As the documentary crew gets some time with the team racers today, we’re noticing the huge differences between the team riders and the soloists. For those of you who are new to RAAM, solo riders have to do all 2989.5 miles on their own, while the teams work in a relay system. There are 2-person, 4-person, and 8-person teams, so depending on your tolerance for pain and exhaustion, there’s always an appropriate division.
The first thing you notice when you shoot the teams is the extremely high energy level they have to maintain. Yesterday our cameraman Ernie Holly rode with Team TDL All 4 Transplant and he was amazed by the pace. Without giving away any team secrets, let’s just say they had their system of rider exchanges and support vehicle movements down like clockwork. Riders are constantly rotating, so fresh legs are never far away.
Obviously, the soloists move at a much different pace. With only one rider out there, your strategy is mostly based on when and where to sleep. The crews need to keep their rider fed, hydrated, and motivated, but no one’s checking a schedule every five minutes. You come into this race with one goal- making it to Annapolis- and the details of how to do it reveal themselves along the way.
It’s an interesting contrast: the excitement and breakneck speed of the team race versus the deliberate, almost spiritual feel you get from the soloists. If we can just keep up it should make for a pretty cool film.
-Andy
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