Our race was very competitive early in the week, arriving at the desert time stations like Flagstaff, AZ well ahead of top level teams. Unfortunately, we failed to execute a crew rotation system that could support full speed race pace. Crossing the country safely without delays requires certain tools and leaders that we overlooked. We basically rode the wheels off our train.
By Kansas, our unstructured rotation plan had taken apart the team. We were so mis-directed that I had to ride into Missouri solo after 15 hours on 2 man shift without steady racer and crew rotation taking place.
This resulted in some infighting amongst the team. Some people prioritized rest and safety, others solely focused on riding fast.
The conflict boiled over when a fatal car accident closed the race course near Greensberg IN. Some wanted to take the opportunity to rest, others wanted to find a way to keep racing. By this time, members of our crew had already contacted the RAAM headquarters to report that our team was a safety hazard. The race officials agreed and put a mandatory rest on certain crew and 1 racer.
So for 8 hours that day, we stopped racing and tried to sort out our issues. By this point, our competitors were far enough ahead that the race took on more of a relaxed tempo. Our transitions and our stopped time and frequency increased greatly.
We were able to bring things back together, have moments of efficiency and conquered some difficult terrain but ultimately the mixed agendas and priorities tore the team apart. We were also able to ride the last 70 miles of the race together as a unified team with all 4 racers on the road and a full support crew marking the course and keep us fresh going to the finish line (picture attached).
The race rewards prepared teams who limit their lost time. Its so easy to make quick mistakes, yet so hard to gain time. Pushing 1 or even 2 miles per hour faster for several hours requires a lot of precious energy and effort and only gains a few minutes. Stopping for minutes, let alone hours to rest takes you out of the race.
To all of the team, thank you for coming along on this wild ride. I'm sorry I couldn't be more clear on what was to be expected but until you've done RAAM (none of us had), you can't properly prepare for it.
I hope we can all take away something new, something learned, something worthy about ourselves and others. Please feel free share your pictures and memories...
1 comment:
Sounds like some people wanted to race and win, while others left their pair at home. A race is a race to win either you have what it takes and PUSH yourself so your team can win. There is always time to rest when you cross the finish line.
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