Austrian ultracyclist Christoph Strasser rolled into City Dock at Annapolis shortly after midnight on Thursday to win his first Race Across America.
The 28-year-old had just finished a 2,989-mile cross-country bicycle race across the US, covering the distance in 8 days, 8 hours, and 6 minutes. That's an average speed of 14.94 mph.
As he rolled across the finish, his 19 competitors in the RAAM solo men's division (under 50) were spread along the route all the way back to somewhere between Effingham, Illinois, and Sullivan, Indiana. Two others had dropped out.
Some 10 hours after finishing, Strasser's closest challenger, US ultracyclist Mark Pattinson was still more than 100 miles away, approaching Mt. Airy, Maryland.
The 2011 bike race was one of the few RAAMs in the past decade not influenced by five-time champion Jure Robic, of Slovenia. He was struck and killed by a car in September while on a training ride on a forest road in his home country. He was 45 when he died.
Long-distance bicycle competitor
Interviewed at the finish, this leader of a new generation of ultracyclists said the whole experience was “100 percent fun.” He admitted that there were hard times, like “getting up in the morning after just 70 minutes of sleep.”
Reports from the RAAM website show that Strasser was not just trying to sound brave at the completion of the race. He appeared fresh as he headed through the Appalachians, although his average speed dropped.
Strasser previously raced in the 2009 RAAM and has competed in ultracycling events in Europe.
In addition to the under 50 solo men's division, there are divisions for men over 50; women's divisions, and two-, four-, and eight-person men's, women's, and mixed teams.
The fastest team — the 8-person Strategic Lions — finished the course in 5 days, 9 hours and 14 minutes. That's 23.13 mph.
The all-time record speed for the men's solo division remains 15.4 mph set in 1986 by Pete Pensyres. The course rolled out from Huntington Beach, California, to the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that year.
Strasser's 14.94 mph, however, is the third fastest average speed in the event, which dates back to 1982 when Lon Haldeman won.
All results are at the RAAM website. Learn more about the winner at Strasser's website.
Recent Comments