froody

I'm not sure. Historically Robic (and pretty much every other RAAM rider) has slowed down over the course of the race. Perhaps Trevino is trying to ride a more steady pace throughout the race, which will cause him to catch up with Robic. Remember there's well more than half way to go. So far I don't see any real evidence of that, though, and it really looks like Trevino tried to stay with the front as best he could.

Robic does seem to be the most dedicated racer. In his interview he even said that the reason he joined the army was so he could have a job where he could train for RAAM!

Tim

oneradtec

RAAM has all the elements needed to become 'legendary' event...like Tour de France and Ironman. It just needs more time to develop some history behind it. Last year's television coverage was great! How much prize money is involved? Perhaps they need more sponsors and prize money?...surely that will bring more into the sport.

What specific bikes do these guys ride? Are they more traditional road bikes with clip on aero bars?.....or are they time trial or traithlete specific bikes? I seem to remember Seana Hogan riding a Bianchi road bike with clip ons. Kish rides an Airborne Zeppelin I think.

Bike nut

I know, I am hoping he finishes, but it does not look good. I hope he makes it through the night. I am also wondering what is going on with Kish, he is barely ahead of Kevin Walsh. The 18 year old kid is still doing good.

cjbruin

I don't know, I've been watching all day and the guy just keeps pulling away. What do you say Chick? "This race is in the refridgerator. The light is out, the eggs are coolin', the butter is gettin' hard, and the jello is jigglin'!"

Like I said, I know very little about this race but I'm gonna go out on a limb and bet that Robic will win. Any takers?

Richard Cranium

Well, I was wrong about "cut-off" times, apparently they ARE enforcing them this year - I've seen them "let it go" in the past, especially if the rider is involved in a charity.......

This weasel seems to always have a comment ---
https://mercian753.blogspot.com/2005/...aked-want.html

froody

Oh, ouch. 4 people going under 10mph right now: Kevin, Autissier, Rodgers, and Kish. The next cutoff time isn't until Saturday, but it worries me. It looks like Traunmueller has managed to keep his pace but a lot have dropped lower.
The daily report or whatever mentioned that Kish started the race feeling out of sorts. C'mon guys, pedal! You're almost at timestation 18, with that sweet elevation profile:
https://www.raceacrossamerica.org/fil...estation18.htm

Tim

froody

Robic just made it to the half-way point. Over the last 3 timestations Trevino has been catching up a little. 8:04 at TS23, 7:22 at TS24, 5:52 at TS25. Is Trevino better on the flat than climbing? How about Robic?

Tim

spacefuzz

ben is in the top 10, i think thats pretty darn impressive for being so young. hope he keeps going strong.

timmhaan

Horrible news - Dr. Bob Breedlove involved in a fatal head-on accident.

https://www.raceacrossamerica.org/

froody

Silent post for Dr. Breedlove.

Richard Cranium

Ben, the Alaskan iron man is doing great - I had predicted DNF, I guess I have yellow snow on my shoes... at least so far.........

Bob Breedlove died what he loved doing most, in one of the prettiest area in North America. Of the few times I had ridden with him - he always seemed like a very safety-oriented guy. Of all the riders on RAAM - I would not have expected this to happen to Bob.

I wonder if this will increase race-official's attention to rider competence. After all - there are 5 others struggling to make the cut-off - obviously at the "ends of their abilities"........

OC Roadie

Very sad to hear about Bob, my thoughts go out to him and his family. I went to the sight to get my semi-daily update and was shocked and saddened to see this. Like Richard said, he was doing what he loves and we all take this risk when we push our limits, but it still hits pretty hard. Good point abut what kind of new regulations this might bring about.

Bike nut

If you look at Bob Breedlove's personal file on the RAAM website what is kinda erie is that when asked what scarred him most about RAAM, one of the things he says is "death."

Can someone tell me how the time works. It looks like Trevino is 4 minutes behind Robic but he is 113 miles and two time stations behind. Do they have staggered starts in RAAM?

