Toughing it out

Well what a way to introduce the rookies on the crew to RAAM.

Tim and Glenn started out well and made really good progress. We had a few logistical issues to sort out to get the RV ahead of the riders to do crew changes before the darkness shifts. RV route was very pretty seeing the transition from coast to desert in relatively short distance.

Troubles for the team began not long after we reached Interstate 10 and darkness together. Glenn started a procession of misfortune with a small crash - he took off too quickly for a changeover and hit the dirt - elbows gone. The Interstate debris was the biggest challenge. The Nocom is not responsive to evasive action - if you get to see the debris anyway. First part of bike damage. Tim was next to hit the dirt - touched the soft shoulder and down he went. Badly banged up elbows though no serious damage to the bike. Glenn took over and had his turn - this time it was a front flat at high speed (40 mph). He threw the bike down on one side and then pulled it back t the other - result = evenly matched road rash on both cheeks - much worse than Tim's.

Took a long while to get Glenn patched up and back onto the bike to relieve Tim - and we struggled on as best we could. Getting off that Interstate and onto Arizona roads was a relief. As dawn broke we begin to count the cost on man and machine - and hoping that the heat would not be too bad. Seemed to spend a lot of the day going back and forth to patch up this and that.

Heat began to tell and we had to pull Tim off the bike and let Glenn back out there for a long pull - through the pain and all.

They say that when the going gets tough the tough get going. These boys are going to have to be tough - heroic as they have been so far.