Starting to Feel it...

Bernie just checked in with me 1:45 CST. The usual excitement in Bernie's voice has been replaced by weariness. The Team just left Prescott and are on the TS 7-8 route. After a good start things have started to unravel a little bit. Bernie says that they made a typical rookie team mistake and started out too hot. Now they are starting to pay for it. This morning Bernie had to be taken to the Prescott hospital to get 2 liters of IV to treat dehydration. It has been extremely difficult to get enough food and drink. Bernie said that all 4 riders are probably running nutritional deficits. Neil has lost 4 pounds already, while Greg and Tim are maintaining. They're each burning approximately 6,000 calories a day, it's hard to consume that much. Sleeping has also been difficult. With the crew and riders all sleeping on the RV, it is difficult to get rest with the RV always on the go. The riders and the crew are all in sleep deprivation. They had to force Nuxie to get some rest. Bernie said he has probably slept a total of 3 hours so far. So while Bernie has been out, Neil, Tim and Greg have been forced to take turns riding. They have been taking hour and a half long pulls each. The route from TS 6-7 had a difficult climb to Prescott and Greg hammered it all by himself, while other teams were able to rotate the climb with more guys. Bernie said he is starting to feel better, he'll need to rest some more before he can get back out there and give the other 3 stalwarts some relief. They have concsciously backed off the pace as there is a lot of riding left.

Thanks to Laurel's comment post I found the pictures, here's a link to a team picture, when they were a little bit fresher. Till the next update, hang in there Team Strongheart!!!