Bidding AZ adieu

At 7:32 Pacific (10:32 RAAM time), Team ViaSat reached the last Arizona checkpoint in Kayenta. The next checkpoint is in Mexican Hat, Utah. Team riders John and Kevin are spending the night there after a day that involved LOTS of climbing, and will be back on course at 2:00 a.m. The team will be in Colorado well before dawn.

Racers are dealing with very windy conditions. When these winds are tailwinds, life is grand. When they're cross- or headwinds, life is decidedly NOT grand. The stage between Kayenta and Mexican Hat is an interesting one to do at night - the weather is cooperating - it's 66 degrees and clear according to Google Earth. The route itself is, well, intimidating - at least to me. The last seven or so miles of the road to Mexican Hat involve a descent down 6 to 10 percent grades. In the dark. It's nothing like the Glass Elevator descent into Time Station 2 (4000+ foot elevation loss, 8% grade over ten miles, numerous hairpin turns, also done by the teams in the dark), but still.

Think about that for just a few seconds. Imagine yourself on the bike. Imagine the speed building, with gravity working in your favor, for once. Imagine hitting speeds of more than 40 miles per hour. [I know it's faster, I choose denial while Greg's on the course, thanks.] Imagine the switchback turns that characterize mountain roads. Then think about doing it all in the dark. Let's face it - these racers are amazing.