In a word, Kansas.
Okay, I'll elaborate. Sometime before noon today, Team ViaSat will cross the halfway mark. This will happen shortly after the Pratt, Kansas time station. (The halfway mileage is 1507.something) They may be out of Kansas before midnight, given how fast they're riding. As of the last time station, in Plains, the team is 1394 miles into the race, and has an average speed of 21.63 miles per hour. Look for this number to increase as the riders leave the massive Rockies behind them and take full advantage of the flatlands of Kansas. Hopefully, they'll have tailwinds.
Yesterday was ridiculously windy for the racers, mostly of the headwind variety. Greg did report that during the climb up Cumbres Pass (10,000 feet), he had a tailwind that had him climbing at around 20 miles per hour. The approach to LaMonga Pass (10,200 feet, highest point on the race) had some incredibly steep points, with grades of more than 15% in places. Brad summited that one, and Greg got the descent. His GPS tells him (and he told me, which I actually didn't appreciate) that he hit 53.5 miles per hour. Brad got the descent on Cumbres Pass, and also hit some massive downhill speed, which he wouldn't share with me.
1 comment:
Way to go Team ViaSat! You truly are an amazing team! We have been excitingly following you...with many thanks to Marna for the postings. Half way and STRONG! We are cheering for you and wish you all the BEST on the rest of your journey.
Jeff's family
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