Oceanside, Calif. – Team Type 1 makes no secret about its goals for the eight-person team division of the Race Across America (RAAM), which begins Saturday in Oceanside, Calif.
“Our first expectation is to win the race,” said Team Type 1 Elite Team Director Bob Schrank. “Our second expectation is to break the record set by the Norwegian team last year. And always, our hope is that we complete the race in a safe manner.”
The teams competing in RAAM begin pedaling the 3,021 miles (4,861 km) to Annapolis, Md., at 2 p.m. PDT. Last year, Team Type 1 finished less than four hours behind the Byggkjøp presented by BMC Cycling squad that won the eight-person team division in a time of five days, nine hours and 56 minutes.
Team Type 1 is comprised entirely of athletes who have Type 1 diabetes, a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to properly control blood sugar levels. The team was created in 2004 to inspire people living with diabetes to take a proactive approach to managing their health and overcoming the obstacles often associated with the condition.
Team Type 1 co-founders Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge helped the team win the eight-person team division of the race in 2006 and 2007. The two are now members of the men’s professional cycling team. Team Type 1 also has a professional women’s program, a triathlon team, a development team and a second team for the Race Across America, Team Type 2.
This year’s Team Type 1 squad for RAAM consists of (name, age, hometown, country):
Jeff Bannink, 38, Beaverton, Ore., United States
Simon Bennett, 25, St. Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia
Alex Bowden, 19, DeKalb, Ill., United States
Matt Brooks, 21, Pickerington, Ohio, United States
Tom Kingery, 33, Delaware, Ohio, United States
Lonny Knabe, 33, Portland, Ore., United States
Bob Schrank, 40, Round Lake Park, Ill., United States
Mark Suprenant, 44, Milford, N.H., United States
Bowden, Brooks, Schrank and Suprenant return from last year’s squad, with Schrank also having raced for Team Type 1 in 2007.
Schrank said having diabetes makes parts of the grueling, non-stop race more difficult. While other teams can relax after riding a shift, Team Type 1’s athletes must be vigilant about monitoring their blood sugar.
“We are constantly using the Navigator and our OmniPods to make small corrections to our Apidra or Lantus (insulin),” he said. “As anyone with diabetes will tell you, managing diabetes is a 24-7 job.”
Tracking of Team Type 1 and Team Type 2 in RAAM can be done through the teams’ official website, teamtype1.org.
Photo: Sean Weide
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