My man Kevin Walsh has just DNF'ed due to medical reasons. Good try Kevin

OC Roadie

I don't know why the race times are different, they ride to a nuetralized start, so it's possible the back broke up before the official start. Trevino is 2 time station behind Robic when looking at the stats spreadsheet.

cjbruin

They started at the same time. The time listed is the time they arrived at the station. So Robic arrived at TS28 four mintues before Trevino arrived at TS26. He essentially has a 130+ mile lead.

OC Roadie

Ah, thanks for clearing that up

cjbruin

OC, you riding today? Pretty gorgeous out. Just about to hit the road. My wife is has plans this evening so I'll probably ride 'til sundown.

Richard Cranium

"If you look at Bob Breedlove's personal file on the RAAM website what is kinda erie is that when asked what scarred him most about RAAM, one of the things he says is "death"

That's interesting, I noticed that too, when I read his BIO a while back. Bob wasn't a flippant character, at least for the few times I had met him, and the comment seems out of character.

As I had mentioned, the few times I rode with him, he was very concientious of safety.

Richard Cranium

Does anyone realize, that from a time perspective RAAM is barely "half over"......

Tomorrow, will bring some real suffering.... let's hope ALL the riders can continue to push each other to their limits.......

Oh yeah - go Ben, and Ben - you 'da man......... or men.......

froody

Breedlove's death really made me question RAAM. From one point of view it seems stupid to put yourself in a position (biking on little sleep) where the chance of an accident is much higher than it would otherwise be. But in the end I think that people thrive on overcoming challenges, and all of the really extreme ones carry a risk to your life. People die on Everest every year, and that is a commonly accepted adventure to undertake. As long as you're aware of the risk when deciding to do something, I don't see anything wrong with going ahead and doing it. Be careful, but don't be so careful that you don't get to live out your dreams.

Tim

froody

Only sort of. I know it, but it's not registering. I guess I'm just following this race by the hour. I added a cutoff line to my graphs and there are still 4 riders that are right there. I hope they manage to pull through. Other than that, Haase seems to have found a nice pace in 8th place. Valentin Zeller is dropping, though. MacDonald and Baloh seem to be stuck to each other. It looks like Trevino's given up some more time to Robic again. Last 3 timestations: 5:52, 7:00, 8:10.

Tim

cjbruin

So are you taking my bet? I'm saying it was over some time ago. I guess there is always the race for 2nd.

froody

Yeah, I think the race for 1st place is over. Trevino's had a very slow night, while MacDonald is now closing in on him. MacDonald has been sleeping a lot in this race, so I'd believe he might be able to put the hammer down near the end to finish second. Trevino may have the reserves to fight him off, but I doubt he's going to catch Robic unless Robic has a real problem. Mark Baloh also dropped a bunch tonight, and is now just barely ahead of Fabio Biasiolo (sp?). Kish is dead last, about to pass the spot of Breedlove's accident. That must be emotional for him. He and Autissier are the only ones averaging below 10.5mph but a few others are close. They'll have to pick it up to make it through the Appalachians.

Tim

The Octopus 

I like MacDonald's strategy of getting some (relatively speaking) decent sleep. His rolling average is by far the highest of the riders; he's just spending more time off the bike. Will be interesting to see as we get closer to the end whether and to what extent he trims down the sleep time. He may be able to make up considerable time, being fresher and stronger than the other riders who have been burning it at both ends from the start.

I don't think it's in the bag for Robic at all. There's still a lot of race left, and the rest of it is going to go through some really hateful hot and humid weather. These guys have not yet begun to suffer....

Richard Cranium

Hey, it's not like anyone will read this so go ahead - don't read this......

https://mercian753.blogspot.com/2005/...ts-splits.html

I mean, it's crunch time - but who could forsee the weather "this bad"
https://weather.unisys.com/surface/sfc_con_dewp.gif

Looks like Kish is "retiring" for this RAAM......

Rodgers is really sitting on the "bubble".