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Robic leads RAAM going into Kansas
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Before the start of the 28th Race Across America, pundits were predicting (or perhaps hoping) that this would not be another Jure Robic runaway. With one of the strongest fields ever, it seemed that someone would have the muscle to challenge the Slovenian army major.
As Robic hit the halfway mark in Kansas on Sunday, he was, as usual, out front. But unlike last year, when Robic held a 12-hour lead by midrace, two riders were within striking distance. Past winner Daniel Wyss of Switzerland and fellow Slovenian Marko Baloh were about one hour and two hours behind, which in RAAM time is effectively breathing down Robic’s neck.
Robic’s effort was being compounded by a throat infection, probably brought about by the hot, dry air of the early days in the Arizona and Utah desert. Crew member Matjaž Planinšek said that while Robic remains confident, “he is constantly complaining about some throat pain.”
“I think psychologically there is still something going on about 2006 when he dropped out in Pagosa Springs,” Planinšek added. “If there is anything going wrong with breathing he gets anxious. It’s probably not something serious but it is affecting his riding.”
Robic has been in the lead for most of the 1,600 or so miles he has covered so far in the 3,000-mile event, though Baloh held a slight advantage during the first two days.
Planinšek said that if Wyss and Baloh could stay with Robic through the mountains, “they will probably stay with him or get even closer through Kansas. Jure hates flat riding and headwinds!”
But when the race reaches Missouri and the West Virginia climbs, “he leaves them behind,” Planinšek predicted.
Still, anything can happen on RAAM. Riders who were expected to do well this year have dropped out. Spaniard Julian Sanz-Garcia, who held second place for a while in ’08, pulled out Sunday in Taos, New Mexico. So did Franz Preihs, the Austrian who soldiered on to the finish despite breaking a collarbone before the halfway mark.
A two-woman race
The race for solo women age 50 and under has been a two-rider contest since Saturday, when South African Michelle Sanilhano pulled out in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. She had been dealing with thigh and hip flexor issues since Tuba City, Arizona, and when it became apparent that she couldn’t beat the time cut, she abandoned.
American Janet Christiansen remains out front, about two hours ahead of Brazilian Daniela Figueiredo Genovesi. Both were in Kansas on Sunday, somewhere between Elkart and Plains. It’s been a tough ride for the two; Christiansen has suffered with saddle issues since Arizona, while the cold and wet of the mountains between Pagosa Springs and Taos took their toll on Genovesi.
Race Across the West
Last year the RAAM organizers introduced the “Race Across the West,” (RAW) a 1,044-mile event running concurrently with RAAM. A sort of “junior RAAM,” it starts in Oceanside, California, and finishes in Taos, New Mexico.
At 9:12 a.m. local time, Canadian Dallas Morris became the only solo finisher. He wasted no time getting to the time-station table to partake of the homemade chocolate chip cookies waiting there. With crumbs tumbling down his jersey, he remarked, “What a way to see the United States!”
RAAM’s CEO Fred Boethling pointed out that Morris had only been through a third of it, adding that perhaps a full RAAM should be in his future.
Morris replied: “Well, now we have a crew that definitely has some experience. We were all rookies coming into this event. But for me, rather than ‘Race Across The West’ I kind of considered it more ‘Ride Across The West.’ I found myself ogling at all the sights, always looking around. The scenery is so spectacular I had to try to remember, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s a race!’”
Morris said the descent from 10,250-foot La Manga Pass in Colorado was among his most exhilarating moments. “Doing the downhill in the dark was an experience I won’t soon forget,” he said.
Their maiden voyage taught Morris and crew quite a bit about diet and logistics.
“Going with the sugary sports drinks came back to haunt me big time,” Morris said. “The first day the guys were telling me that I was leading up until checkpoint four. Then I hit the wall. And then we starting buying Subway sandwiches and having real meals.”
And while riders like Baloh and Robic bring huge support teams to the race, Morris’s entourage consisted of “three guys and a mini-van.” A minimalist approach, to be sure — but enough to make him the sole finisher of nine soloists who began the Race Across the West. One solo woman remains on course, but it’s unlikely that Leslie Holton will make it to Taos before the time cut-off. Word is that she will continue for an unofficial finish.
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