I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever - I Corinthians 9:23-25 

TDLGV arrived in Rouzerville PA at 6:36 AM.  TDLGV is predicted in Hanover PA at 8:30 AM CA time.  They check in at 8:41.  They are predicted in Georgetown PA at 12 to 12:15 PM CA time.  Making GOOD time, 20.71 mi/hr, they check in at 12 high noon CA time!  They are predicted at Del Mem Bridge NJ at 2:10 to 2:30 PM CA time.  They check in at 2:10!  They are predicted at second-to-last time station McKee City NJ at 4:35 PM CA time.  They check in at McKee NJ at 4:37.  Only 14.4 miles to go!  Predicted time to Atlantic City is 5:18 PM CA time!  They cross the finish line at 5:19 PM!  They maintained an average speed across 3043 miles of 20.71 mph.  They are onstage at the boardwalk.  A new TDL record!

Still in Pennsylvania, Erica just interrupted her phone call with me to call out the window to the man driving the Amish buggy, “Your left rear wheel is loose!”  I am not kidding you.  I hope they passed him giving him a wide berth, the horses can be skittish.

8-man Team Type I has crossed the finish line in Atlantic City at 5:28 and with penalty 6:13 AM CA time.  4-man Beaver Creek - Catlin finished at 8:35 and with penalty 8:50 AM CA time.  4-man Team Psycho finished at 11:30 and with penalty 12:15 PM CA time.  TDLGV is in 4th position overall.  The next team predicted to arrive at Atlantic City is Team Donate Life Grace Valley, with no penalties (a goal of team and crew)!  The prediction at this point in the race is arrival between 5:16 and 5:18 PM CA time!  Cheniere’s and ViaSat are very close together 3 hours behind Grace Valley.  The gap between them is not as large as arrival times indicate because Cheniere’s has penalty time.  North Coast is 4 hours behind TDLGV. 

Team ViaSat’s log is an interesting read, they have had some troubles, even had to phone a bike shop owner to ask him to open his shop just to sell them a needed part.  North Coast has a spiritual motivation, to race to show God’s love.  Chelsea Pearson is a North Coast rider along with her husband, and RAAM-famous Pete and brother Jim Penseyres.  Pete’s 1986 long-standing RAAM solo record may be challenged this year.

Race tools:  chart, Google Earth, Race Animation, Team ViaSat live video http://mfile.akamai.com/22774/live/reflector:53345.asx?bkup=57486&prop=n from 3 hours behind TDLGV, Rider hometowns

From Team Type I’s blog:
the Tour de France is 2178 miles in 3 weeks. This has been 3060 miles in 5 and a half days (Matthew Vogel age 31 on the team is from Davis). 

From Chew’s Views posted 5:03 CA time:

Team RAAM:  The time gaps between the teams continue to grow. The overall leading Team Type 1 (8 person) has increased its lead to 2:43 over Beaver Creek-Catlin (4 person) by TS#46 in Parkersburg, WV, with 500 miles to go. The 2nd place 4 person Team Psycho has fallen to 1:12 behind Beaver Creek. The 2nd place 8 person Team Donate Life – Grace Valley has fallen to over 7 hours behind Psycho and 11 hours behind Type 1. The 3rd place 8 person Team ViaSat has fallen to 2:42 behind Grace Valley. The 4th place 8 person Cheniere’s Making Cancer History Team has closed to within 15 minutes of ViaSat. Solo RAAM finisher Dave Tanner’s Hoosiers Team is 8th among 18 four person teams.

In the 2 person team RAAM at TS#37 in Effingham, IL, Swiss Team IWC Schaffhausen (Hape Narr & Urs Samtleben) reduced their lead to 5:15 over the recumbent Team Velokraft. Velokraft is pulling away (increased their lead to 1:06) from their recumbent competition Bacchetta B Team Military Families Foundation.

In the 2 person mixed division, Team Donate Life – Beauty & the Beast built up a 19 hour lead over Team Kitten in Colorado, but Beauty & the Beast’s is down to just one ride – Deborah Georges. She has decided to carry her team, and is proceeding along like a solo rider. With the help of her partner for the first 1,100 miles, can she finish officially? At TS#26 in Pratt, Beauty & the Beasts lead over Team Kitten has shrunken to 13:46. At TS#28 in El Dorado, KS 1,566 miles in, Beauty & the Beasts speed was 13.79 mph. Since the teams left 53 hours after the solo riders, their flat time limit for official finisher status is 10 days flat – correlating to a speed of 12.72 mph. This means that over the next 1,500 miles, Deborah’s speed can only drop 1.07 mph.

Jun 18, 2007 - 09:16 Team Donate Life - Beauty & the Beast

Deborah Georges, the lone remaining rider of Beauty & the Beast crashed earlier today while descending into Camdenton, MO.  RAAM reports that she does not appear to be seriously injured, but she was taken to a local hospital for examination and her race future is uncertain

- Please pray for Deborah Georges, that she is alright, and if possible, can continue her race. 

This just in from TDL crew member Heidi Landis in Atlantic City:

“She had to go to a hospital somewhere in Missouri…broken collar bone and 10 +/- ribs. UGH!!! Not sure if  they’ll drive the rest of the course and meet us here……..crew seemed to think so.”

See other Team Donate Life teams’ blogs at http://www.teamdonatelife.com to see what fellow teams are experiencing.