailwind rose from behind. Patrick looked stronger than ever, he grinded away at the pedals with a voracity that he had not yet displayed. He reached the summit of this climb around 1:OO PM. At this moment, a new rider was born ! Patrick glided with ease down the other side, gaining momentum. He began to smile again, and took in the beautiful Northern, AZ geography. He completed the leg to Time Station 11, and did not stop for more than five minutes before continuing to ride : For the first time, he was enjoying RAAM !

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the night, Patrick rode with pleasure through the beautiful landscape of Monument Valley and Southern Utah. At this moment, he rides through the night and will arrive at Time Station 13 in Aneth, UT around 3:00 AM, seven and a half hours before the mandatory cutoff !

Today was truly a remarkable day for Patrick and his crew. When we started out, there was uncertainty that he could continue on. Now he rides with power and confidence, ahead of schedule, with his characteristic smile. He remarked that today was his best day of riding he has ever had, to the crew this was obvious. The emotional ups and downs of this race are extreme, and Patrick has been through both during the early part of this race. He has overcome a large emotional barrier and this will give him the confidence he needs to continue this unbelievable journey ! We will see what tomorrow brings !

Rob

Latest Update Sept 15th, 2007

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