Laurel and I are currently driving the chase car behind Eric and
Patrick, both of whom look like they're on day 1 of riding with fresh
legs instead of on day 3 (or is it 4?).
A couple stories from the road:
1) Yesterday Eric and Patrick dominated the Rockies, taking the team
to new heights-- literally-- as we hit the highest point of RAAM 2008.
It was so fun to watch them climb-- they both looked so strong and the
scenery was unbelieveably beautiful. We even got so high there was
snow on the ground, and Paul made us a snowball (which we then threw at him. Thanks paul!) Laurel and I were both jealous of the crazy
decent (about 1500 ft over 5 miles), but the guys deserved some fun
after all that climbing, so we were glad to see them taking full
advantage of the downhill and really flying down the mountain.
2) Paul and I were chasing Phil early this morning through Oklahoma
(he and Andrea tore up the road last night, finally taking us out of
New Mexico for good), and as Phil was cruising along at speeds so fast they might not be legal (*note to RAAM officials who might see this: just kidding- we always follow the rules), the sun started to rise.
Unlike our other riders, Phil does not use our awesome sound system
for music while he's riding. (Everyone else has a steady soundtrack as
they charge down the road). But for this occasion, Paul and I thought
a liitle music might be nice, so we turned on the classic Beatles hit
"Here Comes the Sun" (the version from the Love album, if you're
curious) and watched Phil sail into the sunrise. I'm not usually a
sentimental gal (um, at all), but seeing the sun come up with Phil
pushing some serious power to try and catch it made me choke up a
little bit. It really reminded me of how awesome this whole adventure
is, and it will definitely be a really great memory from the race.
3) Laurel can't sing. I'd heard rumors after last winter's Christmas
Lights Run (during which the runners sing carols), but wow. Laurel is
brilliant, talented, and a great cyclist in her own right, but the
girl couldn't hold a tune in a bucket. These are the things you learn
when you spend 19 hours a day together (we're tragically separated for 5 hrs at night). Though I guess as a failing, sounding like a dying
cat when you try to sing along with the radio isn't really that bad.
So we'll keep her, and not leave her in a field in Kansas like I
threatened....
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