June 19, 2006 – Records may fall in several categories as the Finish Line is in sight for the two lead teams… and the Enduro and Traditional leaders will duke it out through the Appalachians (not that they’re officially racing each other!

As midnight EDT approaches on June 18th, Team Type 1 and Beaver Creek/Vail has put on quite a cycling show over the last 24 hours as they head into the Appalachian mountains a mere 8 hours from the Finish Line in Atlantic City!

Team Type 1 is on pace to break the eight-person team record while Beaver Creek/Vail would have to speed it up considerably to touch the current 4-person mark.

After exchanging leads for several hundred miles, Team Type 1 has fallen back by about 25 minutes at Time Station #52, Rouzerville, PA. It appears the experienced champions of Beaver Creek/Vail have established their hill climbing dominance… BUT WAIT! Beaver Creek/Vail has two time penalties totaling 45 minutes while Team Type 1 has one penalty for only 15 minutes.

Cycle, run, swim, or fly to the Atlantic City Boardwalk now!!

At the front of the solo field, DANIEL WYSS has been making his move towards A.C. Wyss overtook former Traditional leader FABIO BIASIOLO somewhere on the Indiana/Ohio border and has put a huge gap on Biasiolo over a mere three Time Stations since. At last report, Wyss checked into T.S. 44 at 23:03 EDT while Biasiolo only checked into Time Station 43 — the previous time station — twenty minutes earlier!

Both lead Traditional riders have a considerable lead on Enduro leader JONATHAN BOYER — who himself is pulling away from second place Enduro MARKO BALOH — but our eagle-eyed media team spotted Boyer looking strong and mentally sharp after a 1:40 rest in Ohio.

Boyer still has to take at least 4.5 hours of mandatory rest (a consideration of the Enduro division in which riders must accumulate 40 hours of off-the-bike time), but he thinks he can catch the lead Traditional riders in the hilly Appalachians.

With just about 500 miles to go for the lead Traditional riders, it will be quite a show to watch the great climber Boyer chase down Wyss and Basiolo who have nowhere near 40 hours of rest and are sure to feel each and every climb in their exhausted state…

TEAM BODY XTREME/GARDENPATHWAYS has been lighting up the two-man category and at their average speed of 20.29 mph are on course to smash the previous two-man record. Go get ’em Kevin and Joe!

A quick nod to TEAM 4 GONE, whom I left out of the “team’s racing for charity with websites you should visit” piece in the last Report. Team 4 Gone is raising money for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network AND the Alamo Children’s Advocacy Center in San Antonio, TX. As if riding across the country wasn’t tough enough! Please visit www.team4gone.com for more info.

From the rest of the team field, RAAM HQ heard from the following:

THE RED HELMETS — the team that’s proving that age and beauty and bikes can all go together — is having fun and smiling according to one crew member. It’s “tough, like it should be,” says the crew via cell phone as they pass through Illinois. The teammates are switching off as the terrain dictates and the crew is doing well, too.

TEAM CYCLING FOR CHAFFEY is also doin’ great according to crew member Mickey Cooper. Well, except for the one team member who went to the hospital with a kidney stone and was released to join back up with the team after the condition was alleviated with some medicine. With the amazing Pete Penseyres, owner of the highest average solo RAAM speed in history, and a bunch of cyclists who average well over 60 years old, they’re making up time. Half of the team had a “hell of a meal” somewhere in Illinois… while the other half got to ride in the rain!


For TEAM RACE FOR WISHES, the two man team of Derek Slife and Eric Tidd, RAAM has been quite a family affair. According to crew member Nancy Birdwell everyone is “wonderful, feeling strong, and making good time”. The two riders have found a good rhythm and have settled into a schedule of 30 minute pulls during the day and two hour pulls at night. They’ve been lucky to miss a lot of the rain, wind, and hail that other teams ran into and are cruising through Illinois passing solo riders along the way. Derek has his Vickie, Curtis, and Troy — his mom, dad, and brother — along, while Eric has sister Theresa — a gourmet cook — on board. Throw a masseuse in the mix and this is a crew that anyone would want to ride for!

TEAM DREAMS FOR KIDS is “awesome” and the team’s doing very well after an entire 24 hours of rest! The whole team stood down from 8:30 pm on July 17 to 8:30 pm on July 18 — going from third place in the 4-person division to nearly last place, but honoring Sunday in the process. Featuring 16-year old Cees Hofman, who the team has been handing off the big climbs to (nothing like fresh — and young — legs), Dreams For Kids rode the last T.S. to T.S. section in a blazing 23 mph average.

GEARSANDTEARS is currently in third place in the 4-person division near Time Station 42. They’ve understandably got some sore legs and could use more rest, but there are no sour stomachs and everyone’s doing well. They’re riding in 2-man shifts of 8 hours each.

And that’s all the RAAM news for June 18th — Day 7 for the solos and Day 5 for the teams. CHECK OUT THE NEW FINISH LINE WEBCAM ON THE WWW.RACEACROSSAMERICA.ORG SITE! See action from Race HQ and the Atlantic City boardwalk.