12:08 EDT: I just talked to Eddie. They came through CP #18 in fine fashion and have gained time on the two teams ahead of them. Team JDRF, riding tandem bikes, is directly ahead of them. However, it appears their goal right now is to catch the next Four Person Male team, 2CURE – HD, which is now 2:40 ahead of Team Nor’easter. This is down from 3:14 at the previous CP.

They are getting ready to put Brad back out for an hour pull. Dave and Brad are swapping pulls while Greg gets some rest. They are approaching the 1000 mile point.

When time allows, Eddie will be sending me some pictures to post.

Posted 10 AM EDT: Team Nor’easter is tackling the hills of Colorado. Some of those hills are pretty impressive!

Update 10:22 AM EDT: The team has checked into CP #17, and is most likely looking forward to the next leg which is mostly downhill. They gained an impressive 1:09 on the team ahead of them, Team JDRF, and only trail them by 1:16 at this point.

Here is a table I created showing how the team’s split stacked up against the others for each CP.(It includes all riders except the Endro category since their data is a bit wacky…)

[photopress:splits1.jpg,full,centered]

Update 10:25 PM EDT: Dave just called in and reported that Team Nor’easter, with Brad on the bike, has just pulled ahead of the Cyclonauts at about 17 miles out of CP #14. Team Cyclonauts are the other team with an injured rider. TN was behind them just 3 minutes through the CP. This pulls TN out of last place among the teams still in the race. Yeah!!

Posted by Ken (aka kadley) on AttackPoint at 17:17 PST: Hi all — we’re on the road trying to catch up with Greg, Brad, Eddie and Dave. We just went by Phoenix, so should make it to them by Pagosa Springs. They are only 25 minutes behind the next team, who also lost time due to an accident. We were off the road for almost 5 hours while my injuries were assessed.

My crash occurred on the downgrade to Salton City, CA. This was after an earlier descent off Mt Palomar area where the road drops 4,000′ over 10 miles — a sustained 10% grade. On that run my max speed was just under 50 mph. Fortunately I was a bit slower for the crash — 35 mph. I got hit with a gust from a side canyon just as I hit some rough rutted pavement. The front wheel started to shimmy in resonance. Quickly it was out of control and I was over the handlebars.

The follow van was behind me. Greg said I tucked my head under and hit first on my back and tumbled. They blocked traffic with the van. Another RAAM team stopped to help and a volunteer fireman called the EMT’s .

I recall being asked some silly questions like who I was and what I was doing, and had no answers for any of them.

The damage was a busted clavicle, which required some minor surgery, 4 broken ribs, lots of lost skin from my back, arm, hip and leg, and 4 staples in the back of my head. My helmet is reduced to pieces, but it did its job well.

Thanks for everyone’s concern — Ken

A huge THANK YOU goes out to Ron Grayson for the invaluable contribution he made to Team Nor’easter. He got Greg back into the race just before Prescott, Arizona yesterday, and then drove back home to California.

Update at 7:31 EDT: I just finished talking to Dave, with Eddie adding input in the background. Team Nor’easter is pursuing Team Cyclonauts with a vengeance and have closed the gap to 25 minutes. They are estimating that they will reach Durango, Colorado by 12 midnight – I am still unclear if that is race time (EDT) or their time (-2 hours), but based on their pace, it appears to be EDT.

The slow time around Prescott, Arizona has been attributed to an overheating van. The fan was not cycling on and off correctly, so it has been “fixed” to stay on continuously. They were also affected by the detour because of the wildfire near Flagstaff, Arizona. They were allowed to use a detour, but if they had been any later they may have been stopped completely for an unknown amount of time.

So, place your bets now:

1. Where will the RV catch up with the van? The RV was 120 miles from Prescott at 8 PM EDT, and the riders were 1:45 out of CP #13.

2. Will Ken ride again? Eddie “The Mechanic” Bergeron has been instructed to ready the bike. Sandy “THE Team Manager” Fillebrown and Lex “The Team Doctor” Bundschuh say don’t bet on it, except maybe walking the bike the last 10′.

Report is from 5:50 EDT: My home phone rings, and it is Ken. He sounded good. Turns out that he has left me a long “interview” on my work phone which I will transcribe tomorrow when I go to “work”… Ken talked briefly and passed me on to Lex.

The foursome of Lex, Sandy, Ken, and the RV have left the hospital near Salton Sea at around noon California time. They are heading to Cortez, Colorado to try to meet up with the rest of Team Nor’easter. Right now they are passing through Gila Bend, Arizona (southwest of Phoenix). Mapquest estimates that this is about a 9 hour drive, and with the team putting up some excellent times into CP #12, and due into CP #13 anytime now, it is going to be difficult to catch up with them before CP #16, Pagosa Springs, Colorado.Stayed tuned for progress on the race withing the race.

Ken’s brother, George posted Wednesday evening on AttackPoint: Just spoke with Ken. He sounded good, trying to eat some light food, rest. Says he’s sore in lots of places. Tomorrow, all being well, he will go on with the RV with Sandy and Lex and help as navigator, etc.

Sandy’s update as of 5:20, California time…

Ron Grayson drove Greg Walker up the race route and got him back with the team a little before Prescott, AZ.

They’re keeping Ken one more night in the hospital here just for observation. Lex Bundschuh is arriving here this evening and we’ll drive the RV tomorrow morning to rejoin the team.

Update 12:20 PDT: Greg and Ron have rented a car and are driving to meet the others so that Greg can start riding again.