After 2,100 miles, Slovenian wonder-cyclist Jure Robic maintained his lead in the grueling Race Across America as he was first to pull into the Effingham, Illinois, time station Tuesday morning.
But something is different at this point in the race as four-time RAAM champion Robic defends his title; a 39-year-old cyclist named Daniel Wyss followed him into the time station by only 81 minutes.
It's probably one of the few times that anyone has been this close to Robic this late in the race during his wins in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Wyss, a 39-year-old cyclist from Switzerland, won the race in 2006. He might just be waiting for a chance to slip ahead of Robic during a sleep break or wrong turn over the last 1,000 miles.
Narrow margin
In fact, a 30-minute penalty assessed against Robic earlier in the race puts Wyss within 51 minutes of Robic. Comparing their stats over the 50 miles between the last two time stations, Wyss averaged 16.23 mph compared to 14.44 mph for Robic.
Overall, Robic has averaged 15.83 mph since leaving Oceanside; Wyss 15.67 mph.
The next closest cyclist is Gerhard Gulewicz, an Austrian endurance cyclist who is at least 170 miles behind Robic.
“Brilliance”
A blogger writing updates for the RAAM website notes that Robic appears to be stronger than ever. Coupled with his experienced crew, that makes him a “worthy contender.” As for Wyss:
“[He] is new to me, but I see brilliance, a fire burning inside and he is stoking it. He is confident, calculating and only lets you see what he wants you to see. He too is a contender, but like a prize fight, he will have to do more than the champion to unseat him.”
At his present rate, Robic should arrive at the finish line in Annapolis at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Twelve of the original 21 male solo riders in the “under 50” category are still racing. Other leaders include Janet Christianson in the women under 50, Dominque Briand in the men 50-59, Team Type 1 in 8-person open team, Team RANS in the 4-person men under 50, All Wheels 4 Fibromyalgia in 4-person mixed under 50, and Adventures for the Cure in the 2-person men under 50.
RAAM updates at RAAM solo or RAAM teams.
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