Gary is past Time Station 4 - Parker, Az

(John Henry Maurice) Gary passed through the Parker Time Station at 11:09 RAAM time, 8:09 PDT this morning.  The temperature was 88 degrees F.  Yes, it is going to be another hot day.

In her book "Hell on Two Wheels", Amy Snyder calls the first two days of RAAM/RAW "The Death Zone" due to the high heat and low humility the racers face as they pedal through the deserts of California and Arizona.  Gary is now in Arizona and today will be another tough day in the desert.

The next Time Station is Salome, Az.,  In this leg, Gary will be climbing almost all of the 56 miles.  By mid-morning, when Gary is expected to arrive, the temperature is expected to be 99 degrees with 10% humidity.

(crew chief update) Gary rode throughout the night without a sleep break hoping to capitalize on the cooler nighttime temperatures.  However, he did take a long break in Parker, but got back on the bike without a nap.  His average since the start of the race is 14.44 miles per hour. He had a 12.61 mph TS-TS average.
We believe that he is in 6th place overall in Race Across the West and 4th in his age group. 

Gary's body is still doing well, but his head is beginning to disconnect.  Heat, sleep deprivation, and exertion all work to numb the brain. Often riders hallucinate.  The crew is not aware of any hallucinations,  but we are hearing a constant barrage of complaints about falling asleep on the bike and seeing double.  I've used my smart phone to search for causes of double vision in endurance athletes, but not finding any reported cases.  I did review his calorie and electrolyte intake and found it to be within expected parameters.  With regard to the sleepiness complaint, I am not seeing any of the signs of sleeping on the bike.  I'm sure he is tired, but I don't believe he is in danger of falling asleep on the bike.  We've allowed a couple of short naps in an effort to refresh his mind, but within minutes of a nap he is still reporting that he's falling asleep. I would like to see more miles ticked off before putting him down for any extended sleep.