The miles and days click by, and solo RAAM leader Jure Robic is making his way to Hamilton, Ohio, just 505 miles from the finish in Annapolis.
The Slovenian ultra-athlete is averaging a steady 14.5 mph and is about 14 hours ahead of his nearest rival, David Haase. At left is a video of him greeting a fan in Missouri, about 500 miles ago (Jure Robic blog).
Many of the solo and team riders have suffered cold and rainy conditions overnight as they race their bicycles across the US. One, Caroline Van De Bulk of Canada, is still riding after crashing in the fog. She cracked her helmet and skinned up her knees, but she's still riding. Her comment is typically brave, like all the RAAM riders:
“At least the pain in my right knee is distracting me from the soreness in my left!”
She last checked in at Camdenton, Missouri, 1,854 miles into the race. She trails the other female solo competitor, Janet Christiansen, by one checkpoint.
Another suffering cyclist is David Jones, at 62 the oldest rider on RAAM. A RAAM film crew caught up with him at an admitted “low point”, at left, where he complained of saddle sores, aching feet, double vision. Still, he's almost 24 hours ahead of last year's pace.
Overall, the Gran Fondo Fixies are leading all the racers on the way to Annapolis. That two-man team on fixies left the same time at the solo male riders; all the other teams left on Wednesday. They're on pace to finish in Annapolis on Monday.
The Fixies are heading for their next timecheck in Athens, Ohio, is where it's going to start getting hilly again on the way over the Appalachians. That could prove to be another major obstacle to guys riding fixed gear bicycles.
Among the two-, four-, and eight-person teams that started on Wednesday, BMC is leading on the road to Effingham, Indiana, followed by Team Type 1.
More results at RAAM race stats. Also check out the frequently updated RAAM Live Coverage blog.
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