Friday the 13th

Thanks blog-fans for tuning in. I am sorry to report some very bad news: Christian Clerc crashed today, in a combination of side-winds and rumble-strips, on the way to Taos, NM. He sustained a concussion, but he will be OK. Dave and Karyl were following close behind and were on the scene immediately. Bruce and I were not too far behind and we saw him go down too. It was a horrific crash. We checked Christian over and determined that he did not need an ambulance (differing from the RAAM website posting), and I continued alone riding for the 40 or so miles into Taos. I knew that our competitive ambitions were finished, but hoped Christian would be OK mainly, and thankfully he was. I continued on thinking that Bill and Brian would want a say in what we would be trying to accomplish as a team. (Had I jumped in the car we would have been DQ'd.) They were called and Brian came down to Taos from Cimmaron, NM, where they were staying in a motel. Brian, and crew member Dave talked me out of my dejection and fatigue, and we have decided to take a night off and start again as a team of 3 to get to Maryland before the race deadlines. So Brian and I will start up tomorrow after a stay in Taos and join Bill in Cimarron. We will try and cycle one rider out for a 8-hour break with 16-hour shared shifts. 2,000 miles to go.

Christian feels terrible and keeps begging us to let him ride again, but we have said no. It's a shame because he was feeling well until then, having crested the high point on the RAAM race course, La Manga Pass, at 10,200 feet.